5 Top Things To Do In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (2024)
If you are planning your first trip to the amazing Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, you should have a good idea of all the best things there are to do and see in Yellowstone. The Yellowstone National park is the geological jewel of Wyoming. This wonderland of geothermal activity has so much more to offer than its stunning landscapes and abundant wildlife. Visitors are left amazed to see steam hissing out of the ground as they walk along the many hiking and walking trails that crisscross the park. You will be taken aback to see bison stop your car in its tracks on the main park road. To add to this, the riot of colors of the hot springs never fails to amaze even the most seasoned traveler.
5 Top Things To Do In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Here are some of the top things to do in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
1. Grand Prismatic Spring
The first thing to check out when you are at the Yellowstone National Park is the multicolor Grand Prismatic Spring. This is the star attraction of the Midway Geyser Basin. The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the entire United States and also the third-largest in the world. It is also one of the most unique natural wonders on earth. You will easily recognize the grand Prismatic Spring as it is one of the most photographed landmarks of the Yellowstone National Park.
However, even though it is the most photographed and best-recognized landmark of Yellowstone, no amount of seeing pictures of this spring will prepare you for the incredible sight when you actually see it. The Grand Prismatic Spring is deeper than a ten-story building and bigger than a football field. The Grand Prismatic Spring is truly awe-inspiring and even more incredible and colorful than the many pictures you must have seen of the place. The rainbow of colors is sure to take your breath away when you see this hot spring for the first time.
The riot of colors you see at the Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is from the different species of heat-loving bacteria that live around the place. From the deep center, you will find a beautiful hue of blue, followed by green and yellow tings, and then a lot of orange to make up the outskirts.
Since this is one of the most popular attractions of Yellowstone, you can always expect a crowd to be present here, no matter what time of the year or day you visit. If you want to avoid the crowds, you can try to visit very early in the morning, or later in the evening. The best time to visit the hot spring is on a sunny warm day when the rainbow colors of the spring are at their brightest. Also, keep in mind that on cooler days and early in the mornings in late evenings, there can be steam that covers the spring, making it difficult to see the beautiful colors properly. Keep one to two hours aside for your visit to make the most of your visit.
2. Old Faithful Geyser
Another remarkable landmark of the Yellowstone National Park is the Old Faithful Geyser. This is an absolute visit when you are in the park. It is the most famous one out of the approximately 500 geysers in the park. Old Faithful was also one of the first geysers to receive a name. It was named during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition in 1870, following which the park was established in 1872.
The Old Faithful Geyser has been ‘faithful’ since the last 150 years. It erupts in around intervals of 90 minutes, and it is one of the only geysers in the park that can easily be seen in action. However, it is important to be patient and keep waiting. The eruption usually lasts long enough for you to take plenty of pictures while admiring its awe-inspiring eruption.
Along with the Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful is one of the most popular places to check out in Yellowstone. To get the best spot at the front row on the benches near the Old Faithful is to arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes before the estimated eruption time. However, even if you don’t make it early, you can still see the geyser erupt from quite a distance as well.
3. Fairy Falls
Fairy Falls is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone. You can only reach this beautiful waterfall by hiking. It is a great idea to combine your visit to Fairy Falls with your trip to see the Grand Prismatic Spring.
You can take two ways to reach Fairy Falls. One is directly from the Fairy Falls parking lot, which is the same parking that you use to visit the Grand Prismatic Spring. This is a 5.4-mile round trip and an easy hike. Or you can also park at the end of Fountain Flat Drive, from where it will be a ten-mile round trip hike. The hike is a pleasant one as you go through a lodgepole forest. You might even encounter a bear or other wildlife on the trail.
4. Upper Geyser Basin and Morning Glory Pool
The Upper Geyser Basin is home to the Old Faithful geyser as well as nearly 25% of all the geysers of the world. This is a breathtakingly beautiful region full of walking trails that take you through many of the park’s thermal features and geysers. Even if you have already seen the Old Faithful, it will be worth your time to explore beyond this one geyser and check out the entire Upper Geyser Basin. While you will find a lot of crowd at the Old Faithful geyser, the rest of the region is actually much quieter and relatively crowd-free. This is why many people claim that the Upper Geyser Basin is one of the best places to see in the entire Yellowstone Park.
One of the favorite spots of the Upper Geyser Basin is the colorful Morning Glory Pool. There’s also Castle Geyser, Daisy Geyser, and the Grotto Geyser. The Morning Glory Pool is sometimes also called The Fading Glory because it has been losing its beautiful riot of colors in the last few years owing to people throwing all sorts of objects in the pool.
5. Check Out The Wild Animals In Their Natural Habitat
There is an abundance of wildlife at the Yellowstone National Park, and one of the top things to do at the park is to check out the wild animals in their natural habitat. In fact, the park is home to more wild animals than almost anywhere else in the country. Visitors to the park are likely to come across a number of animals roaming freely in the landscape. Some of the animals you are likely to catch sight of include grizzly bears, gray wolves, bald and golden eagles, the world’s largest wild bison herd, moose, trumpeter swans, and many more. Outside of the park, towards the northeast and south, you can also see herds of wild horses.
One of the best places to watch the wildlife roaming freely is the Lamar Valley. This is one of the best places to bison and other wildlife in Yellowstone, but due to its remote location, many tourists often tend to skip Lamar Valley. However, if you make an effort to drive up here, you will be rewarded with one of the most spectacular landscapes and, of course, lots of wildlife.
Lamar Valley is the favorite place of the wild bison herd in Yellowstone, and you will find hundreds, maybe even thousands, of them roaming around the ever-stretching plains of the valley. Due to this, Lamar Valley is sometimes also known as the Serengeti of North America.
If you have the time, continue driving further beyond the Lamar Valley, and the beautiful savanna landscape will give way to some jaw-dropping mountain landscape. This is truly a spectacularly scenic spot to take in as you explore Yellowstone Park.
