What to Do When Visiting Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is the world's first national park and it's easy to see why!

From wildlife and somewhat typical (yet beautiful) nature landscapes to vibrant spring pools to clusters of geysers and a beautiful lake and iconic waterfall, there are so many attractions to see at Yellowstone.

When you are first starting to plan your trip, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out how to fit it all in, much less how much time to allow for each activity.

No need to look any further - I'm sharing our full 2-day Yellowstone Itinerary with you! This itinerary gave us plenty of time to see many of the famous sights this park is known for without feeling rushed.

We visited Yellowstone National Park in July, which is known for being one of the busiest months. Fortunately with this plan we were able to avoid heavy crowds and only had one true slowdown on the roads. The Yellowstone weather in July was perfect, the mornings were cool (sometimes rainy), but by the afternoons the sun heated things up to a comfortable level (70-80 degrees Farenheit.)

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Before we hop into our itinerary - if you are planning on driving to Yellowstone from the midwest, be sure to check out all the fun stops getting to the park as well as for your journey back.

2 Days in Yellowstone National Park: The Complete Guide

Day 1: Starting from the Northeast Entrance

we entered Late Afternoon

Pebble Creek

This is a small area with a boardwalk out to the creek. We enjoyed seeing the marmots playing & chasing each other around in this area.

Lamar Valley

This valley has been known for spotting the wildlife that roam the park so keep your eyes peeled. This is where you'll want to have your binoculars handy. On our drive, we spotted several buffalo and evenna baby bear.

Blacktail Plateau Drive

This drive is a one-way loop and is another area for spotting wildlife. We didn't see anything on our route, except one group that went the wrong way! Be sure you enter this loop going the correct direction or this could be you! :)

Mammoth Springs Visitor Center

This stop was full of Elk perched on the yards and streets of many of the buildings in this area. We later learned they could be quite dangerous, so be sure to keep your distance!

Roosevelt Arch

This historic arch sits at the North Entrance to the park and is fun to admire and take photos. It marks the history of what was once the only entrance to Yellowstone and is built from rocks taken from old lava flows in the park.

Gardiner, MT (optional)

This was our stop for the night and the town is quite charming. It has a grocery store and gas station if you are in need of any essentials outside of the park. We even got to enjoy our dinner at a restaurant along the Yellowstone River.

Day 2: Starting from the North Entrance

Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces

At this attraction there are a system of boardwalks that take you right along the Mammoth Hot Springs. I'm not sure if we were just starstruck, but it felt a bit like a maze weaving in and out of these boardwalks and 2 hours flew by there. If you're lucky you may get to catch a few lingering Elk enjoying the warmth from the springs.

Norris Geyser Basin

At this stop, there are two loops you can choose from. The Porcelain Basin is an open area of geysers and the shorter of the two routes. The Back Basin is a bit longer of a trail and at times lined with trees. We chose the Porcelain trail and were not disappointed.

TIP: The parking situation can get a bit clogged here. If you notice a long line forming, park along the street, the walk to the trails isn't very long. This was the only place we experienced a bit of traffic.

Gibbon Falls

At this stop, there is a short trail that winds through different vantage points of this powerful waterfall.

Firehole Canyon Drive

This is another one-way loop that winds 2 miles up to an overlook of a clearing with a view of the Firehole Falls. This is also one of the few swim areas in the park if you are in need of a refreshing dip.

West Yellowstone (optional)

This town is at the West Entrance of the park and is a perfect afternoon pitstop. Souvenir shops and restaurants line the streets of this town and are fun to wander through before everyone comes in for the evening. This is also where we stayed for our second night and it was handy to check-in at this time.

TIP: We found many of the restaurants and shops closed fairly early (8-9ish) so keep that in mind if you are planning to stop here for dinner.

Upper Geyser Basin

This area is home to the most famous geyser in the park - Old Faithful. But there are also many more to explore while you are in this part of the park - our favorite was the Tardy Geyser. While hiking through the boardwalks around these geysers we even spotted a buffalo at the edge of the trees - so be alert for more wildlife sightings.

Old Faithful

This famous geyser is known for its timely eruptions. It regularly goes off around every 60 minutes. You'll know it's getting close to showtime when you see the crowds start to form at the benches surrounding this feature.

Old Faithful Inn

There are several buildings to explore in this area, but we recommend the Old Faithful Inn. After you wander through you'll see why this is the most requested lodging in the park. It's even listed as a National Historic Landmark!

Day 3: Starting from the West Entrance

West Yellowstone (optional)

The West Entrance to the park can become quite congested so we took the advice of others and started the day with a hearty breakfast from one of the restaurants in town. If you are starting from this town - I would highly recommend this tip! We ended up walking to our breakfast stop because the park traffic took over most of the streets in this town.

Midway Geyser Basin

This is where the most colorful attraction at the park exists. This stop has trails to walk on all around the surprisingly vivid prismatic springs. Seeing the colorful contrasts was truly breathtaking!

TIP: This destination can get crazy-crowded so doing this first thing (or as close to first-thing) in the morning is a must!

Fairy Falls Trail

Now, this is the trail you are going to want to do to get the birds-eye view of the Grand Prismatic Spring. If you've done any research for Yellowstone, the top of this trail is where THE iconic shots are taken.

TIP: Be warned, this trail is pretty steep in some parts so be sure to wear tennis shoes!

West Thumb Geyser Basin

At Yellowstone, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with the number of geysers to see, but they each have their own unique qualities. The geysers in this area seemed at times to be part of the lake.

Yellowstone Lake

The lake in Yellowstone is impressive with 141 miles of shoreline and it's the perfect shade of blue. Especially when set in contrast to the surrounding trees and mountains. You can rent boats at Bridge Bay Marina. In July the water was much too cold to think of getting that close (many times the water can still be frozen up until May). Instead, we opted for a picnic lunch in one of the areas along the lake.

Upper & Lower Falls

These are the falls of the Yellowstone River and all views are impressive, but along the upper falls you'll see why they call this the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone." This surprised me as my favorite attraction on our trip!

Mud Volcano

Just when you think you've seen all the geysers, there's more that will surprise you. Many of the geysers in this area have a muddy quality to them making the name "Mud Volcano," an accurate description.

Sulfur Cauldron

Similarly, just when you thought you've gotten used to the sulfur smell that accompanies the geysers, think again. The appropriately named Sulfur Cauldron boasts of an even more potent sulfur smell that accompanies these geysers.

Cody, WY (optional)

This was the destination of our last night of the Yellowstone portion of our trip. It is quite a drive to get to (over 50 miles) and there isn't much there besides the cabins we were staying at, so I would caution against spending your time on this stop unless you are staying the night there.

That's it! From there we went on to Grand Teton National Park and started our journey back to Kansas City.

What are you most looking forward to on your trip to Yellowstone?

If you use this guide for your next trip to Yellowstone, let me know what tips you found useful in the comments!