Ever since 2007, when I first came to the USA, Yellowstone National Park was on my wish list of places to visit. I had heard a lot about its geological formations, the hot springs and geysers it holds and of course, the Grand Prismatic Spring! Trip planning for us usually involves two steps. Step 1 is Tanavi deciding on a destination and Step 2 being me planning the details of our visit. My in-laws were visiting back in 2015 and I was so excited when Tanavi said, “Let’s travel to the West”. We had a lot of places to cover on our trip besides Yellowstone National Park. The challenge was to cover  the large Yellowstone National Park in under two days. After doing some research online, the popular opinion was that you need at least 5 days to see the park. I would like to share the details of our road trip for those who do not have the leisure of a week or more to explore this magnificent place. It is doable!

There are multiple entrances to the Park. Since we were driving from Mount Rushmore, the North East entrance was the most feasible. We planned our drive such that we would reach Cooke City, Montana in the evening and spend the night there. We usually try to reach the destination a night before so that we are well rested after the road trip! We stayed at this nice motel called Alpine Motel in Cooke City. This is a very scenic place amidst high mountains with some good local restaurants and was a perfect way to relax after the long drive. This motel is just around 30 minutes from the northeast entrance of the park, and is an inexpensive option compared to the lodging in Yellowstone National Park.

The roadway in Yellowstone National Park resembles the number 8 made of two big loops. Enjoy reading through our itinerary below and enjoy your trip to Yellowstone National Park the same way we did ours. If you have the luxury to spend more days in Yellowstone National Park, make sure you at least try and see the places mentioned below.

Things to do:

Day 1

Visit the Mammoth Hot Springs

This was the perfect way to start our visit to the Yellowstone National Park. The early morning drive was especially interesting because we had a herd of bisons cross the road on our way to this place. Seeing these gigantic beast living in harmony with visitors is noteworthy! This place was beautiful with natural cascades of hot springs. The entire place smelled like rotten eggs because of the sulphur that they house. However, the views were stunning with a beautiful sunrise in the background of rising vapors from the hot springs everywhere.

Walk the trails at Norris Geyser Basin

This is known to be the hottest area in Yellowstone and it sure was hot! This place consists of two closed loop trails, the porcelain basin and the back basin. Make sure you cover both these trails because they are worth the walk! 

Do the Fountain Paint Pot trail at Lower Geyser Basin

The lower geyser basin covers a large area with many attractions along the trail. The Fountain Pot trail was one of my favorites. Give yourself around 30 minutes to cover this area and enjoy the mud pots up close.

Grand Prismatic Spring

This is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park and lies along the Midway Geyser Basin trail! It is pretty cool to see this hot spring up close. When we reached here I was expecting to get the view of the Grand Prismatic Spring as seen on all those travel channels and pictures. Looking at the spring from the trail didn’t give us the view we were anticipating. Behind the springs, however, is a small trail called the Angel Falls trail. While we were on this trail, we noticed quite a few people on a small hill on the opposite side of this spring. So up we went on an unpaved path to get the view of the majestic and awe-inspiring Grand Prismatic Spring! When you enter this trail you will also see the hot water from the springs merging into the Firehole River. 

The must do – Angel Falls Trail

The angel falls trail may be long if you want to see the falls. But if your goal is to see the Grand Prismatic Spring then you only need to walk a 1/2 mile to get to the hill from where you can view it. Beware that there is no carved path here. Just follow the enthusiastic tourists to find your way on top! Tanavi and her brother started making their way climbing up the hill swiftly, while me being afraid of heights was following them slowly. I almost gave up climbing to the top because of the unpaved and rugged path. Just then I heard the “oohs and aahs” from Tanavi and her brother! Well, I couldn’t miss what they were marveling at! So, I gathered some courage and managed to finally get up the hill. Needless to say, I am glad that I did!  Words do not suffice to describe this beautiful palette of colors created by mother nature! Seeing a picture of this spring is one thing, but witnessing it in person is a whole different experience! If I had to pick the one best spot in the whole of USA, I would definitely say, this is the place!

Walk the Biscuit Basin Loop

The biscuit basin loop is about a 2/3 mile lollipop-loop hike. Walking on the boardwalk surrounded by the colorful hot springs and the spurting geysers definitely makes this a must visit place.  My favorite hot spring in this area is the Sapphire Pool. It might look blue and calm but is definitely not a pool to swim in!

The most famous geyser – the Old Faithful

The geyser may not be the biggest you have seen, but you have to appreciate how faithful this geyser is! It erupts every 35-45 minutes or so. It is said that it has been erupting at a regular interval in the exact same way ever since the recorded history of the park. They also have some benches around the geyser where you could sit and wait for the geyser to get warmed up and make an appearance that will last for a good one or two minutes. Make sure you get there early to beat the crowd and get some good pictures or videos of the display!

Day 2

After a fulfilling first day of covering the main attractions of Yellowstone National Park, the second day was focused on covering the remaining attractions.

Visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

This is one of the best sites at Yellowstone National Park. You could view the canyon from both the north and south rims. Given our time restrictions, we decided to view the canyon from the south rim. The visitor center is located in the north rim, but the south rim has some of the best views of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Make sure to visit the Artist Point and continue the trail to get some very good views of the canyon and the waterfall.  

See the Mud Volcano

The parking lot here stinks! Thanks to the Sulphur Caldron, that has sulphuric acid bubbling away, on the opposite site of the road! The landscape at this particular part of Yellowstone keeps changing often because of the high volcanic activity that is happening underground. This whole experience is very mesmerizing as you get to appreciate what mother nature is capable of! The mud volcano trail is worth doing as you will be surrounded by bubbling mud!

Visit the West Thumb Geyser Basin

The location of this geyser is what makes this a must visit site. It is located right next to the Yellowstone lake. Walking along the boardwalk gives you a good view of the geyser. You will also notice an underwater geyser spout pretty clear through the water. Make sure to stop by here if you are in this area.

Hope you get some good tips reading this post and planning your trip. Do let us know about your experience exploring the Yellowstone National Park.