- Most experts recommend you plan at least one week to visit the park. While a lot of travelers will breeze through the park in three to four days, you will surely enjoy the park more with a longer stay. Take a week to enjoy the park. If you want to split up lodging, consider camping for a night or two.
- Yellowstone offers a variety of lodging options, ranging from camping (cheapest) to five-star hotels (most expensive). Aside from the outdoor enthusiast, camping is only available in the late spring and summer months. Travelers may also decide to stay inside the park or just outside for a little cheaper rate. The Old Faithful Inn, located next to the world famous Old Faithful Geyser, is arguably the most luxurious and historic lodging option in the Yellowstone area.
- Drive through the two-mile one-way Firehole Lake Drive that takes you by more geysers, hot springs and hot pools. The Great Fountain Geyser is also in this area. Set aside plenty of time to witness the 100-foot-plus display, because the eruptions only occur every nine to 12 hours and within a two-hour-plus time period. Dome Geyser, a more frequent but less spectacular geyser, is a little further down the road.
- Yellowstone is renowned for its wildlife, including rare species such as elk, deer, bison, moose, wolves and grizzly bears. Elk, deer and bison are much more common and easy to locate inside the park. Because wolves, moose and grizzly bears are much more shy and secluded, catching a glimpse of one inside the park is a matter of patience and luck. Keep on the lookout in primitive locations for a chance to catch one of these species in the distance.
- Even if you do not catch any natural wildlife or if they are too far away, you can still capture plenty of great shots for your digital camera or personal camcorder. Yellowstone in the fall, when all the leaves change, is especially gorgeous. Catching the perfect shot of an erupting geyser may be hard, but more than worth the extra effort.
