Yellowstone is likely one of the hottest U.S. National Parks, so in case you are visiting Yellowstone with children throughout the summer season, you possibly can anticipate to come across heavy crowds. You will encounter all the pieces from households to vacationers in RVs to giant bus excursions stuffed with vacationers (plus hopefully some wildlife too!) Due to those crowds, whereas planning a Yellowstone household trip it’s worthwhile to begin early!
Yellowstone National Park is over 3,500 sq. miles. With an area so huge and a lot to see, planning a Yellowstone household trip is usually a little intimidating. Before you stress, be sure to learn these Yellowstone ideas and you’ll really feel prepared to start out planning a bucket-list journey to Yellowstone National Park.
21 Tips for Your Yellowstone Family Vacation
Note: This publish accommodates affiliate hyperlinks. If you click on and make a purchase order, I’ll earn a small fee. Thank you to your assist in conserving this weblog alive!
1. Spend no less than 3-4 Days in Yellowstone
To begin, the one mistake that many individuals make, myself included, just isn’t giving themselves sufficient time to expertise the park. You can see Yellowstone’s high highlights in simply a few days in case you are staying in or close to the park.
But there are such a lot of issues to do in Yellowstone that you really want to provide your self no less than three to 4 days to get in some hikes and see extra of the distant areas. If you will have per week for a Yellowstone household trip and like to hike, you might actually spend all of your time within the park. But for households, I’d suggest splitting per week between Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone.
2. Getting to Yellowstone
If you wish to keep away from connections, the closest main airport to Yellowstone National Park is Salt Lake City, which is about 4.5 hours away. However, you possibly can fly into Jackson Hole outdoors of Grand Teton National Park, which is then about 2.5 hours to Old Faithful in central Yellowstone.
Alternatively, you might fly into Bozeman, Montana, which is about one to 2 hours from the North Entrance to Yellowstone in Gardiner or the doorway in West Yellowstone. You can then simply lengthen your journey to spend extra time exploring Southwest Montana or staying on a dude ranch close by.
3. Stay within the park
If you actually wish to take advantage of your time in Yellowstone, it’s best to remain contained in the park. If you possibly can’t discover lodging throughout the park (and people do ebook up a yr upfront in some conditions), you’ll find yourself losing a few hours every day simply attending to and out of your lodging outdoors of the park.
That degree of commuting, mixed with time spent driving via the park, can actually take away from the enjoyment of exploring Yellowstone, In addition, driving via the park after darkish takes longer than you’ll anticipate as a result of it’s so darkish and it’s worthwhile to be on excessive alert for animals within the room.
4. Make your reservations early
I can’t stress sufficient how necessary it’s to start out planning your Yellowstone household trip as early as doable. Reservations inside Yellowstone ebook up practically a yr upfront. While there are lots of lodges to select from, you’ll doubtless wish to break up up your journey to remain in no less than two completely different sections of the park so that you don’t spend all of your time driving forwards and backwards over the identical terrain.
If you possibly can’t get a reservation immediately, preserve checking again as you proceed planning your journey as a result of there are cancellations. Also, campground reservations are simpler to safe, however even these must be booked early.
5. Stay close by if lodges are full
If you possibly can’t get into the park, the most effective locations to remain could be West Yellowstone (45 minutes to Old Faithful) or down in Jackson Hole (however then you’re driving via Grand Tetons every day – lovely drive however lengthy.) When we visited Grand Teton we actually loved our keep on the Rustic Inn Creekside Resort and Spa.
There are additionally some glamping choices close to Yellowstone National Park, together with Under Canvas Yellowstone.
6. Split your time throughout the park
If you do keep within the park, it’s possible you’ll wish to break up your time between no less than two sections of the park to reduce driving. While there are tons of providers round Old Faithful and the Old Faithful Inn is a landmark, I discovered that space too crowded and fewer “National Park-like.”
I might suggest staying just a few days close to the gorgeous Yellowstone Lake, after which one other couple of days up in Mammoth Springs. In Mammoth Springs, the elk like to come back and graze in town lawns within the night, making for a fantastic viewing expertise.
7. Allow time for bison jams
When you’re planning your day, needless to say driving via the park takes rather a lot longer than you would possibly anticipate (or longer than Google Maps tells you it’ll.) Not solely are there velocity limits and single-lane roads, however you possibly can encounter gradual RVs, animal site visitors jams, and scenic viewpoints that may entice you to make unplanned stops alongside the way in which.
The backside line is: give your self loads of further time and flow!
8. Prepare to unplug
Keep in thoughts that there’s little or no mobile service within the park. If you’re relying in your telephone’s GPS, you’ll want to set your vacation spot at one of many few spots within the park the place you may get service, like Old Faithful or West Yellowstone.
The good a part of restricted cell service is you could really spend unplugged household time throughout your drives and hikes. If you’ll be mountaineering in a few of the extra distant areas or need GPS, it’s possible you’ll think about bringing alongside a Garmin InAttain.
9. Become a member
If you’re staying for just a few days, think about buying a Yellowstone Association Membership. Not solely will you obtain a free t-shirt, bag, or stuffed bison, however additionally, you will get 15% off all different present store purchases all through the park, whereas additionally supporting the National Park.
10. Use the toilet if you see them
Most of the principle points of interest have loos, though it’s possible you’ll want to attend in line. Some of those are only a step above a port-a-potty with a compost rest room and hand sanitizer. Be positive to carry alongside some journey rest room tissue and hand sanitizer or Wet Ones.
11. Pack a picnic
Each of the principle villages inside Yellowstone National Park has some meals choices, however until you possibly can plan your day to reach at considered one of these round lunch time (and be ready for lengthy wait occasions), it’s possible you’ll wish to choose up a picnic.
There are many locations all through the park to cease and luxuriate in a picnic. These can all be discovered on the map given out on the entrance. Just needless to say if you get out into Lamar Valley, there aren’t many providers round.
12. Leave no hint
Visiting the National Parks is an effective time to show the youngsters about accountable tourism. Not solely does this embrace “Leave no Trace” rules in the case of finishing up no matter you usher in, but it surely additionally means instructing them to not be a touron (tourist-moron).
This contains being accountable round wildlife. I really like this text concerning the loopy questions folks ask Park Rangers as a result of they don’t perceive that that is nature…not a zoo. So, no selfies with bison and no strolling as much as bears or elk. When they are saying keep again, it’s for a motive. You don’t wish to be a kind of viral movies on the Internet displaying the dumb or irresponsible issues folks do round wildlife.
For extra on wildlife, see my publish on the most effective locations to see wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.
13. Stay on the trail
While visiting Yellowstone you additionally must be respectful of the ecosystem. Yellowstone sits on high of a supervolcano. In locations, the earth’s crust is extraordinarily fragile and skinny.
Last summer season I learn a number of tales about individuals who died within the park as a result of they had been mountaineering alone with out bear spray or they fell via the earth’s crust and even that they determined to take a dip in a scorching spring and obtained boiled to loss of life.
It is grotesque however all avoidable. Keep a detailed eye (or hand) on little ones and keep on the boardwalks when visiting geyser basins or geothermal options.
14. Buy bear spray
Even you propose on venturing past scenic viewpoints, it’s extremely really useful that you just carry bear spray on any hikes or excursions throughout the park. You can purchase bear spray at one of many customer facilities earlier than heading out on any hikes. Make positive you’re familar with how one can work the bear spray and that you just preserve it simply accessible (not zipped away in your backpack.)
These indicators alongside the rim hike on the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone made us somewhat nervous and I saved my bear spray useful. Just keep in mind you could’t take unused bear spray on the airplane experience house!
15. Don’t overdo it on the new springs
Everyone can get geothermal function fatigue. There is the Norris Geyser Basin, Upper Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and Mammoth Hot Springs…you get the concept. After some time all of them begin to blur and get rather less thrilling with every new thermal function you stroll by.
Don’t plan on visiting a number of geyser basins in sooner or later or they may begin to be much less attention-grabbing. Instead, break it up with a go to to a geothermal function mixed with a hike or a drive via Hayden’s Valley to view some wildlife.
That mentioned, just a few don’t miss thermal options embrace West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful, and Grand Prismatic Spring.
16. Get up early
The greatest wildlife viewing goes to be within the early morning or nearer to nightfall. Just needless to say you don’t actually wish to drive via Yellowstone at night time.
There are many components with slim, winding roads and also you by no means know what may be standing in the course of the darkish highway. Stop into the customer middle and ask the park rangers the place wildlife has been noticed lately.
17. Wait for Old Faithful
When visiting Old Faithful, there are a number of buildings across the Visitor Center and an enormous parking zone so it may be complicated at first to determine the place to go to see the geyser eruption.
When you pull into the lot, Old Faithful will doubtless be on the left-hand aspect. If you head into the Visitor Center, you could find out when the subsequent predicted eruption shall be.
However, for those who stroll up and see large crowds across the geyser space, chances are high it will likely be quickly so that you would possibly wish to head proper over and ask one of many park rangers.
18. See Old Faithful from the again
At Old Faithful, some suggest strolling round and watching the eruption from the far aspect, the place there aren’t as many crowds. Depending on the wind, you may additionally get some spray in that route although.
We obtained fortunate and walked proper up perhaps quarter-hour earlier than an eruption. A ranger was giving a chat and other people had been sitting on the benches. By standing instantly behind the folks on the benches, we had an unobstructed view and the gang didn’t hassle us in any respect (till we wished to get lunch after.)
19. Park south of Grand Prismatic Spring
If you’ll the Grand Prismatic Spring within the Midway Geyser Basin, bear in mind that the parking zone may be very small and will get actually backed up. You could also be higher off parking on the road however it’s only obtainable on one aspect.
If you’re heading north from Old Faithful, when you go the parking zone, there isn’t a parking on that aspect of the road for an additional mile. So both park the place you see a spot earlier than you get to the parking zone or take your possibilities within the lot.
Also, Grand Prismatic Spring may be very common and the boardwalks are very slim so maintain fingers together with your younger children so folks squeezing by don’t knock them off the boardwalk.
20. Hold onto your hats
If you’re carrying a hat within the geyser basin areas and it’s windy, maintain on tight! We noticed fairly a set of hats within the springs.
21. Bring binoculars
Bring binoculars! If you see a bunch of individuals pulled off the highway with binoculars or zoom lenses, chances are high they’ve noticed some wildlife. It is smart to maintain your binoculars and cameras inside straightforward attain.
We had been so fortunate to spend a while watching a grizzly bear chow down on a useless bison within the river. Having binoculars introduced the expertise up shut (nearer than we might wish to be in actual life that’s for positive!)
Read Before you Go
If you’re planning a Yellowstone household trip, listed here are some books it’s possible you’ll wish to learn collectively first or carry alongside in your journey:
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you need assistance planning your journey, you’ll want to take a look at my buddy Melynda’s journey planning service.
Save this to Pinterest
