Unmissable Things To See And Do In Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is easily one of our favorite US national parks. We love Yosemite’s beauty, Zion’s hikes, and Mt. Rainier’s drama – but Yellowstone’s unique geothermal features and unrivaled wildlife spotting put it in a league of its own. During our 4-day trip in October 2019 we ticked off Yellowstone’s major attractions like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris, Mammoth, West Thumb, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley. A snowstorm left us stuck in Cody for a day and shut down the road from Canyon to Tower, but we explored hard and had a fantastic first visit before heading down to Grand Teton.

Then we returned for another 3-day visit in late April 2021 during our long drive from NYC to Seattle. Again we were plagued by snow, closed roads, and closed hiking trails inside the park. But this time Yellowstone was completely deserted. We had Norris Geyser Basin and the Old Faithful viewing area entirely to ourselves, we got caught in bison jams, we saw a wolf in Midway Basin, and we had a cool close encounter with a bald eagle at dawn – all because it was so quiet. It was eerily amazing to be alone at the volcanic geyser basins, but next time we’ll visit in September when every single road and hiking trail is open.

For us, Yellowstone is all about seeing geysers, hot springs, bubbling mud pots, waterfalls, and wildlife. Nowhere else in the world has this “full package” and is this easily accessible with roads and boardwalks. But the park’s famous features can be busy, the loop road can be congested, booking hotels can be a logistical nightmare, food inside the park isn’t great, and seeing wildlife isn’t guaranteed. And we haven’t even visited in July or August when all those things are heavily compounded.

Oh, and we have to warn you: The park’s major basins and natural attractions are spread across a massive area, so there’s a lot of driving involved. Based on our two totally different trips, we’re going to walk you through the experiences we consider unmissable for a first-timer visiting Yellowstone. Let’s dive in!

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Experiencing Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone

We’ve seen a lot of impressive waterfalls on our travels around the world, but the first time we saw Lower Falls crashing 300 feet into the V-shaped Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, we were utterly besotted and blown away. Not just by the powerful waterfall, but by the sheer scale of the striking yellow volcanic canyon walls.

We stayed at Canyon Lodge for a night in October 2019, so we recce’d all of the North Rim and South Rim viewpoints the evening before, and picked out Artist Point on South Rim Drive as our favorite view of the canyon and waterfall. The next morning we arrived at what felt like an ice-rink at Artist Point at dawn, waiting with hot coffees for the sunrise. It was freezing cold and cloudy, but we got lucky with moody pinks and purples above the waterfall.

In 2021, we stayed at Explorer Cabins in West Yellowstone, drove across to Canyon, and again explored both sides of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. This time we had clear blue skies and sun, which really illuminated those dramatic yellow V-shaped canyon walls and gave us more of an appreciation for views looking both ways along the Yellowstone River.

On the north side we really liked Lookout Point for a nice middle-distance view of Lower Falls. But annoyingly, we couldn’t walk down to Brink of Lower Falls either time because the path was closed due to snow and ice, so we’d prioritize it next time for super-close views of the waterfall. We imagine the noise would be thundering. On the south side, Upper Falls View is worth seeing, but it’s not life changing. Artist Point is where it’s at.

Taking Photos Of Grand Prismatic Spring

After exploring every basin in Yellowstone, we think Grand Prismatic Spring is the outstanding hydrothermal feature in the park. And we don’t say that lightly because there are so many more striking geysers and hot springs like Old Faithful and Morning Glory Pool in the nearby Upper Geyser Basin. But for us, it’s Grand Prismatic Spring’s enormous size and mesmerizingly vivid colors that set it apart.

That said, we have a love-hate relationship with Grand Prismatic Spring. On one hand, it was the most visually stunning hot spring we saw in Yellowstone and Mark was very happy with the photo he took. You can see it below, we had the photo printed in this Gestalten book and we sell it in our prints store. But on the other hand, we couldn’t access the iconic “birds eye view” photo spot because Fairy Falls Trail was closed due to snow in October and bear activity in April.

We looped the Midway Geyser Basin wooden boardwalk on both our visits to see Excelsior Geyser, Opal Pool, Turquoise Pool, and of course the legendary Grand Prismatic Spring. In October, we saw massive icicles on the boardwalk near Excelsior Geyser, light snow covering the ground and so much steam that Grand Prismatic Spring was barely visible. But in April, the famous spring was almost totally clear and we were able to see its colors in all their glory.

In what was a complete stroke of luck, we also had our first and only wolf sighting in Midway Basin during our April trip. It was a massive lone wolf, slowly walking around a flat wide-open meadow just to the south of Grand Prismatic Spring. But our luck was about to flip upside down when Fairy Falls Trailhead had a trail closed sign for bear activity. Poof, there goes the big photo spot, again! Next time, we’re desperate to hike 1.5 miles round trip on Fairy Falls to reach the overlook.

Spotting Wildlife In Lamar Valley

Before our first trip, our research led us to the clear conclusion that animals were like celebrities in Yellowstone, and Lamar Valley was the place to go celebrity spotting in the park. It’s so obvious now, but at the time we didn’t really think about timing, congestion, weather or anything really. We kind of expected to turn up and just see bears, wolves, and bison roaming around. And we couldn’t have been any more wrong.

We first drove through Lamar Valley as we entered Yellowstone from Cooke City in October 2019. But there were very few signs of animal activity. Why? Because it was late in the season, we’d just had a massive snow dump, and we entered in the late morning after driving from Cody. We saw a lot of bison, but nothing else. Then we went back at dusk, and again we only saw bison. We didn’t go looking for animals, we slowly moved from pullover to pullover, hoping they’d come to us, but that didn’t work.

In 2021, our plan was to leave Cody and arrive into Lamar Valley at dawn for a better chance of seeing active wildlife. But the snow killed that dream again. Northeast entrance wasn’t accessible, so we had to drive all the way around to Gardiner and Mammoth. By the time we made it into Lamar Valley it was too late again, and guess what we saw? Yep, more bison.

Next time when we visit in September, we’ll do at least one sunrise and one sunset in Lamar Valley. We’ll also look for small groups of people with binoculars, cameras or telescopes which would signal a bear or wolf sighting, and we might even hike a small portion of Specimen Ridge Trail to get away from the road, cars and people. If we were still unsuccessful, we’d drive up to Slough Creek Campground and walk a bit of Soldier’s Trail or Slough Creek Trail to get well off the beaten path.

Spotting More Wildlife In Hayden Valley

If Lamar Valley is considered Yellowstone’s premier wildlife viewing area, Hayden Valley is widely regarded as the best backup act. And you know what? We had much better luck in Hayden Valley on both our trips. We don’t know the exact boundaries, but we’d say Hayden Valley is basically everywhere on the loop road between Canyon and Lake, following the Yellowstone River.

In 2019, we tracked a coyote slowly heading south towards the Lake area. We thought it was a wolf at first but we quickly realized it was a coyote, and honestly it was really cool to just watch it plod along adjacent to the road. Then at Lake, we saw a herd of elk (bull, cow and calf) relaxing on a patch of long grass near the lake. And not far from Canyon, we saw lots of bison and elk at dusk.

Then in 2021, we had our favorite wildlife encounter. We’d just finished taking early morning photos of Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point, when we decided to quickly stop for a photo of the Yellowstone River from Chittenden Bridge. And as we walked on the bridge, a gigantic bald eagle flew out of a tree no more than a few feet away from us. Our emotions went as follows: shock, awe, disappointment at not thinking to snap a photo!

The road heading south through Hayden Valley was closed, and we didn’t see any more animals in the area on that trip. So after two trips, the conclusion we’ve come to is that seeing animals should be considered a bonus, not a guarantee. Next time, we’ll take steps to give ourselves the best chances – like heading into Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley at dawn and dusk – but honestly, a lot of it is luck. Some people will see tons of animals without even trying. Like when we saw a wolf in Midway Basin.

Kristen’s private tour tip: If we wanted to see most of Yellowstone’s lower loop highlights in one day with a naturalist guide, we’d book this top rated private tour. It’s perfect for one family or a very small group of friends (up to five people), and judging by the immense reviews it sounds like the guides know exactly where to go to find animals, including bears.

Watching Old Faithful Erupt & Exploring Upper Geyser Basin

We’re happy to admit we were so excited to see Old Faithful erupt in 2019 – you know, it is THE unmissable thing every first timer has to see in Yellowstone. When we arrived, the viewing area benches were full to the brim, the anticipation and tension felt dramatic, and we had our cameras primed to capture the eruption. And then it blew, the crowds gasped, and a rainbow even formed at the geyser’s base.

But we were about to make the biggest mistake from our October 2019 trip. We left straight after watching Old Faithful erupt without realizing we were in Upper Geyser Basin, which has the highest density of geothermal features in Yellowstone. Ouch! So in 2021, we spent a few hours strolling deep into upper basin on wooden boardwalks, stopping to see the likes of Castle Geyser, Grand Geyser, and one of our favorite features in the whole park called Morning Glory Pool.

Across both our trips we must have watched Old Faithful erupt 7 or 8 times. The first time was cool, but after that the anticipation wasn’t there anymore and honestly we’re not sure it’s 100% worth the massive hype. We’d actually say our favorite eruption was seeing it from behind on the upper basin boardwalk (see our photo above). That said, the short trail leading to Observation Point has been closed both times we visited, and we’d definitely prioritize that next time for elevated views over the whole basin – sunrise or sunset would be perfect.

Walking Around The Underrated Fountain Paint Pots

Honestly, we found Old Faithful (upper basin) to be the only part of Yellowstone that felt like a proper tourist attraction, but Grand Prismatic Spring (midway basin) was also busy enough both times. So one place we really liked because it had the hydrothermal features with a fraction of the crowds was the underrated Fountain Paint Pot Trail boardwalk in Lower Geyser Basin.

We first walked the Fountain Paint Pot boardwalk back in 2019, and it looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic horror movie as we were enveloped by a thick mist and all we could see were bare, frozen trees. But it really came to life for us during our 2021 trip when we could clearly see geothermal features like Celestine Pool, Fountain Paint Pots, Red Sprouter, and Fountain Geyser which were an intriguing blend of geysers, springs, and fumaroles.

We didn’t know at the time, but the lower basin actually discharges more hot water per minute than any other region in the park. So it’s definitely worth seeing. The Fountain Paint Pot boardwalk is just one side of the basin, the other is a short one-way road called Firehole Lake Drive – which frustratingly was closed both times we visited. Next time we’d like to watch sunset over Great Fountain Geyser.

Seeing Unique Geothermal Features At Norris Geyser Basin

We really liked walking around Norris Geyser Basin both times we visited Yellowstone. The colors and smells were so vibrant and strong, it felt like we were actually standing right on top of a super-volcano, the boardwalks were much quieter than the ultra-popular upper and midway basins, and geysers like Steamboat (tallest in the world) and Echinus (largest acidic geyser in the world) had uniquely interesting elements.

In 2019, we read that Norris was home to Yellowstone’s oldest and hottest geothermal features at the small visitor center near the parking lot, which was also where the two loops – Back Basin and Porcelain Basin – began and ended. The Back Basin boardwalk was covered in snow so there weren’t many people around, but we were still able to see Steamboat burst high into the sky and Echinus glow a kind of deep ruby red color among many other standout features.

When we walked both loops again in 2021, we had the milky-white mineral colors of Porcelain Basin entirely to ourselves, and we met a guy at Steamboat Geyser in Back Basin who said “it feels like the three of us are the only people in the park”. Overall, we’d say Norris is unmissable because of its diverse features, easy access and quieter foot-traffic compared to Yellowstone’s other major basins.

Seeing Underwater Geysers At West Thumb Basin

We loved West Thumb Geyser Basin when we visited in October 2019, just before heading south for Grand Teton. West Thumb was super quiet, the geysers and hot springs were totally unique (some were right on the shoreline or even underwater), and the whole basin was backed by a genuinely stunning scene of deep blue lake and distant snow capped mountains. Needless to say, our camera got a real workout.

And it was honestly so easy to visit – we simply walked clockwise around the flat basin boardwalk and stopped at hydrothermal features like Painted Pool, Abyss Pool, Black Pool, Big Cone Geyser, Fishing Cone (underwater), Lakeshore Geyser, and Bluebell Pool before ending at Thumb Geyser. All while having those sensational views as a backdrop. We were gutted the road to West Thumb was closed in April.

Next time we’d like to watch a sunrise from behind West Thumb’s geysers and hot springs. How cool would that scene be as the sun burst above the distant mountains?! And we’d probably hike the short Yellowstone Lake Overlook Trail to get a better elevated postcard-view of the trees, lake and mountains. But one thing is for sure, whether we were heading down to Grand Teton or up into Yellowstone, West Thumb is one place we wouldn’t skip.

Discovering The Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces

When planning our first trip, we learned that Mammoth Hot Springs was home to a vast area of totally unique travertine terraces, and we put it firmly on our list of must-see places in Yellowstone. We also realized Mammoth was park’s major northern hub, and because our goal was to move hotels each night for a more streamlined itinerary (which basically meant the least amount of driving possible), we booked a Mammoth cabin for one night.

Staying right there in Mammoth allowed us to roll out of bed and minutes later watch a striking sunrise from Mammoth’s upper terrace. It was freezing cold, snowy, and a ranger had told us there was a lot of black bear activity in the area (we didn’t see any, unfortunately), but we were the only two people up there as the sun burst over distant rolling hills and lit up the Mammoth terraces. It was such a cool experience.

After eating breakfast at Mammoth dining room, we properly explored the lower and upper travertine terraces, stopping to take in features like Minerva Terrace, Palette Spring, Liberty Cap, Jupiter Terrace, and Main Terrace Overlook among many others. Then we did the same again in 2021, walking around the upper and lower areas, taking photos of the vibrant formations, and enjoying the change in topography from non-stop geysers and hot springs – but this time we stayed at the excellent Yellowstone Riverside Cottages in nearby Gardiner.

Smelling The Sulfuric Acid At Mud Volcano

A lot of guides and AI tools say to skip Mud Volcano because it’s smelly and less impressive than the other basins. We agree on both counts, but we still thought it was well worth a quick stop during our October visit. There was basically nobody there, we explored the whole area quickly and easily, we were able to get really close to billowing geysers, and honestly we thought the intense sulfuric acid smell was part of the experience.

After being slapped in the face by the admittedly pungent smell, we walked the smaller and bigger loops to discover heavily billowing vents, acidic geysers, and gargling mud pots. The smaller loop near the parking lot led us to Dragon’s Mouth Spring (which had more densely billowing steam than any other feature we saw in the park) and The Mud Volcano itself.

And while the bigger loop wasn’t quite as impressive, it was still worth a quick 10-minute walk as we stopped to see Mud Caldron, Churning Caldron, and Black Dragon’s Caldron. Then at the end we took a fun photo of us standing over a steaming grate in the parking lot, before being more than ready to smell fresher, cleaner, and less smelly air!

Watching Bubbling Mud At Artists Paint Pots

It’s hard to find a true hidden gem in a place as popular as Yellowstone. But for us, the best kind-of-hidden gem we found was Artists Paintpots. We were about to drive back to our hotel called Kelly Inn in West Yellowstone after leaving Norris Geyser Basin, but we saw another brown sign and due to the serious case of FOMO we both have when traveling, we felt compelled to check it out.

After parking, we reluctantly (we’d done a lot by this point) walked 5 minutes on a flat path through trees, not really expecting to find much at the end. And you know what? Artists Paintpots turned out to be one of our favorite places in Yellowstone. Not only was it much quieter, but the deep orange colored “palette” was uniquely photogenic, and the bubbling mud pots at the top of the boardwalk loop were genuinely the best we saw.

We wouldn’t prioritize Artists Paintpots over the major basins, but it’s definitely worth a fleeting stop on the way between Norris and West Yellowstone or the Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful areas further southwest.

What We’ll Do Next Time

Across our two trips we’ve done all the most important geothermal sites. It’s mostly hikes and waterfalls that we haven’t been able to do because the trails or roads were closed in October and April. And even though we don’t really consider Yellowstone a hiking national park, it’s what we’ll prioritize next time. Here’s what’s top of our list:

Mt. Washburn: As hikers, it frustrates us that we haven’t been able to hike Yellowstone’s most popular trail yet. Next time, we’ll go the Duraven Pass route which is 6 miles round trip with 1,400 ft elevation gain. The big problem with the hike is that it will eat up a big chunk of time and energy, but the views do look fantastic.

Tower Fall: Similarly to Mt. Washburn, we still haven’t seen Tower Fall because the road connecting Canyon and Tower has been closed both times. It looks really picturesque, and it’s definitely on our list.

Fairy Falls: The early part of this trail leads to the iconic Grand Prismatic Spring photo spot. But we’d like to continue beyond the overlook and actually hike to Fairy Falls. It’s almost entirely flat and at under 5 miles we’d expect it to take no longer than 2 hours with photos of the waterfall.

Mystic Falls: Next time we visit Yellowstone we’ll hike from Biscuit Basin (if it’s open) to Mystic Falls. It’s 2.4 miles round trip to the impressive-looking waterfall, but we’d probably add in Fairy Creek and Little Firehole to create a longer loop.

Firehole Lake Drive: Across both our trips, Firehole Lake Drive in Lower Geyser Basin has been closed due to snow. We know it’s not going to change our lives, but we still think it looks photogenic and we’d like to do a sunset at Great Fountain Geyser.

Swimming: We didn’t even realize swimming was allowed in the Boiling River and Firehole Canyon Drive. The Boiling River has been closed to swimming since the floods in 2022, and Firehole swim area has significantly limited opening hours. Hopefully next time we go, at least one of the areas will open for a dip.

Mark’s tour suggestions: If it was just the two of us and we wanted to see a lot of the park’s major geothermal features and wildlife viewing areas in one day as part of a guided group tour instead of figuring it all out for ourselves, we’d book this tour from West Yellowstone, this tour from Cody, this tour from Bozeman, or this tour from Jackson depending on which side of the park we were staying. They all have impeccable ratings, they hit most major sites in the park, and they take the stress out of planning.

What To Skip

Petrified Tree: This was our very first stop after entering the park through Lamar Valley in 2019, and looking back it was a waste of time. The Petrified Tree itself was interesting to see, but it’s just one short trunk surrounded by a fence. There are far better things to see.

Lesser waterfalls: There are lots more small and lesser-known waterfalls on roadsides or accessible via short hikes. We stopped to see Gibbon Falls for instance, and while it wasn’t in must-skip territory, it was nothing to write home about either (compared to the rest of the park). We learned that in order to keep time efficient, it’s important to have a plan and not just stop at every single thing.

Lake: We’ve never had any desire to spend time around the Bridge Bay and Fishing Bridge areas. There’s a few hikes, stores, visitor centers and lakeside things – but honestly this is Yellowstone, you’ll find us at geyser basins and waterfalls.

Black Sand Basin: We stopped at Black Sand Basin and had nothing against it at all, but it is just one of many basins in the southwest of Yellowstone – and it’s one of the least impressive. So if we were short on time, it’s the first one we’d skip.

Northwest Yellowstone: Basically anywhere between Mammoth and Norris on that northwest side of Yellowstone isn’t worth stopping. Don’t waste time trying. The best thing that happened to us on this stretch of road was getting caught in a massive bison jam, but that was just good fortune.

Norris Canyon Road: Similarly, there’s nothing at all worth stopping for on the stretch of road from Norris to Canyon in the center of the park loop road. It’s a handy cut-through, but that’s all it should be used for.

Next Steps

We hope our guide on the top things to do in Yellowstone helps with planning your trip.

If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning video calls where we answer any questions you have, show you where to stay, and plan out the perfect itinerary. See our packages and reviews.

Still researching for your trip?

• Here’s our 4-day Yellowstone itinerary
• This is where to stay at Yellowstone
• What to know about Yellowstone in April
• What to know about Yellowstone in October
• Use these airports near Yellowstone
• Follow our Mt Rushmore to Yellowstone itinerary
• Here’s our Salt Lake City to Yellowstone itinerary
• This is how to spend 2 days in Grand Teton
• Here are our favorite US national parks

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, read our first-timers Wyoming travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.

Happy travels,

Mark and Kristen

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