Howdy all,

Will be going to Yellowstone in June for a few days and wondering if anyone has any experience on what specific to do and restaurants to try out. Will be staying in the Big Sky resort area.

Go early. Stay late. We walked the geyser trail around Old Faithful starting early in the morning and there weren't too many other people. Later in the day it was packed (we stayed at the hotel there).

If you can, book a wildlife tour with Yellowstone Wild.

BSD said:

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Go early. Stay late. We walked the geyser trail around Old Faithful starting early in the morning and there weren't too many other people. Later in the day it was packed (we stayed at the hotel there).

If you can, book a wildlife tour with Yellowstone Wild.

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I 100% agree with this.

We've been to Yellowstone three or four times and our most memorable trip was when we booked a day with them.

I'd stay stay in the park, but it's too late for that in 2024. Take a picnic lunch every day. There are so many places to stop and have lunch. Although the restaurant at the Roosevelt Lodge is good.

You cannot see all of the park in a few days. Just understand that.

I would also recommend Roosevelt Lodge.

Get up early & be prepared to drive long distances... the park is like 3X Big Bend size.

Yellowstone itself is 2 million acres. I would recommend starting your days early. If you are looking for a wildlife guide I recommend https://yellowstoneinsight.com/ Josh was our guide and fantastic. Also a great and inexpensive app is the Guidealong app, it will give you so much information. Make sure to try Huckleberry ice cream at the lodges or stores in the park they will have it. If you plan to visit more than one park I highly recommend getting an annual National parks pass.

Hope that was helpful

agree with PGAG on everything including grand teton being the best place.


if i have to pick i prefer mammoth area, grand canyon of the Yellowstone falls and lamar valley for wildlife.

take your own food/picnic as chicken ranch suggested. I've been at least 5 times and always able to see something new in the park.

download the app from nps and make yellowstone available offline. There is no service; the app is very helpful with geyser times, map view with all the attractions, etc.

But it has to be checked as 'make available offline', then in the park, turn off your cellular.

I spent hours watching the Bison in the Hayden Valley. Back in 2012 we rented a motorboat on Lake Yellowstone for 1-2 hours. It was a great alternative way to enjoy the grandeur of the area, and the kids loved it.

I don't think they let you swim anymore in the Boiling River - where a hot spring flows into a cold river.

Do a picnic watching the falls. Have a meal in Old Faithful Inn. Mammoth Hot Springs is an interesting village.

Between about 9:30 am and 3:30 pm, the park is packed. Earlier is great, the people staying outside the park haven't made it in yet, and in the afternoon, they're all trying to leave. Not a great time to head towards the exits. Traffic can be like a big city. Also, many of the parking lots for the popular attractions fill up between 10-3. It makes it tougher to see the popular sights. Again, earlier or later and it's easy.

If you're into animal watching, get up very early and head to Slough Creek Road off of NE Entrance Road. Get there early, it will be crowded. In a 30 minute span, I saw a bison, bald eagle, grizzly, and a pack of wolves. There is/was a wolf den near the intersection of Slough Creek Rd and NE Entrance Rd. There's another wolf den closer to the Slough Creek Campground.

I am an early riser, so I was out early each day. I watched Old Faithful at sunrise. There wasn't another person in sight. Show up after 10 am, it will be thousands of people watching.

EMY92 said:

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Between about 9:30 am and 3:30 pm, the park is packed. Earlier is great, the people staying outside the park haven't made it in yet, and in the afternoon, they're all trying to leave. Not a great time to head towards the exits. Traffic can be like a big city. Also, many of the parking lots for the popular attractions fill up between 10-3. It makes it tougher to see the popular sights. Again, earlier or later and it's easy.

If you're into animal watching, get up very early and head to Slough Creek Road off of NE Entrance Road. Get there early, it will be crowded. In a 30 minute span, I saw a bison, bald eagle, grizzly, and a pack of wolves. There is/was a wolf den near the intersection of Slough Creek Rd and NE Entrance Rd. There's another wolf den closer to the Slough Creek Campground.

I am an early riser, so I was out early each day. I watched Old Faithful at sunrise. There wasn't another person in sight. Show up after 10 am, it will be thousands of people watching.

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Good advice.

We treated it just like a hunt. Up and in place before sunrise with our spotting scope. Among other things, saw a great elk fight with two large bulls getting after it. After early morning watching we would take a hike, then go for breakfast after everyone else had already eaten. Worked out great.

Be prepared for traffic in the park. They have to do road work and heavy maintenance in the summer. There was an accident with tanker truck when we were there and we had to adjust our schedule on the fly.

Download the GuideAlong app for $20. Uses GPS to tell you about attractions you are close to.

Big12Champ06 said:

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Download the GuideAlong app for $20. Uses GPS to tell you about attractions you are close to.

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Highly recommend this for all major national parks.

Like everyone else is saying, if you get a chance to - please take a day to drive out to Grand Teton.

We've taken 2 trips to Yellowstone, each one for a week. As others have mentioned, get in early and plan on staying out most of the day. Pack a lunch. It saves travel time and the meal time views are beautiful. The sheer size of the park is surprising. We brought our bikes and rode down to see Old Faithful one morning. Afterwards, we were able to zip around along the cement walkway that passes many of the lesser known geysers. It allowed us to get to different geysers quicker as they were erupting and it was awesome. Also, walk down to the rivers edge in the Grand Canyon.

I took some hunting binoculars and it provided much better views of a sow and her cubs. If possible, pick a clear day and go see the Grand Tetons. One last thought......slow down, take your time and enjoy the park. It seems like so many people try to keep a rigid schedule and seem bent on getting in and out. Some times, it's neat to sit and watch bison grazing, elk walking a trail or just sitting alongside a river.