Yellowstone
View across northern Yellowstone National Park
Everyone has their favorite national parks and Yellowstone is one of mine. I loved everything about my visit, especially the sunrise views, the hikes, the wildlife and the camping.
Late summer
The summer months are the busiest in Yellowstone. I visited the park in late August and only saw crowds at Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring and Artists Paintpots.
Everyone’s travel preferences are different. If those are sights you’ve always wanted to see in Yellowstone, they will absolutely be worth the time to navigate the parking and crowds.
I prefer quieter spaces on my trips, so I passed on stopping anywhere with long lines or crowded lots.
Getting there
I scheduled my trip with a few days in Yellowstone followed by a few days in Grand Teton. I flew into Jackson Hole airport and then drove to my camp site in Yellowstone, getting the longest commute from the airport out of the way right up front and leaving a very short drive back to Jackson Hole at the end of my trip.
Camping
I reserved a tent spot at Madison Campground, located on the western side of the park. The campground was clean and quiet, and the location was great for setting off every day on a drive to a new part of the park.
A little about food in the park
When I visited, a few of the smaller restaurants that I stopped at did not have options for a gluten allergy. The larger restaurants did have options, but overall I would recommend checking the park restaurant menus and even calling if you have specific questions.
Click here to find more info on locations and menus.
Calling and checking menus will help you plan where to stop on your trip and what to bring with you while you’re out roaming around. There also are general stores throughout the park where you can pick up fresh food and snacks.
Generally I like to bring lots of snacks with me as well as meals that I can make with my Jetboil, and that did the trick for my time in Yellowstone.
On my last morning in the park, I stopped to have breakfast at a picnic area along Firehole River.
10/10 for Trailtopia’s apple cinnamon oatmeal.
Views
Every section of the park has incredible views. If I had to pick favorite spots, it would be Mammoth, Lamar Valley and all of the areas with geysers on the western side of the park.
Wildlife
The Lamar Valley is a solid bet for wildlife viewing, especially for bison, but I saw different types of wildlife all over the park. I went to Mammoth to watch the sunrise one morning and found a family of pronghorn wandering around in the beautiful morning light.
