One Day Itinerary in Yellowstone: The Park's Stars

One Day in Yellowstone: The Park's Stars

Yellowstone National Park is a massive national park, full of great adventures in all its corners. Every direction you head presents a completely different day with unique sites to see. During our time in Yellowstone, we spent three full days in different areas of the park and created easy-to-follow one day itineraries, including a Northbound Day and an Eastbound Day. In this particular itinerary we head south, hitting the park’s stars: Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK FACTS

America’s First National Park

LOCATION: Wyoming & Montana
CLOSEST CITY: Bozeman, MT
ANNUAL VISITORS: 4.7 million
4th most visited U.S. National Park (out of 63)
BECAME A NATIONAL PARK: 1872
TOP THINGS TO SEE & DO: Visit Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful

Where we stayed

Explorer Cabins | West Yellowstone

We loved these little cabins on the edge of the town of West Yellowstone. We had access to local grocery stores and things to do in the evenings. The cabins were great for the three of us: we had a bedroom, pull out sofa, and a kitchenette plus a cozy porch to hang out on in the evening sipping a cocktail and playing cards.

On Today’s Agenda:

Firehole Canyon & Firehole Falls
Old Faithful
Continental Divide
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook

A note about this itinerary: This itinerary is for the summer months, when all the roads are open. It is also recommended to do it in the order laid out.

Below is a map with all of the stops marked in purple. The red marker is our cabin in West Yellowstone, where our itinerary begins.

Yellowstone One Day Itinerary: Southbound – The Park’s Stars

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 this day we headed south, visiting the park’s most famous sites.

We departed our cabin in West Yellowstone and headed into the park by 7:00 a.m. We had just a short line at the entrance gate and were on our way.

Once in, we followed Grand Loop Road until we hit Madison Junction and took a right to head south. Just under two miles after turning right at Madison Junction onto Grand Loop Road we have a recommended detour that will take just a short amount of time, Firehole Canyon Road.

Firehole Canyon and Firehole Falls

Visiting Firehole Canyon was recommend by a park ranger and it is a fantastic drive. Firehole Canyon Road follows the Firehole River on a nice, one-way, two mile drive, ending just past the beautiful Firehole Falls. This is an easy detour to add on and just adds a little bit of time.

Firehole Canyon & Falls | Yellowstone One Day Itinerary

Another option is to add this on at the end of the day and park your vehicle in one of the pull outs, possibly adding in a picnic dinner after the full day of sightseeing.

Old Faithful

Welcome to Old Faithful, probably the most famous feature in any national park!

The Old Faithful Village is enormous with multiple lodges, a huge general store, gift shops, museums, restaurants, and even a post office. One can spend hours here perusing all there is to see and do here.

The parking lot is massive so if arriving early you won’t have trouble finding parking. We arrived at around 9:00 am and the parking lot had endless spots available.

PRO TRAVEL TIP: Old Faithful erupts approximately every 90 minutes. Park rangers predict it based off the last eruption. Click the link to be taken to the NPS website, where you are then directed to download the app for geyser eruption times: NPS Geyser Activity.

This will help you plan your time while visiting Old Faithful Village.

When we arrived we checked the app and realized Old Faithful was predicted to erupt within one minute! We joined the masses on the boardwalk and waited patiently for it to erupt.

Crowds awaiting Old Faithful’s eruption | Yellowstone One Day Itinerary

Well, it finally erupted about 10 minutes later. So definitely be prepared to wait a bit! It is very exciting when it starts to shoot out steam and then spew a little water, and finally Old Faithful officially erupts!

The eruption of Old Faithful! | Yellowstone One Day Itinerary

After the eruption, the boardwalk clears out and people disperse throughout the village. This is a great time to visit the museum, shop for souvenirs, or even grab a meal or provisions from the general store for a picnic.

We also assembled a picnic lunch and hiked up to Observation Point, leaving about 40 minutes before the next predicted eruption. The hike up to Observation Point is about 0.5 miles one way with 200 feet of elevation gain. To reach the trailhead, head to the right on the boardwalk around Old Faithful and cross the bridge over the river.

Crossing the river on the way to Observation Point

The trailhead to Observation Point will be on your right. Take a sharp right past the sign to enter the trail.

Sign at the trailhead to Observation Point

We got to the top with what we thought was a good 15 minutes before the eruption, choosing our viewing spot between the pines and setting up our picnic. We were just about to eat when Old Faithful started to erupt! The predicted time was 11:07 am and it started erupting at 10:54 am, which just goes to show how varying the times can be. The birds eye view from Observation Point offered a different perspective than joining the masses at the boardwalk and I recommend doing this if you have the time. Plus the picnic lunch while watching our second round of Old Faithful erupting was a great experience.

View between the pines: Old Faithful erupting as seen from Observatin Point

TIMING YOUR OLD FAITHFUL VISIT

Be in place to watch the eruption a good 20 minutes before the predicted eruption and expect to wait a good 20 minutes after the predicted time. In the two times we observed, one eruption happened 13 minutes earlier than the predicted time and one 10 minutes later than the predicted time. By arriving 20 minutes early you will be almost certain to catch it. And if it is late, well you will be eagerly awaiting the eruption until it happens!

Also while at Old Faithful, be sure to check out the Old Faithful Inn, a historical property at Yellowstone.

Historic Old Faithful Inn

We checked out the interior and grabbed a drink from the bar. Yellowstone features many huckleberry products in their gift shops and restaurants throughout the park. Here the bar menu also featured many huckleberry drinks, which were delightful. We took them to the second floor outdoor observation area, enjoying these huckleberry cocktails while watching various geysers erupt!

The Continental Divide

When driving from Old Faithful to West Thumb Geyser Basin you will pass over the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide runs through Yellowstone National Park, dividing the watersheds that drain water in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Isa Lake sits right within the divide.

Isa Lake at the Continental Divide

It is a quick stop with an interpretive sign explaining all about the Continental Divide and Yellowstone’s role. The lily pad covered lake makes for a beautiful photo!

West Thumb Geyser Basin

West Thumb Geyser Basin sits right on the “thumb” of Yellowstone Lake. It was the furthest point of our trip and where we turned around to head back to West Yellowstone.

This geyser basin features many colorful pools, in fact some of the best we had seen so far.

West Thumb Geyser Basin

The boardwalks take you throughout the basin and also along Yellowstone Lake, for great views in every direction.

Boardwalk Trails at West Thumb Geyser Basin

View of Yellowstone Lake from West Thumb Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook

When speaking with a park ranger at the Old Faithful Visitor’s Center, he recommended visiting the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook between 11 am – 3 pm, when the colors are most vibrant on a sunny day and after the morning steam has burned off. I go into our experience at Grand Prismatic Spring in the morning below and why this is a recommended stop midday.

Grand Prismatic Spring as seen from the overlook on the Fairy Falls Trail

After turning around at West Thumb Geyser Basin on our way back to West Yellowstone, we had one more stop. For a birds eye view of Grand Prismatic Spring, there is a fantastic observation area, the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, on the Fairy Falls Trail. Fairy Falls is a waterfall beyond this overlook.

The parking lot at Fairy Falls trailhead was quite busy, although it is a large lot with ample parking. We found a spot right as someone was leaving (as is usually the case!) Once parked, we hiked the 0.8 mile one way trail, first exposed in the hot sun, but soon climbing the dirt trail within the trees. Elevation increases quickly so be aware that you will be climbing up, but the views are worth it.

Fairy Falls Trail

At the overlook, join the crowds for fantastic views over Grand Prismatic Spring.

Crowds at the overlook

The views up here are incredible! Just check out Grand Prismatic Spring in all her colorful glory! Visiting midday, on a sunny day is the best time to see it, that’s for sure.

Seeing Grand Prismatic Spring in all her colorful glory was worth coming back here later in the day. I share about our experience at Midway Geyser Basin and walking along Grand Prismatic Spring in the morning below. My recommendation is to definitely make an afternoon visit to the Fairy Falls trailhead/Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook.

A note about visiting Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin

We followed the above itinerary, except we added on the Midway Geyser Basin (where Grand Prismatic Spring is located) in between driving Firehole Canyon Road and visiting Old Faithful, arriving at Grand Prismatic Spring around 8:00 am. With our early start, we found a spot in the parking lot and walked the basin with minimal crowds, which is the nice part of arriving early. However, steam was rising in these slightly cooler morning hours obscuring views to Grand Prismatic Spring. Our view in these early morning hours was white steam rising and no vibrant colors! This is the one drawback of arriving early here. Yes, we found parking in the lot and minimal crowds at this time of day, but the steam made it nearly impossible to see anything. Below are photos from our morning visit to Grand Prismatic Spring/Midway Geyser Basin so you know what I’m talking about!

Morning views at Grand Prismatic Spring/Midway Geyser Basin

As tempting as it is to stop here, my suggestion is to skip Grand Prismatic Spring in the morning and do the itinerary as laid out: Firehole Canyon right to Old Faithful. Plan to hit Grand Prismatic Spring on your way back through, at the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook via the Fairy Falls Trail some time between 11 am – 3 pm. The birds eye view beats the view from the ground in my opinion. Not only that, as we left Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook and drove past the parking lot for Grand Prismatic Spring, it was the most crowded area of the park we had seen yet. Cars were vying for spots far down the road, and it looked like a very crowded and uncomfortable experience.

Additional Stops

The above itinerary takes you through the best sites to see on this southbound day. We left our cabin in West Yellowstone at 7:00 am and were back around 4:00 pm, so it took us about 9 hours total. Of course you have the option to add in more stops as there are numerous additional pull outs, hikes, and countless features to see along the way. It all depends on your timing and how much time you have after these above must see sites. By following the above itinerary, you will hit the southbound’s “best of the best” and then can add anything else in at your leisure.

OUR PACKING LIST

Here is our packing list for Yellowstone National Park

Our go-to hiking backpacks are Osprey brand. They are very lightweight and comfortable and carry all our essentials. You can find the backpacks in a variety of colors and capacities.
Camelback water reservoirs are a must when hiking.
I really like these Black Diamond trekking poles. These fold up and are lightweight, especially great for packing when traveling and taking along on hikes.
Sunblock is a must in the hot summer months. We really like the Blue Lizard brand as it is great for sensitive skin.
No hike should be without a mini first aid kit!