Are you planning a trip to Yellowstone for photography and don’t know where to begin? I get it. Yellowstone National Park has an insane number of great photography destinations over its massive 2.2 million acres; each destination having its own array of subjects.
In fact, Yellowstone has so many distinct destinations that it is a road trip in itself.
Since the best road trips begin with a well planned itinerary, let me help. Having photographed Yellowstone 20 times, I can offer advice on what to photograph, when to visit, what to pack and also the best places to stay.
All this information, has been compiled into the following Yellowstone summer road trip itineraries that include a 7 day photo trip and a condensed 4 day photo trip.
where is yellowstone?
Yellowstone is in the northwest corner of Wyoming with parts of the park extending into Montana and Idaho.
Yellowstone road trip route
It’s hard to plan a road trip without first knowing how many miles you will be driving, what you can expect to see, and where to find the best photo locations.
So let’s begin our road trip planning by looking at the mileage and potential tourist sights along each road.
Park Road Distances and Sights
Grand Loop Road (142 miles) -The Grand Loop Road is the main interior road in Yellowstone National Park and takes visitors to the majority of the park’s best destinations.
Roosevelt Junction to Lamar ValleyHighway 212 (29 miles) -This drive brings you into one of Yellowstone’s prime wildlife locations.
Madison to West YellowstoneWest Entrance Road (14 miles)– This entrance drive does not pass by stunning features but it still a beautiful drive by rolling hills and meadows that are prime elk habitat.
Gardiner to Mammoth New Old Gardiner Road (5 miles) – The road leaves the cool gateway town of Gardiner where elk and antelope are frequently seen along the roadside. Occasionally you may also see bighorn sheep.
Yellowstone East Entrance to Cody Highway 14 (50 miles) This entrance begins in a beautiful canyon, then into forests before finally concluding along the shores of Yellowstone Lake. The drive is a great place to see grizzly bears and other wildlife.
Grant Village to North Teton EntranceHighway 89 (about 22 miles) This is a high mountain pass drive that passes beautiful Lewis Lake, the third largest lake in Yellowstone and also Lewis Falls.
Remember when driving through Yellowstone, distance alone does not tell the story. Expect slow travel due to both traffic congestion and animal caused delays.
How Many Days are Needed for a Yellowstone Photography Trip?
7 Days
Yes, 7 days is needed for anyone who is interested in photographing multiple geysers, an assortment of wildlife, waterfalls and other Yellowstone landscapes. As many know, waiting on geysers to erupt or wildlife to appear is very time consuming.
4 Days
For those visitors who only wish to capture the highlights of Yellowstone and photograph a little wildlife, 4 days should be enough time.
I do not recommend any Yellowstone photography trips that are shorter than 4 days.
yellowstone photo itineraries
Below is a map showing most of the stops in the following photo itineraries. To help you visualize every days photo stops, I have used different camera icon colors for each day.
Be sure to zoom in for details.
Yellowstone 7 Day Itinerary
Night 0 and 1-Spend the night in either West Yellowstone, Old Faithful or the Canyon area. If you camp, add Madison to the list.
Day One -Photographing Geysers
Castle Geyser
Begin the day in the Upper Geyser Basin area located by Old Faithful being sure to first check the Geyser Times eruption schedule to know which geysers are about to erupt. (3 to 4 hours)
Next,head to nearby Black Sands Basin which is also part of the Upper Geyser Basin to photograph Emerald Pool before noon. (30-45 minutes)
Drive back to the Old Faithful Inn and the Visitor Center and spend time at both facilities during midday light. Also you may wish to eat lunch at the Inn.
Drive a short distance north on Grand Loop Road and photograph Biscuit Basin. (30 to 45 minutes) Update- Biscuit Basin is closed for the remainder of 2024 due to an eruption.
Continue heading north on the Grand Loop Road to the parking lot for Fairy Falls and take a relatively easy hike to the Grand Prismatic Overlook which is about 1.5 miles round trip. (45 minutes to an hour). For those who love waterfalls, continue on for another mile to Fairy Falls which is a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall is about 1.6 miles one way from the trailhead.
Head north again to Fountain Paint Pots and explore the basin being sure to photograph Silex Springs and other thermal features. (Note Fountain Paint Pots and Firehole Lake Drive are both good evening and sunset locations)
End the day by driving a short distance back south to Firehole Lake Drive to capture White Dome Geyser erupting around sunset. If you are lucky you can capture Great Fountain Geyser erupting.
Links to detailed photo guides for certain basins can be found later in this post. (more will be coming soon)
Night 2 and 3-Spend the next two nights in Mammoth Hot Springs or Gardiner
Day Two -Geyser Basin & Wildlife Photography
Steamboat Geyser
Check out of hotel.
Begin the day parking at Midway Geyser Basin for Grand Prismatic. (allow 45 minutes) Note: it’s best to capture this pool around midday when mist has subsided but parking may be impossible by that time. Personally, I would rather capture it with mist in the early morning and then come back than miss the chance to see it.
Head north and stop at Gibbons Falls being sure to walk the long overlook for the best photo spots. (allow 45 minutes)
Make a quick stop at Artist Paint Pots and photograph the bubbling mud pots at the top of the hill. Bring a lens in the range of 400mm for this section. (30-45 minutes)
Drive north to Norris Geyser Basin and photograph the Porcelain Basin section of Norris. The Back Basin part of Norris can be skipped unless Steamboat Geyser is in an eruption phase where an eruption seems likely. (allow 45 minutes to an hour). Note: It took me 9 days to capture Steamboat erupting.
Continue north on the Loop Road where both grizzly and black bears can be seen along with other wildlife. Note: Norris Basin to the Obsidian Overlook is a favorite habitat for a grizzly known as Obsidian. As of this writing she has 3 cubs.
Again keep heading north to an area called Swan Flats where trumpeter swans, elk and wolves can be seen at times. (15 to 45 minutes depending)
Complete the drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs. By the way, Mammoth’s Upper Terrace Drive is a great place to catch a sunset.
Day Three– Mammoth Hot Spring, Lamar Valley & Wildlife
Canary Springs- Mammoth Hot Spring
Begin the day early in the morning at Mammoth’s Upper Terrace Drive to photograph Canary Springs. This picture above was taken just after sunrise. (Plan on 45 minutes at least for the Upper Terrace Dr.)
Head back to the Lower Terrace and walk the basin. (Allow 1.5 to 2 hours and be prepared, it has lots and lots of stairs)
To learn about all the best places to photograph in the Mammoth Hot Springs area, be sure to read my Mammoth Hot Springs detailed photography guide.
Make time to photograph the elk that stay year round in the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Also be on the look out for elk and black bears that frequent the area by the Upper Terrace Drive.
Drive to Lamar Valley and spend the afternoon and evening photographing wildlife
Spend another night in the Mammoth / Gardiner area.
Night 4 and 5-Spend the nights in Canyon Village area.
Day Four – Lamar Valley, Tower Falls
Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park
Check out of your hotel.
Get up early and head back to Lamar Valley. Photograph wildlife and depending on what you find, spend as long as you need in the area until early afternoon.
Drive toward Canyon Village making sure to stop at Calcite Springs Overlook and Tower Falls.Tip: The area around Calcite Springs and Tower Falls is a great place to see and photograph black bears both in the mornings and evenings.
Continue south from Tower Falls towards Canyon Village. As you drive south, keep your camera ready as the area from Mt. Washburn to Dunraven is a popular grizzly habitat especially in the summer when hillsides are covered in flowers.
Day Five – Canyon, Hayden Valley, Waterfalls
Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley.
Get up early and spend the early morning in Hayden Valley for both landscape and wildlife photography. Hayden Valley can be great location for photographing bison, elk, wolves, grizzly bears, waterfowl, and other wildlife.
Drive back north toward Canyon Village and plan on spending at least 3 hours photographing both the north and south rim overlooks of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Falls.
If you finish photographing the falls, take part of the afternoon to do laundry, enjoy the internet access at Canyon, and shop the Visitor Center and stores at Canyon Village for Yellowstone souvenirs.
Later in the afternoon drive east from Canyon towards Madison. Stop at the parking lot for Little Gibbons Falls and take the short hike to the falls, afterwards drive to Virginia Cascade Drive and photograph Virginia Cascades Waterfall and the area around the drive.
Spend the night at Canyon again
Night 6 -Normally, I would recommend moving to Lake Yellowstone or Grant Village but I can’t honestly recommend the cabins at Lake Yellowstone or the motel accommodations at Grant Village. Lake Yellowstone Hotel is OK along with camping at either Bridge Bay or Grant Village. Otherwise, it’s probably best to stay in the Canyon area again.
Day Six– Yellowstone Lake and West Thumb Geyser
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Get up early to once again take in some wildlife and scenic photography in Hayden Valley.
Head to the Lake area of Yellowstone and also head east on Highway 14 towards Cody. Do not go all the way to Cody, but be sure to drive at least a few miles past the turn off for Lake Butte Overlook as this is a prime wildlife area for grizzly bears and fox.
Make a stop at the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Bison and or elk can usually be found by the lake in picture perfect settings.
Finish the day at West Thumb Geyser Basin where elk are a common sight. In fact this is a great location for beautiful afternoon light on the lake. This is also one of the park’s best sunrise locations if you wish to return the next morning.
For those leaving Yellowstone for the Tetons, a stay at Grant Village would make sense, however, as mentioned above, I can’t recommend Grant Village based on my experiences. I will leave the hotel choice for night six to your discretion.
Day Seven- Your choice depending on where you are heading to next.
Gibbons Falls
Option 1- Spend more time photographing the major geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin.
Spend time back in the Lake area to photograph a sunrise and hopefully photograph grizzly bears such as Raspberry, Snow and Jam. Also this is a great place to photograph bison in the early morning light.
Drive the long drive to Cody, it is a beautiful drive being sure to drive up Lake Butte Overlook. Keep an eye out for fox.
Take a hike
Put the camera away and play tourist.
Spend the day driving through the southern part of Yellowstone to the Tetons. It is a beautiful area with more waterfalls and a pretty lake in different terrain than the rest of the park.
Begin your trip home or to your next destination.
4 Day Photo Itinerary
Day One –Geyser Basin Photography
Sunset at White Dome Geyser off Firehole Drive
Begin the day at the Upper Geyser Basin and be sure to check the Geyser Times eruption schedule. Make time to photograph Old Faithful, Grand Geyser or Castle Geyser (if they are close to erupting).
Walk the Geyser Hill area at a minimum and also stop at the Visitor Center and the Old Faithful Inn. (3 to 4 hours)
Next, head to nearby Black Sands Basin before noon. (30-45 minutes)
Head north on the Loop Road to the parking lot for Fairy Falls and take a hike to the Grand Prismatic Overlook. (45 minutes to an hour).
Head north to Fountain Paint Pots and explore the basin being sure to photograph Silex Springs and other thermal features. (Note this location as well as Firehole Lake Drive are good evening and sunset locations)
End the day by driving a short distance back south to Firehole Lake Drive to capture either Great Fountain Geyser or White Dome Geyser erupting at sunset.
Day Two -Geyser Basin & Wildlife Photography
Grand Prismatic Pool- Midway Geyser Basin
Begin the day early at Midway Geyser Basin for Grand Prismatic. (45 minutes) After 8 a.m. parking is almost impossible
Head north and stop at Gibbons Falls being sure to walk the long overlook for the best photo spots. (45 minutes)
Continue north on the Grand Loop Road towards Mammoth Hot Springs. From Norris Geyser Basin to the Obsidian Overlook a grizzly known as Obsidian roams the area. As of this writing she has 3 cubs.
Complete the drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs. Hike the Lower Terrace and drive the Upper Terrace Drive which is a great place to catch a sunset.
Spend the night in Mammoth or Nearby Gardiner.
Day Three– Lamar Valley, Tower Falls, and Yellowstone Waterfalls
The Lower Falls of Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Drive to Lamar Valley in the early morning to photograph wildlife and spend about 3 to 4 hours in the Valley
Head south toward Canyon making a quick stop at Tower Falls to photograph it from the overlook. The area around Tower Falls is a great place to see black bears. The area around Mt. Washburn to Dunraven is a great place to see grizzly bears.
Continue on to the Canyon Village area to photograph the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Falls from both the north and south rim being sure to visit at least these three overlooks: Artist Point -South Rim and most popular, Lower Falls Lookout-North Rim with great views, and Canyon Overlook-South Rim Uncle Tom’s Parking Lot
If you have time, finish the day photographing wildlife and landscapes in Hayden Valley.
Stay at Canyon Village.
Day Four– Hayden Valley to West Thumb Geyser Basin
Trumpeter Swan in the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone
Leave Canyon Village in the early morning and drive to Hayden Valley. Spend a couple hours photographing the wildlife in Hayden Valley along with landscapes.
Next drive to the Lake Area of Yellowstone and drive east on Highway 14 towards Cody as far as Lake Butte Overlook. This can be a good location to photograph grizzly bears, bison, wildflowers and waterfowl.
Drive to West Thumb Geyser Basin and photograph its thermal features before leaving to start your journey to home or elsewhere.
Best Times to Visit Yellowstone for Photography
Now that you know what to photograph each day, let’s take a quick look at the best times to visit Yellowstone. Note-I have never been to Yellowstone in the winter so I can offer no opinion on winter photography.
Spring
Spring is my absolute favorite time of year to visit Yellowstone, especially from mid May through mid June.
When I say spring, keep in mind that spring arrives late in Yellowstone. In fact, it is not until mid May that all the park roads open and most services become operational.
For first time visitors who wish to photograph the entire park, late May through June are excellent times to visit. For photographers who primarily love photographing wildlife, mid April to the first week of June are prime times. Just be aware, many services such as restaurants and grocery stores may not be open until the later part of May.
Pros of Spring
Bears are everywhere
Baby animals are out
Crowds are small
Wildflowers begin to bloom
Rivers, waterfalls, and streams are full
Cons of Spring
It is still cold
Some services in Yellowstone may not be open
Snow storms can shut down park roads
Landscapes may be dull
Another good time to visit is from the first of June up until July 4th. Wildlife photography is still good though not as great as in May, all park roads are open, restaurants, general stores, auto facilities and other services are open. The park continues to get busier and busier in June although it is still not as crazy busy as July and August.
Summer
Everything is green and wildflowers dot the landscape, especially at Dunraven Pass. However, wildlife photography is not as great as spring, except for the bison rut that begins in late July. The rut is amazing to photograph.
Sadly, most years now, July also ushers in smoke filled skies from western wildfires that make photography challenging along with massive crowds at every popular stop.
Pros of Summer
Landscapes are green
Wildflowers are in bloom
Temperatures are warming
All park services and roads are open
Bison Rut begins mid July -Sept.
Cons of Summer
Crowds, crowds and more crowds
Smoky from wildfires begin to fill the skies
Bear sighting are fewer as they move to higher areas
Parking at popular locations can be difficult to impossible
Fall
Next to spring, fall is my next favorite time to visit Yellowstone.
Fall in Yellowstone is a great time to visit if you enjoy wildlife photography just don’t expect to capture stunning fall colors like you would find in the Tetons. However a combined fall trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons is hard to beat!
One of the most popular draws for photographers to Yellowstone in fall is the elk rut. The rut begins in September and continues into October. In fact for many years, I never missed photographing the rut in Yellowstone and then fall colors in the Tetons.
Not all is great in fall, however, as again wildfire smoke will likely fill the skies, services begin to close, and the weather can turn very cold quickly. In fact, I rarely visit the park in fall anymore because of the wildfire smoke.
Pros of Fall
Elk Rut-Sept-Oct
Mid to Late Fall- bears become quite active feeding before winter
Temperatures are cooler
Crowds decrease a bit from summer
Overall, the park becomes filled with wildlife again
Cons of Fall
Wildfire smoke can be quite bad
It can turn cold and snowy quickly
Landscapes are not as pretty as spring and summer
Yellowstone Best Photo Spots
To help visitors discover the best photography locations in Yellowstone National Park, I have written the following article:
You will encounter so many diverse photo opportunities in Yellowstone that it is wise to bring all the camera gear you own. Here is a list to get you started packing.
2 camera bodies if possible
16mm-24mm lens – Very helpful for locations such as Morning Glory Pool and Emerald Geyser.
24mm to 70m zoom lens
70mm to 200mm zoom lens
100mm to 400mm zoom lens
500mm or 600mm lens
polarizers for every lens
Tripod
Also monopod
Flash with extended
1.4 or 2 x extender
UV filter for lens- lens protection from geyser spray
Tons and tons of lens wipes
Lens covers- again to protect lens.
Note: This list does not include equipment for night photography as that is beyond the scope of this post but milky way images over an erupting geyser are pretty special.
What Else to Pack
Packing for a Yellowstone National Park photo road trip is a bit different than packing for most photo trips. Expect to encounter a wide range of temperatures, both busy and isolated locations, more subjects than you can imagine, and a number of different terrains. Based on insight from many visits and mistakes, here is a Yellowstone Packing Guide to help you can arrived prepared.
As part of any trip planning, it’s important to know where to stay when visiting Yellowstone National Park. Over the years, I have stayed in hotels, both inside and outside the park as well as camped in several of the park’s campgrounds.
These Yellowstone lodging experiences were incorporated into a comprehensive Yellowstone Lodging guide I highly recommend you check out before booking any accommodations. In it you will find many tips for finding the best places to stay in Yellowstone I don’t think you will see anywhere else.
The gateway towns of West Yellowstone and Gardiner have a range of lodging accommodation that are usually cheaper and nicer than Yellowstone lodging. For photographers, however, I encourage you to stay in the park and save driving time and gas costs.
For those of you interested in camping, I will be publishing a Yellowstone campground overview in the near future.
A photography trip to Yellowstone is an unparalleled experience to a place where boiling grounds, grizzly bears, waterfalls, serene meadows, and limestone formations all compete for the camera. There is just so much to photograph in Yellowstone, one post can’t touch the surface. However, this guide will get you to Yellowstone’s popular photo locations.
Lastly, put the camera away for a few minutes and just take in the majestic beauty of Yellowstone, there is nothing like it in the United States.
As always, thanks for joining me at another photo destination. If you found this content helpful, sharing, commenting and visiting the following site would be greatly appreciated.
