"Yellowstone National Park was fantastic" Top 5 Page for this destination Yellowstone National Park by Bwana_Brown

Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide: 1,096 reviews and 3,421 photos

West Thumb Geyser Basin by Yellowstone Lake - Yellowstone National Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin by Yellowstone Lake

After reading VT member Richiecdisc’s page on the adventures that he and D had experienced in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, my wife Sue and I decided it was high time that we too visited these two top-of-the-line American NPs. After all, they were only about 640 miles (1030 km) away by highway from our Regina home in Saskatchewan, Canada - where we had been living for almost 3-years. Because it was a spur of the moment decision near the end of June and with our planned dates hitting the peak of the summer holiday season, it was not surprising that the only accommodations we could book in either of these two adjoining National Parks was two nights at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton – at about US$250 per night (not a price we normally go for!). It is only money, but the memories last forever – so we booked it and figured the rest out from there.

As things turned out, we had beautiful sunny weather for our end of July/early August trip and we found both national parks to be really outstanding, providing us with wonderful memories that we will never forget. To mesh with our reservations, we left Regina a day and a half early to get within easy striking distance of our accommodation dates. As a bonus, this also allowed us to take in the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (the site of US Army General Custer’s ‘last stand’ against the native tribes who historically owned this area) near Billings, Montana as a lead-in to the real objective of our trip. My first ‘General’ tip on this page provides a map of Yellowstone showing our driving routes into and out of Yellowstone NP. It also shows how we tried to take in as much as we could while inside the park during our limited available time of one full day and two half-days (Grand Teton took up another day and a half).

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:An amazing variety of attractions spread far and wide!
  • Cons:Advanced booking required and you better hope for good weather
  • In a nutshell:One of the most amazing places I have visited. So many new natural wonders I had never seen before.
  • Last visit to Yellowstone National Park: Aug 2010
  • Intro Updated Oct 10, 2010
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Reviews (42)

Spray from Lower Falls promotes vegetation growth - Yellowstone National Park The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Things to Do (30)

Following the second large drop at Lower Yellowstone Falls, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone starts to get serious –... more travel advice

The Bridge Bay area of Yellowstone Lake - Yellowstone National Park Clock was ticking - had to boot it for... Things to Do (30)

By 4 PM we had once more made the slow drive through the traffic in Hayden Valley (this time back to Yellowstone Lake)... more travel advice

Full view of of Lower Yellowstone Falls - Yellowstone National Park Awesome Lower Yellowstone Falls Things to Do (30)

As Crocodile Dundee would have said: “That’s not a waterfall, THIS is a waterfall”! Wow, I’ve seen a few waterfalls in... more travel advice

White-Tailed Deer enjoying some fresh grass - Yellowstone National Park White Tailed Deer browses nearby Things to Do (30)

Little did we know that while we were focused on Upper Yellowstone Falls, a White-Tailed Deer had been keeping an eye on... more travel advice

Comments (13)

  • Updated Comment
    Reply
    KimberlyAnn's Profile Photo
    Oct 26, 2010 at 1:38 PM

    Nice tips! I am glad that you drove the Beartooth route! I agree that it is worth the time. Lucky to see the mountain goats! I only see them high up on a cliff above the hwy in Yellowstone. Hope you had time to visit the BBHC in Cody.

    Other comments
  • Reply
    HORSCHECK's Profile Photo
    May 8, 2012 at 12:15 PM

    Glenn, very comprehensive page with outstanding photos of the Yellowstone National Park, where the bisons rule. I especially like the refurbished old National Park bus.

  • Reply
    toonsarah's Profile Photo
    May 25, 2011 at 4:23 AM

    Loads of great memories of our own visit, plus great tips on places we failed to get to - I would love Beartooth Hwy! Great you got to see Great Fountain spout too :-) Agree that Jackson Lake Lodge is well worth a splurge - spent our Silver Wedding there!

  • Reply
    Nemorino's Profile Photo
    Mar 20, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Hi Glenn, your texts and photos really made Yellowstone come alive for me. A frequent pub discussion topic over here is if/when the next volcanic eruption will occur at Yellowstone. Some think it is imminent, within the next six to 650,000 years.

  • Reply
    hunterV's Profile Photo
    Nov 1, 2010 at 7:05 AM

    Hello, Glenn! Thanks for your wonderful story about your great trip!

  • Reply
    kyoub's Profile Photo
    Oct 25, 2010 at 6:17 AM

    I enjoyed traveling along with you virtually through Yellowstone N.P. Fantastic photos and descriptions of your trip.

  • Reply
    PinkFloydActuary's Profile Photo
    Oct 24, 2010 at 4:22 PM

    Ah, the memories of my absolute favorite park. I can't wait for the kiddies to get older so I can go back!!

  • Reply
    ranger49's Profile Photo
    Oct 22, 2010 at 5:25 AM

    Great pictures, vivid descriptions, as always from you Glenn. I will enjoy returning for more bites of this cherry - time is needed to savour it properly.

  • Reply
    richiecdisc's Profile Photo
    Oct 19, 2010 at 10:30 AM

    Glad to have been part of your nudge to explore a park you sure saw a lot of. Gotta say like the look of the Gardiner cottage even more than the Lodge. Great find. Funny about the goats. A friend just sent me a link about one killing a man in Olympic!

  • Reply
    MalenaN's Profile Photo
    Oct 16, 2010 at 10:59 PM

    What spectacular views you had along the Beartooth Highway, and then in the NP itself! But 3 milion visitors in 5 months sounds crowded (even if the park is big).

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