Hello,

We are on the road with our travel trailer and are currently near Casper, Wyoming.

We would really love to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

I understand that this might not be the best time of year, but we have some time on our hands; is late April still a viable option for camping or dispersed camping?

Hi all ...

Has anyone been to Yellowstone since the executive order has been implemented? I'm trying to figure out how the international visitor fee is being charged and implemented. Are they asking for government ID from everyone in the car, just the driver, or are they just profiling at random? Is the way they are doing it going to cause additional backups at the entrances? Any info you have on this would be very helpful! Please I'm not asking about politics or your views on the EO ... just some info on how it is currently being implemented at the gates. Thanks!

Anybody else headed to Canyon May 5th for Xanterra check-in??? Who else is driving cross country? Headed in from NH. Say Hi ❤️

this was during a family summer road trip when i was 14, so it's hard to remember all the details, and i've already asked my family members and they don't recall where it was either, but there was a restaurant in the park where i ate an absolutely killer spinach souffle and i'm dying to remember where it was because it was so good. i've already tried google with no avail

My friend and I, both 19, are working in canyon village this summer, however we aren’t able to find much online about it. If anyone has worked at Yellowstone and know anything about canyon village, please let me know what to expect. Is it fun? Is it anything like college? What is the area like? If anyone has any suggestions or info that they can provide it would be greatly appreciated so we know how to prepare!

I just got my housing assignment for working for NPS in Yellowstone this summer. I am wondering if anyone can tell me anything aboit living in officers row? Apartment? Kitchen? Anything I should know?

I mostly see things about working for one of the other companies but not that actual service so any insight would be great!

Thanks!!

Does anyone have any suggestions for spinners and spoons to throw in Yellowstone? I do not fly fish and would be using a spinning rod. I see everything has to be barbless and lead free but I can't find anything besides the Jakes spin-a-lure that are completely lead free. Mepps and Panther Martin say they have a lead free line but the description for these products still shows a California Proposition 65 warning regarding containing lead. Any suggestions?

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

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Yellowstone/ Grand Tetons from May 22-24 and wanted to ask about weather conditions around that time. I know it’s a bit of a transition season, so I’m curious how common snow actually is in late May.

Thanks!

Hello all, I'm from the east coast so I don't really know much about this, but for my senior trip in July I'm going out west and hitting some national parks. I was looking at the mist creek pass and Lamar valley trail on alltrails and was intruiged. I saw it was 33.8 miles point to point, and I don't really want to call like an uber or shuttle back to our original point to get the truck. However, alltrails also said it takes about 13:19 to do. I know alltrails isn't all that accurate, but would it be possible to go there and back in 2 and a half days? If not, does anyone know any alternative trails we could do that would take us to the best spots of the valley, while still taking around that 2 and a half hour timeframe. Nothing else much needs to be taken into account, I really only want to hike that, and hopefully photograph bison and pronghorn while I'm there. Thanks all

Heading to Yellowstone with my girlfriend mid/end of May and we want to optimize our time there. Lamar Valley, Hayden and a quick stop to see old faithful are the top priorities. Will be there for 5 days. Thinking of 3 days in west Yellowstone and then 2 days somewhere else. Need recommendations on where to stay. Budget is around 300ish a night. Wouldn't mind staying in one location/cabin for cheaper and then somewhere fancier/more expensive some of the other nights. Recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hello, I am planning on driving from Banff to Grand Tetons in early-to-mid September. I considering stopping at Yellowstone but I am unsure of how I would structure it and what toI would do at Yellowstone. I am mainly going to Banff and Grand Tetons for climbing/going up cool peaks and, as I understand it, Yellowstone isn't that kind of park, it's more driving to observation spots.

So I guess my questions are a) What hikes or observations places are would be best to see b) how many days should I plan to be in Yellowstone if I do plan hit some of the iconic stuff? c) Where would be the place to camp?

Any guidance is appreciated, thanks!

Okay, planning to spend two nights at Old Faithful Inn and wondering the best way to drive, appreciate, and view Yellowstone while we’re there and considering our driving directions.

We’ll be coming end of July from Grand Teton, so entering from the South Entrance, presumably mid-day. Which direction would you take the loop and what to see before getting to the Inn?

Then we have a full day and need to figure out how to make the most of it. I should mention we will have two families in two different minivans with four kids total, aged 7, 7, 9, and 10. We can hike some and definitely just want to teach these kids to love national parks.

The last day we will have some time before we head toward Bozeman ultimately for our hotel there (before an early morning flight the day after that). Is this when we should head to Lamar Valley to try to see wildlife and then loop back to Bozeman? Or should we try to spend some time on our way out in Gardiner? Or something else?

I think I’m just wondering if there’s something I should be booking right now or just an itinerary we should nail down ahead of time. I know we’ll want to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, West Thumb, and others. Just feel a little lost on if I need to have an itinerary for it now or just go with the flow once we get there.

Also, while we’re talking itinerary…would it be a bad idea to leave our proximity of Old Faithful Inn and go to West Yellowstone for the rodeo one night? (Not booking a place to stay, just driving out and back at night to get a rodeo experience for the kids.)

Hello all,

Planning a trip May 13–19 from SLC, traveling with a 3-year-old, so want to keep it within a week.

Option 1:

• May 13: Reach Jackson Hole, May 14 spend the day in Grand Teton (Jenny Lake + viewpoints)
• Next day, enter Yellowstone via South Entrance (should be open by May 8)
• Stay in West Yellowstone for 4 days and access just the western part of the park

Option 2:

• Go straight to West Yellowstone on the 13th and stay there for the entire trip, and cover the West & North east part of the park(Lamar Valley)

Q: Can I realistically visit Lamar Valley from West Yellowstone as a day trip? Or should I stay near Gardiner for a night?

Appreciate any advice, especially for mid-May travel!

Thank you.

Hello all!

We are visiting Yellowstone for the first time this May.

Flying into BZN late Thursday and then back out of JAC Sunday evening.

We are staying in Jackson hole Friday-Sunday and trekking from BZN Friday morning.

Does anyone have any advice on where to stay near BZN (or towards JAC) for a single night, stops that we should make on our way to Jackson hole or must do things near Jackson Hole? I would love to do some type of rafting or hot springs while there. I would also appreciate any activities related to geology, and any restaurants for a date night (it's an anniversary trip).

Overall, I'm fairly unfamiliar with travelling west and any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! :)

Traveling with a 1 year old and staying in the park. What is the food situation? Are we eating 3 meals a day in the park? Is it reasonable to travel outside for a meal? It doesn’t seem like there is any opportunity to prepare your own food unless I’m missing something.