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    Lamar Valley

    4.7 (23 reviews)

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    Bison!
    Margaret P.

    Wow. Lamar Valley was probably my favorite place to visit in the park. We loved it so much, that even if it was out of the way, we decided to visit it twice while at Yellowstone. Lamar Valley is known for wildlife watching, and you will for sure get just that! The drive from Mammoth Hot springs is about 45 minutes to an hour. I wouldn't expect it to be any faster than that, as you want to be safe while driving out there - you'll never know if you'll run into a crossing deer, pronghorn, or whatever. Once we got into Lamar Valley, we immediately ran into Bison. We got excited when we saw our first one; we slowed down, took a ton of photos and kept driving. Little did we know the further we kept driving, the more bison we were going to run into. Boy, did we run into a ton! At one point we were absolutely surrounded by Bison. We were nervous for our car rental, but thankfully we made it out fine. There are plenty of stops where you can pull over and try your luck at finding a bear, wolves, foxes, pronghorns...but if it's your intent to find tons of wildlife, we HIGHLY recommend coming SUPER early or just at dusk. Have fun when coming here and be safe! Don't do anything that would risk your life or others when coming here...you're not at Disneyland. You're dealing with REAL wildlife animals.

    Drive to Lamar Valley
    Jacqueline T.

    This is supposed to be the best place in the park to see wildlife. Unfortunately, we didn't do it quite right and that wasn't the case for us. Tips to see the best wildlife: get there for sunrise and bring binoculars. We wanted to get there for sunrise, but with a 2 hour drive from West Yellowstone, we didn't make it. We only saw one bison. There was apparently a pack of wolves in the distance, but we didn't have binoculars so we couldn't see them. Not all was lost though because the valley and drive to the valley is gorgeous. There are some really great views in this area of the park. If I could do it again, I would wake up earlier to get there for sunrise and bring binoculars with me.

    A bison herd with wolves in them (we watched the wolves with binoculars later)
    Sandeep R.

    Lamar Valley is hands down one of the top places to visit if you're looking to view wildlife during your Yellowstone trip. In particular, you'll have the opportunity to view bison herds, wolf packs, grizzly and black bears as well as elk herds from various viewpoints in the valley. During our trip to Yellowstone, we managed to keep two evenings aside for coming here and were lucky and absolutely thrilled to be able to watch all of the above mentioned animals. With regards to time, I'd recommend coming here either at dawn (5-6 am) or closer to dusk (7pm onwards) as most bears and wolves are active during dawn or dusk. Wildlife watching requires a huge amount of patience and precision and so I'd recommend bringing the relevant equipment along for a meaningful experience (binoculars and scoped devices) and staying patient. The beauty of Lamar Valley lies in the fact that there are numerous viewpoints through the drive where you can essentially park your vehicle and view the vast landscape filled with majestic wildlife. With regards to wolf watching, I'd recommend coming down to Sloughcreek. If you're lucky and patient, you'll get the chance to witness a Wolfpack howl and many adult wolves calmly walking around the hills near sloughcreek through your binoculars.

    Nhina Y.

    If you're looking for the perfect drive with a beautiful view, take the long way to Yellowstone. Lamar Valley is beautiful and it is a must! There are so many little outlooks and pit stops on the drive to Yellowstone. I honestly did not think much when I told my husband that we were heading to Yellowstone on our annual family road trip. I gave him the destination and asked him to plan the entire route because I was working overtime the week prior. Of course, like most dudes, he didn't care much. He looked on the map and starting picking "popular" places. He knows that I don't like overly crowded places and I always avoid as many touristy places as possible but he did his "thing." I have to say, I was not disappointed! He drove us from Minnesota all the way to Yellowstone and the entire drive was a bliss. My favorite part of the trip was definitely stopping between Wyoming and Montana to take this gorgeous picture of the lake. Oh you know, I stood on the ledge I pretended that I was not this crazy girl trying to capture this breathtaking photo. The road is curvy so please avoid driving at full throttle. Seriously, take your time driving, immerse yourself in the beauty of this land, and smell the air, you won't regret it! You know that Instagram worthy picture you're looking for even if you're not that super outdoorsy girl? Yeah, you don't want to miss this route. You'll get plenty of that on this drive through Lamar. Anyways, lots of wildlife and really just enjoy the view. Last but not least, safe travels and have fun!

    Black bear looking for grub
    Robert C.

    1. The Lamar Valley, open mid May to October, has the largest concentrations of bison in Yellowstone National Park. 2. We got up at 6am, had a quick breakfast, and headed out to the Lamar valley, from our Lake Yellowstone hotel cabin. We wanted to get to the valley as early as possible when the animals are most active, and to beat the crowds of visitors. 3. It took us about 90 minutes to drive the 35 miles from Lake Yellowstone, through the Hayden Valley, and alongside the winding Mountain road adjacent to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 4. 25 mph speed limits, as you don't want to come around a blind curve and hit a 1000 lb bison with your car! 5. At Tower Roosevelt, after using the restrooms, we checked in with the ranger station, which directed us to a nearby location with a bear sighting at nearby Floating Island. 6. At Floating Island sure enough, there were dozens of cars parked alongside the road, with a ranger holding people back. A black bear was frolicking in the bushes about 50 yards away, sniffing around for berries and insects in fallen trees. You would too, if you couldn't afford the prices of food at these Yellowstone cafeterias! 7. We put in more gas in the rental car at the nearby gas station before going into the Valley. No gas stations in this valley, and it is 29 miles and a 1 hour drive to the Northeast park entrance. 8. Big sky country, grassland in the valley, with mountains in the background, and the Lamar river rapids running next to the road. Herds of dark brown adult bison, with the occasional bright orange calf tagging along in the distance. 9. Viewpoints for camera buffs with monster telephoto lenses cameras on tripods for picture stability to shoot long distance pictures across the valley of elk and pronghorn. 10. Traffic stopped for animal sightings and the even rarer restrooms! 11. Traffic on the 2 lane road comes to a halt several times in the Valley, with herds of bison crossing the road. And bison always have the right of way! 12. Whatever you do, do not leave your car when the herds of bison come alongside, as you do not want to pat the calf, and can't outrun 1000 lb mama! 13. One place, the bison calf leads the way, leaping right in front of the car from the roadside. 14. Eventually the Lamar river subsides, the Soda Butte creek takes over, and we drive uphill, gaining elevation, with snow capped mountains on both sides of us. 15. We check out a bunch of stopped cars on the roadside. The guy lets us take a look through his tripod mounted telescope of next door 10,400' Baronette Peak. 16. Pronghorn sheep on the rocky bluffs invisible to the naked eye, but visible through the scope. 17. Waterfalls on the Baronette Peak, just a few miles from the end of the Valley at the northeast entrance to the park. 18. On our way back, we see a herd of bison trying to forge the Lamar river at a shallow point, where adults can stand up and the calves can swim -I assume the calves have to swim, as their feet can't reach the bottom! 19. We see a herd of pronghorn with underdeveloped horns in the meadow. The wife says they are adolescent pronghorns, in herds for safety. 20. No grizzly bear sightings in the middle of the day -but come back at dusk and it may be another story! 21. While we are here, we head on over to Mammoth Hot Springs, 18 miles and 45 minutes away.

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    8 days ago

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    4 years ago

    Unfortunately Lamar Valley is closed due to the flooding in June. Such a pity. Yea m sure it would have been amazing

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    11 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The buffaloe....need I say more?!?!! You can just sit in awe of these amazing creatures for hours with your camera! We did!

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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Great strip to see tons of wildlife. Beautiful drive.

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    Review Highlights - Lamar Valley

    Traffic on the 2 lane road comes to a halt several times in the Valley, with herds of bison crossing the road.

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    Yellowstone National Park - Mammoth Hot Springs

    Yellowstone National Park

    4.6(619 reviews)
    36.5 mi

    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.

    Worth it. I enjoyed way more than I expected. Ethereal…read moreencounters. Like, what was that beast?? Not a deer, not a moose. I thought it was an alien. Didn't expect to happen upon snakes fighting. Or snakes at all for that matter. And yay for eternal geysers. I mean, OF is spectacular, but there's uncertainty with those timed eruptions. But the perpetuity of Clepsydra and Black Growler covered that for me. Also didn't expect for this anteater to be tasting rainbows or to be greeted with the-Earth-is-boiling-up scenery. And of course, bison passing within several feet of my car already sold the deal for me. One of the best national parks I've ever been to. Thank you Ulysses Grant for the precedent! Downsides: - long drives between popular attractions. - super crowded. - long, slow moving lines of cars. - crowded restrooms in some places. Need more.

    Photos
    Yellowstone National Park - Old Faithful

    Old Faithful

    Yellowstone National Park - Mammoth Hot Springs

    Mammoth Hot Springs

    Yellowstone National Park - Mammoth Hot Springs

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    Mammoth Hot Springs

    Yellowstone National Park - WEST Entrance - Terrace Spring | Yellowstone National Park | Rees's Roots

    Yellowstone National Park - WEST Entrance

    4.8(70 reviews)
    41.7 mi

    What a magical place. So fortunate that had the chance the visit and I can't wait to go back…read more I don't think I can add more to what's been said but I think these tips would help The first time visitor. 1. Yellowstone is a massive park and you'll need to be strategic before you visit as to what you want to experience 2. You will need Bear mace. Get it ahead of time. 3. Give yourself more time than you think. Distances are long, roads are slow, and wildlife jams are common. 4. Arrive early or stay late. Midday (10am-4pm) is busiest. Early mornings and evenings are quieter and best for wildlife You would think this is a no-brainer but I can't even put a number as to how many times international visitors ignored the placards and signs. This is why visitors fall into pools and don't come back. 5. Stay on boardwalks and trails. The ground can be dangerously thin and hot. 6. Never touch thermal features. Water can be near boiling and acidic. 7. Supervise kids closely. Injuries here are serious and often fatal. 8. Leave the animals alone. Keep a safe distance. The animals are not pets. The buffalos and deers let only bears can do serious damage to your vehicle. Imagine what they can do to you. Be respectful and leave them alone. General guidelines Bison, elk, deer: at least 25 yards (23 m) Bears & wolves: at least 100 yards (91 m) Bison are NOT docile. They injure more people than bears. Lastly, keep a plastic bag for your trash in your car and dump properly. Yellowstone has this rule about trash Pack it in, pack it out If you bring it, you take it with you. This includes food scraps, peels, wrappers, and tissues. I learned a lot and left my heart there. Can't wait to go back.

    - 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.

    Photos
    Yellowstone National Park - WEST Entrance - Lichens

    Lichens

    Yellowstone National Park - WEST Entrance
    Yellowstone National Park - WEST Entrance

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    Yellowstone Wolf Tracker - Took this picture without their guides. I recommend visiting Lamar Valley on your own.

    Yellowstone Wolf Tracker

    4.6(11 reviews)
    20.0 mi

    Nathan, Michelle, Jamie and the rest of the folks running the operation are great. Saw wolves three…read moretimes, including a bonus sighting from the porch on the morning we were leaving. The catered dinners were notably excellent--a step above typical tour food. And the guest speakers and presenters were informative and engaging.

    One of the guides, Jamie, was very rude to other guests in the park. He would set up his spotting…read morescope in front of other people visiting Yellowstone, and he tried to gatekeep spotting animals. At one point he seemed to spot something and showed his clients. When a public visitor asked him what he was looking at, he made several rude remarks and refused to show others. I talked to some other guides and they were very kind, but Jamie needs to recognize that Yellowstone is a public park and he doesn't own any of the viewing spots. I would never support a company with employees as rude as Jamie. Also, this company doesn't actually "track" wolves. They drive to parking spots and set up spotting scopes to view them from very far away. You can easily do the same thing on your own; just bring/rent binoculars and stop wherever you see groups of other people looking. Here are some pictures I took on my own without the guides. Just get to Lamar Valley at sunrise and wildlife is everywhere! It's honestly more fun to talk to other guests and spot animals together instead of paying for a rude guide to show you and hide it from others.

    Photos
    Yellowstone Wolf Tracker - Took this picture without their guides. I recommend visiting Lamar Valley on your own.

    Took this picture without their guides. I recommend visiting Lamar Valley on your own.

    Yellowstone Wolf Tracker - Took this picture without their guides. I recommend visiting Lamar Valley on your own.

    Took this picture without their guides. I recommend visiting Lamar Valley on your own.

    Yellowstone Wolf Tracker - Yellowstone Wolf Tracker founders and owners Dr. Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston.

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    Yellowstone Wolf Tracker founders and owners Dr. Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston.

    Old Faithful

    Old Faithful

    4.6(103 reviews)
    35.4 mi

    This was our main site seeing destination inside Yellowstone National Park. We got to the area…read moreright on time because about 5 minutes after we got to the geyser it went off. It was a really cool experience and a must when visiting Yellowstone. I know when my family came this way when I was a child, while most others got to see it, I wasn't feeling well so my mom and I hadn't gotten a chance that trip to come to Old Faithful. I'm glad I was finally able to see it in its full glory. It is quite crowded, so when it comes to pictures just try to stay aware of your surroundings. Try to stay out of main pathways as well as being conscious of the fact it's practically impossible to get photos without others in the background and you'll probably end up in some photos too. If you're already here, don't skip past this well known spot, it's a fun experience for sure. The park is big so if you want to see it all I can see it taking days, especially since the fastest you can go is 40-45 miles an hour with a lot of areas actually being closer to 25. Both my husband and I were so glad we stopped by.

    You don't go to Yellowstone and skip Old Faithful-you just don't. Even if it's June and snowing…read moreoutside. You bundle up and go, baby! There's a massive parking lot and some paved walkways to get to the viewing area-very accessible to all. Signs outside will indicate the next anticipated eruption time-which are usually pretty accurate, hence the name. It's a fun experience-gathering with a bunch of other excited strangers, watching and waiting for Mother Nature to burp. As people are waiting, they are taking each other's pictures for them, asking where everyone is from and inquiring about the wildlife sightings experienced that day. It's community building. The actual eruption lasts just a few minutes, but is worth seeing at least one. And who knows? Maybe you'll make a new friend while you wait.

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    Old Faithful
    Old Faithful
    Old Faithful

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    Lamar Valley Touring

    Lamar Valley Touring

    5.0(2 reviews)
    22.4 mi

    We booked a sunrise tour with Claudene. The trip was…read moreamazing. Claudene was knowledgable, friendly, patient, & a safe driver. She brought along good drinks & snacks, as well as binoculars & a scope to bring far-away wildlife closer. She even shared a library of images & videos from our tour--what a great memento. We highly recommend!

    My girls and I were celebrating our summer birthdays together in Montana for the first time. We…read morekicked off our stay with Lamar Valley Touring the following day. Bright and early, but worth it. We communicated with Audra way in advance and shared our desire to do a 1/2 day tour. We didn't have a long stay and wanted to maximize our visit to Yellowstone. She customized our trip exactly the way we wanted. Typically, the tours start very early (5-6a) but since we were coming from Big Sky, we could only meet our tour guide, Spencer, at 7a. It was the most amazing tour. Spencer took us to Slough Creek to see if we could spot wolves. We set up shop, had our binoculars and sure enough after 30 minutes, an entire den of wolves and their pups came out! We then moved over to another spot and witnessed coyotes defending their kill with a lone wolf. It was a sight. Then we saw a herd of bison, and a solo bison crossing the bridge. We saw red tail hawks, a red fox and white mountain. All slights were captured on video by our fabulous expert tour guide, Spencer. Suffice to say, our short visit to Yellowstone was incredible and more than we could ever imagine. Thanks to Spencer! https://lamarvalleytouring.com/

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    Lamar Valley Touring
    Lamar Valley Touring
    Lamar Valley Touring

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    Canyon Campground - campsite

    Canyon Campground

    4.2(25 reviews)
    15.1 mi

    If you're planning a camping trip to Yellowstone I'd highly recommend Canyon Campgrounds as your…read morehomebase. The tent sites are excellent. Lodgepole pine trees permeate the area and offer nice coverage. The sites are good sized, the bathrooms have hot hand dryers for cold days and have large dishwashing stations attached. The "village" is very cute - plenty of shops, a sporting goods store, good restaurant options, a post office, and much more. The prices were great - $5.50 local IPA pints on tap, $2 for a nice bowl of real mashed potatoes and gravy, etc. A short walk to Yellowstone falls, as well as a short drive in any direction to other major attractions. When we were here it snowed but the pines were easy to tie tarps off of. This site drained really well, and so although we had lots of precipitation we stayed very dry. There is firewood by at the camp entrance and they give you hot showers for every day that you're there. Because of the high altitude wood fires don't start that well, so bring some charcoal lighter fluid or something. Highly recommended - we will be back!

    The campground itself was great. Bear boxes, easy access to many spigots for water, bathrooms…read morenearby, picnic tables and fire pits at each site, and showers. My only complaint was that our specific site (A7) wasn't very level and it was difficult to find a flat enough spot to set up our tent. We ended up sleeping on quite the angle, which after 3 nights is obviously not ideal. I also wished the showers were open 24/7. If people are out watching wildlife until later into the evening or get up earlier to get a good start on their day they end up missing the hours for showers.

    Photos
    Canyon Campground - Campsite

    Campsite

    Canyon Campground - Camp D83

    Camp D83

    Canyon Campground - Canyon Campground

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    Canyon Campground

    Lamar Valley - hiking - Updated July 2026

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