Ultimate Guide Through Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, one of the most famous national parks out there! Known for its geysers, hot springs, and wild buffalo, this park is like another planet! In this guide you will find everything you need to know about passes/permits, camping information, trail specs, must see sites, a packing list, and a sample itinerary. Everyone should see this park at least once in their lifetime!

Disclaimer: This blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers.

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Travel

• Airport

  • Bozeman International Airport (1 1/2 hour drive to the park)

• Transportation

  • I highly recommend renting a car as this is the easiest way to get around the park!

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Packing List

This is a specific packing list to day hike/camp in Yellowstone National Park, if you are looking for an all inclusive gear list click here!

• Day Hiking

  • Day Pack

  • Water Bladder (3L)

  • Hiking Boots

  • Hiking Socks

  • Headlamp

  • Sun hat

  • Sunglasses

  • First Aid Kit

  • Snacks

  • Trekking poles (optional)

  • Hiking Shorts

  • Hiking Top

  • Rain Jacket

  • Satellite phone

  • Sunscreen

  • Bug spray

• Camping

  • Tent

  • Sleeping bag

  • Sleeping pad

  • Blow up pillow

  • Sleep wear

  • Camping chair

  • Camp Sandals

  • Lantern

  • Headlamp 

  • Kitchen stove and fuel

  • Eating utensil and dish-ware

  • Meals

  • Snacks

  • Water bottle for camp

  • Paracord

  • Bear Canister/ Bear bag

  • Toiletries

  • Quick dry towel

  • Portable Charger

Resources

• Kendall’s Yellowstone All Trails List

• Kendall’s Yellowstone Google Map

• List of all Yellowstone Campsites

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Passes/ Permits

• America the Beautiful Annual Pass

• Day Pass (Do not need this if you have the America the Beautiful Pass)

• Timed Entry Pass

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Must See Sites and Trails

• Sites

  • Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

  • Grand Prismatic

  • Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin

  • Artists’ Paint Pots

  • Mammoth Hot Springs

  • Norris Geyser Basin

• Day Hikes

  • Mystic Falls, Fairy Creek, and Little Firehole Loop

  • Avalanche Peak Trail

  • Artist Point

  • Fairy Falls Trail

  • Seven Mile Hole Trail

  • Lone Star Geyser Trail

  • Lower Yosemite Falls

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Sample Itinerary

Here you will find an itinerary with two options for accommodations (camping vs hotel). An advantage to camping is you will do way less driving as you will be staying in the park the entire time. When staying in a hotel you will have to drive in and out of the park each day. It’s VERY common to get stuck in hours worth of traffic getting in and out of the park (buffalo on the road) and there is one road to get in and out of the park! No matter what adventure you choose this itinerary will help you have a seamless adventure!

Day 1 (Travel)

• Fly into Bozeman International Airport

  • Depending on what time you land either make the drive to Yellowstone National Park (2 hour drive) or stay in Bozeman for the night

    • Bozeman hotel options

    • Yellowstone National Park hotel options

Day 2

• Head to the southeast end of the park

• Hike Avalanche Peak Trail (4.5 miles)

• Drive to West Thumb Geyser Basin

• Hike Lone Star Geyser (5 miles)

• Camping Option: Drive to Grant Village Campsite to camp for the night (25 min from Lone Star)

• Hotel Option: Drive to West Yellowstone to stay for the night

  • If staying in a hotel, hit Old Faithful on your way out at sunset!

Day 3

• If camping at Grant Village, drive to Old Faithful for sunrise

• Hike Mystic Falls, Fairy Creek, and Firehole Loop (3.5 miles)

• Hike the Grand Prismatic Springs Overlook Trail (1.5 miles)

• Drive to Artists’ Paintpots (1 hour from Grand Prismatic Springs)

• Hike Norris Basin Geyser Loop Trail (3 miles)

• Camping Option: Drive to Canyon Campground to camp for the night (20 min from Norris Basin Geyser)

• Hotel Option: Drive to West Yellowstone to stay for the night

Day 4

• Spend the morning hiking the Canyon of Yellowstone

  • There are tons of hikes in the Canyon of Yellowstone you can find here

  • If you are short on time, make sure you at least hit the Brink of the Lower Falls hike!

• Drive to Mammoth Hot Springs (1 1/2 hour drive)

• Camping Option: Drive to Mammoth Campground to camp for the night

• Hotel Option: Drive to West Yellowstone to stay for the night

Day 5 (Travel Day)

• Drive back to Bozeman (2 hour drive) and either fly out, or spend the night and fly out the next day

  • Bozeman hotel options