I searched for the best guide to Yellowstone National Park and was met with hundreds of complicated guides offering me one day experiences, five day experiences, in depth details on which parts of the park to focus on and which to skip, but couldn’t find a basic, easy itinerary.

Travel is complicated enough, simply tell me the important stuff to see, the best route, and make it quick and dirty. Since this didn’t exist, I decided to make my own. Below are the “basics.” After visiting Yellowstone National Park for the second time, I’ve listed the road (yes, singular, it’s one loop) to drive, where to stay, and given options on where to stop —from “non-negotiables” to the “not as important” sights on your first trip. Depending on how much time you have, you can choose which to add or subtract. 

First things first, find the Grand Loop Road. This road is accessible from any of the park entrances, and you’ll stay on it the entire time. Driving this scenic path is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but will take you 142 miles in a giant loop to all the important and “cool stuff” Yellowstone National Park has to offer. This road makes your life as a tourist incredibly easy. 

As most people stay in West Yellowstone for their convenience to restaurants, hotels, and civilized life, let’s begin the route from there. PS. speaking of stays: check out the Hibernation Station. They almost always have a special deal going on to make your life easier (15% off right now) and they offer adorable log cabins that can house an entire family or a traveling couple like my husband and I. We really enjoyed our stay here. Also, as the resort has been there for 31 years, they have a pristine location with less traffic, less light pollution, easy walking to food, and less than one mile from the entrance of the park. It was clean, staff was friendly, and staying here kept the magic outdoor-vibes strong. 

I digress, back to the beginning of the Grand Loop Road from the West entrance: once you enter, take your first main right turn; takes about 30-50 minutes depending on bison traffic jams. You’ll be driving on the “lower loop” first —known for its geothermal features and wildlife. 

This 142 mile road can be driven in one day or revisited easily at certain points if you need to stop and head back to the hotel. My husband and I spent 4 days driving the Grand Loop Road, though you can see both the lower and upper Grand Loop Rd sections in 1-2 days. Depending on the amount of time you have, choose the pivotal sights listed below. I have ranked each point of interest with a star: 3 stars is a MUST see, while 1 star is a sign that you can easily skip this point if you are short on time. 

*Fairy Falls: Beautiful, easy waterfall hike, but a bit long (4.8 miles) and can take up to 2 hours 

***Grand Prismatic Spring: This is the largest hot springs in the United States and is incredibly beautiful. The colors alone are astounding. It is a little hike to get to the best overlook, but not bad depending on where you find parking (weekends can be tough.) 

***Old Faithful Geyser: I mean, it’s Old Faithful. You have to at LEAST stop. It erupts every 68-95 minutes, so I suggest checking the eruption time and base how long you’re willing to wait on the available time you have. It is pretty dang cool to see erupt though, and the crowd will be ooing and awing with you. Most even clap at completion. While you wait, you can wander up the boardwalk towards Upper Geyser Basin (one of the best places in the park to see geysers.)  In reality, you could spend 2 hours walking this area. 

**Old Faithful Lodge: Built in 1903 it is beautiful and rustic. Built with ancient techniques to withstand the tests of time. However, I would only pop in if you’re waiting for Old Faithful to erupt and have time to kill, you really like architecture or history, and again, if you have the time. 

***Kepler Cascades: Gave this stop 3 stars because it’s easy. A simple parking lot and 20 ft walk.

*Continental Divide: Drive by, wave, and take a photo. This is a section of the 3,100 mile trail that goes from Canada to Mexico and can be seen from the road. We stopped to hike a mile and say we “did the thing” but this is an easy one to skip. 

**Thumb Geyser: Stunning collection of geysers and hot springs right off the shores of Yellowstone Lake. A short walk, easy parking, and though less dramatic than Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin, still impressive with a mountainous background and pure white geothermal gaps in the earth.

*Hayden Valley: Great picnic spot, great animal watching. The vast open space gives way for all kinds of animals to be seen, but again, if you’re on a time crunch, you can drive past and wave at the bison and elk likely lying in the fields.

***Lower Falls Artist Point Overlook: Definitely do NOT skip this one. The view may seem familiar to you as it has been widely recreated in paintings and photos throughout history, none of which do justice. Absolutely gorgeous view of Yellowstones Grand Canyon falls.

At this point, my husband and I cut the Grand Loop Road in half by taking Norris Canyon Road back to our resort, watched the sunset off the one we drove in on, and called it a day. We took our time at every one of the locations above because we had multiple days. If you are on a 1-2 day time crunch, continue below. If you have 2 or more days and are staying in West Yellowstone, follow the list below in reverse order for the next day.

As you make your way to the Upper Loop of the Grand Loop Road, you’ll notice a few dramatic landscape changes and a few other key points of interest. It is also much “steeper” driving, so leave plenty of time for animal crossings and slow drivers sight-seeing on their own vacations. 

***Canyon Village: Great spot for food, educational and interactive lessons, and to ask Park Rangers all of your burning questions. Take a break from the wilderness and revisit humanity.

*Dunraven Pass/Washburn Mountain: Highest Point in the Park and great for wildlife watching, but in my opinion, not as great as the Valleys as the animals are teeny tiny from way up there. 

**Tower Falls: A quaint little general store (that is overpriced in my opinion) but features a beautiful cascading 132 ft waterfall. Great if you regret not picking up the Huckleberry Jam from Canyon Village and need another opportunity. Or ice cream. Ice cream is always a good idea.

***Lamar Valley: Giving this three stars because it is easy to see without wasting too much time, nor would you want to skip it. Just a little ways OFF the Grand Loop Road, if you’re into wildlife spotting, this is the place for you. It’s almost impossible to drive through Lamar Valley without seeing at least one bison pack, elk, antelope, bear, eagle, or other creature. Get the binoculars ready! We had better luck with animals at Hayden Valley, but that is rare. Most tourists see the majority of animals here.

**Petrified Tree Trailhead: Easy to see, a very short 100 ft from the parking lot, but a little underwhelming if you’re looking for something to skip.

***Mammoth Hot Springs and Village: You could spend an entire day here. Stop as you have time. It is a beautiful landscape of limestone yellow, oranges, and waters easily accessible by boardwalk. The little village is just a short drive from the Hot Springs and features a lot of the same souvenirs your past stops did.

*Roaring Mountain: Quick pitstop you can see from the road. The wall of rock looks like a volcano is about to burst forth at any moment with the amount of steam jetting from the cracks.  

*Norris Geyser Basin: The most acidic active Geothermal basin in the world. Not as impressive as Thumb Geyser Basin or the Grand Prismatic however, and at this point, we were exhausted.

**Artist PaintPots: This secluded little basin is a mile walk from the parking lot and nearly abandoned every time we visit. It feels like a scene from Jurassic Park and worth stopping if you have time and the stamina to keep going. We were CERTAIN we would run into a grizzly however, so bring bear spray if it’s near dusk or dawn.

This is the closest and last stop near the West Entrance and completes your tour of Yellowstone National Park via the Grand Loop Rd.

Before you begin, I recommend grabbing lots of snacks and packing a cooler. There are food and restroom stops along the Grand Loop Road, but they can be a bit stinky and a bit expensive. Cautionary note —watch for road closures. Yellowstones North and Northeast Entrances are both open year round, however, they were both closed on our visit and can close at any point due to weather. Best time to visit would be May-October to be safe. 

If you can, I recommend spending at least 2 days driving the Grand Loop Road, though you can do it in one, three is even better. It takes 4 hours to drive the whole thing round, but multiple stops can add significant amounts of time. Also, the road goes both ways, so don’t panic if you miss something, you can easily turn around and head back the way you came. 

Beyond the steep drop-offs and winding roads, it is relatively safe as well. The road is paved, well-kept, and as long as eyes are on the road, everyone should have a wonderful vacation and live to tell the tale. The most narrow and difficult driving is near the upper, North entrance. My quickest pieces of advice: 

• Start early to avoid crowds 
• Have a full tank of gas
• Bring food and water 
• Allow time for stops 
• Keep your eyes on the road or pull over to enjoy the scenery 
• Stay 25 ft or more away from all animals. We saw some close scares from unaware tourists.

For a quick “nutshell guide” video, click HERE for the lower loop and HERE for the upper loop. 

As always, I LOVE hearing your thoughts, if you have questions, or if you found this helpful feel free to reach out to me on instagram and say hello!