Top Sights in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the U.S. and is home to incredible natural beauty. The is mostly located in Wyoming but also encroaches into Montana and Idaho. Follow my guide to see the top sights in Yellowstone, from the famous Old Faithful to rivers, canyons, and more.
When I visited with my siblings in late May, the weather was insane. In the morning, it was freezing and snowing and by the afternoon the sun came out and it was gorgeous
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Top Sights in Yellowstone Map
Geysers
West Thumb Geyser Basin Trail is an easy loop around several cool geysers that sometimes have elk nearby. The pools go right up to West Thumb Lake. It was snowing when we visited!
Old Faithful is one of the top sights in Yellowstone. There are also many other geysers around and you could spend more than an hour walking around. There is also a ½ mile hike to an overlook of the geysers. Wait for the geyser to blow (every 90 minutes). Check the notice by the visitor’s center so you know what time to stand around Old Faithful. Yellowstone park rangers give a 10-minute buffer before and after their predicted time so be there at least 10 minutes early.
Biscuit Basin Geyser has several geysers along an elevated walkway. Sapphire Pool is located here.
Norris Geyser Basin— This geothermal area is the largest in Yellowstone. Yes, even larger than Old Faithful. Norris Geyser has several geysers you can walk around on an elevated footpath. The Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest active geyser. It can blow up to 40 feet in the air. Its geyser is unpredictable and infrequent. If and when it goes off, the dissolved minerals can damage vehicle glass and paint. When I visited, only one car had a cover for its windshield and windows.
When I visited in late May 2021, the geyser had erupted on May 5, 2021.
Waterfalls and Rivers
Lewis Falls is a medium-sized waterfall that can be seen from the pullouts by the bridge. In late May, it was snowing when we visited!
We were freezing!
Firehole River has several car pullouts. Bison are often spotted around here. The views are beautiful.
Gibbon Falls is a waterfall with an 84-ft drop.
Mammoth Hot Springs— This unusual landscape was created as water goes through buried limestone dissolving calcium carbonate. These create terraces in the terrain. Park at the lower terraces area and then walk up to the top terraces to the overlook and wind your way back down to see all the springs. It was one of the top sights in Yellowstone for me.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Lower Lookout Point— Park at the lookout point for the Yellowstone Lower Falls and walk down the ¾ of a mile to check out the views directly over the falls. Don’t miss this. The lookout point is right over the waterfall and it’s stunning to see the force of the water go over the falls. A camera can’t really capture how intense this is.
Grand View— After stopping at the lower lockout, go to Grand View to see the Yellowstone Lower Falls from above to get one of the top sights in Yellowstone National Park. You can see the canyon and colorful strips in the canyon (created by iron compounds in the rock).
Spotting Bears in Yellowstone
There is no exact place where you’ll see bears. Rather, you’ll notice they are out because of bear traffic. All the cars will be stopped and people will (depending on how far the bear is) get out of their cars. Park on the side of the road if you have the opportunity and then see the bear.
We saw this bear by chance by Mallard Creek Trailhead. There were about 20 cars parked along either side of the road. We saw the traffic before we saw the bear.
You should bring bear spray with you if you plan to go on hikes in unpopulated areas. Bringing bear spray on heavily packed trails is even recommended because you never know if you’ll end up alone. That said, we didn’t bring any ourselves…
Bonus!
Combo Yellowstone National Park with Grand Teton National Park as I did. If you only have time for a day trip from Grand Teton, then take this tour to visit all the highlights of Yellowstone.
