Thoughts on this itinerary? Probably too much driving for kids as young as 3, but not sure what to do about that.
We just got back from a week long trip.
Some thoughts:
Staying in one place is definitely worth the extra drive, we didn’t (lack of availability) and it’s a right pain. Additionally lodges in Yellowstone pride themselves on lack of Wi-Fi or service so it makes planing the next day hard.
The Guidealong app audio guide is really great.
We drove over beartooth pass and Lamar valley on the way in, but that was over 6 hours of driving and we stayed the night in gardiner. West Yellowstone is even further…
Making it to the Lamar Valley at sunset meant that we saw about a hundred bison along the road, after that we only saw smaller packs or individuals for the rest of the trip, mostly around sunset.
At mammoth there isn’t much activity right now and some boardwalks are closed when climbing from the bottom.
I’d suggest driving the upper loop, then walking from the upper halfway to the lower where there is only one really active spring now - Jupiter terrace
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ev6rek9GFAcfcDr9A?g_st=ic
Many of the mud/paint/artist pots can get very repetitive, depending on your style you might be best off sticking to the nicest of each type.
Fountain Paint pots area is really nice and had some really constantly active geysers that can get you wet, really nice if your only other one will be old faithful that’s far away.
I’d pick that over artist pots as those, while pretty are tamer and have a bit of a climb.
Mud volcano was nice but nothing that lives up to the name anymore. boiling lakes and pots of muddy water.
Noriss basin was the most tame even though it’s pretty vast.
Isn’t west thumb a bit out of the way for you?
At Grand Prismatic I would strongly suggest climbing to the overlook to see it not from ground level. If you can do the climb. It’s a flat walk with a climb at the end.
(It’s a separate parking lot then the actual spring)
This one is far nicer than most others, don’t rush through it just to get to something else lackluster.
I would give this more time than most others mentioned.
It’s supposedly best with midday sun, so maybe don’t go early morning even if I’d want to start a day with it for the wow factor.
Overlook vs:
Boardwalk:
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone:
We stopped at north rim to see the brink of the upper falls (easy walk from car), then hiked 1.2 miles along the south rim from Upper falls viewpoint to Artist point. Lots of different angles of the lower falls and canyon and really nice, but there is some walking on hills involved.
Artist point is a must stop.
Inspiration point is also a nice stop along the north rim, can be fast and gives a great view down both directions in the canyon.
The stair trail to the base of the lower falls is closed.
Note that the north rim is a one way drive.
Hayden Vally we saw some bison towards the end of the day as well.
Sunset over Yellowstone lake can be really magical and while we didn’t make it to the lake butte overlook it sounds like a great idea.
Tetons:
Lewis falls can be seen from the road IIRC and is alright, but you might be over waterfalls.
Signal Mountain rd is amazing, check to see if the road is open though (closed this week).
It does not have a clear view of the Tetons but has an amazing view of the plains on the other side. (The Jenny lake ferry and inspiration point are similar but way more packed).
We stayed one night at the park in the signal mountain lodge suite, right on the lake facing the Tetons. The view was amazing and the suites have kitchens, but aren’t so well cleaned.
Might be worth staying there over Jackson.
The gondola up Jackson hole is pretty awesome, but dress for a lot of wind and cold so you can actually enjoy it instead of feeling blown back off the mountain. There’s a waffle store where you can take a break from the wind if needed, (they don’t have running water if you are planning to wash there).
There are lots of great Teton viewpoint turnouts along the east park road and the guidealong will point them out.
For those with kids over 6 we took the Barker Ewing float trip and we’re able to get same day reservations. It was really great!
For lunch stops in Yellowstone near the hot springs and geysers:
Also consider checking if the fire hole river swimming area is open (if you are interested) as you will pass it a few times on your way to and from west Yellowstone. It’s a really calm stretch of the river.
Nez Perce picnic area is really nice and you can walk /play in the shallow and slow moving water of the fire hole river.
Sheep eater cliff is also really nice, near the gardiner river with a basalt hexagon cliff behind. This one has a about 1 mile out and back unmarked path to a stunning canyon waterfall that is unnamed and unmarked and passes a even larger basalt cliff on the way.
