One Day Itinerary in Yellowstone: Heading East

One Day Yellowstone Itinerary: Heading East

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 a Southbound Day. In this particular itinerary we head east, visiting some of the most beautiful areas of Yellowstone National Park.

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; see the wildlife in Lamar Valley

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:

Norris Geyser Basin
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Lamar Valley

A note about this itinerary: This itinerary is for the summer months, when all the roads are open.

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: Heading East

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 east, visiting the most beautiful areas of Yellowstone.

Also, because we wanted to be in Lamar Valley in the evening when the wildlife is most active, we began this itinerary in the afternoon. Normally, we recommend an early start to beat the crowds, but a later start works well, too. Most places start clearing out around 3:00 pm and the afternoon light is great for photography.

Once in the park we followed Grand Loop Road until we hit Madison Junction and took a left to head to Norris Geyser Basin, our first stop of the day.

Norris Geyser Basin

We had previously visited Norris Geyser Basin, however Mike wasn’t with us on the first day and we knew he should see it as it is a really beautiful basin with steaming geysers and turquoise hot pools.

Norris Geyser Basin has a decent sized parking lot, however traffic routinely gets backed up as people wait for spots to open. Park Rangers then close the entrance to the parking lot for a period of time until people clear out and they will then reopen it again. This causes people arriving during that window of parking closure 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 pm for a short duration, right after we parked. The earlier you arrive, the better your chances for getting a spot in the parking lot. Same goes for arriving later in the afternoon. The time period between 10 am – 3 pm is the busiest.

From the parking lot, the trailhead is just a short distance with the trail also being 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 | Eastbound Itinerary

The boardwalk goes to the right, for a shorter out-and-back walk. Here is where we viewed steam up close, blowing in the wind!

The steaming Norris Geyser Basin | Eastbound Itinerary

We also took the longer boardwalk in the other direction, going past turquoise, steaming hot pools.

Norris Geyser Basin | Eastbound Itinerary

While the basin looks almost like a barren planet, the steam rising reminds you the ground is very much alive!

Norris Geyser Basin | Eastbound Itinerary

It is very important to stay on all the trails and boardwalks as the ground is extremely hot and poses a threat if stepped on or touched.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

From Norris Geyser Basin it was off to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which we found to be the most beautiful area of the park, with the golden canyon walls giving way to the rushing blue Yellowstone River. There are a few areas to visit at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. First, we took Grand Loop Road and turned onto North Rim Drive, where we parked at the Brink of the Lower Falls. The parking lot is huge, although cars spill out onto the road here as well, as it is another popular spot to visit. When we got here, it was late afternoon so we had no trouble finding spots. The lighting at this time was also great for photography. From the trailhead we followed the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail down to the falls and it was pretty amazing being right next to the rushing falls.

Brink of the Lower Falls | Eastbound Itinerary

On the way back up the trail climbs up the whole way. The trail is very steep, although it is short, so is doable for most people.

Brink of the Lower Falls Trail | Eastbound Itinerary

Once back at the top at the trailhead for Brink of the Lower Falls, we continued on the North Rim Trail that runs along the river from high up above, stopping at various lookout points along the way to take in the beautiful views.

North Rim Trail | Eastbound Itinerary

From here we drove into Canyon Village, to hit up the gas station and small store, adding a few things to our picnic dinner for later.

For more great views of Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, continue on Grand Loop Road and turn onto South Rim Drive. This takes you over a short bridge and to the other side of the Yellowstone River. We followed the road until we got to the parking area for Artists Point. Again the large parking lot was nearly cleared out by the time we arrived. The view from Artists Point is the best of all in my opinion, with fantastic views of the Lower Falls along with the snaking Yellowstone River set deep in the yellow canyons.

Artists Point | Eastbound Itinerary

The path to the viewpoint is short and paved. This is a spot not to be missed

Lamar Valley

We left Canyon Village around 5:00 pm as it was now time to move on to Lamar Valley, the best area in Yellowstone to see wildlife. We planned our entire day around arriving at Lamar Valley around 6:00 pm, and it worked out great as the drive from Canyon Village to Lamar Valley was about one hour.

As soon as we entered Lamar Valley a giant bison was just walking in the road! He was causing a bit of a back up as people were slowing down to drive past him as he sauntered in the middle of the road!

Driving Through Lamar Valley

Here are a few tips while driving through Lamar Valley:

Drive Slowly – Expect bison, in particular, to cross the road constantly. By going slow, you give them the right of way and can stop quickly if needed.
Do Not Stop – if you see an animal or a herd in the valley keep moving. It is unsafe for other drivers to suddenly come to a stop and it also causes unnecessary backups. Rather, use one of the many pullouts to safely watch them.
Keep Your Distance – It is recommended to stay 100 yards from bear and wolves and 25 yards from bison, elk, and other animals. These animals are fast and can charge at a moments notice.
Plan Accordingly – if you have a long drive back to your lodging, it is best to leave Lamar Valley with ample time to do so before it gets dark. This was originally our plan however we got distracted watching the bison and the last 45 minutes of our drive back to West Yellowstone was in the dark. It was a little nervewrecking as we kept watch for animals crossing in front of us. And a large male bison did cross in front of us in the pitch black darkness!

Lamar Valley is a must to see the wildlife that calls Yellowstone home. While we only saw bison and pronghorn during our visit, bear and wolves also frequent the area as well.

Lamar Valley | Eastbound Itinerary

The whole experience was just incredible, so much so that we wrote up a full guide to our experience with lots of photos!

Check out our full guide on Lamar Valley: A Photo Journey Through Lamar Valley

While in Lamar Valley, we stopped at a pullout to enjoy our picnic dinner with the best views!

Additional Stops

The above itinerary takes you through the best sites to see on this eastbound day. We left our cabin in West Yellowstone at 12:00 pm and were back around 9:45 pm, so it took us over 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.

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!