Last updated: September 28, 2023

With more than two million acres, you could spend weeks at Yellowstone. If you only have two days like us, here’s what I recommend…

First things first; expectations. TRAFFIC. The busiest time of the year for Yellowstone is June – Sept. We went the last week of May. Just expect to sit in traffic. This is due to people stopping to see wildlife and the wildlife itself blocking the road. Yes, you can look out your window and admire the view. However, standstill traffic is a little tiresome. Since I wasn’t the driver, there are times that I got out and walked for miles until my family caught back up with me and I hopped back in. This allowed me to take some nice photos and enjoy the outdoors instead of being stuck in the car. At any rate, whether you decide to stay in the car or walk; just be prepared to sit in traffic. Bring snacks.

I actually wasn’t sure if I’d see wildlife. This was a silly thought and you don’t need to worry about that. You will see wildlife. It’s inevitable (especially Bison).

Next thing you need to know: Pack. Your. Lunch. There are some restaurants sprinkled throughout the eleven visitor centers, but unless you want to pay $12 for a sandwich, you’re better off just packing a cooler (we bought one of those styrofoam ones for $7 and it lasted us the whole trip). Plus, you get to pick what you want… fresh fruit, sandwich fixings, drinks, etc. There are plenty of pull offs with picnic tables to stop and enjoy a bite to eat as soon as you feel like it instead of waiting to get to a visitor center.

Now that we’ve covered expectations, what should you do? This was the biggest question on my mind. What is Yellowstone really all about? Outside of Old Faithful, I had no idea. Well, let me tell you. You are going to be impressed when you see the geysers and hot springs, especially since Yellowstone holds largest of each, as well as the worlds tallest erupting geyser (hint: it’s not Old Faithful)! I’m fact, more than half of the worlds geysers are in Yellowstone! So what should you do?

Get your photo with the National Park Sign

This is a must for National Park fans, such as myself.

Get a Passport Book and Collect Cancellations

If you plan on visiting more than one National Park, or decide to start a quest to visit them all (like me), you need the Passport book in your life. There’s something so satisfying about stamping a park off and seeing the date you were there.

See Old Faithful in all her Glory

I’ve heard about Old Faithful since I was a little girl and was excited to see it in person. Some quick facts:

• Old Faithful is not the largest or the tallest, but is the most famous due to it’s reliability.
• Since 1938, over one million eruptions have been recorded.
• Eruptions can shoot 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet lasting from 90 seconds to 5 minutes. The average height of an eruption is 145 feet.

We got there about ten minutes before it erupted, so we didn’t have to wait long!

Visit West Thumb Geyser Basin

Here you will see the beautiful Abyss Pool hot spring. I only recently experienced my first hot spring while visiting Hot Springs National Park, but they had nothing on the ones in Yellowstone! Also as part of West Thumb Geyser, you’ll see Paint Pots as you walk along the boardwalk loop, which is mud based hot spring.

See Mammoth Hot Springs

The Travertine Terraces are the spotlight of this attraction and are best described as an outdoor cave. Over time, hot water from spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate which created the impressive travertine.

A boardwalk loop exists that allows for gorgeous views. We walked the whole thing and I suggest you do as well!

Walk through Norris Geyser Basin

Get ready to walk into geyser and Hot Spring land… really! You will see hot spring for as far as the eye can see. You will walk a boardwalk that’s been built to take you through the whole area (it’s like it’s own park!). This also holds the worlds tallest currently active geyser, Steamboat. It is unpredictable and has been dormant for up to fifty years. It erupted for the first time in 28 days the day before we got there… we missed it by less than 24 hours, however, it was still slightly active. Some facts (thanks, Wikipedia, for always being there for me):

• Steamboats major eruptions usually last from 3-40 minutes, shooting water more than 300 feet in the air. The eruptions are followed by powerful jets of steam that can last for 48 hour (which is what we were able to witness).
• Steamboat does not erupt on a predictable schedule, with recorded intervals between major eruptions ranging from three days to fifty years. The geyser was dormant from 1911 to 1961.
• In 2018, the geyser began a prolonged period of frequent activity lasting through at least 2021, with more than 40 eruptions recorded annually in both 2019 and 2020.

See the Worlds largest Hot Spring and Geyser at Midway Geyser Basin

I highly recommend this as it was probably my favorite out of everything we saw. Grand Prismatic, the worlds largest hot spring and Excelsior, the worlds largest geyser, are the main attractions at this basin and they are well worth checking out.

Bonus: you can also see Opal and Turquoise Pool while you’re walking the boardwalk loop, and they are absolutely picturesque.

Enjoy the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Last but not least, this was certainly a site to see. As someone who has visited the Grand Canyon, I can tell you that this was similar, except this one hosts a gorgeous waterfall with a river that runs through it.

Stop and take in the Beauty of the Rivers and Mountains

The water is blue and clear. Really a site to behold.

Take some Advice from a Geyser

Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? What was your favorite thing to see?