Yellowstone National Park

Hi,

currently planning my 2nd visit in yellowstone for 2025, I was wondering if there is the possibility for parking an additional vehicle next to Canyon Campground. Is it allowed to park an (empty!) vehicle overnight at Canyon village for example? The additional vehicle will probably not fit into the campsite together with the RV (max. 40 ft restriction).

Background: We will travel in a group of 7 with two RVs and an additional car. Plan is to leave the RVs at campsites day and night and explore the park by the additional vehicle, to be more versatile and to relieve park's traffic.

I'm getting different answers from people who have been there.

Just looking for feedback/thoughts on a trip im putting together; on mobile so formatting will probably not be great. Travel is the week before labor day, so I’m expecting crowds. Day 1: travel day. Land at SLC and drive to airbnb in Victor. Get dinner in town somewhere, rest up. Day 2: no real plans, but see how the drive is through the pass/construction, etc. heading into GT. Drive the 42 mile scenic road, stop/get out wherever looks interesting. Explore Jackson/get dinner. Day 3: early morning spent at Mormon row/Schwabacher landing. Hike Taggart lake after, hang in park for a bit. Dinner either in Victor or Jackson. Day 4: early morning snake river float then ferry over Jenny Lake to hike inspiration point. Hang in park after, repeat dinner again. Day 5: leave Victor for eventual accommodations at Old Faithful Inn. Enter through west yellowstone, spend the day hitting a number geyers/basins with a hike to the lookout of Grand Pris. Explore OF and other geyers later in the day when the crowds leave. Day 6: leave lodging, maybe stop by West Thumb. Head north to GC of Yellowstone, end at Roosevelt Cabins where I’ll stay for the next 3 nights. Maybe a small hike around the cabin area after I check in. Day 7: wake up early, hang in Lamar Valley and continue onto Beartooth Pass. Lunch at Red Lodge, then head back to the cabin, backtracking BT Pass. Day 8: more early hangs in Lamar, hike Yellowstone River outlook trail, considering doing horseback riding or a cowboy cookout. If enough time, Lamar Valley at dusk. Day 9: fly out of Bozeman, 1:40pm flight.

When I try to go to the site I get connection refused. Did the University take it down?

http://rcn.montana.edu/

We're going to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons from June 22 to July 1st. What are good places in that area with no light pollution? Also, will smoke be a concern at that time?

Hi all! My fiance lives in WY and I’ll be visiting him at the end of June. He loves fly fishing and I love horseback riding, so I’m hoping to find a combination for us to do while I visit. It’ll also be our first time visiting Yellowstone National Park. If anyone has recommendations for who to book with, good experiences, etc. in the area, I’d love to hear it!

I just cancelled 5 nights in the park for mid June at Old Faithful Lodge cabins. Multiple beds for each night. Wanted to post in case someone was looking for last minute rooms inside the park. My loss and someone's gain.

The park is collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in donations made by campground visitors. Easilybover a half million. There's a non profit organization linked up with YNP to build a bear box for every campsite in the park. Been going on for years... millions donated. There some nice bear boxes, but common. How doni know the park services employees aren't skimming off the top... it's untraceable cash donations. The organization also has other people who donate to it, it's not just park visitors. Wealthypeoplefrom the Yellowstone Club making tax deductible donations. The cost of these boxes is a fraction of the amount of money collected. Where's all this money going? Who's tracking it. Place has received 5 million in donations and it spent 1 million to put a box in every campground.

Hello all!

I was talking on the phone with my friend today and we randomly decided to go to Yellowstone for Memorial Day weekend.

Surprisingly, I was able to reserve one night at the Madison campground (12x12) on Friday and one night at the Bridge Bay campground on Sunday. Couldn’t find anything for Saturday so I decided to get a room at the Old Faithful Lodge ($220 🤮)

Sadly, the weather forecast on these days indicates that it will rain.

Any recommendations or tips for a first timer would be much appreciated!

Happy hiking!

Hello all, we're going to be in Yellowstone for my 30th birthday this summer (first time visitor!) and staying in a Forest Service cabin just 30-40 minutes south of Big Sky. On the day we're coming back from hiking and sightseeing in Yellowstone, I'd like to go to a nicer restaurant to celebrate my bday. It'll be a group of 6-8 people so somewhere that takes reservations preferably. I've heard Madison Crossing is a good option, but I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions or places not in West Yellowstone along highway 191. Any advice is helpful, thank you!

I'm planning to propose to my longtime girlfriend and I was picturing a nice fire pit next to the cabin we're staying at, ideally lakeside (although that might be too much to ask for). We'll be traveling there first week of July and I'm really struggling to find an ideal place.

We're traveling to Glacier park and Grand Teton during this trip so any options there would also be welcome :p

Hi! I'll be traveling to Yellowstone National Park from Colorado for a period of two days (Sat, Sun) without including travel. Can you guys suggest some spots, routes or ideas to cover the park. I do not care about covering the entire national park. We want to enjoy the place and have a memorable experience and not rush through the trip.

Hello,

Quick question about hotels/itinerary. Going with tweens who love to hike at end of August. I have 5 nights I can spend in the park, coming from Bozeman. Should we do 2 nights at the OF Snow Lodge and 3 in Canyon Lodge....or any other recommendation to split the nights/stay based on location/driving.

TIA.

All things considered (e.g.: weather, crowds, wildlife, hiking, accommodations, travel, etc.), what would be your favorite time to spend a week at Yellowstone?

Hi! If you had one full day to explore Yellowstone from the west entrance at the beginning of September, what would be your ideal itinerary? We will be staying the night prior in West Yellowstone so we can get an early start. Would also love any recs in West Yellowstone for dinner, drinks, coffee shop/breakfast, etc. 😊 thank you!

Below is the prompt and output that chatgpt gave me for a 3 initernary. We will be staying at an airbnb in Livingston. What are your thoughts? Would you change anything? Day 1 and 3 look great to me but I am not so sure about 2:

Show me a highly detailed 3 day Yellowstone itinerary with times that covers the best attractions in the park with descriptions of the attraction. Please include estimated driving times. We will be staying in Livingston, Montana. Provide hiking trails we can do with details on length and difficulty and other tips. Include Artist's paint pots. Must include Old Faithful, Upper Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and Hayden Valley. Place Grand Prismatic Spring and Fairy falls trail in the late afternoon only. Place wildlife viewing at sunset times only. Provide tips on good photo spots in the park.

6:30 AM: Departure from Livingston

• Drive time: 1 hour 30 minutes to North Yellowstone entrance.

8:30 AM: Enter Yellowstone through the North Entrance, take Grand Canyon, stop by Hayden Valley

Lake Yellowstone

Old Faithful

• Attraction: Old Faithful Geyser, erupts approximately every 90 minutes.
• Activity: Watch an eruption and explore the nearby visitor center.
• Duration: 1.5 hours.
• Tip: Arrive early to get a good spot for viewing and photographing the eruption.

Upper Geyser Basin

• Attraction: Home to the largest concentration of geysers in the world.
• Activity: Walk the boardwalk to see geysers like Castle, Grand, and Riverside.
• Duration: 2 hours.
• Tip: Keep an eye on eruption schedules posted at the visitor center.

1:00 PM: Lunch

• Location: Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria or bring a packed lunch.

2:00 PM: Biscuit Basin

• Drive time: 10 minutes from Old Faithful.
• Attraction: Smaller geyser basin with stunning pools and small geysers.
• Activity: Walk the boardwalk.

Black Sand Basin (optional)

• Drive time: 5 minutes from Biscuit Basin.

4:00 PM: Grand Prismatic Spring

• Drive time: 10 minutes from Black Sand Basin.
• Attraction: Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the U.S.
• Activity: Walk the boardwalk for close views of the spring.
• Duration: 45 minutes.

5:00 PM: Fairy Falls Trail

• Trailhead: Located near the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot.
• Hike: 5 miles round trip, moderate difficulty.
• Activity: Hike to Fairy Falls and the overlook for an aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring.
• Duration: 2-3 hours.
• Tip: Best time for photography is in the late afternoon when the colors are most vibrant.

Return to Livingston

• Drive time: 2 hours.
• Dinner: In Livingston.

6:30 AM: Departure from Livingston

• Drive time: 1 hour 30 minutes to North Yellowstone entrance.

8:30 AM: Enter Yellowstone through the North Entrance

9:30 AM: Norris Geyser Basin

• Attraction: The hottest and most changeable thermal area.
• Activity: Walk the Porcelain Basin and Back Basin trails.
• Duration: 1.5 hours.

11:00 AM: Artist's Paint Pots

• Drive time: 15 minutes from Norris.
• Attraction: Bubbling mud pots and colorful hot springs.
• Activity: Short hike (1-mile round trip) to view the thermal features.
• Duration: 1 hour.

12:00 PM: Lunch

• Location: Picnic at Norris or pack a lunch.

1:00 PM: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

• Drive time: 30 minutes from Norris.
• Attraction: Stunning canyon with dramatic waterfalls.
• Activity: Visit both the North and South Rim for views of the Upper and Lower Falls.
• Duration: 2-3 hours.
• Tip: Best photo spots include Artist Point and Lookout Point.

4:00 PM: Hayden Valley

• Drive time: 20 minutes from the Grand Canyon.
• Attraction: Prime wildlife viewing area.
• Activity: Look for bison, elk, and possibly wolves and bears.
• Tip: Bring binoculars and a zoom lens for wildlife photography.

6:30 PM: Return to Livingston

• Drive time: 2.5 hours.
• Dinner: In Livingston.

6:30 AM: Departure from Livingston

• Drive time: 1.5 hours to Mammoth Hot Springs.

8:00 AM: Enter Yellowstone through the North Entrance

8:30 AM: Mammoth Hot Springs

• Attraction: Terraced hot springs with a unique appearance.
• Activity: Walk the Lower and Upper Terraces.

10:00 AM: Drive towards Lamar Valley

Tower Fall

• Drive time: 45 minutes from Mammoth Hot Springs
• Attraction: 132-foot waterfall.
• Activity: Short hike (less than 1-mile round trip) to the viewpoint.
• Duration: 1 hour.

1:00 PM: Drive to Lamar Valley to explore, and Lunch

• Location: Picnic in Lamar Valley or bring a packed lunch.

4:30 PM: Evening Wildlife Viewing in Lamar Valley

• Drive time: 45 minutes back to Lamar Valley.
• Activity: Look for wolves, bears, and other wildlife as the sun sets.
• Tip: Dusk is an excellent time for wildlife activity. Be careful driving at night.

6:00 PM: Return to Livingston

• Drive time: 1.5 hours.
• Dinner: In Livingston.

Does anyone know if you can park overnight in the parking lots? Would like to meet someone at Yellowstone hotel, leave one car, tour the park, stay overnight at Mammoth hotel and pick up the other car the next day. Is there anything suggesting no overnight parking? Do hotel guests have to display a pass on their car?

guys be so real with me. can you do seasonal work when you’re in a relationship? does long distance actually work?

like how likely is my long distance relationship going to last if i work in yellowstone (where the phone coverage is eh).