5 Amazing Must Dos in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is an absolutely incredible park for scenery and wildlife, and impressive geothermal activity. You need at least 4 days in Yellowstone National Park to visit the main sites. To help you prioritise, here are the top 5 must dos in Yellowstone National Park.

5 Must Dos in Yellowstone

Watch Old Faithful erupt from the verandah of Old Faithful Lodge

Old Faithful is one of the most regular and awe-inspiring geysers in the world. And you can’t come to Yellowstone without seeing this grand ole dame of a geyser erupt at least once. We were so captivated by it that we watched it about 6 times during our visit. The best place to watch it from isn’t actually from the provided boardwalks and seating. A far better spot is the verandah of the Old Faithful Lodge. While this is further away, it allows for a lovely perspective and sense of the landscape and scale.

We were staying at the Old Faithful Lodge cabins, so it was convenient to see the eruptions across different times of the day. Read my 4 Day Yellowstone Itinerary to find out more about accommodation options in Yellowstone.

Admire the bison in Hayden Valley

The Hayden Valley is known for its sweeping and lush river valley and incredible wildlife-spotting opportunities. It is especially good for seeing bison. Being able to see across the valley, you are able to see where the herds are and therefore find a good parking spot along the road from which to view them. Seeing so many in one place is one of the most heart-stopping things you will ever see.

We got caught in a bison traffic jam along Hayden Valley, and I was shocked at how disrespectful and silly people were being around the wildlife. Get yourselves a good long lens, and don’t approach the animals!

IMPORTANT: Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards(23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk.

Walk the boardwalk to Grand Prismatic Spring

There are a lot of geyser and pool boardwalks in Yellowstone. They provide a great viewing platform to see the thermal activity, but stay safely above / away from it. Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the many pools in the Midway Geyser Basin, and is one of the most impressive (although as you can see from my second photo, it’s not always visible).

The boardwalk takes you up from the carpark and along past Excelsior Geyser Crater (first photo), and then enters a one-way section. This one way section does not have handrails, and is designed to avoid bottlenecks by keeping crowds moving in one direction. Take your time and enjoy the different views, the beautiful colours, and the remarkable thermal activity that you are walking through.

Take a detour at Mammoth Springs

Mammoth Springs is the most built-up area of Yellowstone, with plenty of amenities. There are hotels here, a ranger station and restaurants. Mammoth Springs is an incredible unmissable area – with layers of terraces cascading down the hills – it is quite other-worldly. Once you have seen and walked around the terraces, I would really recommend you take a drive along the Upper Terrace Loop Drive.

Further up the hill is a small one way scenic route that takes you round the upper terraces, and gives you access to pristine areas away from the crowds. There were only a few cars on the route when we drove it on a mid-week visit in early October.

Take in the views of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point

You have seen geysers, wildlife and thermal formations, so getting a fantastic view of the Yellowstone River is your last of the must dos in Yellowstone. Artist Point is an easy to access viewpoint of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Yellowstone River. Although there are hikes along Uncle Tom’s Trail to see the Upper Falls view, if you are unable to hike or short on time, you are able to access Artist Point easily from the nearby carpark. You can see why artists have painted this view for centuries.

Be sure to read my 4-day itinerary for Yellowstone if you wish to extend your visit – I assure you, you’ll not want to leave!

Looking for US road trip inspiration? Check out my extensive collection of road trip blog ideas for North America!

All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhone.