Yellowstone Trail & Visitor Guide
Yellowstone · United States · About 2,221,766 acres (roughly 3,472 square miles), spanning Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
Why Visit Yellowstone
Yellowstone sits atop one of the world's largest active volcanic systems, fueling over 10,000 hydrothermal features — more than half of all geysers on Earth. The park's 2.2 million acres encompass alpine lakes, deep canyons, vast forests, and grasslands teeming with bison, elk, grizzly bears, and wolves reintroduced in 1995. Old Faithful erupts roughly every 90 minutes.
Free Yellowstone Audio Guide with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro offers a free, self-guided Yellowstone audio guide. It narrates trails, viewpoints, geology, and wildlife as you explore — Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, plus quieter spots like Mud Volcano area and Fairy Falls Trail. No guide, no schedule, works offline.
explore by interest
Signature Trails
- Mount Washburn (via Dunraven Pass)6.4 miles round trip · Moderate to strenuous (about 1,400 ft elevation gain)
Summit at 10,243 ft with a fire lookout and 360-degree views; common spot for bighorn sheep.
- Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic OverlookAbout 5 miles round trip (the overlook spur is shorter) · Easy to moderate
Elevated overlook of Grand Prismatic Spring, plus the 200-ft Fairy Falls beyond.
- South Rim Trail / Artist Point (Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone)About 4 miles round trip from the trailhead (Artist Point itself is a short walk from the parking area) · Easy to moderate
Views of the 308-ft Lower Falls and the canyon's yellow rhyolite walls. (Note: the nearby Uncle Tom's Trail, with its steel staircase toward the canyon floor, has been closed for reconstruction.)
- Storm Point Loop (Yellowstone Lake)2.3 miles loop · Easy
Lakeshore views, a marmot colony, and bison frequently in the meadows.
- Bunsen Peak4.2 miles round trip · Moderate (about 1,300 ft gain)
Summit views over Mammoth, the Gallatin Range, and Swan Lake Flat.
Must-See in Yellowstone
- •Old Faithful — the world's most famous geyser, erupting approximately every 90 minutes
- •Grand Prismatic Spring — the largest hot spring in the US, 370 feet across with vivid rainbow colors
- •Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone — a 1,200-foot-deep canyon with the 308-foot Lower Falls
- •Lamar Valley — the 'Serengeti of North America,' renowned for wolf and bison watching
Best Viewpoints
- •Artist Point on the South Rim, for the Lower Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
- •Grand Prismatic Spring overlook off the Fairy Falls trail
- •Lamar Valley pullouts for wildlife (the 'American Serengeti')
- •Hayden Valley along the Yellowstone River for bison and grizzlies
- •Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks
Quieter Corners of Yellowstone
- •Mud Volcano area — a boardwalk through churning mud pots and fumaroles with a sulfurous otherworldly atmosphere
- •Fairy Falls Trail — a 5-mile round trip to a 200-foot waterfall with an overlook of Grand Prismatic Spring from above
Wildlife You May See
Entrance Fee
$35 per private vehicle, valid for 7 days. $30 per motorcycle, $20 per individual on foot or bike. An annual Yellowstone pass is $70. The America the Beautiful annual pass is $80. Note: the Yellowstone vehicle pass does NOT cover Grand Teton National Park — each park charges its own entrance fee.
Getting There
There are five entrances. West Entrance (West Yellowstone, MT) is the busiest and nearest to the geyser basins. North Entrance (Gardiner, MT) is the only one open to wheeled vehicles year-round. Northeast (Cooke City), East (Cody, WY), and South (toward Grand Teton/Jackson) round out the access points. Closest commercial airports: Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN, about 90 min from West Yellowstone), Jackson Hole (JAC), Cody (COD), and Idaho Falls (IDA). Most interior roads close to cars from early November to late April; winter access is by snowcoach or snowmobile only.
Where to Stay
Nine lodges run by Xanterra inside the park, including the Old Faithful Inn (built 1903-04), Lake Yellowstone Hotel, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and Canyon Lodge; book 6-12 months ahead for summer. There are 12 campgrounds with about 2,000 sites — five (Bridge Bay, Canyon, Grant, Madison, Fishing Bridge RV) take reservations, the rest are first-come or via recreation.gov. Gateway towns West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Cooke City, Cody, and Jackson offer hotels and motels outside the park.
Best Time
Late May through September is the main season with full road and facility access. July and August are warmest but most crowded; September brings the elk rut and thinner crowds. Wildlife viewing is best at dawn and dusk in Lamar and Hayden valleys. Interior roads are closed to cars roughly November-April.
Safety
Wildlife distance rules are the top hazard and are legally enforced: stay at least 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) from bison, elk, and all other animals. Bison injure more people in Yellowstone than any other animal — they can run up to 35 mph. Carry bear spray and know how to use it. Stay on boardwalks and marked trails in thermal areas; the ground is thin crust over boiling, acidic water and people have died falling through. Never touch or enter thermal features.
Scenic Drives
- •Grand Loop Road — a 142-mile figure-eight connecting all major sights including Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon, and Mammoth
- •Lamar Valley road (Northeast Entrance) for wildlife at dawn and dusk
- •Beartooth Highway (US 212) from the Northeast Entrance toward Red Lodge, climbing to nearly 11,000 ft (seasonal)
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