Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
This suggested itinerary assumes that this is either a first visit to Yellowstone, or it’s been a long time since the last visit.
Day One
The day starts with Old Faithful Geyser and checking the nearby Visitor Center to get predicted eruption times for other geysers. This information can be used to plan when to hike the Firehole River Walk and visit the Lower Geyser Basin. The day ends at Norris Geyser Basin, where again it pays to check with the ranger at the Norris Museum to see if an eruption of Echinus Geyser is imminent. With some luck, you may be able to see three or four major geysers erupt in this one day.
| (Drive to Old Faithful Village from night’s lodging) | Add time |
| Old Faithful (wait for eruption + Visitor Center) | 90 min. |
| Old Faithful Inn | 15 min. |
| Firehole River Walk (to Morning Glory Pool and back) | 90 min. |
| Lunch | 30 min. |
| (Drive — Midway Geyser Basin, 6 miles) | 15 min. |
| Midway Geyser Basin Walk (Grand Prismatic Spring) | 30 min. |
| (Drive — Lower Geyser Basin, 5 miles) | 10 min. |
| Lower Geyser Basin: Firehole Lake Drive | 20 min. |
| Lower Geyser Basin: Fountain Paint Pot Walk | 30 min. |
| (Drive — Norris Geyser Basin, 22 miles) | 35 min. |
| Norris Geyser Basin, Porcelain Basin Walk | 30 min. |
| Norris Geyser Basin, Steamboat Geyser | 15 min. |
| Approximate Total Time | 7 hours |
| (Return Drive) | Add time |
Day Two
The day begins with a driving tour at Mammoth Hot Springs (very different than most of Yellowstone’s geyser basins) and then proceeds to the Yellowstone River and over Mount Washburn to Canyon Village. After seeing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the two great falls, you travel through tranquil Hayden Valley and finish the day at West Thumb Geyser Basin on the shores of Yellowstone Lake.
| (Drive to Mammoth Hot Spings) | Add time |
| Mammoth Hot Springs – Upper Terrace Drive | 25 min. |
| (Drive — Mammoth to Tower/Roosevelt Junction, 20 miles) | 40 min. |
| Sulphur Springs Overlook | 15 min. |
| (Drive — over Mount Washburn to Canyon Village, 19 miles) | 35 min. |
| Canyon Village — Visitor Center | 20 min. |
| Lunch | 30 min. |
| Canyon — North Rim Drive, Inspiration Point | 25 min. |
| Canyon — South Rim Drive, Artist Point, Uncle Tom’s Point | 30 min. |
| (Drive — Canyon to Hayden Valley, 4 miles) | 10 min. |
| Hayden Valley — Bison Herd (if present) | 15 min. |
| Mud Volcano Walk | 20 min. |
| (Drive – Hayden Valley to West Thumb, 27 miles) | 40 min. |
| West Thumb Geyser Basin Walk | 30 min. |
| Approximate Total Time | 6 hrs. |
| (Return Drive) | Add time |
