How to Visit Yellowstone National Park

Amazing geysers, beautiful lakes and waterfalls and plenty of wildlife await visitors of America’s first national park. The entire park is alive with volcanic energy that forces bubbling water up from the ground and forms a geological site unlike any other in the world. Nature lovers will be amazed by the bison, deer, elk, eagle, bears and even wolves that are housed in the mountains and plains of Yellowstone.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Drive or fly to Yellowstone and rent a car. Most people fly to Bozeman, Montana, Cody, Wyoming, or Jackson, Wyoming. In the summer, flights are also sometimes available to West Yellowstone, Montana, which is just outside of Yellowstone’s western gate. Bozeman is about 120 miles from the northeast entrance, while Cody is about an hour’s drive from the eastern gate. There are friendly people and hotels in both. From Jackson, you can take a scenic drive through Grand Tetons National Park to get to Yellowstone.

2. Take plenty of film, batteries and memory cards to take photos of the landscape and animals. Such things will be more expensive in the park and surrounding towns.

3. Pay an entrance fee per car to enter the park. The fee gives you a seven-day pass for Yellowstone and the neighboring Grand Tetons.

4. Get a map when you enter the park. It is generally a short distance between areas of the park. Keep in mind, however, that the roads are small, the speed limits are low and you might be delayed by traffic stopped for wildlife.

5. Visit Old Faithful. No trip to Yellowstone is complete without a trip to the famous geyser. There will be a sign posted with the approximate next eruption on it. While you’re waiting, you can grab a bite to eat, walk around the geyser basin or just relax in the historic Old Faithful Inn.

6. Take a hike. There are hundred of trails in Yellowstone, ranging from quick walks to waterfalls or multiple-day hikes into the backcountry.

7. Have a picnic. You can stop anywhere you want in Yellowstone, sit beneath a tree and grab a bite. There are also many picnic areas with tables and restrooms. Bringing a picnic lunch into the park is also a good way to save money.

8. Learn about history and science at one of the park’s many educational facilities, or take part in one of the ranger-led talks or hikes. You can also take a tour.

9. Fly fish the rivers of Yellowstone for trout, or take a boat out onto Lake Yellowstone.

10. Bike the park to stay in shape and experience the wilderness in a new way. Be careful, however, as bikes travel on the same roads that cars do and are not allowed on trails.

11. Travel by snowmobile or ski in the winter and have the park nearly to yourselves.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to stay in the park, book well in advance. If you’re too late, many towns just outside of the park offer many motels, services and attractions of their own.
• Check Yellowstone National Park’s website (see resources) to get information about road construction and closures, park hours and the various facilities and activities offered.
• Many tourists find binoculars helpful when looking for wildlife.
• Remember that all of the animals in Yellowstone Park are wild, and although they might look docile, they are dangerous. Even the massive bison can run very fast and have gored humans.
• Be particularly careful near any young animals, as their mothers are very protective.
• Do not feed the animals.
• Do not expect to see all of the various kinds of wildlife. Some, particularly wolves and grizzly bears, are not common sights, though a ranger may be able to tell you places where such animals have been seen often or recently.

Resources

• Yellowstone National Park