Yellowstone itinerary: 1 to 3 days
Plans for one to three days in Yellowstone, day by day: Old Faithful, the Upper Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring first, then Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, West Thumb and Yellowstone Lake, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Hayden Valley and the wildlife of Lamar Valley as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Yellowstone in 1 day
Day 1
Firehole Canyon Drive
Short one-way side road along the Firehole River's lava canyon near Madison, passing the Firehole Falls.
Fountain Paint Pot
Boardwalk loop in the Lower Geyser Basin showing all four kinds of thermal features: bubbling mudpots, hot springs, geysers and steaming fumaroles.
Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin
The largest hot spring in the United States, deep blue ringed with orange and yellow, seen from a boardwalk beside the huge Excelsior crater.
Grand Prismatic Overlook (Fairy Falls Trail)
Viewing platform on a hillside above Grand Prismatic Spring, a short uphill walk from the Fairy Falls trailhead, with the best view of its colours.
Morning Glory Pool
Hot spring at the far end of the Upper Geyser Basin, named for its once deep-blue colour, dulled by coins and debris thrown in.
Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk (Grand Geyser)
Boardwalks through the world's densest cluster of geysers around Old Faithful, including Grand Geyser, the tallest regularly predicted geyser.
Old Faithful
The park's most famous geyser, erupting roughly every hour and a half; watch from the benches by the visitor centre or Observation Point.
Yellowstone in 2 days
Day 1
Old Faithful
The park's most famous geyser, erupting roughly every hour and a half; watch from the benches by the visitor centre or Observation Point.
Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk (Grand Geyser)
Boardwalks through the world's densest cluster of geysers around Old Faithful, including Grand Geyser, the tallest regularly predicted geyser.
Morning Glory Pool
Hot spring at the far end of the Upper Geyser Basin, named for its once deep-blue colour, dulled by coins and debris thrown in.
Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin
The largest hot spring in the United States, deep blue ringed with orange and yellow, seen from a boardwalk beside the huge Excelsior crater.
Grand Prismatic Overlook (Fairy Falls Trail)
Viewing platform on a hillside above Grand Prismatic Spring, a short uphill walk from the Fairy Falls trailhead, with the best view of its colours.
Fountain Paint Pot
Boardwalk loop in the Lower Geyser Basin showing all four kinds of thermal features: bubbling mudpots, hot springs, geysers and steaming fumaroles.
Firehole Canyon Drive
Short one-way side road along the Firehole River's lava canyon near Madison, passing the Firehole Falls.
Day 2
Gibbon Falls
Waterfall of about 25 metres on the Gibbon River, tumbling down the rim of the old caldera beside the road between Norris and Madison.
Norris Geyser Basin
The hottest and most changeable geyser basin, with Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser, and the milky Porcelain Basin.
Lower Falls (Brink of the Lower Falls)
Platform at the very edge of the Lower Falls, the park's highest waterfall, reached by a steep switchback path from North Rim Drive.
Artist Point
Overlook on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with the classic view of the Lower Falls between yellow canyon walls.
Hayden Valley
Wide open valley along the Yellowstone River between Canyon and the lake, the best place to see bison herds, elk and sometimes bears.
Mud Volcano
Boardwalk among acidic mudpots and steaming vents, including Dragon's Mouth Spring, which surges and roars from a cave.
Yellowstone Lake at the Lake Hotel
Pale yellow 1891 hotel on the lake shore, the oldest in the park, with a sunroom looking over the water to the mountains.
Yellowstone in 3 days
Day 1
Artist Point
Overlook on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with the classic view of the Lower Falls between yellow canyon walls.
Lower Falls (Brink of the Lower Falls)
Platform at the very edge of the Lower Falls, the park's highest waterfall, reached by a steep switchback path from North Rim Drive.
Hayden Valley
Wide open valley along the Yellowstone River between Canyon and the lake, the best place to see bison herds, elk and sometimes bears.
Mud Volcano
Boardwalk among acidic mudpots and steaming vents, including Dragon's Mouth Spring, which surges and roars from a cave.
Yellowstone Lake at the Lake Hotel
Pale yellow 1891 hotel on the lake shore, the oldest in the park, with a sunroom looking over the water to the mountains.
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Hot springs and pools on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, with Fishing Cone and the deep-blue Abyss Pool along a lakeside boardwalk.
Day 2
Old Faithful
The park's most famous geyser, erupting roughly every hour and a half; watch from the benches by the visitor centre or Observation Point.
Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk (Grand Geyser)
Boardwalks through the world's densest cluster of geysers around Old Faithful, including Grand Geyser, the tallest regularly predicted geyser.
Morning Glory Pool
Hot spring at the far end of the Upper Geyser Basin, named for its once deep-blue colour, dulled by coins and debris thrown in.
Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin
The largest hot spring in the United States, deep blue ringed with orange and yellow, seen from a boardwalk beside the huge Excelsior crater.
Grand Prismatic Overlook (Fairy Falls Trail)
Viewing platform on a hillside above Grand Prismatic Spring, a short uphill walk from the Fairy Falls trailhead, with the best view of its colours.
Fountain Paint Pot
Boardwalk loop in the Lower Geyser Basin showing all four kinds of thermal features: bubbling mudpots, hot springs, geysers and steaming fumaroles.
Firehole Canyon Drive
Short one-way side road along the Firehole River's lava canyon near Madison, passing the Firehole Falls.
Day 3
Gibbon Falls
Waterfall of about 25 metres on the Gibbon River, tumbling down the rim of the old caldera beside the road between Norris and Madison.
Norris Geyser Basin
The hottest and most changeable geyser basin, with Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser, and the milky Porcelain Basin.
Mammoth Hot Springs terraces
Stepped travertine terraces built by hot water near the North Entrance, seen from boardwalks and a drive, with elk grazing around Fort Yellowstone.
Tower Fall
Waterfall dropping between tall volcanic pinnacles near Tower-Roosevelt, seen from an overlook a short walk from the car park.
Lamar Valley
Broad grassy valley in the park's northeast, known for bison herds and the best chance of seeing wolves at dawn and dusk.
Watch: Yellowstone
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Yellowstone
Late June to early September is the main season, with all roads open and the most crowds; July and August are warm by day but cold at night, with afternoon storms. Late May and September to mid-October are quieter and good for wildlife, though snow can fall in any month and some roads open late or close early. In winter most roads close to cars and the interior is reached only by snowcoach or snowmobile.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Yellowstone on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Yellowstone on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Yellowstone on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for United States from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Yellowstone
- Book lodging inside the park or in the gateway towns as early as possible; summer rooms near Old Faithful and Canyon sell out many months ahead.
- Most park roads are closed to cars from early November to spring and open in stages from mid-April to late May; only the northern road from Gardiner to Cooke City stays open all year.
- Stay on the boardwalks in the thermal areas: the ground is thin and the water scalding. Keep at least 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from bison and elk.
- Old Faithful's next eruption is predicted at the visitor centre and on the park's app; time the other Upper Geyser Basin walks around it.
- Distances are long and traffic stops for wildlife; fill up with fuel, carry food and water, and expect little or no phone signal in much of the park.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Artist Point: My camera and me, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Fountain Paint Pot: N.H. Darton, Public domain
- Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hayden Valley: J. Schmidt, Public domain
- Lamar Valley: Diane Renkin for Yellowstone National Park from Yellowstone NP, USA, Public domain
- Lower Falls (Brink of the Lower Falls): Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0
- Mammoth Hot Springs terraces: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Morning Glory Pool: unknown author, Public domain
- Mud Volcano: Jim Peaco, Public domain
- Norris Geyser Basin: Mav at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Old Faithful: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tower Fall: Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk (Grand Geyser): Mav at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- West Thumb Geyser Basin: Mav at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Yellowstone Lake at the Lake Hotel: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
