Yellowstone National Park is 3,472 square miles of pure wilderness. Bears, wolves and bison rule the land. To make the land even more wild, the park is spread over over one of the largest calderas in the world and on a highly active supervolcano. As a result, Yellowstone is home to the most concentrated and unique collection of hydrothermal features in the world! This Yellowstone National Park Itinerary includes stops at all the park’s top attractions and lays out itineraries for either or a day trip or a multi-day visit!
The majority of Yellowstone National Park’s highlights lie along the Grand Loop Road. It’s impossible to drive the entire Grand Loop Road and stop enough to enjoy the park in one day. The Grand Loop Road can be split into two smaller loops—the Upper and Lower Loops. With a one-day visit, I recommend driving the Lower Loop. If you have more than one day, drive the entire Grand Loop Road and spend some time outside. Yellowstone is home to 900 miles of trails and some of the most diverse wildlife populations in the United States!
If you need to get fuel or food in the park, the service station Old Faithful is the best option. It has two fuel stations and the biggest selection of snacks. Otherwise plan packing plenty of food for the day. Remember cell service in the park is sparse, so don’t plan on Googling the nearest service station. Have a plan prior to entering Yellowstone!
For more information (and pictures) on Yellowstone National Park, read the Ultimate Yellowstone National Park Summer Travel Guide.
This Yellowstone Itinerary covers the following sections. To jump to each section, click the corresponding link.
One-Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary
Given Yellowstone’s immense size, it’s nearly impossible to tackle to entire Grand Loop Road in one day. Instead, drive the Lower Loop and stop at many of Yellowstone’s iconic features including Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, and more! The roundtrip drive from the West Entrance with the highlights listed below is 130 miles and takes three hours and 15 minutes–without taking into account any stops or travel to the entrance. The roundtrip drive from the South Entrance with the same highlights is 125 miles–without taking into account any stops or travel to the entrance. I recommend entering the park by 8 am to catch the spectacular morning light and get a head start on the crowds. Plus animals are most active early in the morning!
Lower Loop – West Entrance start (130 miles)
- Grand Prismatic Spring – hike to the overlook via the Fairy Falls Trailhead
- Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful)
- Old Faithful
- Grand Geyser
- Morning Glory Pool
- Biscuit Basin
- West Thumb Basin and Yellowstone Lake
- Abyss Pool
- Fishing Cone
- Hayden Valley
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Artist Point
- Uncle Tom’s Trail
- Lookout Point
- Lower Falls Trail
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Porcelain Basin
- Back Basin
Lower Loop – South Entrance Start (125 miles)
- West Thumb Basin and Yellowstone Lake
- Abyss Pool
- Fishing Cone
- Hayden Valley
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Artist Point
- Uncle Tom’s Trail
- Lookout Point
- Lower Falls Trail
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Porcelain Basin
- Back Basin
- Grand Prismatic Spring – hike to the overlook via the Fairy Falls Trailhead
- Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful)
- Old Faithful
- Grand Geyser
- Morning Glory Pool
- Biscuit Basin
How to Use these Maps: Red markers indicate highlights along the loop. Blue markers indicate the park entrance. Click the markers for more information on each place. Click the arrow in the top left corner to view the map index and directions. To zoom in or out use your computer mouse or pinch the screen (on your phone). To save this map to your Google Maps, click the star next to the map title!
Two-Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary
With more than one day to visit Yellowstone National Park, you have options for how to best spend those days. Both two-day itineraries include driving the Lower Loop–a must-do when visiting Yellowstone as it includes iconic stops like Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, and more. View the One-Day Itinerary above for Google Maps of the Lower Loop drive.
The second day you have options. Either drive the Upper Loop to finish driving Grand Loop Road in its entirety. Or, if you’re tired of being in the car, spend your second day in Yellowstone either hiking or wildlife watching. Yellowstone has hikes to suit every type of hiker–just make sure you always carry bear spray. Wildlife watching is a more leisurely outdoor activity. Both Hayden and Lamar Valleys are home to some of the most diverse and plentiful wildlife populations in the United States. Make sure to get to the valleys early with a pair of binoculars and watch the bison, wolves and grizzly bears wander by!
PSA: If you’re staying either in the park or entering from West Yellowstone, driving the Upper Loop is very doable. However, if you’re entering from the park’s South Entrance, be prepared for a lot of driving as it’s about 70 miles from the South Entrance to the start of the Upper Loop.
Day One: Drive the Lower Loop
Driving the Lower Loop is a must-do when visiting Yellowstone as it includes iconic stops like Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, and more. Scroll up to the One-Day Itinerary section for Google Maps of the Lower Loop. Stops along the Lower Loop are listed below.
- Grand Prismatic Spring – hike to the overlook via the Fairy Falls Trailhead
- Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful)
- Old Faithful
- Grand Geyser
- Morning Glory Pool
- Biscuit Basin
- West Thumb Basin and Yellowstone Lake
- Abyss Pool
- Fishing Cone
- Hayden Valley
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Artist Point
- Uncle Tom’s Trail
- Lookout Point
- Lower Falls Trail
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Porcelain Basin
- Back Basin
Day Two: Drive the Upper Loop
- Artists’ Paint Pots
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Porcelain Basin
- Back Basin
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Upper & Lower Terrace Boardwalks
- Boiling River
- Lamar Valley
- Tower Fall
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Uncle Tom’s Trail
- Lookout Point
- Lower Falls Trail
Day Two: Hike or Wildlife Watching
- Hayden Valley – Located along the Lower Loop and is easily accessible from all entrances.
- Lamar Valley – Nicknamed America’s Serengeti, is more isolated and situated in the northeast corner of the park just off of the Upper Loop. Lamar Valley is your best chance of seeing wolves.
- Grand Prismatic Overlook (1.6 miles; easy)
- Fairy Falls (5 miles; easy)
- Lone Star Geyser (5.3 miles; easy)
- Yellowstone River Picnic Area (3.9 miles; easy)
- North Rim Trail to Inspiration Point (6 miles; moderate)
- Mount Washburn via Chittenden Road or Dunraven Pass (5.6-6.8 miles; moderate)
- Click to view Yellowstone’s best hikes in more detail.
Three-Day Yellowstone national park Itinerary
With three days in Yellowstone, you have plenty of time to drive the entire Grand Loop Road and spend a day outdoors either hiking and/or watching wildlife.
Day One: Drive the Lower Loop
Driving the Lower Loop is a must-do when visiting Yellowstone as it includes iconic stops like Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, and more. Scroll up to the One-Day Itinerary section for Google Maps of the Lower Loop. Stops along the Lower Loop are listed below.
- Grand Prismatic Spring – hike to the overlook via the Fairy Falls Trailhead
- Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful)
- Old Faithful
- Grand Geyser
- Morning Glory Pool
- Biscuit Basin
- West Thumb Basin and Yellowstone Lake
- Abyss Pool
- Fishing Cone
- Hayden Valley
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Artist Point
- Uncle Tom’s Trail
- Lookout Point
- Lower Falls Trail
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Porcelain Basin
- Back Basin
Day Two: Hike and Wildlife Watching
Wildlife Watching
Both Hayden and Lamar Valleys are home to some of the most diverse and plentiful wildlife populations in the United States. Make sure to get to the valleys early with a pair of binoculars and watch the bison, wolves and grizzly bears wander by!
- Hayden Valley – Located along the Lower Loop and is easily accessible from all entrances.
- Lamar Valley – Nicknamed America’s Serengeti, is more isolated and situated in the northeast corner of the park just off of the Upper Loop. Lamar Valley is your best chance of seeing wolves.
Hiking
Yellowstone has trails to suit every type of hiker. Make sure you always carry bear spray with you-regardless of how short the hike is!
- Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook (1.6 miles; easy; Lower Loop) – This heavily trafficked trail leads you to the best view of the Grand Prismatic Spring. This trail uses the same trailhead as Fairy Falls making it easy to combine the two hikes.
- Fairy Falls (5 miles; easy; Lower Loop) – At 200 feet high, Fairy Falls is one of Yellowstone’s most spectacular waterfalls. Fairy Falls follows the same trailhead as the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook making it easy to combine the two hikes.
- Old Faithful Observation Loop (1.6 miles; easy; Lower Loop) – Get a different vantage point of Old Faithful eruption by hiking up to the Old Faithful Observation Point.
- Lone Star Geyser (5.3 miles; easy; Lower Loop) – This partially paved trail follows an old service road along Firehole River to Lone Star Geyser. The 12-foot cone geyser erupts roughly every three hours with eruptions reaching up to 45 feet.
- Yellowstone River Picnic Area (3.9 miles; easy; Upper Loop) – The scenic trail overlooks Yellowstone River and offers views of Lamar Valley. A great option if you’re looking for a taste of Yellowstone’s backcountry without committing to an intense hike.
- North Rim Trail to Inspiration Point (6 miles; moderate; Lower Loop) – Incredible views of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and its waterfalls are found all along this trail. Portions of this trail are paved. If you prefer not to hike this trail, you can drive between many of the major viewpoints.
- Mount Washburn via Chittenden Road (5.6 miles; moderate) – Ascend Mount Washburn (over 10,000 ft in elevation) on one of the best day hikes in Yellowstone. You’ll be be rewarded with panoramic views of Yellowstone National Park stretching all the way to the Teton Mountain Range. **Mount Washburn trails are closed due to the closure of Tower-Roosevelt and Chittenden Road until 2022.
- Mount Washburn via Dunraven Pass (6.8 miles; moderate) – Ascend Mount Washburn (over 10,000 ft in elevation) on one of the best day hikes in Yellowstone. You’ll be be rewarded with panoramic views of Yellowstone National Park stretching all the way to the Teton Mountain Range. **Mount Washburn trails are closed due to the closure of Tower-Roosevelt and Chittenden Road until 2022.
Day Three: Drive the Upper Loop
Finish driving Grand Loop Road by completing the Upper Loop. The Upper Loop overlaps the Lower Loop on one stretch of road so you’ll pass Norris Geyser Basin and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone on both drives. Stop at them multiple times or pick Stops along the Upper Loop are listed below.
- Artists’ Paint Pots
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Porcelain Basin
- Back Basin
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Upper & Lower Terrace Boardwalks
- Boiling River
- Lamar Valley
- Tower Fall
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Artist Point
- Uncle Tom’s Trail
- Lookout Point
- Lower Falls Trail
Remember, the Yellowstone National Park is a true wilderness filled with many dangers. Do not approach the wildlife and do not stray from the designated paths. Enjoy!
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