29 Best Things to Do in Yellowstone - The Ultimate Guide from 1 - 4 days - The Planet D

Choosing what to see on your first visit to Yellowstone can be overwhelming. It's vast, it's beautiful, and it's filled with beautiful landmarks. In this article, we show you the best things to do in Yellowstone National Park that you simply cannot miss. We start with the top Yellowstone attractions that you must see in one day, and then continue on for those who have two or three days in Yellowstone NP.

When planning your trip to Yellowstone, we also give you recommendations on where to stay and a handy map for your reference of where things are located. I know that when Dave and I looked at the map before planning our trip to Yellowstone, we felt intimidated. How could we ever cover so much ground to see everything we wanted? Don't worry, it can be done.

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Best Things to do in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone was the first national park in the world, and it is very easy to get around and see its top attractions quickly. With the greatest concentration of geysers on earth, mud pools, waterfalls, and abundant wildlife, you'll fall in love with Yellowstone.

It costs $35 to enter Yellowstone, but if you plan on visiting any other National Parks in the United States this year, we recommend getting a National Park Pass from the National Park Service for a cost of $80. It's a significant saving. Make sure to also download the Travel Stories App before visiting Yellowstone. It is an excellent guide highlighting top attractions while driving through the park.

Things to do in Yellowstone NP in One Day

1. Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs was our favorite place to visit in Yellowstone and is rated as one of the best things to see at Yellowstone.

These hot springs aren't your average geothermal features – they're a masterpiece of travertine formations, growing at a pace that outstrips any other thermal wonder. Imagine rain and snow melting into the earth, getting superheated by fiery magma below, and then bursting through cracks and crevices, fizzing with carbon dioxide. That's the magic of Mammoth Hot Springs!

As this scorching, acidic brew dissolves limestone in the depths of the earth, it emerges on the surface, releasing carbon dioxide and creating the stunning travertine terraces that are a signature of this place.

Stroll along the upper and lower terrace boardwalks, and you'll be greeted by a tapestry of around 50 hot springs. We were expecting a quick look at a tiered waterfall of hot thermal pools, but it was so much more. It is entirely different from other landmarks in Yellowstone National Park, with a vast area of limestone rock created by gases escaping the earth, forming mountains of white chalky terraces.

We started at the lower terrace boardwalk from the parking lot located directly on the Grand Loop. Here, we walked out to the most famous formation, The Liberty Cap, a towering 37-foot hot spring cone, and then continued along the boardwalk to see the beautiful terraces. You can continue upward along the boardwalks from the Lower Terrace Boardwalk to see the Upper Terraces.

If you don't want to walk too much, there are parking lots near different sections of the hot springs where you can park and walk out for closer looks. The parking lots fill up quickly, so if you see a spot, take it.

At the Upper Terrace, you are in for more surprises. Here, you'll find Prospect Terrace, New Highland Terrace, and Orange Spring Mound, along with Bath Lake, White Elephant Back Terrace, and the ethereal Angel Terrace. Each spot is a world unto itself, adorned with vivid microorganisms that paint the landscape in surreal hues.

When to visit Mammoth Hot Springs

The best time to visit Mammoth Hot Springs is early in the morning. In September, we had very few crowds to deal with. We were often the only ones on the boardwalk and had gorgeous views. In the morning, the sunrise was beautiful coming over the mountains. If you can't make it in the morning, another good time to visit Mammoth is late afternoon.

Where is Mammoth Hot Springs

Nestled near Gardiner, Montana, Mammoth Hot Springs is a year-round wonder accessible by car. The well-laid boardwalks span about 1.75 miles around the terraces, offering an easy yet awe-inspiring hike that'll take roughly an hour.

Mammoth Hot Springs is located near the North Entrance of Mammoth Hot Springs Village. In the village, there is a gas station and a general store where you can buy coffee, souvenirs, and snacks, and there are clean public washrooms to use.

2. Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin

The next place we suggest visiting after Mammoth Hot Springs is Grand Prismatic Spring. This is the "wow destination" in Yellowstone that is on all the brochures and travel websites; when you visit Yellowstone, it is not to be missed. Most people have this as number one on their things to do in Yellowstone list, and for us, it is a close second. This is an incredibly beautiful spring.

Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States, and its vivid colors will take your breath away. The colors are made up of microorganisms that band together, creating a mass of color. Read more: The Essential Guide to Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone

The best time to visit Grand Prismatic is midday when the sun is higher (that is why we have this as our second stop on your Yellowstone Itinerary). When it is bright outside, the color of the spring really pops. It may be busier and crowded, but mid-day is the best time to view Grand Prismatic Spring. It doesn't matter too much if it is crowded as you must stay on the designated boardwalks, so you have unobstructed views of the spring anyway.

Parking: It will be busy at Grand Prismatic when you arrive, so if you see a parking spot on the road before the parking lot, take it. We stayed in line to park in the lot and spent about 20 minutes stuck in our car.

A visit to the Grand Prismatic Spring takes you along a series of boardwalks through different hot springs. Make sure to stop at the deep cavern of Excelsior Geyser, look for the mineral deposits along Yellowstone River, and on your way out, stop at Opal Pool. It was a stunning small pool that is often overlooked.

Bison are often roaming around the hot springs, and we saw some ourselves. Also, the steam shooting out of the ground near the Firehole River is impressive. We spent about an hour here taking in all the views and could have spent longer.

Accessibility: The pathways at Grand Prismatic Spring are accessible, making it easy for everyone to see Yellowstone National Park's star attraction. The trailhead to Midway Geyser Basin begins at the parking lot, so it is very easy to find.

The surface is flat and even making it easy to walk around. Many of the attractions in Yellowstone are accessible (or at least partially accessible). The park has done an amazing job of making it possible for everyone to see these natural wonders.

3. Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook

If the sun is out when you arrive at the Mid Geyser Basin, we suggest going directly to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook before taking the walk around the Grand Prismatic Hot Spring below. This is the best view of Grand Prismatic Spring and the surrounding colorful hot springs from above without doing a helicopter tour.

The Walk out to Grand Prismatic Overlook takes about 20 minutes and is uphill. The path is well-marked and easy to follow.

The platform at the overlook is small and there is really only one place with unobstructed views, so make a beeline to the center to take photos of the colors of Grand Prismatic Spring below. You can capture the entire hot spring with a wide-angle camera lens or with your iPhone.

4. Fairy Falls Trail

When you come to a fork, you can also veer off to see Fairy Falls—another one of the popular things to do in Yellowstone. If you only have one day, we don't recommend hiking to Fariy Falls, but if you spend more than a few days in Yellowstone National Park, you can continue to hike the Fairy Falls Trail. The trail to Fairy Falls itself is about 5.4 miles (8.7 km) round trip. However, there are options to extend the hike to include other points of interest.

Fairy Falls are approximately 197 feet (60 meters) high, cascading in a thin veil, giving them a delicate, "fairy-like" appearance. Read more: 12 Best Hikes in Yellowstone National Park

5. Old Faithful Geyser

Okay, it is the most famous of things to do in Yellowstone National Park, and no trip to Yellowstone would be complete without seeing Old Faithful. The reason it is called Old Faithful Geyser is that it is a predictable geyser; they can predict when it will erupt throughout the day.

Without fail, Old Faithful erupts every 60 to 110 minutes, and the National Park Service can predict its eruption within 10 minutes on either side.

To find out when the next eruption will be, pop into the Visitor Center, Old Faithful Inn, or Old Faithful Lodge for information on when the geyser is expected to erupt. Or ask the park ranger who is walking around and offers updates as well.

True to form, Old Faithful erupted almost precisely as predicted. The eruption lasted for about five minutes and reached about 120 feet into the air. I was impressed as, for one, I can't believe it is so predictable, and two, I thought it was so cool to see steam and water shooting into the air. Even if you aren't impressed by that (like Dave), you must see Old Faithful erupt when you visit Yellowstone National Park.

When to visit Old Faithful

Old Faithful is the most popular attraction in Yellowstone National Park, so you will see crowds regardless of the time of day, but it really doesn't matter. There is a seating area around the geyser to watch Old Faithful erupt, so most of the crowd sits down. Even if you are standing, Old Faithful Geyser shoots 120 feet into the air so you will see it.

Apparently, 6 pm is the busiest time for bus tours, so the only suggestion we have is to avoid that time. Besides, you'll definitely want to be somewhere else at 6 pm (more on that later)

We visited Old Faithful just a little after lunch at about 2 pm, and the crowds weren't bad. We took a seat in the front row and spread our bags out in front of us so nobody would walk through or side down to obstruct our view.

Since no one can walk directly on the Upper Geyser Basin grounds and must stick to the boardwalks and designated hiking trails, there are completely unobstructed views all around this amazing wonder.

Lunch at Old Faithful

When we arrived, we saw that we had about a little over an hour until the next eruption. This was the perfect time for us to settle in for lunch while we waited.

Around Old Faithful Geyser and Upper Geyser Basin, there are plenty of places to eat, hotels, and a visitor center. Old Faithful Inn has a fantastic outdoor terrace overlooking Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful, or you can grab a drink at the Bear Pit Lounge inside. Old Faithful Lodge has a cafeteria-style restaurant looking out over Old Faithful and there is food at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.

Just remember, if you do go for lunch, make sure to be back for the eruption at least 20 minutes before the scheduled prediction or you may not get a seat if that is important to you. Otherwise, you can watch it from the terrace of Old Faithful Inn or the Old Faithful Lodge, and you can stand.

6. Upper Geyser Basin