Amazing! The rumors were true. + Bison nonchalantly…read morecrossing the road, slowing down lines of cars. My 3rd animal crossing this vacation! - The western entrance to Lamar Valley at Tower Junction (Tower/Roosevelt Service Station) was way backed up. Many cars, slow line. * Even with many families waiting behind you, savor the moments. Not often in your life you get to witness Bovidae walking right in front of you. . Tip: better replenish at the Sinclair gas station. Will be a long drive ahead. # Warning: Don't feed them, and certainly don't touch them. Ancestrally, bison had to view us hunters as predators. And mothers recognize their calves by scent. If you touch a calf, your human predator scent will alienate the mother; she may not even recognize her young anymore, and it won't be able to rejoin the herd Dx Disastrous fate for the calf afterwards... So yeah, stay in your car. Or exit at one of the pullouts, but keep your distance. Welcome to America's Serengeti!

I had no real expectation of the Lamar Valley, but had heard that this was a good spot to see…read morewildlife. And did we see wildlife. Pronghorn, a rare native fish, BISON EVERYWHERE, deer. We even got stuck in a kind of scary bison jam for about 20 mins. Huge bison were right next to our car and it very much reminded me of the scene of Jurassic Park when the t-rex got out and the passengers were freezing so it wouldn't see you. We found 1 particular spot to get out and hike. It was called Trout Lake. It was a beautiful, moderate (but mostly flat and easy) walk that my kids could do easily. The scenery was really pretty too. We turned the car around at Trout Lake to head toward Tower Fall, but I've heard it's still pretty when you continue on. A definitely while do. I think we spent about 4 hours in the Lamar Valley with the drive and the hike stop.

Beehive Basin never disappoints! One of the most breathtaking places I have ever been! The…read morewildflowers were in all their splendor. Brilliant colors of blues, pinks, reds, yellows, whites and orange were everywhere! A sight to behold for sure! The views of Lone Mountain and the Spanish Peaks, to name a few, were spectacular. Gentle streams and waterfalls surrounded by lovely flowers were soothing to the eyes & ears. There are a few steep inclines on the hike, but worth every breath you take! In some spots on the trail, the fragrance of trees immediately takes your senses to Christmas! If you love outdoors, flowers, streams, rocks and spectacular views, you need to do this hike. You will have one of the most memorable experiences of your life!

Gorgeous!! Trail is well marked. Go early (we went about 9:30) because as it gets later, it's…read morebusy and hard to find parking. Meadows with gorgeous wildflowers, creeks with babbling brooks, forest areas, ponds, rock formations, and mountain views. We went past the trail over some boulder fields and up to the top, about 10,300ft elevation. It was tough but worth it!

We happened upon this overlook up the mountain. It was a nice panoramic view . We didnt do the…read morehike .. just drove and got out to look around on our way out of the park.

Mt. Washburn is one of the most popular hikes in Yellowstone National Park at 10,219 feet. It…read moreoffers panoramic views 20-50 miles in all direction -- really nice views of the Washburn range from up top. You climb about 1,393 feet. There is a Mt. Washburn sign at the top with the elevation and a fire lookout that has a small exhibit inside. Since it is pretty popular, I recommend hiking in the morning before 10am to avoid the crowds and get a parking spot! There are two ways to hike up to Mt.Washburn: 1) Chittenden Road: 5 miles roundtrip, roughly 2.5- 4 hours. The trail starts at the parking lot and is the shortest route up Mt. Washburn. The road provides a wide trail and a gradual steady incline. 2) Dunraven Pass: 6 miles roundtrip, roughly 3-6 hours. I heard this trail is steeper and more wooded and forest-like. Great views as you're ascending Washburn though. I personally hiked Washburn up the Chittenden Road and saw lots of ewes and lambs. It was a pretty easy hike since the incline was gradual. Beautiful views at the top! Make sure you stay on the trail for both paths to avoid destroying fragile alpine vegetation. There is a possibility to see grizzlies especially late summer and fall so remember to carry bear spray and make lots of noise! Stay 100 yards away from bears and wolves and 25 yards away from other animals in the park.

This trail still exists, except it stops where the steps once existed. So it's a very steep trail,…read morea lot of switchbacks, leading to the top of the falls. Even without the stairs, it's quite a significant climb back to the parking lot so if you're not in good condition, don't attempt!

August 2022 Update: when my fiancé and I went, two rangers informed us that they are officially…read morePERMANENTLY closing this trail. They went down to take out the sign and will not be allowing anyone to go through the stairs. They said it is too expensive to fix and costs millions of dollars with the rescues, especially with the amount of money they are spending to fix the roads from the flooding. Obviously really sad but Uncle Tom's trail is no more :(

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.

Great little mile hike. Perfect for beginners or a good warm up before you go on a bigger hike…read more Always love taking visitors to Ousel, kind of sets the tone. The falls are always beautiful anytime of year.

Beautiful hike, even in the winter. On reviews I read that this hike was a loop, it is NOT a loop…read more You return the way you started. It was currently snowing on the hike and I saw someone hiking it in Uggs, snow shoes are not necessary at all. You can explore and be here no more than an hour, it was really cold when my husband and I did it so we lasted maybe about 30-40 minutes

Ignore Google Maps when it warns you that part of the road here is unpaved for the last leg of the…read moredrive. It's actually recently paved, so you have a smooth ride to the parking lot! The path to the waterfall is also paved with asphalt so it's a smooth walk up and great for strollers. There are two vault toilets at the parking lot, and a small picnic area near the entrance of the parking lot. This is an amazing waterfall. Water cascades down a columnar basalt face so it's particularly stunning. I've seen amazing columnar basalt formations (Devils Tower, Devils Postpile), but none with a water element. It's very memorable. I saw some people trying to scramble up the rocks to get to the top of the waterfall, but I'm not sure how safe that is. From satellite photos it looks like there's just forest up there anyways.

Amazing Hiking trail and falls!!! If you're looking for a…read morefairly easy, clean, green, and amazing trail. This is the right place. All the way up is paved which makes the experience nicer and easier, if you're not looking to break a leg going up haha. The sunset up there are amazing and all pictures are Instagram worthy!!! I took my 70 year old grandma and she enjoyed the hike and even made it from start to finish. The ride there is a bit intense with many curves so I'd recommend to take a bag for those that may get car sick. I'll be coming back to Montana, just for this beauty!

Really liked renting during our trip to Yellowstone. 3-7 day rental was super affordable as was day…read moreto day. The owner of the kiosk was super helpful and her video she has about what to do in bear attacks was alot more useful than rangers just telling us to carry spray. Planning another trip next year and going to rent again!

From the owner: Bear spray rentals and hiking goods in Yellowstone National Park between May and September…read more Located adjacent to the Canyon Village Visitor Center in Yellowstone National Park, we offer bear spay rentals on a daily ($9.25) or weekly, 3 to 7 days ($28.00) basis. Learn how to hike safely in Yellowstone, avoid bear encounters, and protect yourself with the last line of defense in the event of a bear attack.

We ended our first day in Yellowstone at Inspiration Point, and honestly, it was the perfect way to…read moreclose out an unforgettable day. After hours of exploring the park, nothing could have prepared us for what was waiting at the end of that drive. The view of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Inspiration Point is absolutely stunning -- one of those rare moments where you stop talking and just stare. The canyon drops away dramatically below you, the yellow and orange walls glowing warm in the late afternoon light, and the sheer scale of it all hits you all at once. It's breathtaking in the truest sense of the word. We came with family, including a young child, and even they were in awe. The viewing area is accessible and easy to navigate, which made it even better. No difficult hiking required -- just drive up, walk a short path, and let nature do the rest. Inspiration Point earns its name completely. This isn't just a scenic overlook -- it's a moment you'll carry with you long after you leave Yellowstone. Absolutely worth the drive. Don't miss it.

I was walking thinking it was gonna be some normal yellow stone look out. And then BOOM! I see a…read moremassive, beautiful, flowing waterfall and I just had to stand there for a second and take it in. This is a MUST visit at Yellowstone national park. I would definitely recommend

Artist Point has an amazing canyon view of a 308-ft waterfall. Easy to get to…read more We heard that Artist Point, near Canyon Village, was one of the best sights in Yellowstone National Park. The drive from the West Entrance was essentially west to east, with a jog to the north halfway-there. The elevation was increasing most of the way, getting as high as 8244-ft. We found the turns on the drive to be visually confusing, because the curving roads turned our sense of direction. At the Madison stop sign, though the turn seemed odd, we turned left onto Grand Loop Road. That was northeast. It's correct. Passing Norris Geyser, it looked odd but we turned right (east) onto Norris Canyon Rd. Coming up to the east branch of the Loop Road, we turned right (south). The entrance to South Rim Drive was then a left. It's even more confusing on the way back, because they never seemed to put a sign saying "to West Entrance" until a mile past the turns :-). Pro tip: Keep a map in front of you at those turns! Once we turned onto South Rim Drive, we drove the winding way for less than 2-miles to the end. There was a large parking lot with plenty of open spaces, plus outhouses. It was a high elevation there, about 7700-ft, and some of us felt it. Conveniently, we could drop off those who walk less comfortably at the furthest end of the parking lot, about 250-feet from the best vista. We walked to the overlook on the left. t. The 1-mile view to the west along the Yellowstone River was stupendous, with the huge crashing misting Lower Falls waterfall dropping 308-feet. We were awed by the midday view. In fact, three of our group had gone their separate way by now, and when they saw our photos, they drove here on their own the next day! They say that sunrise often creates a rainbow in the mist, but we could not manage to pass through the west entrance early enough for the at-least 90-min (usually longer) drive. From what I read, you need a low sun-angle (less than 45°) to get a rainbow in the mist. Based on a (very-)very-nerdy NOAA Solar Calculator webpage, using the Lat-Lon and time, we might have been able to see a rainbow as late as 8:50am in July. (2026). I won't say who in our group figured that out, because I'd also have to say it was After our trip :-)

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone -- Lower Falls Do it in…read morethis order. Trust me. If Yellowstone had a crown jewel, this is it. We hit the Lower Falls from two different angles, and the order we did it made all the difference. Start at Artist Point. From here, you get the full picture -- the entire canyon stretching out in front of you, walls layered in pink, red, orange, and white from thousands of years of iron-stained rock. The waterfall sits in the distance like something out of a painting, and the river winds through the bottom of a canyon that drops 800 to 1,200 feet deep. It gives you the context to appreciate everything else you're about to see. Blue sky, puffy clouds, massive scale -- this view alone is worth the drive. Then hike down to the Brink of the Lower Falls. This is where it gets real. You're standing right at the top of a 308-foot drop, watching the full force of the Yellowstone River launch off the edge. In early May, snowmelt had it absolutely roaring -- thick mist rising up, patches of snow still clinging to the rocks below, and if the sun hits right, a rainbow forms right at the base. See the canyon first. Then feel the power up close. That's the move. Absolutely mandatory stop in Yellowstone -- don't skip either viewpoint.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​