Yellowstone National Park: Don’t Miss These 5 Things
You could easily spend a couple of weeks exploring the natural wonders of Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, sometimes you don’t have that kind of time. Sometimes you only have one day.
That was us. After completing our four day backpacking hike in neighboring Grand Teton National Park, we hopped up to Yellowstone National Park for one day of adventure.
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Yellowstone National Park is one of the most unique national parks you will find. This park is loaded with all sorts of geothermal features: geysers, hot springs, mud pots, you name it.
With only one day to experience the best of Yellowstone, we carefully selected a few of the best and most iconic spots to see in the park.
What to Know Before You Go
Bison Traffic Jams are a Thing
Traffic jams in Yellowstone National Park are a very common occurrence. Many times these traffic jams are caused by a wildlife sighting on the side of the road. If you’re lucky enough to be near the front of the traffic jam, you may get a sight of whatever animal caused everyone to slow down.
But the most common wildlife to see alongside the road are bison. Many times they’re actually ON the road. Bison just do not feel threatened by cars or humans and will many times step out into the road and just hangout. For as long as they please. All you can do is wait.
Bison are also known to charge without warning, so to stay safe, stay at least 25 yards away from all bison.
Expect Crowds
Yellowstone National Park can become rather crowded, especially on holiday weekends and the busy season. To avoid crowds, get to the park BEFORE 8 am and start your day at the most popular spots (Old Faithful & Grand Prismatic) to avoid most of the people.
Yellowstone is a Massive Park
Yellowstone is HUGE. We’re talking 3,471 square miles huge. It can take sometimes up to a few hours to drive from one corner of the park to the other. So, plan ahead for long drive times between areas.
Check for Road Closures
It’s not uncommon for roads in the park to be closed due to road construction or even wildfires. Check on the NPS site for current road conditions. Or ask the park ranger when you first arrive to the park.
Don’t Miss These 5 Things in Yellowstone
#1 – Old Faithful
Starting this list off strong with the most iconic feature of Yellowstone, Old Faithful. Old Faithful was named for its frequent & predictable eruptions. It never fails to erupt as expected.
On average, the geyser shoots up to 130-140 feet in the air each time and lasts between 1.5 – 5 minutes.
Although not as faithful as it used to be, they’re still able to predict it’s eruption time within a 20-30 minute window. It erupts around 20 times per day so you should have no problem catching an eruption while you’re there.
Geyser activity in the park is updated on the national park’s website daily and can be found here. Use this reference to plan your arrival time to the Old Faithful area and others.
Old Faithful is located in the Upper Geyser Basin area in the southwest section of the park. This area is one of the most accessible areas in the park with plenty of parking, bench seating to view the geyser, and food services.
On busy weekends, I would even advise that you arrive a bit early to snag a good viewing spot or go early in the morning. The area around Old Faithful can become jam-packed with tourists.
#2 – Grand Prismatic Spring
The Grand Prismatic is definitely one of the most interesting features in the park. It can be found in Midway Geyser Basin.
Grand Prismatic Spring is actually the largest hot spring in the United States, spanning 370 feet in diameter and 160 feet deep. Boasting almost every color from the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, the spring is one of the most striking natural wonders I’ve ever seen.
These colors are a result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The amount of color in the mats depends on both the temperature and the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids. Apparently, in the summer the spring will appear more red & orange but in the winter it takes on more of a dark green color.
There are two options for viewing the hot spring. There’s a short boardwalk that’ll take you right up next to the hot spring. But it can be difficult to get a good picture because of how close you are to the spring. Another option is to take the Fairy Falls Trail for a 1.6 mile walk to an overlook of the hot spring. This route would allow you to see the entire spring at once. We did not do this trail as we were completely hiked-out from earlier in the week but it’s the one thing that I regret not doing while we were there.
Grand Prismatic Spring is an extremely popular stop in Yellowstone. So plan to arrive early or late, if you can, to avoid the majority of the crowds.
#3 – Fountain Paint Pot Trail
The Fountain Paint Pot Trail is a short boardwalk trail in the Lower Geyser Basin area. The Fountain Paint Pot is a mud pot that is named for its reds, yellows, and browns.
Although, you won’t just find mud pots on this trail. In its short 0.6 miles, you’ll see geysers and hot springs as well.
This trail gives a nice taste of what Yellowstone offers. Don’t miss it.
#4 – Artists Paintpots
Artists Paintpots trail is a 1.1 mile lollipop loop that features hot springs, geysers, and mud pots. The trail climbs about 100 feet above the geothermal features which gives you a great view of the hot springs and geysers.
This short trail is named Artists Paintpots due to the pastel-colored mud and springs that resemble an artist’s palate.
At the top of the trail, you will see a couple of mud pots. But make sure you use caution when near the mud pots, as hot flying mud is a thing. Sometimes the mud can shoot up to 15 feet into the air. You wouldn’t want to be hit by any mud globs.
The lower portion of this trail is wheelchair & stroller accessible so it’s great for the whole family.
#5 – Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Not only does the park have interesting geothermal features but it also has some of the most beautiful scenery. Venturing away from the geysers and hot springs, make sure you check out the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
The Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River just add to the vastness and grandeur this park has to offer.
A number of hiking & overlook options are available in this area so make sure that you check out a few of them. I recommend stopping at Lookout Point and making the 500 foot descent to Red Rock Point. Both of these lookouts provide excellent views of Lower Falls.
Although I wish I could have spent a week exploring Yellowstone, I am grateful that we were able to take in these natural wonders for even just a day. Yellowstone is very unique and it’s no wonder why it was the first to be distinguished as a national park.
If you have any other Yellowstone recommendations, leave them in the comments below!
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