In 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park in the world and is located mostly in Wyoming, U.S.A. The park is known for its unique thermal features, extensive wildlife, and majestic landscapes. Parts of this park will make you feel like you are on another planet, and it is a must-see destination for travelers. Follow this 6-day Yellowstone itinerary to see all this national park has to offer.
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Before you plan your trip, read Know Before Going to Yellowstone for lodging, transportation, entry fees, and other useful information. For up-to-date park information, visit the official Yellowstone National Park page.
Free Yellowstone Itinerary
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DAY 1
We arrived at the South Entrance to the park the morning of the first day. During the first couple nights in Yellowstone, we camped at Grant Village Campgrounds. After arriving to the park, make a quick stop at Moose Falls, and then check-in to the campsite.
Moose Falls
On the way in from South Entrance, stop at the Moose Falls pullout. Just a short 0.1-mile walk from the parking area, you will find the plunge-type waterfall of Crawfish Creek.
Old Faithful & Upper Geyser Basin
After you have set up your campsite, head to Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. Old Faithful erupts approximately every 90 minutes. This geyser is likely the most visited spot in Yellowstone and is extremely crowded. Depending on what time you arrive and when Old Faithful erupts, you may be here a short time or a long time.
Luckily, we arrived 15 minutes before Old Faithful erupted. After watching the impressive eruption on the boardwalk platform, walk around the rest of the Upper Geyser Basin area to see other thermal hotspots and smaller geysers.
If time permits, walk the 1.5-mile Observation Point Loop Trail. This hike takes you past Solitary Geyser to an elevated lookout point. If you time this correctly, you can watch Old Faithful erupt again from the elevated viewpoint.
Other Geyser Basins
Continue north and stop at other geyser basins such as Black Sand Basin and Biscuit Basin. Stroll along the boardwalks to see several thermal hotspots and small geysers. I was more impressed with the vibrant colors and dramatic geyser activity in these lesser known basins than I was with Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin region.
Grand Prismatic
Our last stop for the day was the iconic Grand Prismatic. However, the weather had significantly gotten colder, and the hydrothermal features produced more and more steam. All we could see was a thick, blue steam cloud where the hot springs were supposed to be. We decided to go back on a sunny day even if it was out of way, so we could really see the vivid rainbow colors of Grand Prismatic. Although it was not the views that we were expecting, I am glad we went on the cold and cloudy day. Otherwise, we would not have seen the colorful grounds and steam.
DAY 2
Our original Yellowstone itinerary had us hiking the Fairy Falls trail. The first part of this trail includes the lookout spot for Grand Prismatic. Since the weather was predicted to be another cold and rainy day, we switched up our plans. We decided to visit Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley. Even though the drive was a little further from Grant Village than we intended, it was worth saving the Grand Prismatic lookout for a sunny day.
In addition to the weather, we had another obstacle for this day. The road from Canyon to Tower-Roosevelt was closed for the season due to scheduled construction. This added a significant amount of driving to our day, but we made the most of it by making several stops at pullouts.
Gibbon Falls
Our first pullout was at Gibbon Falls with a short, downhill walk along the creek for the perfect view of the waterfall.
Artists Paintpots
The next stop is the Artists Paintpots, which is a 1.1-mile loop trail. Several small thermal hotspots and gurgling geysers can be seen in this area.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Next, stop at the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Even though the park was not as crowded as normal, we had trouble finding a parking spot. Mammoth Hot Springs is a terrace of hot springs on a hillside and looks very different than other thermal hotspots in the park.
Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley is known as the Serengeti of America due to its abundance of wildlife. In the short time we were there, we observed American bison, coyotes, a lone black wolf, and pronghorns. On the drives to and from Lamar Valley, we saw a bald eagle in its nest and two black bears walking along the road.
We intended to walk the 1.2-mile Trout Lake Loop Trail because the trout were spawning. But a rainstorm appeared out of nowhere, and we decided it was best not to attempt the hike. What a bummer! However, after the rain comes a rainbow. Literally! The picture does not do it justice, but this was the most beautiful and vibrant double rainbow I had ever seen.
Firehole Lake Drive
On drive back to the campsite, we detoured along the one-way, 3-mile Firehole Lake Drive hoping to see more wildlife. We were not successful, but we did see the impressive Firehole Falls. Also, this area is a popular swimming hole if you are looking for a dip.
Day 2 was an extremely long day. We started early and did not get to the campsite until well after sunset. However, the views of the sunset on the way home were majestic with the reflections in the flooded geyser basin.
DAY 3
On Day 3, we slept in since we had such a long day on Day 2. After packing up our belongings, we started the drive to our next campsite, Canyon Campground.
Yellowstone Lake
The drive from Grant Village to Canyon takes you by the West Thumb Geyser Basin and alongside Yellowstone Lake. Enjoy the views of this massive, deep blue lake surrounded by mountains. Find a pullout or two for some Instagrammable photos.
Yellowstone Grand Canyon – North Rim
After checking into Canyon and setting up our campsite, we ate lunch. Then, we started our sightseeing day with the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. You can drive or walk along canyon’s north rim making stops at the various viewpoints. The hike to Inspiration Point and back is 7.9 miles. We opted for a drive/walk combo walking to Grand View and back. Then we drove to Inspiration Point. From each of the viewpoints, you get a unique view of the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. Make sure to look left when you are almost to Inspiration Point to see Glacial Boulder beside the road.
Hayden Valley
At Hayden valley, we parked the car at a pullout and set up camp for the evening. We had lawn chairs, blankets, and cheese and crackers, so we could have an uninterrupted night of wildlife watching. We saw bison roaming, elk grazing, and an eagle flying. After a couple hours, half our group (including me) went back to the campsite. What a mistake! The rest of the group saw a wolf pack chase down an elk for dinner. That’s usually something people only get to see on the Discovery Channel.
DAY 4
Seven Mile Hole Trail
Hiking Seven Mile Hole Trail was great because it had a little bit of everything Yellowstone has to offer: dark forests, wildlife watching, a waterfall, a marshy meadow, hydrothermal features, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and Yellowstone River. But this hike is no joke! It is rated as strenuous and took us over 6 hours to complete. The last 2 miles of the out journey was a 1,200-foot elevation decline, which means the first 2 miles of the back journey was a 1,200-foot elevation climb. I struggled and had to take a nap when it was over.
If this hike is too strenuous for you, you could find shorter, easier hikes instead. This would be a good time to add the Tower Falls to your itinerary. (We could not access Tower Falls due to scheduled road construction.)
Yellowstone Grand Canyon – North Rim
After resting from the Seven Mile Hole hike, we drove the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We stopped at the pullouts for Artist Point and Uncle Tom’s Lookout for more views of Upper and Lower Yellowstone Waterfalls.
LeHardys Rapids
On the way to the Mud Volcano area, we stopped at the LeHardys Rapids for a quick, easy walk along the dramatic river.
Mud Volcano
At the Mud Volcano area, walk along the platforms and paved trail to see bubbling mud pots. My favorite thermal spot in this location was Dragon’s Mouth where a steam exits a cave to the beat of breathing. The roaring from inside the cave is as terrifying as the geyser’s name sounds.
Hayden Valley
We ended Day 4 with a second visit to Hayden Valley for more wildlife watching. Herds of bison and elk roamed the valley once again. This time I was lucky enough to see a lone gray wolf.
DAY 5
Next on this Yellowstone itinerary, we drove to Bridge Bay campsite, checked in, and set up. This site is known for elk and bison roaming the camp throughout the day. We saw several elk near our campsite. While we were at the Grand Prismatic Lookout, a bison attacked a woman at the campsite next to ours when she got too close to it! (This is why you should practice wildlife safety.)
Grand Prismatic Lookout
We put this trail off earlier in the week when it was cold and cloudy. I am so glad we did. The colors of Grand Prismatic on a sunny day are the most incredible sight I saw in our Yellowstone itinerary. The trail to the Grand Prismatic Lookout is the first part of the Fairy Falls Trail (4.9-mile, out and back). Unfortunately, the Fairy Falls Trail past the Lookout Loop was closed due to a woman attacked by a grizzly bear a couple days before. (Again, follow wildlife safety guidelines!)
West Thumb Geyser
Our next stop was the West Thumb Geyser area. The hydrothermal hotspots in this basin were large and beautiful blue hues. The backdrop of this basin is Yellowstone Lake. Views of the fishing cone geyser can be seen from the walking platform. Here, people used to catch fish and reel it in over the cone to steam before eating it. Do not do this now!
Natural Bridge Trail
Since Fairy Falls trail was closed, one option to replace this hike was the Natural Bridge Trail at the Bay Bridge area. This is a 2.9-mile, easy out and back trail that ends with a 51-foot rock cliff with a natural bridge rock formation.
Drive from Fishing Bridge to East Entrance
Check out the Fishing Bridge Gift Shop before starting this drive to the East Entrance towards Cody, Wyoming. Along the way, get amazing views of Yellowstone Lake, major burnt areas, Avalanche Peak, and seasonal waterfalls.
Day 6
Our Yellowstone itinerary is quickly coming to an end with this being our last day. We woke up early and packed up all our gear. We continued our trip to Glacier National Park, so we left out the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana.
Norris Geyser Basin
On our way out, we stopped at the Norris Geyser Basin. This basin of geysers seemed to be the most active of all the other geyser basins. Steamboat Geyser was the most impressive and is the tallest active geyser in the world, but its eruptions are unpredictable. Signs in the parking lot warn visitors that the minerals from Steamboat Geyser can damage cars’ windows and paint.
Roosevelt Arch
At the North Entrance, we exited through the Roosevelt Arch built in 1903. The arch is 52 feet tall and wide enough for two-way traffic.
Gardiner, Montana
The cute, little town outside the North Entrance is Gardiner, Montana. Before our long drive to Glacier National Park, we shopped at the gift shops in this town. If you have not done so yet, stock up on huckleberry products. You will not be disappointed!
Our 6-day Yellowstone itinerary is the perfect way to see all highlights of Yellowstone National Park at an easy pace. These sights and hikes can be completed in a shorter time frame, but that would require long, very busy days. Six days is the perfect amount of time to roam Yellowstone.
If you want to extend your vacation, add 2 days in Grand Tetons National Park, which is located nearby in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
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