Planning a Trip to Yellowstone & Grand Teton
This past summer we visited Yellowstone & Grand Teton. These two national parks are next door to each other but offer vastly different experiences. Yellowstone is ENORMOUS and encompasses 2.2 million acres. The sheer size, natural wonders and geothermal features are simply incredible! Grand Teton is much smaller (310,000 acres) but the mountains are the star here, offering spectacular views at every turn. If you are planning a trip to Yellowstone & Grand Teton, here is our 8-day itinerary and travel tips:
Where to Start Your Trip
When I began planning a trip to Yellowstone & Grand Teton, I had to figure out where to start. There are a couple options of where to fly into. Originally, I thought we’d fly into Jackson and start our trip in Grand Teton. After looking at airfare, it was less money to fly into Bozeman, Montana and start our trip in Yellowstone. There are 5 park entrances to Yellowstone – north, northeast, east, south and west which span 3 states. The majority of the park is in Wyoming, but it also crosses into Montana and Idaho. When you start planning, look into airfare first!
TRAVEL TIP: Download the travel app, Gypsy Guide, before your trip and purchase the Yellowstone/Grand Teton tour. There’s no signal in Yellowstone but the app uses GPS to determine your location. The audio tour starts based on where you are in the park providing directions, history, stories, hikes and a dash of humor along the way. Even my kids were entertained! It’s a wealth of information and like having your own personal tour guide. To learn more about Gypsy Guide, read my blog post about it here.
Day 1: Bozeman – Yellowstone North Entrance – Hot Springs
We flew into Bozeman early and picked up our car. We drove 1 1/2 hours to the North Entrance of Yellowstone and spent the afternoon at Mammoth Hot Springs. Known for the travertine terraces deposited by the hot springs, this area is constantly changing. The travertine deposits grow fast, as much as 3 meters a year, covering anything in its path. After spending some time here, we had dinner in Gardiner (just outside the north entrance) and stayed overnight at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
TRAVEL TIP: When planning a trip to Yellowstone, I highly recommend staying in park. Yellowstone is HUGE! It will save time spent driving to the entrance and waiting in lines to enter the park. Also, it reduces time spent in the car driving to sites, as things are not close together. We started our days at 8:30am and experienced little traffic and beat the crowds.
TRAVEL TIP: After we landed and got our rental car, we went directly to the nearest grocery store. We shopped for breakfast, lunch & snack items (cereal, yogurt, lunch meat, cheeses, bagels, fruits, veggies etc.) and of course, water and Gatorade. Yellowstone has no microwaves in the rooms so don’t buy anything that needs to be heated up. We ate all dinners out in Yellowstone.
DAY 2: Hot Springs – Lamar Valley – Norris Geyser Basin – Artists Paint Pots
We started the day early (at 5:30am) and drove to Lamar Valley. It’s one of the best areas to see wildlife, especially at sunrise or sunset. We saw a bear, bison, elk, fox and pronghorn. It’s a beautiful drive and area.
TRAVEL TIP: Look into taking a guided wildlife tour. We chose to go on our own because the tours are very expensive, but I’m sure it’s worth it.
After Lamar Valley, we headed back thru Hot Springs to Norris Geyser Basin (we had to back track because certain roads were under construction). Norris Geyser Basin is one of the largest, oldest, and hottest in Yellowstone National Park. It’s full of geothermal formations – geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles. There are 2 trails you can take – the Porcelain Basin or Back Basin trail. We chose to tour the Back Basin trail and moved on to our next stop, Artist Paint Pots.
Located just south of Norris Geyser Basin, Artist Paint Pots is full of a variety of geothermal formations. The mud pots dominate the scenery with shades of browns, oranges and blues. It’s like an artist’s palette of colors. That evening, we drove to Canyon Village. Centrally located, Canyon Lodge is where we spent the next 3 nights.
TRAVEL TIP: Check Yellowstone National Park website for road closures. Roads were under construction during our visit which we had to work around.
DAY 3: Old Faithful – Grand Prismatic Spring
This morning we headed to Old Faithful. Named for its predictable eruptions, Old Faithful erupts around every 90 minutes. Once we arrived, we found out the predicted eruption time which is posted outside the visitors’ center. We had an hour until the next eruption. First, we hiked to Observation Point which is 1/2-mile hike up. Away from the crowds, it was a peaceful place to be. We watched Old Faithful erupt once from this viewpoint, which was pretty cool to have a bird’s eye view.
Next, we continued on the Upper Geyser Basin trail. We ended back at Old Faithful to watch it erupt a second time at ground level. By now, the place was mobbed, with people! We headed back to our car and on to our next destination, Grand Prismatic Spring.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest hot spring in the world. It’s beautiful and intense rainbow colors did not disappoint. It’s everything you see in pictures and more! Known as the Midway Geyser Basin, this area is also home to Excelsior Pool, Opal Pool and Turquoise Pool.
TRAVEL TIP: Visit Old Faithful Inn. Built in 1903-1904 with local logs and materials, it is considered the oldest log structure in the world. This is a must see so put it on your list.
TRAVEL TIP: Visit Old Faithful early in the morning. We arrived by 9:00 and had our choice of parking. By noon it was mobbed and the lot was full. Visit Grand Prismatic late in the day to be able to park and avoid crowds.
DAY 4: Horseback Riding – Grand Canyon of Yellowstone – Yellowstone Lake
Today we had a 1-hour horseback ride near Canyon Village. I booked this months in advance on the Yellowstone website. The ride goes thru an open meadow near Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We could hear the water from the falls in the distance. It was nice ride and perfect amount of time for the kids.
Following the trail ride, we explored the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The canyon is breathtaking! There are several viewpoints to see the upper and lower falls. Artist Point, Lookout Point, Inspiration Point and Brink of the Lower Falls are some of the best viewing areas.
After Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, we continued driving toward Yellowstone Lake. This is the largest body of water in the national park and the largest fresh water lake above 7,000 feet in the United States. I was taken aback by the size and beauty of the lake. We stopped at the Lake Hotel; a beautiful historic hotel located on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. Originally built in 1891, it’s the oldest operating hotel in the park and recently renovated. We had drinks and snacks inside the hotel and headed back to Canyon Lodge for the night.
Day 5: Yellowstone – Jackson – Teton Village
We said goodbye to Yellowstone and drove the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway to Grand Teton. It’s a gorgeous drive full of beautiful scenery. We continued thru the park to Jackson. Many people think Jackson Hole and Jackson are the same thing. But in actuality, Jackson is a town and Jackson Hole is the name of the valley which includes the towns of Jackson, Teton Village, Wilson, the Aspens, Moran Junction, Moose and more. Knowing we needed groceries, we shopped for what we needed, ate lunch and toured Jackson. Eventually, we made our way to our condo in Teton Village, which is the base of Jackson Hole ski resort. The village is full of restaurants, shops and offers lots of summer activities. That evening we explored the village and checked out our condo.
TRAVEL TIP: Rent a place with more amenities at some point in your trip so you can do laundry and cook. Eating out gets expensive so this helps cut costs and saves money.
DAY 6: Jenny Lake – Teton Village
Jenny Lake is the most popular attraction in Grand Teton. For that reason, we arrived by 9:00am because it gets very busy. People can explore Jenny Lake by boat or hiking. So, when we arrived, many people were in line for the boat ride across the lake. For this reason, we decided to walk the 2 miles to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. It was a gorgeous hike! Although it was heavily trafficked, it was one of our favorite hikes on the trip. Afterward, we took the boat back across the lake and headed back to Teton Village.
Later this evening, we rode the Bridger gondola up to the top of the mountain for the best views of Jackson Hole. We enjoyed snacks and drinks at the top. It was a fantastic way to end the day.
DAY 7: Jackson Lake – Teton Village
We spent the morning at Jackson Lake hiking around the area. The picturesque views of the Tetons are stunning, almost unreal. When we got back to Teton Village, my husband tried his hand at the Jackson Hole downhill bike park. It’s something he always wanted to try. I, on the other hand, had no desire! He went with a tour guide on a 2-hour ride. The adrenaline rush was well worth it!
DAY 8: Whitewater Rafting – Teton Village
Our last day was full of adventure whitewater rafting on the Snake River with Teton Whitewater. We met our group in Jackson, took a bus to the river, and spent 3.5 hours rafting Class II & III rapids. We all loved it and it gave the kids a taste of riding the rapids. Safety was a top priority; the guides were excellent, and the trip was well organized. I’d highly recommend reserving with Teton Whitewater. The whole experience was a highlight of our trip. We spent our last night in Teton Village before making the journey home.
All in all, this was a fantastic trip and exceeded my expectations. If you are planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, you won’t be disappointed by the beauty this area has to offer.