So fun!! Just a small local spot we found on our trip and our kiddos had the best time.read more

One of the best natural swimming holes I've ever been to! Great for all ages. Enjoy the following:…read more Waterslide for kids & adults Diving board Sandy beach Roped off kids area Pavilion & picnic tables Bathroom Shower to clean off sand The water is a great cool temperature and if you're a responsible and decent swimmer- swim across the river to the damn and spillway and walk along the dams ledge. It's pretty safe. We do it every time we go. The hardest part is swimming back against the current. But anyone who is a mildly decent swimmer can handle it. I'm no champion swimmer and I can swim it without any problems- my 9 year old did it too with a little help.

We saw a listing that, in the summer, there were free Music in the Park open air concerts just…read moreabout every Saturday evening in West Yellowstone Pioneer Park! (On some maps it was called Town Park or Heritage Park.) Did we almost see Taylor Swift? No, but we DID see Red: A Taylor Swift Tribute Band :-) (Jul 2016). And if what people posted is true that she went to Big Sky (after Manhattan, before California :-), we missed her IRL by only 9 days and 56 miles! The band was great, with excellent vocals. The park was large enough for the crowd. We brought our own camp chairs, and there were a few bleacher seats. Many folks brought picnics, and we had some leftover BBQ from our dinner across the street. Our lodging was just a 2-minute walk, so the youngest of us finished the concert at home, listening through an open window :-)

Great clean place for a picnic in the heart of west Yellowstone. Clean public restrooms. Covered…read morepicnic tables.

Gorgeous! Great area for wildlife viewing, has inexpensive and primitive camp spots along the lake…read moreor further into the woods Fishing, hiking, mountain biking, or birdwatching. Serene and peaceful

After years of road tripping across this country, many of them having scheduled stops in…read moreYellowstone National Park, my family and I wanted to try something a little different this year. Mrs. Picante found this little campsite at Hebgen Lake. Assuming the whole area would be rather beautiful, we threw caution to the wind and booked it for three nights. The campsite is a couple of miles off the main highway, along a fairly well-maintained road that heads out into the wilderness. Our campsite was flat and very close to the pit toilets, but also very close to the Lakeshore. Our California plates got us a couple of second glances from a few folks, but nothing to worry about. All who love nature and respect her always seem to be welcomed among people who quickly become friends. I had heard whispers that this particular lake has a pretty good brown trout fishery, and I was not disappointed. Granted, a couple of locals and a multi campsite large family gathering we're overheard whispering to each other about "the guy with California plates and the long rod throwing the bass lure" ... but although this was not water I had fished before, I've learned a thing or two over the years. Patience and persistence paid off, as I landed quite a few fish including one of the largest I've ever caught. And I think I earned a lot of respect from those same locals, when I snapped a few nice pictures with my fish, turned back to the water, and watched her swim away, released healthy to fight another day. Fishing licenses can be purchased online, which is how I got mine. Notably, this is grizzly bear country, so putting your things away in the provided bear boxes is essential for the safety of other campers and of course the Bears themselves. There were quite a few jet skiers and other pleasurecraft folks on the water during the day, but things settle down in the evening, which of course lasts a long time during summer in those northern latitudes. My family enjoyed renting a paddleboard for the day, and I labored through blowing up their inflatable inner tubes at altitude, much to their delight. Absolutely beautiful country up here, and a place I hope I get to visit again.

Town is convenient to this entrance/exit With multiple…read moreopportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hotels, motels, grocery shopping, bar hoping, and good family or singles fun. The park employees manning the gate are super friendly and they can get through the crowds very quickly. A sightseer paradise. Mountains, wildlife, stream, hiking, biking, photography, horse bike riding, driving and getting back to nature.

The West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park was efficient every time we went through. We never…read moreencountered a longer WEEKDAY-delay at the entrance than 15min, on different weekdays approximately 6:30am, 8am, 8:30am, 10:30am, and 11am. (Jul 2026). On the other hand, even when we entered at 6:30am, traffic built up by the time we got to popular locations to the south between the entrance and Old Faithful. Not terribly bad, but enough that we would have started earlier if we could have. Studying traffic apps, it looked like traffic was better entering before 5:30am or maybe even 6am. We never saw bad backups (besides wildlife sightings) going north, or going all the way west between the north and south loops. We never started early enough to see sunrise inside the park. At the entrance, the far right lane was for pre-paid passes. With three other lanes open, the prepaid lane wasnt even twice as fast as the others. It was around two-cars faster when the other lanes were 6 or 8 cars. Pretty efficient. And they give you a useful park map, though you can buy more detailed maps and guidebooks at the park's visitors centers and around town. We used the free ones :-) We felt that the NPS app had info that's easier to access than their website. And believe it when they say cell service is limited to the major sights and visitor centers. Even GPS was spotty. So, after our first couple hours in the park, we made a point to download maps and info before the next leg of the trip, and on the second time in, we downloaded the night before.

Definitely a must see! There is a new wonder around every turn. We entered from the Northeast using…read morethe Chief Joseph Scenic highway into the Lamar valley- beautiful grasslands where herds of Bison roam and even lay in the road in front of your car! We stayed at the Yellowstone lake inn and cabins which was an excellent location. The park has a loop road in a figure eight, very easy to navigate through the signage could use improvement. We were able to see a lot in 2 days but you need to be able to hike to some of the features. A lot can be seen from your car or a short walk. Be prepared to wait! We were there after Labor Day and it wasn't quite as busy as usual but you still had to wait for a parking place. I downloaded a narrated self tour from Viator that was downloaded to my phone. There is no cell service in all of the park but calls by satellite can be made from your phone in case of emergency. GPS does work well but is slow at times. The tour started from any entrance and picked up your location to continue. It also gave you good directions. With so many geysers and geothermal sites to see, pick what you really want the see as much as you can fit in! Almost 500 miles of roadway in the main loop. 1200 geysers, thousands of steam vents, mud pots, thermal pools- you can't possibly see it all! Enjoyed every minute!

Yellowstone National Park was well worth the visit. This park is MASSIVE. Due to its size there is…read morenever a shortage of things to do. Expect to drive hours each day as everything is far away. I underestimated how much driving there would be which was a little tough with small children. Make sure you GPS before you get into the park as there is no service. I highly recommend you fill up your gas tank and bring plenty of snacks! They do have food in the park but if you don't like hotdogs and ice cream I suggest you pack some food.

The Mammoth Terraces run along two sections of west upper Grand Loop Road, south of downtown…read moreMammoth You drive southwest from the center of Mammoth, and when the road turns south, the terraces start just outside of town. You cant miss them, all white and frosty-looking for half-a-mile along the west side of the road. There are parking areas and trails. Then the road leaves the terraces, and after another half-mile, the road takes a hairpin turn north and comes back to the terraces. Take the turnoff to continue north for more trails and a great overlook! Or stay through another hairpin turn on Grand Loop Road and continue south through another half-mile of terraces. I mention this location because as of Aug 2026, Yelp placed the terraces in the middle of the town of Mammoth, and you cant see the terraces from there.

If you're coming into Yellowstone through the North entrance, definitely make a stop here and check…read moreout the hot spring terraces. The limestone rock formations and water features are very cool. The trail isn't overly long so you can make the full loop in about an hour or so (two if you're a slow walker or likes to stop a lot for photos). Parking can be a challenge, like most other popular spots at Yellowstone, but just be patient and eventually you'll find a spot.

Wow what an awesome experience. Our guide Sariah was fantastic. The facts, history and stories she…read moretold made all the difference. Lunch was great and the animals were epic.

A group of 8 of us went on the wildlife tour and our guide Brian was fantastic. It was great…read morehaving the van pick us up (very clean and comfortable) from our cabin and they had plenty of snacks and drinks and the lunch sandwiches were thick with deli meat. Brian was very informative and ensured we were comfortable and safe and went at our pace. He gave plenty of options and customized the tour to what we wanted to see and experience. He had all the right equipment (binoculars for everyone and his scope could pickup I ages far away and he videoed the animals so we could have them for later). We saw black bear, mountain goats, grizzly bears (w/cubs), grey wolf and a black wolf pack (and of course tons of bison). If you are wanting to see wildlife we highly recommend Tied to Nature.

Had the most incredible experience riding e bikes in Harriman State Park then watching and listing…read moreto the elk bugling. Also my favorite place to cross country ski in the winter in Island Park.

Well hello there, Harriman State Park. You were quite surprising, but I'm so glad we're friends…read morenow! I was in this part of Idaho on a long weekend trip, and though there are some incredible national parks within a few hours of driving distance, we also wanted to take in some of the local sights and hikes, and Harriman happened to be on the list. We loaded up a picnic and made our way there. I wasn't expecting it to be as large as it is, but when you drive in you get a sense for it. We stopped at the kiosk to pay our $5 entrance fee, and there are maps all over with a bit of info. I was with some veterans of the park, so we knew to head to the picnic area where there was a lot of parking and then a small system of walkways with lots of picnic tables. We selected ours, dug in, and enjoyed a lovely lunch with sandwiches, apples, and all the things you should pack when going out for the day. We didn't have as much time as we thought we would, so we were looking to take a short hike when the nice rangers pointed us to a small loop. The signage here is pretty great, and each map tells you which signpost you are standing at, and then you find its corresponding number on the map. We walked along a river, through the historic buildings (and cabins for rent, apparently) which were all closed due to pandemic concerns, and then cut back along the river to the lakeshore. The views here of the water were awesome, and we spent a few moments on the bridge getting great photos. It's a nice combo of history, nature, trees, well-defined paths, and lots of waterfowl and animals. It's the kind of place you can kind of choose your own adventure and do what you want. I wish we would have had more time to do all the hiking, but our little loop was really quite satisfying.

These elk are elk-cellent! Why did the elk get braces? He…read morehad buck teeth! Har! These elk are sure big! They look like deer, but much, much, much bigger. When I went to Yellowstone, I saw the elk hanging out at Mammoth Hot Springs. The alpha male elk had a huge rack of horns, and started whacking them against a helpless tree. He seemed to be showing off what a badass he was to all the nearby girl elk, who were swooning over him. The elk buck gave the tree a good thrashing. I got chewed out by a park ranger over a bullhorn for getting out of my rental car to try to get a good photo. The elk of Yellowstone Park are tasty too- be sure to get some Elk jerky at most any gift shop around here, they're even in the burgers. Nom! If you ever wanna see some big racks, head out to Yellowstone.

I try to go every year to Yellowstone park to see the wild life mostly the elk,bison and bear. It's…read moreworth going at least once in a lifetime you won't be disappointed. Amazing time plus you'll see lots of wildlife outside the park.

Stayed at an air bnb right crossed from the Arch, it was so fun fun people watching. It is a pretty…read morefantastic arch.

The Arch is Beautiful and you can walk inside and drive thru. It is on way to park and normally Elk…read moreare nearby also check out Arch park right below the Arch. Worth stopping