Our trip Yellowstone was the beginning of an epic road trip that would bring us from Bozeman, MT, across Wyoming to Mount Rushmore, and all the way to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.
Simple Four Day Itinerary
A small portion of the Grand Loop was closed for repairs during our visit.
We arrived at Bozeman Airport in the late afternoon Mountain time, had an early dinner, then hit the local Costco to stock up on supplies. The Bozeman warehouse was the biggest Costco I’ve ever been in, and had everything we needed for a few days in the wilderness! We loaded our cart with bottled water, prepackaged healthy snacks, a small cooler, then added in a few bottles of red wine and couple cans of bear spray.
Ready to start our adventure, but needing a reset after a long day of travel, we spent the rest of the evening in the pool at the Marriott Residence Inn, one of at least a dozen hotels located within a mile of the airport.
Day One - Just North of Yellowstone
“Big Mike” welcomed us at the entrance of the Museum of the Rockies
Our goal for the first day of our trip was to recover from the plane flight with some highly preferred activities and do just a little bit of driving.
The first stop for the day was at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. If your child has ever been even a little bit interested in dinosaurs, spend a few hours here! This out of the way museum houses the largest American dinosaur collection in the United States. You’ll see the full all-star lineup of T-Rex, Allosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosauraus and have most of the exhibit all to yourself.
The sensory experience here is the complete opposite from the dinosaur rooms at big city natural history museums — low lighting, very quiet, and zero chaos. Within the museum, there’s also a planetarium, Old West dioramas, an old farmhouse full of antiques. G was mesmerized by the scientists cleaning and categorizing real fossils. She came away from the morning in a very calm and happy state, convinced that a future career in paleontology would be a perfect fit for her!
After a quick lunch, we made the 90 minute drive to Gardiner. We paid a visit to the Yellowstone Hot Spring Resort to relax in the hot and cold mineral pools before going on to have dinner in Gardiner’s Old West style downtown area.
This low pressure, well regulated day ended with a night of glamping at the Dreamcatcher Tipi Resort.
It was wonderful to sit by the fire outside our tent door, sleep under the stars, and even more wonderful to wake up to a herd of elks strolling down the riverbank across the street.
Day Two - The North Loop
We started out very early on day two of our trip, grateful that we were still on East Coast time. The best animal activity happens early in the morning, so our first destination was the Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of the park.
Mammoth Springs
When we finished in Lamar Valley, we backtracked through the Tower Falls and Mammoth Springs areas, down the west side of the North Loop. We stopped at every scenic pull out along the way, and got as far as the Norris Geyser basin by about 4 PM. At that point, we drove straight to our hotel in Grant Village, stopping once to snap a few selfies at the Continental Divide.
If need to see the whole North Loop in just one day, start in the Lamar Valley, then head clockwise if you want to finish at the north of the park, or counterclockwise if you want to finish in the center or the South.
Spotlight on Grand Prismatic Spring
We took this picture of Grand Prismatic Spring from the Overlook at 9:30 AM
When it comes the Grand Prismatic Spring, you get what you wait for and you get what you hike for. It’s also the only place in Yellowstone that requires any planning.
There are two ways to see the Grand Prismatic. You can view it up close and personal on the Midway Geyser Basin Trail, a boardwalk directly at the Spring, or you can hike the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail and get a great view from above. We did both.
Grand Prismatic Spring, with its striking rainbow rings, is shrouded in fog in the early morning, and is at its peak beauty when the sun is directly overhead from 10 AM to 4 PM. The boardwalk at the Midway Geyser Basin is a little less than a mile, an easy walk that takes you around the spectacular spring, the Excelsior Geyser, and several smaller geothermic features. Most people spend 30-60 minutes here.
Sensory: This is a crowded and hectic area, with very strong sulfur smells. It’s windy here, so leave anything your child can’t bear to lose in the car. In the middle of the day, you may wait as long as 45 minutes for a parking space to free up at the Midway Geyser Basin. If your child can tolerate waiting, the view is more than worth it! If the wait is too much, come back after 4 when it’s less crowded.
About a mile south of the Midway Geyser Basin Parking lot, you’ll find the parking area for the Fairy Falls Trailhead. From here, you can hike to the Grand Prismatic Overlook. The first half mile is a mostly flat and smooth path, with an increase of about 100 feet elevation over the last 1/10 mile. Most people take about an hour to complete the round trip. Sensory: Bring lots of water - the air is thin here and the temperature rises throughout the day. The viewing area at the top is a fairly large wooden platform with a metal safety fence.
Day Three - The South Loop
We left our hotel in Grant Village at about 7 AM and drove to the Lower Geyser Basin, a few miles north of the Grand Prismatic.
The morning fog was so thick there that it seemed like Halloween. G really enjoys spooky things that aren’t scary, so this was a real hit. A (big) bonus - we found a lone buffalo napping in a corner of the parking lot!
We did both the boardwalk and overlook hike for Grand Prismatic Spring, then moved on to Old Faithful. The geyser shoots up for 3-5 minutes, roughly every 90 minutes. Between the visitor center, Old Faithful Lodge, and a few restaurants, there’s plenty to keep you busy before and after. The viewing area around Old Faithful is very large with plenty of benches for sitting and waiting. We had no sensory issues here at all.
A geologist checking the water at a hot spring in West Thumb
Our final stop for the day was at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, right on the shores of Yellowstone lake and just a few minutes from our hotel in Grant Village. The pools here are very deep with vibrant colors. You need about an hour to walk the full trail.
Day Four - Hayden Valley and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - viewed from Artist’s Point
Our last day in Yellowstone began at sunrise. We packed up our car, and drove along the shores of Lake Yellowstone, stopping a few times to enjoy the view in quiet and solitude. We had a phenomenal breakfast at the Lake Hotel, and lingered to watch a mother elk with her calf on the shore. As we drove slowly through the Hayden Valley, we saw lots of buffalo and one fully grown male elk with enormous antlers crossed the road right in front of our car, then quickly disappeared into the woods. We were truly lucky to be in just the right place at just the right time!
About a hour after we left breakfast, we arrived in the Grand Canyon area. We took the scenic drives to Artist Point, which overlooks a magnificent waterfall, and Inspiration Point, which has fantastic views of the multicolored canyon. Sensory: These are both very popular stops on the Grand Loop, and will be crowded at mid day. At Inspiration Point, parts of the walking path are close to the edge of the canyon. The paths are well fenced in for safety, but still may be a problem for anyone who is afraid of heights. Some of the overlook areas are only large enough for a few people at a time, so expect to do a little waiting to get the very best views.
During the time we visited, the North Loop was closed for repairs between Canyon Village and Tower Falls, so we ended our Yellowstone Adventure with lunch in Canyon Village. From there, we left Yellowstone through the East Entrance, ready for our next set of Wild West Adventures.
More Things to Do In and Near Yellowstone
Meet the rescue animals at Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
Three days was enough time in Yellowstone National Park for us to see all of the major geological features, watch wild animals at our own leisurely pace, and participate in the educational activities at the visitor centers.
If you can add extra days, there’s no shortage of things to do!
The hotels inside the park offer activities like special wildlife tours, horseback riding, and boat trips on the lake. Find more information here.
In Gardiner, you can join a whitewater rafting trip or take a scenic float down the Yellowstone River. If you’re in the mood for a swim, buy a day pass at the Yellowstone Hot Springs.
In West Yellowstone, visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, a non-profit animal rescue and research facility.