We decided to take a quick family trip up to Yellowstone over the weekend. It was our third family trip to Yellowstone but our first time visiting the park in the Fall. Before this trip our favorite season to visit the park was Spring but now the Fall season is our new favorite. With the leaves changing and the snow skiffs on the tops of the mountains it like visiting a completely new park.
If you’re planning on visiting Yellowstone National Park for the first time we’ve put together some tips and suggestions below that we have learned over the years. If you’ve been to the park and have suggestions that we missed, please share them in the comments below. Thanks!
Our tips and suggestions when visiting Yellowstone National Park:
If you can, try visiting the park in the Spring or Fall – most of the animals tend to stay down at the lower elevation when the temperatures are cooler.
We have been to the park in the Spring, Summer and most recently in the Fall and our preference is late September or early October when the leaves start to change color.
Plan on leaving for the park early every morning to beat the crowds plus most of the animals roaming the park tend to be out in the mornings when their arent as many cars on the roads.
The park is set up in two loops, the upper loop, and the lower loop. The lower loop has the most well-known sites in the park so if you have never been I would recommend doing it first.
There are a lot of spots to stop on the lower loop but be sure to hit the Grand Prismatic first, it’s a very popular spot and the parking can get very tricky.
When visiting Old Faithful be sure to make it over to the Historic Old Faithful Inn. The Inn has been around since 1904 and has withstood many years of earthquakes, snowstorms, and the largest forest fire in centuries.
The upper loop also has a lot of beautiful sites to see but one of our favorites is Mammoth Hot Springs. It’s the perfect spot to stop for lunch or gas and you are almost guaranteed to see Elk walking around the shops.
About two miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs is a spot called Boiling River. This is one of only two different swimming spots in the park and it has a hot spring right next to the river that you can take a dip in. Parking is limited so plan on walking a little for this spot.
The Lamar Valley in the upper loop has the most amazing wide-open view and is where we always tend to spot a grizzly or wolves roaming. Be sure to bring a spotting scope or binoculars just in case they aren’t roaming close on your visit.
Our last tip pertains to a neighboring National Park. Grand Teton National Park is right next door to Yellowstone – so if you have time, try to either enter or leave Yellowstone by way of Grand Teton National Park. We always end up seeing a Moose as we pass by the beautiful Teton mountains.
