This is one of the lesser known parts of Yellowstone National Park that is worth checking out for a…read morebit. It's a short loop near Grand Prismatic Spring (only a couple minutes north) and you turn from Grand Loop Road into a narrow road. There are a good amount of geysers on this drive although I only went to a few of them before turning around to get out. I went to the firehole spring, the great fountain geyser, the surprise pool, and the white dome geyser. I wouldn't say that there was anything special about these set of geysers and springs that you wouldn't be able to see elsewhere in the park, but I went on an early Sunday morning so there was absolutely no one which was nice and peaceful.

Closed to vehicles…read more We wanted to see Artesia Geyser on Firehole Lake. Part of our hope was that elk and bison are sometimes reported there in the mornings. However, Firehole Lake Drive to both of these features was closed to vehicles (Jul 2026). Note: We don't see this closure with the others mentioned on the NPS "conditions" web page. Later, we found it was clearly marked in the app, and tracked back to a "parkroads" map on the webpage.

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.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone -- Lower Falls Do it in this 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.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Absolutely breathtaking place! The area is very green, peaceful, and full of natural beauty. There…read morewas lots of flowing water, and the sound of the falls made the whole experience even more relaxing. The canyon views are just WOW -- the massive rock formations surrounding the waterfall make it feel unreal. Pictures really don't do it justice. The hike is a little challenging in some areas, but it's totally worth it once you reach the falls and see the views. The trail itself is beautiful, with amazing scenery all around. Definitely one of the most beautiful spots in Yosemite National Park!

Another must do when visiting the Canyon area of Yellowstone National Park. A very easy walk to…read morethe Brink of the Upper Falls for a great view of the falls. Also recommend the the Upper Falls View, Uncle Tom's Trail (when it is open again) and Artist Point on the South Rim and Brink of the Lower Falls, Lookout Point (take the additional walk down to the lower viewpoint) on the North Rim.

The Upper Falls on Yellowstone River is a 109-ft waterfall, north off South Rim Road, close to…read moreGrand Loop Road, while the Artist Point viewing area is further along South Rim. It's about a 200-ft walk west from parking to the southwest view to Upper Falls, named "upper" because it's upstream from "Lower" Falls. One of us got photos through the trees of another smaller falls, possibly Crystal Falls. And there is a different path that takes you north from parking to another view of Upper Falls, but it's a strenuous 0.2-mi hike, and we didnt take that hike. The parking area is small, but not too small for the popularity of the site. There are outhouses in the parking lot and, surprisingly, flush-toilets just to the north of the lot.

This is a short .3 mile leisurely walk to the Upper Falls View from the parking lot of the Upper…read moreFalls Overlook on the South Rim Drive. Besides the Brink of the Upper Falls, this is the best spot to view the falls. There is also a left fork right before you get to the platform view that adds a nice walk along the river with great spots to view additional cascades.

There was road construction on Gallatin coming into West Yellowstone from the north. (Jul 2026)…read more From 5 to 7mi north of West Yellowstone, just south of US First Service Road 1781, off the east side of US-191 Gallatin Road, we found a winding 3mi dirt trail, Cougar Creek Road. Our rental had 4WD, which we'd recommend for this detour. It was bumpy and dusty and winding. You also need a good sense of direction to make the correct turns. We had to pull over for the one vehicle we met coming the other way. It probably saved us 15min, and a bunch of annoying stop and go annoyance. Around halfway, we strayed east on FS 1790, along the very edge of Yellowstone National Park property! We love cheap thrills ;-)

Lake Yellowstone was a pretty place to relax, maybe nap, . Pretty. Cooling breeze (Jul 2026). At…read moremidday on a Wed (Jul 2026), Lake Village was about a 50min drive east from Old Faithful, along south Grand Loop Road. We stopped at the Lake Village Picnic area with 4 or 6 tables. The colors of the lake and the vista beyond are ever changing. We saw hazier greener views at 12:35pm become lighter then darker blues by 1:58pm. We saw green pines along most of the drive. Then the kids frolicked on gnarly grey deadwood at the beach in Lake Village. (When not supervising the kids, the adults napped in their camp-chairs :-) There were no restroom right at the picnic area. A hotel is nearby, with a nice restaurant and a sort of sandwich deli cafe. Just up the coast in town is a general store with an old fashioned diner-style deli. In that parking lot is a park-maintained waterless outhouse. And in town a little north of that is a lodge with a sort of sandwich deli.

This tour group showed up at the picnic area we were eating at in Yellowstone. I was impressed by…read morethe efficiency of the guides in getting the meal out quickly I spoke to two of the clients who praised the tour. What is special about this company is that the owners are the guides so you are guaranteed to get their best people. Compared to a number of guides I heard in Yellowstone essentially reading the signs at the attractions to the clientele I would be inclined to use this firm if I were to go again.

One of our BEST days in Yellowstone! Tyrene was a fabulous guide who shared her knowledge and…read morepassion for the park and conservation. We learned so much and it was full of excitement- we spotted grizzlies, wolves, pronghorn, sandhill cranes and moose! The importance of our footprint on the earth and it's impact on these incredible species which we were able to view in their natural habitat was truly priceless! TY Tyrene for sharing your love of Yellowstone- we will never forget this special, WILD day!

Our ideal bison sighting! A huge herd with calves!…read more From the south end of the Mud Volcano Trailhead parking lot, for about of a quarter mile south, we were very close to a sizeable herd of at least 40 bison around 3pm between the south Grand Loop Road and the Yellowstone River. (Jul 2026). The herd included at least three two-month-old "red dog" calves. When the bison started moving, we immediately moved further away, and Rangers maintained awareness of our safety and the safety of the herd. By midafternoon of our first day of our self-guided Yellowstone trip was already so full of amazing experiences!