One Day in Yellowstone - The Ultimate Travel Itinerary
Visiting America’s greatest national park, Yellowstone, is something that should be on everyone’s American bucket list. We hit Jackson Hole on our way to a wedding in Cheyenne, and now we can’t wait for the day we can go back. In this guide, you can follow along with what we did in one day driving around Yellowstone NP.
Note: For this itinerary, you will need a car, as there is quite a lot of driving necessary to experience the area to its fullest.
Yellowstone National Park
First things first, you must download the app: “GyPSy Guide”. This is not a sponsored post, so I mean this when I say this was the best money we spent on this trip. For $14.99, you will have an amazing guided tour that turns on automatically as you drive down the road. This is great because it works without service (service is spotty in the parks) and it pauses your Spotify or Apple Music as you go. We loved the history and little tidbits about everything we were driving past and we even named our guide ‘Hank’. I wish this app would expand to other countries, but as of right now they mainly focus on the U.S. National Parks.
Entrance Fees to get into the park:
7-Day Passes:
Grand Teton Entrance Fee - Private Vehicle - $35.00
Grand Teton Entrance Fee - Motorcycle - $30.00
Grand Teton Entrance Fee - Hiker/Biker - $20.00
Annual Pass:
America the Beautiful Annual Pass - $80.00
Annual Military Pass: Free*
Annual Fourth Grade Pass for US students in fourth grade: Free
Annual Senior Pass: $20
Lifetime Senior Pass: $80
Wake up as early as you can so you can enter the parks before the crowds start building. The park is open 24 hours a day, but we ended up getting to the West gate of Yellowstone at 7 am. Having stayed so close to the gate in West Yellowstone, I am glad we did not waste any time in the morning driving from a further away town. Make sure you take a second to snap a photo in front of the Yellowstone sign. It is one of my favorite pictures we took even with all those amazing sights we saw. Turn on your ‘Hank’ and get going into the park towards Norris Geyser Basin.
Norris Geyser Basin
This is the perfect first stop as you drive into the park because I am not quite sure I would have appreciated it as much as I did had we done it last or after the big Yellowstone stops. Norris Geyser Basin is a very large area that you can spend a substantial amount of time wandering. We ended up doing the Porcelain Springs loop and it was the perfect start to our Yellowstone adventure. Because it was our first stop, it was relatively empty and the fog coverage made the entire experience quite mystical. I highly recommend making this your first stop if entering from the West Gate of Yellowstone.
Mammoth Hot Springs
After wandering the vast and magical Norris Geyser Basin, we drove up to the Northern-most destination in Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot Springs. There are plenty of stops and detours you can add to seeing this area (all shared in our GyPSy Guide app by “Hank”). Depending on how much time you have, while following this itinerary you can pretty much do them all. The Mammoth Hot Springs are the perfect place to grab your ideal Instagram photo, as the orangey and white sulphureous colors make a perfect backdrop. The smell of Sulphur did not really bother me, but several people around us complained of the smell in this area. There is also a great opportunity to see some beautiful wildlife up close in this area. We saw a group of around twenty elk seeking shade behind the walls of the bathroom and it was super fun to get some up close shots of these creatures.
Lunch in Gardiner, Montana
After a lovely Yellowstone morning, you definitely have worked up an appetite. As the dining options within the park are quite limited (and expensive), I suggest you venture outside the park and see the old official entrance to Yellowstone in Gardiner, MT. Only a ten minute drive away from Mammoth, I can’t recommend stopping in Gardiner for lunch more. Not only will you get to see the original (and used to be only) entrance into Yellowstone National Park, there are several better dining options than you will find in the park—and the drive is quite pretty as well. Here are the best lunch options in Gardiner:
Yellowstone Pizza Company: This was my original plan for lunch as its website and several tagged Instagram posts boast a rooftop view of the area. Despite this, we settled somewhere else for lunch, but the reviews stay raving and if you get the chance to try it out, please let me know in the comments!
The Corral: This is where we ended up dining and it was perfect! We sat outside on a beautiful terrace and our food and service was quick, kind, and delicious. I ordered an OREO milkshake to celebrate the amazing day we were having and it sure was yum. This was the perfect place to stretch our legs, chill out, and enjoy the views. I recommend this place if you are looking for a quick escape from the park while still having a delicious meal in nature.
Drive to Grand Canyon Area
Next stop is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone! Buckle up as it is around an hour and a half down to the Grand Canyon area. If I were to expand this itinerary to another day, I would recommend you drive out to Lamar Valley to see the wildlife. During our visit to Yellowstone, the road from Mammoth to the Grand Canyon was closed so we opted to skip Lamar all together. If we had another day, and the road was not closed, we so would have driven out to the northeastern part of the park. On you ride down to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, you are bound to see wildlife. We ended up seeing a ton of elk and bison.
Hiking in Yellowstone
Okay, you musssttttt do at least part of this hike if you are going to Yellowstone. The hike is called Yellowstone Falls, Crystal Falls, and Inspiration Point via North Rim Trail and it is perfect for everyone. The great thing about this hike is that you can either hike the entire 7 miles or break it up by driving in between. This is great for hikers of all abilities; make sure you do the best part of the hike: Brink of the Lower Falls Trail. The Brink of the Lower Falls hike hike is only 0.7 miles of the full rim hike, but it is definitely the most strenuous (and shocker—most beautiful) part of the hike. This part of the hike takes you directly to the edge of the waterfall that is part of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The water is so powerful and standing next to it, you feel so small and the magnitude of the Grand Canyon is very present. The entire North Rim hike takes you all around the Grand Canyon and it is tons of fun to see all the sights. I recommend driving the in between parts so you do not waste time backtracking the 7 miles and have more time to explore in your short two-day itinerary.
West Thumb
After sunrise, make your way down through Hayden Valley towards West Thumb. This drive is beautiful and there are several places to watch the sun continue to rise along the way. This is also a great time to see some wildlife as it is very early in the morning and most people haven’t made their way this deep into the park yet. We almost skipped West Thumb, but a friend who worked for the park service had advised me not to skip it and I am so glad we didn’t (thanks Jess). West Thumb is a beautiful area and it kind of reminds me of the Norris Geyser Basin but smaller and long Yellowstone Lake. Again, since it is super early you may get lucky like us and spot some wildlife walking through the basin. It was so mystical in the morning and we deeply enjoyed our stop here.
Old Faithful
And finally! Make your way to Yellowstone’s sweetheart: Old Faithful. Out of the entire trip to Jackson Hole, nothing was more crowded than the last couple of stops in Yellowstone. Old Faithful has its eruption times listed in the front of the welcome center, so after you find parking make your way there to plan out your trip to the area. Depending on what time Old Faithful is set to go off, you should either wait around for her to erupt or explore the other geothermal spots in the area. Once you have seen Old Faithful erupt, you should definitely take a leisurely stroll past the other geysers to the Morning Glory pool. This walk took us around 30 minutes there and 20 minutes back—for reference if you are trying to time your Old Faithful viewings properly.
After you have thoroughly explored the area, it should be around lunchtime, so make your way into Old Faithful Inn to see its magnificent lobby and find a bite to eat. We ended up getting sandwiches at Old Faithful Inn Bear Paw Deli and going to the top deck to eat them and people-watch. We ended up timing our lunch perfectly, so we could see Old Faithful go off again from the outdoor overlook in the Old Faithful Inn.
Midway Geyser Basin
On your second to last stop in Yellowstone, drive your way to Midway Geyser Basin and enjoy the beautiful orange and blue pools the surround the area. The best one is the Grand Prismatic Spring and there is an overlook you can climb to for the best view. In the morning, the Grand Prismatic Spring can have a lot of steam coming out, so for the best view of the colors and beauty of the spring, you should visit in the late afternoon. The area is pretty crowded and finding parking can be difficult, so be prepared to walk a little.
Fountain Paint Pots
For your final stop in Yellowstone, visit the Fountain Paint Pots Trail. This is a nice final walk through the park and it allows you to see the hydrothermal features from Yellowstone’s active volcano. These bubbling mud puddles are so aesthetically pleasing and the sound they make somehow makes you feel so zen. For a perfect last stop before your journey into the Grand Tetons, wander around the area for a bit and say your last goodbye to Yellowstone (until next time).
