If you’re traveling to Yellowstone National Park, planning ahead is essential to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. Here’s how you can plan to get the most out of your trip to Yellowstone National Park in just Seven steps.
Check for Closures.
You can visit the National Park Service website for up-to-date road closures and construction notifications. Before we planned on visiting Yellowstone NP, a massive flood ended up closing some roads and one of the entrances. It is always a good idea to check the park website for alerts in the area. We also found it helpful to look at the webcams to see how long the lines were at the entrances.
Entrance Pass
You will need an entrance pass to enter any Yellowstone National Park entrances. You can get your pass here; make sure you print or save a copy to your phone, as cell service is minimal once in the park. It’s $35 for a private vehicle, and your pass is good for seven days from the day of purchase.
Plan Your Routes
Yellowstone has two main loops: the lower loop and the upper loop. We found that it was a lot of traveling and split our adventures into a few days. We drove the lower loop first, with stops like Fountain Paint Pot, Old Faithful, the Upper Geyser Basin, and my kid’s favorite, Mud Volcano, to experience Dragon’s Breath. The lower loop was a lot of driving, and we stopped at random spots to take in the scenery, explore, and stretch our legs. We explored the road between the two loops and the grand canyon of Yellowstone on the second day. There were so many incredible waterfalls to stop and enjoy along the way.
Don’t Get Hangry
Pack plenty of snacks and water for the journey. It can be a long drive to get to the park as well as a lot of driving in the park. If you are traveling with kids, check out our post on How to Yellowstone With Kids.
Junior Ranger Program
Take advantage of the park’s Junior Ranger program. The Jr Ranger program is an excellent way for kids and adults to learn about the park’s history, geology, and wildlife while earning a badge. The booklets are great for ages four and up and a perfect activity to do while driving between attractions. Pack some coloring pencils to inspire some creativity. After completing the booklet, return it to a visitor center to be sworn in as a Jr. Park Ranger and receive a badge. You can purchase the book for $5 at any visitor center.
The National Park Service App
The National Park Service app is a fantastic resource for visiting the park. Make sure you download the app before going into the park to ensure you have access to all the data without cell service. The app will also share current alerts for the area. Use the self-guided tour section of the app. You can have it speak audio to you, or we read each of the details of the location once we got there. Some of the info is different than what is available in person. It even has geyser predictions on it.
Geysers
When visiting the Old Faithful Geyser, arrange it around when the Beehive Geyser goes off; you can check geyser predictions on the app. We loved seeing both and felt that the Beehive Geyser was more enjoyable than Old Faithful.
We had so much fun visiting Yellowstone, and we hope you find these tips helpful while you plan a trip to Yellowstone National Park.
Share with us what you are the most excited to experience in Yellowstone.