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.

If you end up trying to save money by staying in Idaho when visiting Yellowstone rather than…read morestaying in Wyoming, this is likely the main entrance you'll use to exit and re-enter the park during the days you visit. This community that the entrance is next to is also called West Yellowstone, and there's a lot of cute stuff there including a national park visitor center, gas stations, souvenirs and gift shops, and of course lots of restaurants and dessert shops. As for the entrance itself: if you come in during the most congested hours (usually 8-10am or so), despite the fact that there are usually 5-7 lanes open, the traffic will back up all the way down the road from the entrance to the main road of west Yellowstone. People do a decent job of spreading out to try to get in as quickly as possible, but you will have to wait at least a bit. It looks a lot worse than it is; I went in around 8:30 am or so and the number of cars was absolutely ABSURD, but the wait for me to eventually get to a ranger was only about 20-25 minutes. After you get through the entrance, there is a short length of two lanes, and then that becomes one lane. So long as there isn't an animal crossing, the lane does move just fine (at speed limit which is 35-45 mph). Overall - don't be too dismayed by the crazy line to get into the park at this entrance, it does move fast and the advantage of a nice visitor center and tons of food, gas and other resources like minutes from that entrance makes it a great spot to look for lodging or a break in between a visit to Yellowstone.

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!

Yellowstone family adventures is a fantastic company. They genuinely made our visit a spectacular…read morememory we'll cherish forever. Trent was extremely knowledgeable about Yellowstone's natural wonders and the best places to view wildlife. He was flexible, patient and very accommodating. He went above and beyond even sticking around to take us to west Yellowstone restaurants after our daily tour. We saw all the natural wonders on our list, as well as most of the wildlife. We had some special moments like a momma grizzly with three, two year old cubs; a large bison traffic jam with babies, called red dogs; a baby elk hiding as it's mother is gone off feeding; a mountain goat with a baby; Coyote cubs; elks with calves; a black bear couple; and a wolf with cubs moving about. Because we are bird watchers, Trent adjusted our tour to accommodate some bird watching and we were able to check off quite a few birds on our life list. In setting up our tour, David was fantastic. He was patient and accommodating for our lodging needs. This made our trip extra special. We highly recommend Yellowstone family adventures for your trip to Yellowstone. We definitely plan on using them in the future.

My family of 5 just spent 7 days with Yellowstone Family Adventures and we had the times of our…read morelives! This is not a corporate tour company, it is ran by two brothers that will go out of their way to make sure they provide the perfect experience for your family! My husband caught his first Montana trout on a fly rod thanks to them! We didn't even have fly fishing in our 7 day itinerary, but my husband mentioned it to David on day two and he made it happen by the end of the trip! Thank you so much YFA for this wonderful experience! My kids are still taking about it! Money well spent! We visited in early May 2024.

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.

About roughly halfway during the Firehole Lake Drive off Grand Loop Road near Grand Prismatic…read moreSpring you'll reach White Dome Geyser. It is as the name suggests: it's in the shape of a white dome. It's definitely a lesser known geyser so if you're looking to avoid the crowds this will be a good geyser (along with the others on the road) to check out and hopefully catch an eruption.

Long time client, first time post. We have been float fishing with Gallatin River Guides for years!…read moreWe have been fortunate to have the same guide year after year. Like this guide taught my youngest how to fly fish when he was little. We originally was going to go with Wild Trout Outfitters a few doors down but they were so rude that we left. We are so thankful we did. The staff is great, we love the guides, even the lunch they get is delicious. We cannot say enough about Gallatin River Guides! If you are looking for fishing, look no further!

While in Big Sky visited Gallatin River Guides for a half-day Fly Fishing trip. Extremely helpful,…read morepatient and great selection from head to toe in what our group of 5 needed for an outstanding memory! Price was right in line with what you'd expect and a great value. We had a blast, and everyone caught plenty of fish! Lindsay was our particular guide, a MT native, who went above and beyond.

The two male employees were very friendly and helpful. They greeted us when we walked in and asked…read moreif they could find items for us. I ended up buying three pairs of outdoor pants, a down vest and jacket that were all on sale plus a pair of pants that were regular price. They had a good inventory of clothes in my size. The only negative was the dark, small changing room. I wish it had better lighting and more room so I could really see how the clothes looked.

If you're looking for a Fly Fishing trip in the Yellowstone area I highly recommend Madison River…read moreOutfitters! Competitively priced and our guide Jake was WONDERFUL! Enthusiastic, helpful and we caught lots of fish!! Highlight of our vacation! (July 2022)

If you have time stop in at the historic center and see all the the exhibits and historical info…read moreit's $10 a ticket for 2 days Well worth the stop

At the Yellowstone Historic Center has bunch of train artifacts from the old days of trains that…read morecome through Yellowstone National Park. They have three stage coaches on display next to the front door of the entrance and exit door. Also there is a fee to enter the establishment which is not bad. Once you get in you'll see some artifacts from the conductors and operators of the trains that came through. Also some clothing display and items from what was use on the trains and etc. Also they do have a theater inside which has some seating as well. If you want to learn about the historic trains come here.

What an Awesome Half Day spent with Arrick on the Madison River, the number of Fish caught far…read moreexceeded our expectations. A true Professional at his craft. We'll be seeing you again next June 2026 for (2) Days instead of one. As novice Fly Fishermen, my Wife & I left with a wealth of knowledge & a greater desire to be better at Fly Fishing. Thank you for your Professionalism & Kindness, you are truly a master at teaching & sharing knowledge... And "Bow" (Dog) looks forward to our return. Rick/Krista L.

Bucket list item checked off: Fly fish the Madison River in Montana…read more My husband and I had a wonderful full day fly fishing adventure with our guide Carl. He was so friendly and cared about every detail. We started with training and then hit the water. He was very patient and continued teaching throughout the day. He taught us about the area, the river and pointed out an Eagle flying overhead. We caught at least 10 fish, but only netted 3 or 4. Definitely not Carl's fault. His students got a little to excited and pulled the hooks. We loved learning from and fishing with Carl and definitely recommend him for YOUR adventure. Thank you Carl.

BEST TOUR EVER!…read more First, we are not "tour" people. We like to travel on our own and rarely find a tour company that does what they say they will do. That said, we loved our tour with Teton Floats! We took the two day Yellowstone tour out of Jackson Wy. The company was fabulous to work with. Kilmeny Hall, one of the company owners and tour coordinator, handled everything from our reservations to lunch orders. She is a true professional gem and is so accommodating. She answered all of our questions, and made the whole booking process so easy. Our tour guide, John Putrino, was absolutely the best tour guide we have ever had anywhere! He is organized and efficient in everything we did for two days. He knows all there is to know about Yellowstone and surrounding areas. He has a great spotting scope which allowed us to see even those far away animals in the park. We were able to see many bison, bears, and even a wolf pack (eating a baby bison). We also saw elk, prong horns, and a moose! We were also able to see many birds, including Trumpeter Swans, Sandhill Cranes, various hawks, and ravens. John knows all the best places to look for and see animals, as well as terrific spots to have lunch. Lunch was provided both days and the sandwiches were delish (along with the chips, cookies and fruit). The tour includes waters, binoculars, and granola bars. The van is very comfortable and easy to get in and out of. We had bathroom breaks and rest stops whenever needed. The two day tour was amazing. Day one we saw all the geothermal features, including Old Faithful, and the Grand Prismatic Spring. John told us where to stand for the best views and led us around all the features with lots of interesting information. We spent the night in Pray Montana at the Chico Hot Springs Resort, which we would highly recommend. Great cabins and a nice restaurant with a more casual Saloon if you don't want a huge meal. Day two was focused on wildlife and waterfalls. We went to the Lamar Valley and other areas including Yellowstone Lake and the upper and lower Falls. We cannot say enough great things about Teton Floats two day Yellowstone Tour. John is the best and is so knowledgeable and thoughtful. A joy to spend two days with! We are definitely going to return and take this tour again! Don't miss it.

Great tour of the Grand Tetons. Kilmeny was helpful in getting us better situated for pickup and…read moreEddie went above and beyond to make a great tour. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. A great day!