Yellowstone One Day Itinerary:  Northbound

Because of the vast size of Yellowstone National Park, it is best to break down its sites and visit the different areas on different days.  On our first day in the park we headed north, getting a taste of some of its most unique areas.  

We departed our cabin in West Yellowstone and headed into the park.  As usual, there was a backup at the entrance, as Yellowstone is one of the most popular national parks to visit and we were here in peak summer season.

Once in, we followed Grand Loop Road until we hit Madison Junction and took a left to head north.

Gibbon Falls

Along the route we came across Gibbon Falls and pulled into the small lot, finding a spot.  We walked along the pathway, checking out the 84 foot falls and river, ending at the furthest point for the best views.

Gibbon Falls

Artists Paint Pots

From Gibbon Falls we headed to our first planned stop of the day, Artists Paint Pots.  The paint pots are a great introduction into the geothermal activity you will see throughout Yellowstone National Park.  

Artists Paint Pots also has a relatively small lot, with cars often spilling onto the entrance road.  We found a spot as someone was leaving, which tends to be the case much of the time!

The path is flat and dusty, taking you through groves of pine trees until you reach the boardwalk area.

Artists Paint Pot Trails

The boardwalks run along these “paint pots”, aptly named for their variety of colors and features.  Some are gray, bubbling mud pots resembling a clay you might want to sculpt with! 

Bubbling mud pot | Artists Paint Pots

Others are milky blue or deep orange, some steaming, some bubbling, some placid, but still emitting immense heat!

Milky blue pools | Artists Paint Pots

Steam rises from the ground and you can feel the heat just from walking by.

Steam rising, the pools are so hot! | Artists Paint Pots

We did the full one mile loop, climbing the stairs to take in the views from above. 

View from the top of the boardwalk trail | Artists Paint Pots

This was a great place to see our first geothermal activity.  The trail was easy, the views were great, and the variety here was interesting.

Norris Geyser Basin

From Artists Paint Pots it was off to Norris Geyser Basin, one of the most popular places to visit in Yellowstone.  There is a decent sized parking lot here, however traffic routinely gets backed up as people wait for spots to open.  Park Rangers then close the entrance to the lot for a period of time until people clear out and they will then reopen it.  This causes people arriving during that window to have to park along the designated areas on the roadway.  Your only choice is to then hike up to the trailhead.  Both times we visited, rangers closed the lot around 1:00 p.m. for a short duration, right after we parked.  The earlier you arrive, the better your chances for getting a spot in the parking lot.

From the parking lot, the trailhead is just a short distance.  And this trailhead is also short, taking you to the small museum on site, the Norris Geyser Basin Museum.  Either side of the museum flanks the paved trail and features placards and information on what you will see here.  As you exit the museum and walk towards Norris Geyser Basin, your first view is through the trees…and it is awesome!

First view of Norris Geyser Basin

We took our time walking the boardwalk and headed to the right first.  

Norris Geyser Basin

Here, we had great views of the entire basin as well as a close up view of the steam rising.   A breeze came along (very welcome on this warm summer day!) and blew the steam with it, which looked cool!  

Blowing steam | Norris Geyser Basin

Back on the boardwalk, we then headed in the other direction for a much longer walk.  We passed more small geysers, turquoise hot pools, and what looked like barren land.  But don’t be fooled by the exterior, underneath the ground is alive!  

Norris Geyser Basin

Museum of the Park Ranger

While we didn’t stop here because we wanted to get to our picnic lunch, this museum is located right off Grand Loop Road heading north from Norris Geyser Basin and worth a stop if you have extra time.

Picnic Lunch

We had planned a lunch stop at this time and ended up at Beaver Creek picnic area just up the road from Norris Geyser Basin.  We found a shady picnic table and enjoyed our packed lunch while listening to a rushing river nearby and a breeze blowing through the trees.

Sheepeater Cliff

The name of this area comes from the Shoshones who inhabited this area, also known as Tukudika, which translates to “sheepeater”. 

We drove by at first, but saw lots of people parked with cameras out.  Here a lone bison sat in the grass in the middle of a small clearing.  We made a note to stop if he was still there on our way back (he was!)

Bison at Sheepeater Cliff

Mammoth Hot Springs

The most unique area of Yellowstone National Park goes to Mammoth Hot Springs, on the north side of the park.  Featuring terraces of varying sizes and colors, this place looks like you have stepped foot on another planet.  To park here, enter one of the lots located off Grand Loop Road.  Once again, we got the only spot left in the lot when we arrived, and this was in the late afternoon!

At the Lower Terraces, more boardwalks take you on a walkway throughout the area, past ochre colored terraces with water running down as well as among chalky white areas that look barren.  

A variety of terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs

From the top you also get great views of the village of Mammoth Hot Springs.  This area has a small gas station, shops, restaurants, lodge, and even post office!

Looking down to the village of Mammoth Hot Springs

Right before reaching the Lower Terraces, you have the option of driving the Upper Terraces, a one-way, 1.5 mile drive taking you past more unique hot springs.

Roosevelt Arch – Gardiner, Montana

The ending point of this northbound day is at Roosevelt Arch.  This is the official northern entrance to the park and a special one at that. 

Roosevelt Arch

President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone on this arch, as he was a big proponent of protecting this area.  The arch is a symbol of all that was to come in our national park system, currently a park that includes 63 individual national parks!  As a national park lover, I knew I had to see it, and it was grand!

Roosevelt Arch is a special spot in Yellowstone

From here, you can plan to spend some time in Gardiner, a town built right on the edge of the park.  There are restaurants, touristy spots, and souvenir shops.  We didn’t stay, so we turned around and drove back to West Yellowstone. 

The entire drive one way clocks in around 53 miles.  This took us several hours, of course, with all the stops at each place, plus a picnic lunch.  We did this drive beginning around 9:00 a.m. and arrived back at our cabin in West Yellowstone around 4:30 p.m.   Our northbound day was a great introduction into all the amazing things we would see in Yellowstone in the days to come!