Visiting Yellowstone National Park with its stunning landscapes and abundant wildlife is a dream come true. But a Yellowstone dream trip can become a nightmare without proper planning.
Imagine visiting Yellowstone as soon as the roads open in spring without any planning. There you are with no food, expecting to grab a bite at Old Faithful, only to discover stores have not opened yet. Worse yet, imagine having car problems and the auto repair services have not opened.
Don’t get caught in Yellowstone unprepared. Keep reading to discover the essential things you should know before visiting Yellowstone National Park.
Where Is Yellowstone ?
Yellowstone is located in the northwest Corner of Wyoming with small portions of the park extending into Montana and Wyoming.
Yellowstone Elevations
Yellowstone National Park is located at elevations ranging from mostly 7000 to 8500 feet with the highest drivable road being just over 8,800 feet around Dunraven Pass. Lower elevations include the Mammoth Hot Springs area which is around 6,700 feet.
Time Zones
Yellowstone National Park is located in the Mountain Time Zone making it two hours behind New York.
Yellowstone National Park Overview
Yellowstone Volcano
Yellowstone is a vast 2.2 million acre wilderness sitting atop one of the world’s largest active volcanoes whose last eruption was over 640,000 years ago. Previous major eruptions date back to 1.3 and 2.1 million years ago.
The last eruption created a caldera measuring over 30 by 40 miles in diameter which today is filled with magma. When Yellowstone has another major eruption, estimates are that it will significantly alter life in North American and the world. Thankfully, for now, there are no signs of Yellowstone erupting in the near future.
Yellowstone National Park, even without an eruption, constantly rumbles with small earthquakes while thermal features spew hot liquid into the air. In fact, just a couple days ago, a thermal feature erupted at Biscuit Basin which closed the basin for the remained of the 2024 season.
Here is a picture of Sapphire Lake in Biscuit Basin taken a few years ago that may never look this way again.
For your safety be sure to obey all the signs and always stay on boardwalks and designated walkways around geothermal features.
I guess nothing is truly calm in Yellowstone which is what makes it such a special place.
Wildlife
Yellowstone is more than volcanic features; it is also America’s Serengeti. In fact, today, an incredible array of wildlife from grizzly bears, to wolves, to herds of elk and bison, to waterfowl and more live in the park.
Unlike seeing wildlife in a zoo, in Yellowstone National Park there are no cages. For the protection of visitors and wildlife, it is very important to know and obey the park’s following safe distance rules:
Bears and Wolves: 100 yards
All other wildlife: 25 yards
Personal story: Years ago I was photographing a moose and calf with other photographers from around 100 yards in Grand Teton National Park. Suddenly the cow noticed us and immediately charged up a hill towards our group.
Most of us backed away except for one woman who kept taking pictures because she was well within the park’s safe distance rules. The speed that moose closed the distance between us was something I will never forget nor will she.
She was kicked but, thankfully, not badly injured. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we had only been 25 yards away as the rules required.
Alway error on the side of safety and keep as much distance as possible from wildlife.
Waterfalls, Canyons and More
In addition to wildlife and geysers, Yellowstone National Park is home to numerous waterfalls, included the world class Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Falls. Additionally, lakes, rivers and streams abound throughout the landscape including the 136 square mile Yellowstone Lake.
It is hard to convey just how much there is to see and do in Yellowstone.
How to Get to Yellowstone
Driving Directions
By Air
Traveling within Yellowstone
Travel inside Yellowstone National Park is comprised of 5 entrance roads as well as a main interior road called the Grand Loop Road that is shaped in a figure 8.
See below picture of Grand Loop Road under Yellowstone Hotels.
Here is the one way mileage for each road.
Park Roads
Use the mileage as only a starting point in figuring out how long it will take you to drive between destinations. Be sure to add in additional time for traffic congestion and animal caused delays.
Yellowstone – Seasonal Dates
As mentioned above, Yellowstone National Park is massive and spread out over elevations that vary from roughly 6700 feet to almost 9000 feet. Therefore not all park roads and services open or close at the same time.
Below is an outline, beginning in Spring 2024, of Yellowstone National Park operational dates. These do not include the winter season as those dates have yet to be announced.
YNP 2024- Road Opening & Closing Date
North Entrance at Gardiner to Cooke City
Open year round though subject to close at times due to weather. All vehicles traveling after the season closures may be required to have chains and/or snow tires.
West Yellowstone to Madison
April 19, 2024 to October 31, 2024
Grand Loop Road- Madison Junction to Old Faithful
April 19, 2024 to October 31, 2024
Grand Loop Road -Madison Junction to Mammoth Hot Springs
April 19, 2024 to October 31, 2024
Grand Loop Road –Norris to Canyon
April 19, 2024 to October 31, 2024
East Entrance- Cody to Canyon
May 3, 2024 to October 31, 2024
Grand Loop Road –Fishing Bridge to Old Faithful and Grant Village
May 10, 2024 to October 31, 2024
South Entrance – Grant Village to Grand Teton National Park
May 10, 2024 to October 31, 2024
Grand Loop Road- Canyon to Roosevelt
May 24, 2024 to October 31, 2024. (Although the official close date is October 31st, these sections of road are at higher elevations and subject to close frequently, especially in spring and early fall.
Keep in mind that it can snow in Yellowstone any time of year including July resulting in road closures anywhere in the park. Also be sure to check the NPS website for additional closures due to construction projects: Park Roads
YNP 2024 -Lodging & Service Operational Dates
When visiting Yellowstone it is important to know that even if park roads are open, facilities such as restaurants and general stores may not be open when visiting in early spring or late fall. For example, the park road to Canyon Village area opens around April 19th for 2024 but restaurants in this popular location do not open until mid May.
Always check operational dates for, not only roads, but all services in Yellowstone National Park as part of your trip planning at: NPS: Yellowstone.
Not only may you need a plan for food and necessities, but also auto repairs and medical services.
Where to stay in Yellowstone
Yellowstone Hotels & Cabins
Yellowstone National Park has a wide range of places to stay when visiting the park from historic hotels, to modern style motels to beautiful campgrounds.
For lodging choices, there are 9 different lodging facilities throughout the park and for those spending more than a couple days in the park, I recommend staying in two different locations.
Book a year in advanced for Yellowstone lodging as prime locations fill up quickly. Currently the Yellowstone reservations booking window accepts reservations for stays up to 13 months in advance*. On the 5th of each month, reservations are accepted for the same month of the following year.
In addition to hotels and cabins, the park also has 13 campgrounds. Lastly, there are lodging accommodations in the gateway towns of West Yellowstone and Gardiner.
Learn all about finding the best places to stay in Yellowstone National Park at:
Be forewarned that advanced booking up to a year in advance is recommended.
Yellowstone Campgrounds
In addition to hotels and cabins, Yellowstone has the following 12 campground with one being a full service RV park; Fishing Bridge RV Park.
Unlike hotels, when booking campgrounds, the main factors to consider are location, dates of operation and size of your tent, RV or van. Larger RVs will not fit in all of the 12 campgrounds.
For a central location, Madison and Canyon can’t be beat but both are very busy and bustling with activity.
In the near future, I will be writing a post about all the Yellowstone campgrounds so stay turned for updates.
Where to Eat in Yellowstone
Yellowstone has a number of restaurants ranging from full service dining, to cafeterias, to grab and go options in the following locations:
Dining
Even with this choice of dining facilities, I recommend bringing a cooler for food with you as Yellowstone is very big and you may not wish to leave a location in order to get something to eat. Also at prime meal time, tour buses full of visitors seem to inevitabely arrive creating very long waits for meals.
Personal Note: Having eaten in Yellowstone at every location, with the exception of dinner at Lake Yellowstone, the food is not great. In fact, food selections and quality are way down from about just 10 years ago. Don’t come to Yellowstone expecting gourmet dining.
In addition to the above restaurant locations, the following general stores in Yellowstone offer a decent but limited grocery section:
General Stores
Internet and Cell Phone Service
YNP Internet Access
Internet access for the most part is non existent in Yellowstone National Park with the following exceptions:
Internet is available in these hotel public areas: Old Faithful Lodge, Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Lake Yellowstone Hotel (no Wi-Fi,wired only) and Canyon Village.
Other park locations offering internet access in the form of Wi-Fi are the following: public areas such as gift shops and food courts at Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful Lodge, Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Canyon Village.
Do not expect the fast or reliable service as infrastructure is very old.
Personal Note: Although the park states that internet is available at Mammoth Hot Springs Visitor Center don’t count on it. In 2019, I spent two months in the area and was never once able to use my cell phone or get on the internet at Mammoth.
Tip: I recommend visiting the gateway towns of West Yellowstone and Gardiner for internet needs.
Cell Service
For the most part, cell service is not much better than internet access, although the area around Canyon Village does have a usable signal for calls. Overall, Verizon seems to have better coverage in the park than the other carriers with the exception of a couple areas where AT&T is better.
Tip: For those of you traveling in more than one car who want to stay in touch, strongly consider investing in walkie talkies. Not only are they useful when traveling in a car but also on trails, fishing, or other activities.
See my Yellowstone Packing Guide linked below for more information on walkie talkies.
Yellowstone Summer Weather
Yellowstone is cold most of the year with the exception of a short few summer months. Below is a chart of the average Yellowstone temperatures month by month.
| Month | Hi | Low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 1 |
| February | 21 | 1 |
| March | 33 | 8 |
| April | 40 | 17 |
| May | 50 | 26 |
| June | 61 | 33 |
| July | 71 | 39 |
| August | 69 | 37 |
| September | 60 | 30 |
| October | 45 | 23 |
| November | 31 | 12 |
| December | 21 | 3 |
When planning a trip to the park, be sure to pack for a wide variety of temperatures as they vary quite a bit in each area and also from morning to night.
For example, the average temperatures for July at Mammoth Hot Springs are 81/49, while at Old Faithful they are a little lower at 75/39 and at Mt. Washburn the average temperatures are a cool 65/31.
As you can see, even in July, nights can be cold so it’s a good idea to keep a blanket in your car for unexpected roads closures.
When is the Best Times to Visit Yellowstone?
Overall, I find spring to be the best time to visit Yellowstone, followed by fall, and lastly summer. For a comparison of each season, be sure to read the Best Times to Visit section in my post:
What to Pack for Summer in Yellowstone
I have taken the guess work out of packing for Yellowstone with a comprehensive packing list that includes everything from clothes to coolers, to bear spray along with things to consider when selecting each item to pack.
Learn from my mistakes and take a few minutes to check out:
How Much Does it Cost to Visit Yellowstone?
| Pass | Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard Entry | $20 (walking, biking) $35 auto good for 7 days |
| Annual YNP Pass | $70 |
| America the Beautiful – access to all federal lands seniors 62+ | $80 annually $80 lifetime |
At this time no reservations are required to visit Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Rules and Regulations
Pay close attention to the pet rules if you plan on visiting the park with a pet as these rules can restrict places you can visit. Also, if you travel in an RV, be aware that leaving your pet in it with food and or windows open, is an invitation to bears and other wildlife.
Yellowstone Other Services
In addition to the hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and general stores mentioned above, the following other services can be found within the park.
All Yellowstone Area Posts
Final Thoughts about Yellowstone
The information above is tailored for the first time visitor to Yellowstone National Park who is mainly interested in staying in the park and exploring its many roadside sights. Information related to Yellowstone hiking trails, backcountry camping, fishing, or boating activities is beyond the scope of this introductory post.
I hope you find this post helpful in planning your Yellowstone trip and if so, sharing or commenting would greatly be appreciated.
All my visits to Yellowstone have been centered on photography that can be viewed at: Yellowstone Geyser Basins and Yellowstone Scenics. If you have any questions specific to photography of Yellowstone, please feel free to reach out.
As always thanks of joining me for another road trip!