I was in Whistler and decided to take a trip into the USA , with Yellowstone National Park being my goal destination. I knew there were stops I wanted to make and so I absolutely loved the drive to Yellowstone. I enjoyed exploring Idaho and the many hot springs and interesting geological features of the land and will write about Idaho in another post, and Montana really surprised me with it’s beauty when I left Yellowstone.
I approached Yellowstone National Park from the south, first visiting Grand Teton National Park and driving up towards the south entrance. The night before I found a fantastic free campground in Grand Teton, just outside the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The only problem with travelling Yellowstone in Late October/November is that most campsites are closed so you need to be more flexible and open to dispersed camping on the outskirts of the park.
Area Map
I’ve compiled a custom Google map with notes and markers. This is for a 4 day itinerary, use this as a starting point.
Itinerary
15— 19 October 2024
Day 01. West Thumb, Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic
I had stayed at a dispersed campground about 40-minute drive from my first stop in Yellowstone National Park. I chose to camp at a dispersed campground called Grassy Lake Road Campsites because the campgrounds were mostly shut at the time of year I visited. This the campsite was amazing and free! It only had 4 spaces so I was lucky to arrive in the afternoon and secure one, the site itself was alongside the Snake River and was really beautiful, each site had a fire pit and picnic table and the most stunning views of the river (Pictured below).
The first stop within Yellowstone National Park was West Thumb. Upon arrival I headed over to the wooden pathways that wound their way through this volcanic area and began my first look at the volcanic area of Yellowstone.
What I learned is that Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano that erupted 640,000+ years ago. The Yellowstone eruption area collapsed upon itself, creating a sunken giant crater or caldera 1,500 square miles in area. The magmatic heat powering that eruption still powers the park’s famous geysers, hot springs, and mud pots. It is quite a sight to be seen, I didn’t know what to expect when arriving at Yellowstone, but within minutes I knew this place was very special and was going to be very interesting to learn about and witness.
West Thumb, Yellowstone National Park
The next stop was Old Faithful, one of the more popular locations. Even though it was off-season it was still very busy! I found a parking spot and headed straight over to the walkways. I would recommend first going to the information center to find out when the geysers are due to erupt so you can plan your sightseeing around the times. You can also call numbers for various geysers as you’re walking through to find out the estimated eruption times.
I started walking along the designated paths and ended up behind a guided tour. I asked the people in front of me if it was complimentary and they said yes so I joined in to listen to some facts about the area. I’d recommend the walking tour, I learned a lot of facts and got to ask questions.
Heading back to the info center I watched the short video on the history of the area, walked around the museum, and then went outside to the Old Faithful Geyser. At this stage, the crowds had grown, and I didn’t realise there were set times it erupted, lucky for me within minutes the geyser was erupting, spraying meters high (30—50 meters is what it is predicted to shoot). This place was absolutely amazing, the geological activity and seeing the water bubbling from the earth is something I have never experienced. Every geyser and spring is different in shapes and colours and has different properties, some feed from a channel of water systems underground, and others have their own source of water so do not sync up with others. The park has done research into which ones are connected by their corresponding activity which was interesting to learn. I would recommend setting aside 2–3 hours to walk through this area, there are so many amazing sights to see and many erupting geysers besides Old Faithful, which is the largest, but all are very impressive in their own way.
After the day of sightseeing (which lasted a lot longer than I had anticipated) I headed to a campground (one of the few that were still open for the season). It was called Madison Campground and was perfectly located in the middle of the park just north of the Old Faithful area. The campground had no showers but had water and flushing toilets, it cost around $45USD for the night. I had an enjoyable night, I made a fire, cooked dinner and had an early night in anticipation for the next day.
Day 02. Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs
I thought I had seen it all the day prior but there were more marvels to be seen on day two. Norris Geyser Basin was spectacular, the day was a bit cooler than before and snow had been predicted so it made for an atmospheric scene with steam billowing from the earth when it hit the cold air outside. It was a good hour or two walking through this area and I suggest not rushing and giving this area enough time to explore fully, whilst I was walking through snow started falling which was just magical and something I will remember as a highlight (one of the perks of visiting off-season).
Mammoth hot springs were next and they were also quite amazing, totally different, and reminded me of the limestone hot springs I had visited in Turkey. Apparently hot water flows from Norris to Mammoth along a fault line to feed these white limestone structures. I am not a specialist in how these are formed so you will learn everything you need to know when you’re there, but as far as an interesting sight to see, this is definitely up there.
After Mammoth Hot Springs I went up to the North Entrance and found a place to free camp outside of Gardiner. It was a fabulous free place to sleep, it was alongside the road so don’t expect a campground, but the views were lovely and the views across the river were beautiful. Gardiner was also a nice town to visit. I went to an eatery for dinner and enjoyed a place to sit and a warm meal before going to this free nights stay.
Day 03. Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley was possibly my favorite area mainly due to the wildlife spotting. I left Gardiner at around midday this day as I had a branding project I needed to work on in the morning. At this point, I was feeling so inspired the concepts came flowing out of me and I made really good progress on the job.
I then headed off to explore Lamar Valley, not really knowing what to expect, but was treated with an absolutely spectacular day of wildlife spotting as well as an unexpected sunset which was well worth the slight anxiety of driving in Yellowstone at night.
There were many moments where herds of bison crossed the road and caused traffic to be at a standstill, I was the lucky one at the front of the queue a couple of times which was a treat for taking photos and enjoying the massive beasts crossing the road. Many times, when photographers were pulled over and taking photos I stopped and managed to see a few lone wolves, a grizzly with 2 cubs and bison by the herds. As the sun set the colours turned into magnificent hues of peach and at that moment I was so happy I had left late that morning, I would recommend being in the park at either sunset or sunrise for the most spectacular views and colours.
When it started to get quite dark I drove towards the South East entrance of the park and found another absolutely fine free parking area to sleep at, there were signs around saying camping was allowed and I had a very quiet and peaceful sleep.
Day 04. Canyon Village and Hayden Valley
Day four consisted of a drive back through Lamar Valley at sunrise, I did the Slough Creek hike which was really beautiful and nice to get away from the crowds, and then I headed south down the Grand Loop Road, down through Canyon Village and Hayden Valley. The drive was spectacular, I would recommend stopping at Calcite Springs Overlook, Brink of Lower Falls and Artists Point. Continuing on, the drive over the Mount Washburn pass is also very beautiful. I didn’t see many Bison in Hayden Valley, however this is where the second large herds are, and you have a good chance of spotting some here.
Hey there, thanks for stopping by! I’m Lauren, a travel enthusiast, a freelance graphic designer, an adventure lover and a thinker about life.
Thanks for reading
I post articles documenting my travels and the thoughts I’ve had when traveling. I’ve lived in 3 countries and traveled all over the world, most recently Canada and the USA, and am excited to share my itineraries with you.
I hope you come back for future articles or subscribe to my newsletter where I will send an email with updates and new locations.
Lauren
