We'll be visiting Yellowstone this year from May 24-28! We're an active couple and we'll have our 1yr old baby with us. We do a lot of local hiking and adventures with our son, but this is our first time doing a big multi-day trip with him.

Would love any feedback on our itinerary. Too ambitious? Any other good hikes we should include? (we're big hikers) Any hidden gems we're missing out on? Anything we can do or change to optimize to see more wildlife? Thanks so much!

-- Day 1 --

Drive to Missoula (8 hours)

-- Day 2 --

Morning

• Drive to Old Faithful (5 hours)
• Naptime in the car

Afternoon

• Old Faithful eruption (20 min)
• Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk — (3 miles, 1–2 hrs)
• Optional: Observation Point (moderate, 1.6 mi) if energy allows

Evening

• Dinner: Old Faithful Inn
• Lodge: Old Faithful Inn

-- Day 3 --

Morning

• Lone Star Geyser — 2.5mi flat hike each way to geyser that erupts every 3 hours

Lunch

Pack a picnic lunch or back to hotel for naptime

Afternoon

• Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail 
  • 1.6 mi, 200 ft
• Midway Geyser Basin
  • 0.7 mi, 45min
  • Gets you up close with the Grand Prismatic Spring (but could skip, everyone says it’s better from the overlook trail)
• Fountain Paint Pots 
  • Okay for stroller if we want
• Black Sand Basin (quick, ~30 min)

Evening

• Dinner: Old Faithful Inn
• Lodge: Old Faithful Inn

Other options

• Biscuit Basin + Mystic Falls Overlook
  • Biscuit Basin - closed indefinitely
  • Mystic Falls - optional 2.3mi hike to a good viewpoint

-- Day 4 --

Morning

Drive Old Faithful → Madison → Norris → Canyon (1hr30min)

Stops:

• Firehole Canyon Drive (20–30 min)
• Gibbon Falls (10 min)
• Norris Geyser Basin — Porcelain Basin (best quick loop)

Naptime in the car before Canyon

Midday — Canyon Area Highlights

Choose depending on energy:

Easy/Stroller

• Artist Point (spectacular viewpoint)
• Lookout Point, Grand View (north rim overlooks)

Moderate

• Brink of Lower Falls (steep but amazing; 45–75 min)

Afternoon

Drive Canyon → Tower → Mammoth (1hr30min)

Wildlife stretches:

• Dunraven Road area (if open in May)
• Blacktail Plateau corridor
• Swan Lake Flats (bear probability) (this is an overshoot from the hotel)

Evening

• Arrive at Mammoth; explore Upper Terraces Drive (30 min).
• Dinner: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
• Lodge: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins

-- Day 5 --

Early morning (sunrise at 5:45am)

• Drive to Lamar Valley for bears, wolves, bison, elk
• Consider extending the drive to Beartooth Pass
• Time: 2–4 hrs

Midday

Back to Mammoth for lunch or picnic. Hotel for naptime

Afternoon activities

Choose 1–2:

Easy

• Lower Terraces Boardwalk (45 min)
• Wraith Falls (1 mi round trip)
• Gardiner River pullouts for elk/pronghorn

Moderate

• Bunsen Peak (usually snow-free)
• Beaver Ponds trail (out-and-back)

Early evening

• Dinner at Mammoth or maybe drive to Roosevelt Lodge to get an early start on evening wildlife

Late evening (sunset at 9pm)

• Maybe drive to closer Blacktail Plateau or further Lamar Valley for bears, wolves, bison, elk
• Lodge: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

-- Day 6 --

Morning

• Sunrise wildlife drive if feeling up for it
• Repeat favorite terrace spots
• Quick wildlife drive toward Gardiner
• Easy stroller walk around Mammoth

Midday

• Drive to Missoula (4hr30min)
• Naptime in the car

-- Day 7 --

Drive 8hr home