Complete Travel Guide: Yellowstone National Park the USA

Yellowstone National Park is a hipster wildlife world of the USA, that possesses 2.2 million acres of land devoted to the extraordinary wonders of nature. An easy-to-understand brief travel guide of Yellowstone national park will not let you miss the phenomenal bubbling mud pots, steaming hot pools, and approximately 500 geysers that pounce water in the air along with unique decades-old pacifiers. Extending to the northwest corner of Wyoming and parts of Idaho, this is the best national park of the USA that you must explore once. Let’s unravel the treasures of Yellowstone then!

Highlights of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is majorly famous for its thermal vents & unique surroundings. Still, there are many more insights that you might be missing under the bulky texts of the official website. Hence let’s have a quick glance over the best things to see at Yellowstone National Park. 

Wolf Packs & Bisons:

Wolves have been the oldest residents of this park surviving since 1995. Their presence revived the ecosystem of the national park and later became a major tourist attraction for wildlife lovers. Exceptional views of this predator also compliment the existence of a prey-Bison. In fact, once ‘America’s Serengeti’ was titled Yellowstone national park, due to the vast herds of bison and elk thriving in this charismatic megafauna inhabitation of Idaho. 

The Old Faithful:

This is an Upper Geyser Basin whose iconic eruptions of water, worths all the efforts of exploring Yellowstone. There are various other collections of geysers & thermal springs that will definitely blow your mind.

1.Grand Geyser, 200-foot-high, erupts every six to seven hours,

2.Riverside pounces water up to 75 feet into the Firehole River every five hours,

3.Steamboat Geyser, recently active at the Norris Geyser Basin, featuring the tallest plume of the world of 300 to 400 feet.

Best Time to Visit Yellowstone National Park

Spring:

The spring in Yellowstone national park is the best time for wildlife exploration. Starting from March till April you can spot the iconic grizzly bears that recently woke up from their long winter hibernations. Bison and elk can be spotted with their young calves. Whereas, by the end of May you can witness the cute little wolf pups stumbling into the grasslands. Some higher-elevation roads and campgrounds of the park remain closed until June, therefore make sure you have booked the tour guides & related commutes in advance.

Read More: Epic Bungee Jumping Places in the US

Summer:

Summer is the most crowded season for Yellowstone national park. A lot of tourists flock around the entire park whereas all the rooms & campgrounds are pre-booked. Major backcountry campsites are reservable by mail just at the beginning of April 1. So, be ready to deal with immensely traffic-filled roads & crowded places if you visit Yellowstone national park in summer. The temperature ranges around 70 degrees, whereas thunderstorms during mid-day are common predicaments to observe.

Fall:

Fall is the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park if you seek a quiet ambiance & exceptional wildlife spotting. Both the crowds & mosquitoes leave you in peace during the Fall. September offers tapering weather while October brings the snow altogether via gradually lowering the temperature of the entire park.

Things to Do in Yellowstone National Park

1.Wildlife Tours 

There are various tour management companies that conduct in-depth guided tours of the Yellowstone national park. Out of these Yellowstone Forever, is an amazing nonprofit firm that supports park research and provides exceptional facilities for wildlife tours in Yellowstone. Another educational program for winters includes Lamar Valley Wolf Week programs starting at $780, which comprises lodging at a historic biology field station, & usually gets full in advance.  There are numerous private outfitters offering day trips and guided overnight backcountry trips to the travelers that constitute adventures like hiking and fly-fishing too. Hence don’t miss any chance to spot the best wildlife of Yellowstone national park via these phenomenal accommodations.

Best Time to Explore: Summer- April to June

2. Biking

Biking is the most famous activity to do in Yellowstone National Park.  It is the ideal way to observe the iconic natural realm of the park. During the spring, it is the best time to cycle as the area is gently plowed & remains restricted for cars. During mid-March, various highways including the Highway 20 from West Yellowstone connecting Highway 89 to Mammoth Hot Springs are opened for transfers. You can easily Cycle between snowbanks and past the bison herds, to visit the renowned Norris Geyser basin. An option for renting the bikes is also available at West Yellowstone’s Freeheel and Wheel(starting at $40/bike).

Best Time to Explore: Summers

3. Hiking

When pounding water geysers & scenic panoramic views are the rewards, hiking is the best thing to do in Yellowstone national park for any adventure enthusiast. Grand Prismatic Springs Overlook Trail is the top hike that offers its visitors an astonishing view of the multi-hued hot spring. Fairy Falls Trailhead, nestled at the west side of Grand Loop Road, is another 105 feet exciting climb. It is known for the Geyser Basin, Excelsior Geyser, Turquoise Pool, and Opal Pool offerings. Another incredible hiking spot in Yellowstone includes Glen Creek Trailhead, lying south of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Best Time to Explore: Spring- March to April

Read More: Most Beautiful National Parks in Spain 

4. Paddling

If you love to explore the Waterworld of Yellowstone, then paddling is the top activity to do in Yellowstone National Park. You can opt for the paddling tour of a 24-mile round-trip to Shoshone Lake. It is famed for a three-day excursion tour of Geyser Basin along with exploring other 40-geyser thermal areas situated at the west shore of Shoshone Lake. Don’t forget to miss the three-mile-long conjunction spot of 2 lakes at Lewis River Channel. During summers, you might have to pull the boats on the shallower sections. Various campsites also offer black-gravel beaches for the easy landing of the boats and surreal views of the sunrise and sunset aside the lakes.

Best Time to Explore: Summer- April to July

Places to Stay in Yellowstone National Park

1. Lake Yellowstone Hotel

Lake Yellowstone Hotel is the top place to stay in Yellowstone Park especially when you ponder ancient servicing styles & luxury as your primal priority. It was renovated in 2014 &  expanded its 153 room interiors into modernized bright-yellow rooms. It offers a unique set of sunroom halls that feature live soothing piano pieces & string quartet performances to entertain their guests every evening.

Starting Rates: $217

2. Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful Inn is an epic landmark in itself. Apart from being an exceptional lodging place in Yellowstone national park, it is also enlisted in the National Historic Register for possessing the largest log structure in the world. There are 327-room services, all available to suit the guest’s requirements. Don’t miss the iconic lobby of this popular stay in Yellowstone park whose random window interiors mimic the light falls of a  forest canopy.

Starting Rates: $99

3. Sage Lodge

Sage Lodge is a 50-guestroom hotel that offers stylish alternatives to Yellowstone’s massive hotels. It offers immense luxury at reasonable rates. Sage Lodge is the best stay in Yellowstone national park for all those visitors who want to stay a little farther away from the location for more exposure & fun. It takes a  35-minute drive north from the park to reach this fabulous hotel. Settled on a 1,200-acre ranch overlooking the Yellowstone River, you get to experience wonderful views along with horseriding & hiking as a complementary activity. 

Also Read: Places to See Redwood Trees in California

Starting Rates: $259

How to Reach

There are five major entrances to Yellowstone National Park-

1.West Yellowstone,
2.Montana;
3.Grand Teton National Park to the south;
4.Cody, Wyoming, to the east,
5.Cook City, Montana, to the northeast;

The closest major airports to Yellowstone National park are- Bozeman, Montana(north), and Jackson, Wyoming(south). Both take less than a 1.5-hour drive away from the park. 

Safety Precautions at Yellowstone National Park: You Mustn’t Ignore

‘Protect Your Park; Protect Yourself’ is the highlighted tagline of Yellowstone precaution guidelines. Despite the popular tours & wildlife expeditions Yellowstone’s has always been in news due to the accidental deaths due to thermal vents & wild attacks of animals. From boiling hot springs to predatory wild animals, let’s take a look at the top 10 safety tips of Yellowstone national park to keep you protected from various hazards in Yellowstone.

1. Never approach wildlife on your own. As stated, Yellowstone is filled with unpredictable, fauna hence no matter how calm they appear they can turn furious in no time. 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.

2. Stay strictly on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas. A lot of people have been injured in pursuit of picturing the vents from closer angles. Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural attack.

3. Never feed wildlife. It is the obvious rule yet I don’t know why people just don’t follow it! Animals who become used to human food may turn aggressive next time towards someone who is not offering. So take good care of your foods & their used wrappers.

4. Do not touch thermal areas, especially swimming or soaking in hot springs is highly prohibited. Many by far now have lost their lives from the burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs.

5. Do not throw garbage or any other object into the hot springs or hydrothermal features, because it disrupts the ecosystem of the entire vent.

6. Since a lot of toxic gases also erupt sometimes out of hydrothermal areas. So if you feel sick while exploring the geyser basins, leave the area immediately.

7. Never pursue a bear for selfies. I know how cute they might look but their behavior is not always the same. Use pullouts and stay in or near your car.

8. Maintain a distance of at least 100 yards while watching or photographing wolves.

9. Contact a ranger if you spot any wolf near developed areas or approaching people.

10. Taking pets in the thermal areas is completely prohibited hence don’t make a scene if you are stopped already at the entrance.

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Hope you got all the necessary insights onto the complete travel guide for Yellowstone National Park. You can cover every adventure of this park through his brief list of information. Still, if you are baffled about any other stuff just ping us in the comment sections below. I will try my best to sort out your issues. Till then, head on to other exciting travelogues of Adequate Travel. 

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