freimund

My family will be driving through Yellowstone the end of August and plan on staying one day there. What are the musts to do on such a short stay? Thanks!

ALF

From north to south:

1. Mammoth Hot Springs and Terraces - huge hot springs arranged in multiple terraces of limestone.
2. Lower Yellowstone Falls - in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. These spectacular falls drop over 300 feet inside this narrow colorful canyon. Nice viewpoint from the top, and you can also hike to near the bottom.
3. Norris Geyser Basin. This has the hottest geysers and springs in Yellowstone. Walk through a series of hot springs ang geysers in two separate parts of the basin. Echinus Geyser is the biggest attraction.
4. Upper Geyser Basin. This one has Old Faithful - can't miss that! Check at the Visitor Center, near Old Faithful to see when other geysers are projected to go off. If you only have time for one geyser basin, go to Upper and skip Norris.
5. Yellowstone Lake. This huge lake occupies the central part of the Yellowstone volcanic caldera. Drive along the north coast, between Grant Village and Fishing Bridge.

If you are going from south to north, reverse this order.

richbutnot

We just got back last week. If you want to see wildlife then check out Hayden Valley between the lake and Canyon Junction and Lamar Valley heading out to the Northeast entrance. If possible, enter or leave via the Beartooth highway. Norris geyser basin isn't near as nice as the Old Faithfull area. Don't miss the Upper and Lower Falls at Canyon. Be aware, the road between Canyon and Tower will be closed this summer.

utahtea

To Alf,

You really think all that can be done in one day?

To freimund,

If you only have one day then I would concentrate on the Old Faithful Geyser area.

Then what else you see will depend on which route you are taking. What entrance and exit do you plan on taking thought the park?

Utahtea

jet519

My family went to Yellowstone several years ago in August. We stayed at Flagg Ranch Village the night before since we had been in Jackson Hole for several days. We left at 5:30 am. from Flagg Ranch to go to Yellowstone. (still dark at first so watch out for animals) By sunrise we were at West Thumb and saw deer, fox , etc. and had the whole place to ourselves. From there we took our time to explore the entire lower loop all day which does include Old Faithful, paintpots, Hayden Valley and all of the other stops in that section. It was fantastic and for the first few hours we didn't have to worry about crowds or traffic. we also took the hike to the brink of the lower falls I believe. It is fantastic although a little bit of a tough climb going back up, but well paved. We left from the east entrance and stayed at a very rustic family run lodge (Absaroka Lodge I think) somewhere between the east entrance and Cody. The kids loved it. We went back a few years later and came from Glacier to the north entrance so we saw Mammoth Hot Springs and the upper loop as well as hitting some of our favorite spots in the lower loop again. I was very disapointed in Mammoth area, a lot of it is dried up. So all in all, I vote for the lower loop if you have only one day. Almost all of the major areas are there. Have a great time.

freimund

Thanks for all the ideas!!! Just so you know, our trip starts in Kodiak, AK. Taking the ferry to Homer, driving to Tok, then the Yukon, Alaska Highway, Edmonton, down to Montana staying in Great Falls and next to Yellowstone. We have an 8yr old and 4 year old. It will be a long trip, but don't want to miss Yellowstone, not sure when we will be able to get there again. After Yellowstone, going to see Mt. Rushmore. Where do you think would be a good area to stay the night around Yellowstone?
Thanks again!!!!

ALF

I would suggest spending a long day in Yellowstone, then head out the south entrance and drive into almost-adjacent Grand Teton National Park. There are several really nice places to stay. We like the cabins at Colter Bay.

If want the most direct route to Mt Rushmore, though, you should take the east entrance (Route 14), and stay somewhere in the neigborhood of the nearby town of Cody.

jet519

We stayed at the Absaroka Lodge which was about 30 minutes- 45 from the east entrance of Yellowstone. It is a very rustic place with cabins, a lodge with a restaurant which is the only place to eat, but good. The cabins are very basic and old but we really like the place. I think most people staying there go for a longer period of time because they had horseback riding and some people stay there on fishing trips since there is a river nearby. It is nestled in between high cliffs and was a very "homey" place. After dinner in the restaurant, the owners said we were free to go build a fire in the little area by the creek and some playground equipment. We did it and sat around and looked at the stars which were incredible because there is no light pollution, especially at this place which seemed very remote. A couple of guys on a fishing trip came back with their catch and started cleaning it at a cleaning table nearby and our kids went over to watch and talked to them for a while. It was just a very different sort of place than where we usually stay and I had no idea what it would be like when I made the reservation but it turned out to be one my kids never forgot. The daughter of the owners was our waitress at dinner and she said she had to drive about two hours everyday to high school during the school year. It has been 5 or 6 six years since this trip, but check it out.