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.

Not a bad spot for a small crowd or a birthday party. Would like to hike the trail next to itread more

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

Nice Park at the entrance to the town with a few shaded pavilions and lots of parking you can also…read morewalk to the downtown lots of people being there make it safe. Nice basketball courts and soccer field clean bathrooms too

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.

I spent a day around Hebgen Lake learning about, finding, and exploring fault scarp and the…read moreaftermath of the 1959 earthquake at this location. This was as part of my geology field course in July 2015. When the fault formed part of the land moved down (slipped) relative to the other. You can think of it as the ground dropped down 10 feet along the fault itself. When the fault is fresh, the place where the land went swoosh is easier to identify. As time passes, the fault scarp slowly degrades and becomes less obvious. We also had to identify between which rock formations the slippage occurred. Some rocks are more slip prone kind of like some rocks are more prone to forming ridges. We also walked along the water's edge of the Lake and talked about the waves/seiches that formed as a result of the earthquake. The landslide dynamics were jaw-dropping. After the land slide, the land that was displaced sloshed in the valley. Imagine the amount of energy and precision of movement needed from Mother Nature to slosh the land and keep it in the valley. Worth a full day to explore!

Taking a road trip and this was an unplanned stop. So glad we stopped it was amazing. I was a…read morelittle disappointed that the only animals we saw were buffalo. I was excited to see Old Faithful but it wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. I liked all the geysers better. We were there 8 hours and still didn't see everything. If we were staying in the area longer we would have come back the next day. I'd go again.

- Sooo crowded. Tue 7am already a long slow line into Yellowstone's west entrance, particularly…read moretheir single paid pass lane. (America the Beautiful annual pass is $80.) . Two non-prepaid entrance lanes. . After passing the entrance booth, it's a 40min (25mi) drive to the nearest flagship destination, Grand Prismatic Spring. + On the bright side, on your way in you spot a cluster of fumaroles spewing steam high into the sky. It's like the Earth became a steaming hothead haha -- Even worse was the drive out. Tue ~8pm it's a looong slow line exiting Yellowstone's west side. Think I spent 40-60min sitting in that line. . In the morning, why not have 2-3 paid entrance lanes, and 2-3 exit lanes in the evening? Wanna go through here on a holiday or weekend? I don't even wanna imagine.

Five stars - It's Yellowstone, how could I give it anything less?…read more I'll keep this simple. There are moments in this park that you will feel like you are on another planet. The geysers and the hot springs are surreal. My favorites spots were the Grand Prismatic Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Fountain and Artist Paint Pots. I saw elks, bison, grizzly bears, and a wolf. My recommendations are: visit during off season (if you can), book a guided tour if it is your first time in the park, and get the America the Beautiful Pass.

Pros: 1. The…read morelandscape is absolutely stunning. Anywhere you turn there's a picturesque shot waiting to be captured. 2. The park is huge and deserved to be explored through and through. 3. Watching animals in their natural habitats and not in an enclosure is magical. 4. All the Yellowstone rangers are super helpful and ready to help if you're lost and not sure how to get to your destination. Cons: 1. The biggest cons to Yellowstone and the reason why I can only give the park 3 stars instead of 4 are the parking nightmares and lack of bathrooms, especially in the high-profile attractions. There is just no excuse for that when there's plenty of space to build more parking lots and bathrooms. 2. Somewhat related to #1, because the roads only have one lane for each direction, traffic logjams often occur when long lines of cars are formed trying to get into a parking lot that's already full. And since there's only one lane, it's not really possible to go around them if you're just trying to go straight. 3. Food pretty mediocre and extremely overpriced.

Hawt! These hot springs are a hot time! It's amazing- such…read morea crazy place! I've never seen anything like this before. It's a bunch of mineral deposits around hot springs that gurgle hot water and hiss steam. When we went, we saw a big heard of wild elk running through here. We got shouted at by the park rangers to get back in the car so we don't get gored or trampled. Too cool. There's scenic drives through the wildest of the hot springs which make for a scenic slow drive. There's plenty of places to pull off and take photos. Things can get crowded around here. There's lots of hiking through here as well, but it's not as accessible as the geyser basins. The best part of this is how it's largely accessible by car. There's some civilization around here as well, with a general store and restaurant, a hotel and a post office as well! Mammoth is a bit cut off from the rest of the park currently, due to the flooding that washed out the north entrance to the park.

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.

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.

We just got back from our first trip to Yellowstone. With four days to spend, we wanted our first…read moreday to be spent with an expert. Someone who really knew the park. Adam was that person. He's been coming to Yellowstone ever since he was a young boy. He knows about the park's history, the wildlife, the geology, and so much more. We saw a lot; we learned a lot. Adam's experience and wide network of park regulars helped us avoid a two-hour bison traffic jam. And brought us to a day-old elk who unfortunately had been discovered by a mother bear with two cubs. We also learned where the good bathrooms were located which came in handy when we explored the park on our own. If you want to see Yellowstone with an expert and friendly guide, get in touch Adam and 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.

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

Yellowstone National Park is nothing short of extraordinary. It feels like stepping into another…read moreworld where nature is raw, powerful, and constantly in motion. From erupting geysers to colorful hot springs, dramatic canyons, and endless wildlife sightings, every turn feels unreal.