What to see in Yellowstone

After explaining how to get to Yellowstone , in this article I am going to tell you what to see in Yellowstone in a 2 -day trip.  And from now on I tell you something important. In Yellowstone National Park I saw the Yogi Bear. You have the proof at the end of the post. 

Note: this article is completed with this guide with everything to see on the West Coast of the USA in 15 days of travel. You can also see this article with everything to see in the United States .

But we will talk about that later, because there is something else more important to tell… and that is the devastating bestiality of the beauty of everything there is to see in Yellowstone (like practically everything I found on my 26-day route along the West Coast of USA in which I visited places like Bryce Canyon or the Grand Canyon of Colorado )  

recapping . In the previous chapter I ended up leaving you with honey on your lips, entering from Teton Park to take base in the accommodation that would welcome us for the next two days: the town of West Yellowstone, next to the west entrance of the park . As I told you, there are 5 entrances to the park, but the ones that are going to interest us the most, those of us who come from abroad, are the south and the west.

Mapa de Yellowstone: Grand Loop Road

To get around Yellowstone there is a two-way figure eight called the Grand Loop Road which gives access to all the important places. We distribute it over two days, the first day (July 4, Independence Day in the US, to which I will dedicate a special entry) through the southern area of ​​the Loop (black line) and the second through the northern and eastern area of ​​the Loop. park (blue line).

Are you going on a road  trip across the United States ?

One of the  car rental websites  I work with (because it is the one that gives me the most options in the search) is Rentalcars. You can take a look at the prices by clicking here below.

Day One: West Yellowstone to Upper Geyser Basin

From West Yellowstone, not far down the southern part of the Loop is the Lower Geyser Basin with the Fountain Paint Pot, dotted with bubbling white mud fountains, fiery vents and small geysers. (of the more than 100 in the entire park).

Interesting if it is the first thing you see in the park, if you have already been through the rest, this part will seem like little to you (although the landscape is still spectacular).

From there we pass by the Midway Geyser Basin to leave it in the afternoon and go to the Upper Geyser Basin , where the king of the park is, the Old Faithful geyser, one of the basic things to see in Yellowstone. It receives this curious name (“old faithful”) due to the regularity of its eruptions (more or less, every 63 minutes). This spectacular jet shoots boiling water at 200º C up to a height of between 30 and 50 meters, depending on what you feel like.

In the upper basin, there are several boiling pools and craters of spectacular colors along a fairly well defined route (here there is little for adventure) where another of the park’s jewels stands out, the Morning Glory pool , the pool with the largest color contrast of this entire area (the bright color of these pools is due to thermophilic bacteria that live at high temperatures).

Note 2: how to enter the United States is a bit intricate, in this article I tell you all the requirements to travel to the United States: visa, ESTA, vaccination certificate…

The Grand Prismatic Spring, the other great treasure of Yellowstone (along with the Old Faithful geyser)

And from the king of Yellowstone we go to the queen: in the Midway Geyser Basin is, for me, the most spectacular and one of the FUNDAMENTAL things to see in Yellowstone: the Grand Prismatic Spring . It is among the largest hot springs in the world, with a surface area of ​​90 x 80 meters and a depth of 50 meters filled with water at 150ºC.
There are two ways to see it : up close and from afar. If you can do both, better, if you can only do one for a matter of time, from afar, without a doubt.

From up close, just stop at the nearby car park indicated at the entrance to the Grand Prismatic.
From afar you have to park in the Fairy falls parking lot , and take a short walk along a path to two hills in front of the Grand Prismatic. That is, here (with the rather obvious name of “picture hill”):

Second day: from West Yellowstone through the north and east of the Grand Loop road to the south exit.

If you plan a day like the one we are planning (that is, to cover almost ¾ of the Road Loop) you have to get up very early (with such a large area, it is the price you have to pay to see everything there is to see in Yellowstone).
On this part, on the way to Mammoth Hot Springs, there are several geyser basins (Monument, Norris…) but, in general, the northern part of the Loop has fewer stops  and more driving time (it is advisable to fill up before leaving).
Mammoth Hot Springs is a long hill of hot springs that form calcareous terraces due to the deposit of mineral sediments.
Between Mammoth and the next surprise that the park holds is the Tower fall, a small waterfall in relation to what you will see at the next stop when you reach the…

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River – the Upper and Lower falls

This is the river and the canyon for which the park is named, whose walls are a characteristic yellow color. In this place are the surprising and unknown Upper and Lower falls , falls of 33 meters high the first and… 94 meters the second! For those who are unaware of the presence of these monsters here, they will be in for a big surprise when suddenly finding them in all their power.

For lovers of multiple views of the waterfalls, there are several viewing points (religiously signposted, of course), such as Uncle’s Tom point , right next to the drop of the Lower falls and the Artist and Inspiration point , something further away with a good perspective view of the entire canyon.

From this part, the route stops having so many volcanic «attractions» and vast meadows with bison roaming freely at their ease stretch out before us.
If you are lucky, you can capture a good snapshot (with a minimum safety distance, of course, although there is almost always a Ranger hanging around near where it is easier to spot animals, to control tourists looking for a selfie with a bison) at some of the bison 
and moose scattered around the park.

But if, by chance, there is a lot, a lot, but a lot of luck, you can get to steal a photo from Yogi himself , as happened to us when we were already leaving the park towards our next destination on the road trip through the USA. 

Where to sleep in Yellowstone?

There are quite a few lodging options in West Yellowstone . We had booked from Madrid (this was in July, which is one of the busiest times for tourism in the park, so accommodation ends up being scarce) an apartment in the Economy Appartments , functional and cheap, which would not have been bad if It would not have been because the owner was, speaking in silver, a piece of cretin  who dedicated all his rudeness to us, making it clear that he did not like our «European euros». Since it was late and there wasn’t much to look for, we finally stayed, but reluctantly. Conclusion: you better not stay in this accommodation .

For more accommodation options in Yellowstone, these are all West Yellowstone accommodations .

Discountin your travel insurance for USA:

I have been traveling with insurance for a long time, but for places like the United States it becomes a ESSENTIAL . Not because it is dangerous, but because any health care , no matter how small , costs a lot (a sprain, gastroenteritis…).

Besides, due to Covid-19 , many countries are requesting compulsory travel insurance to enter the country (USA one of them).

Therefore, I tell you that, through my blog you can have the following discount with the Mondo company 👇

Characteristics and coverage of Mondo insurance

• Coverage : from 500,000 euros (up to 5,000,000 in Premium coverage).
• Covid coverage , which includes:
  • Medical expenses, health transfer and repatriation due to Covid-19 disease .
  • Travel PCR test : expenses derived from the test if it has been prescribed by a doctor.
  • Expenses derived from extension of stay due to medical quarantine .
  • Discount previous PCR test .
• Travel assistance app , which has:
  • 24h medical chat
  • Free assistance call through the App.
  • Management of incidents.

In addition, Mondo has the option of adding cancellation insurance , which seems essential to me today due to the instability that exists due to Covid (in recent months I have had to cancel up to 6 trips…)