Yellowstone National Park has always been on my list. I’ve heard people talk about it and seen numerous pictures but never had I imagined that I would be visiting during a worldwide pandemic. With the world gradually re-opening but still not being able to travel internationally, you really have to start looking into what the country you reside in has to offer while still following all the guidelines placed by the government. For those of you who do not know, I currently live in the USA and I guess one big benefit of living in such a huge country is that you can easily find a lot of things to do. Originally when the year 2020 started, my goal was to match the number of countries with my age number but who would’ve thought that instead, I would be matching the number of states to my age, which included a lot of national parks. I visited The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in July, Rocky Mountain National Park on this trip, and now, Yellowstone National Park.
Today I will go through:
1) City I stayed in
2) Cabin we booked
3) Things to do
4) Overall Loop
1. City I stayed in. – 3 nights 4 days.
For our stay in Yellowstone National Park: Island Park, Idaho
- Cabins are a huge part when you’re doing a trip in the wilderness. Yellowstone is so huge that it spreads out into three different states. Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming so you’ll be able to find a lot of good options in either of these states. To make sure you get a good deal and are also close enough to the park, make sure to book way in advance. I went with my roommates whom I lived with back in undergraduate and one thing we wanted to make sure about when we booked our cabin we wanted to make sure it was close to the national park entrance.
2. Cabin we booked
For our stay in Denver, we booked Little Timber inn at Island Park Reservations
- For our stay, we went with @islandparkreservations in Idaho and this cabin is specifically called the “Little Timber Inn”. Don’t be fooled by the word “Little”, this cabin was HUGE and it fit our group really well. It was really close to the west entrance of the national park and to be specific, about only 30 minutes. This was really amazing because we didn’t want to spend much time driving especially since we had been driving for quite long already. The only thing we wished for was an extra bathroom but besides that, the stay was really good.
- If you wish to book the same cabin, here is the link:
- Cabin Booking Link
- Although this cabin was really good, I would definitely ask you to check out other ones on their website. The only problem for us was that since we were booking a little late, a lot of the other ones were booked.
- If you wish to book the same cabin, here is the link:
3. Things to do
You’re at a national park so there is no limitation to how many trails you can hike and how many things you can see but obviously, there are some that you must and there are some that can be on the list for next time. I split the nine things we did in 2 days.
Day 1
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Mammoth Hot Springs
Day 2
- Gibbon Falls
- Upper & Lower Falls
- Lamar Valley
- Fountain Paint Pot Trail
- Grand Prismatic Spring Trail
- Firehole River
1. Mammoth Hot Springs
These hot springs have some amazing colors but when I went there, it wasn’t full of water so it wasn’t the best but I the colors really made it up. Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
Skill Level: Easy
Pets: Not Allowed
2. Norris Geyser Basin
When you’re there, it actually feels like you’re in a sauna, because of the thermal pools that were created a long time ago, and don’t forget about the acidic smell it gives out. It’s not that bad but does expect it when you’re there.
Skill Level: Easy
Pets: Not Allowed
3. Gibbon Falls
This was probably the easiest. it’s more of a stop than a trail. You can park your car, get out, and will be presented with this fall.
Skill Level: Easy
Pets: Not Allowed
4. Fountain Paint Pot Trail
This is a really easy trail, so easy that they have a boardwalk and paths later down for you. When you start on the trail, you’ll start smelling the sulphuric scent from the fumes coming out of these geysers and sulfur pools.
I was worried that there were going to be a lot of people here but to my surprise, it wasn’t bad. Maybe because I decided to do these trails at the end of my day and the sun was already starting to set.
Skill Level: Easy
Pets: Not Allowed
5. Grand Prismatic Spring Trail
The biggest thing I’ve been dying to post about. THE GRAND PRISMATIC. This is by far the most famous geyser at Yellowstone and it also happens to be the most colorful. It’s the largest hot spring in the United States and third-largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica.
When you visit Yellowstone, you have to visit this hot spring. Sadly you can’t fly drones in national parks but can you imagine how cool it would
Skill Level: Easy
Pets: Not Allowed
6. Upper & Lower falls
Lower falls more specifically, were beyond amazing. This trail was moderate I would say. The whole trail is a decline so it’s fun going down to the viewpoint but let me tell you, it’s not fun at all coming back up. Make sure to take the North Trim trail to end up at this specific viewpoint. There are two viewpoints after taking the North Rim trail. One from the top and then you will have to walk down to a little bit to see it close up. I do wish I was able to go down a little bit closer and feel the water but as I mentioned in my previous post, this is the biggest waterfall at Yellowstone and so it would be pretty dangerous to get super up close
Skill Level: Moderate
Pets: Not Allowed
7. Lamar Valley
I headed up towards the Lamar Valley to see some of the wildlife. If you’re in Yellowstone and want to witness herds of bison and other wildlife, Lamar Valley is your best option. The Valley is also as grand as it sounds. There is just one road going through the whole valley and it’s very cinematic.
You can drive through the valley and trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
8. Firehole River
Firehole River is 1 of the 2 places in Yellowstone you can swim in the warm water but due to COVID-19 they had closed it off this year but hopefully, next time I’m visiting Yellowstone, I get to soak in the warm water!
Skill Level: Moderate
Pets: Not Allowed
6. Overall Loop
This was our overall loop. North Entrance Yellowstone > Mammoth Hot Springs > Norris Geyser Basin > Gibbon Falls > Fountain Paint Pot Trail > Grand Prismatic Spring Trail > Old Faithful > Upper Falls of Yellowstone > Lamar Valley > North Entrance Yellowstone
Yellowstone was honestly one of the most amazing National Parks I’ve visited. I would love to head back there at some point. There were a few things that I wanted to do but couldn’t because of either COVID-19 or I just didn’t have enough time.
- Couple of things I would like to do next time I’m visiting Yellowstone
- Visit old faithful
- Soak in the Firehole river
Below are some of the pictures I took when I was visiting Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Check it out & follow my journey @mrshutterup on Instagram. Lastly, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions!
