Heading to Wyoming soon and visiting Yellowstone National Park? Then this article is for you!
Yellowstone was the first national park in the world and it’s by far one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
There is nothing that can quite prepare you for how stunning and unique it is. I can honestly say that it has blown me away (and bear in mind, I’ve travelled a lot!).
You will find below the most beautiful places to visit in Yellowstone as well as some travel tips to enjoy your time in America’s first national park.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost for you!
1. Grand Prismatic Spring
Located on the lower loop, the Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest natural hot spring in the USA as well as the third largest in the world.
It’s famous for its vibrant colors including red, blue and yellow. The colors are created by the thermophile bacteria and let me tell you something, it’s even prettier in person than in the photos.
While you may think that a lot of photos are photoshopped, they aren’t! It’s simply as beautiful as that, even more!
There are two ways you can visit the Grand Prismatic. The first one is to head to the Grand Prismatic parking lot.
From there, you can go on the boardwalk to Grand Prismatic and will get to see other springs as well.
It is a beautiful walk and you get to see the colors up close but it’s hard to truly take it all in since you are at ground level.
Which is why I also recommend going to the Grand Prismatic overlook. It’s located on the Fairy falls trail and from there, you get absolutely stunning views of the hot springs.
2. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of the most majestic natural landmarks in the USA.
It’s 24 miles long and was carved by the Yellowstone River. It is truly a sensational sight and you will love spending time in this area of the park.
There are two sides to the canyon that you can visit by car, the south rim and the north rim.
On the north rim, you get fantastic views of the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls.
But the true ‘money shot’ is located on the south rim and it’s called Artist point.
This is truly one of the best views in the national park and I can’t recommend it more.
From there, you can also go on a hike to Point Sublime which provides with even more views of the canyon.
3. Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth hot springs is, as the name suggests, a complex of hot springs located in the northern part of Yellowstone.
If you enter the park from Gardiner, that will most likely be your first stop.
It’s a very interesting site because you don’t only get to see hot springs here but also white terraces that were created by the sulphur.
It’s very unique!
There is a boardwalk that takes you all around the terraces, the hot springs and liberty cap.
You will also find one of the main visitor centers in the park in this area.
Altogether, you will need a couple of hours to visit Mammoth Hot Springs.
4. Old Faithful Geyser
Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone. It’s located in the upper geyser basin and is one of the most visited places in the national park.
While it’s actually nowhere near the highest geyser in Yellowstone, it is by far the most reliable one. It erupts every 90 minutes and it lasts between 1.5 and 5 minutes.
It’s about 90-184 feet high which makes for an impressive sight.
When you get to Old Faithful, you’ll find a visitor center with the predicted times of all the geysers.
I don’t necessarily recommend timing your visit with a predicted time because there is so much to explore in the upper geyser basin that even if you have to wait 90 minutes, you won’t be wasting your time.
I do, however, recommend checking the predicted time when you get to the visitor centre so you don’t miss the eruption while walking around the basin.
PRO TIP: Try to position yourself up wind so you don’t have the steam and water coming your way, that kind of spoils the view.
5. Norris Geyser Basin
The Norris Geyser Basin is located on the upper loop of Yellowstone but close to the West Yellowstone entrance.
This is a stunning place to visit at sunset and a great introduction to the geothermal features and geysers in Yellowstone.
The full boardwalk loop is 2.9 miles long and takes about 1 hour to complete.
It is truly stunning and you can see loads of hot springs and fumaroles including the steamboat geyser which is the world’s tallest geyser.
Unfortunately though, it’s nowhere as reliable as Old Faithful so nobody really knows when it will erupt. Whichever way though, it’s still a stunning thing to see.
6. Lamar Valley
The Lamar Valley is the ultimate place to visit if you want to see wildlife in Yellowstone.
Of course, you can see animals all around the national park but in Lamar Valley, you are guaranteed to see loads of bisons and many birds.
It’s also known as the best spot to see wolves but you will need good binoculars for this.
There are many overlooks along the road so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop.
If you see a lot of cars parked somewhere, that usually means there is something so don’t hesitate to ask people what they saw if it’s not obvious since it could be a wolf or a bear.
If you are entering the park from the northeast entrance, you will drive through the Lamar Valley to reach the upper loop anyway.
From any other entrance, it will require a bit of a detour but it’s well worth it.
7. Upper Geyser Basin and Morning Glory Pool
Located by the Old Faithful visitor center, the upper geyser basin is home to the largest concentration of geysers in the world.
You will actually find here half of all the geysers in the world! This is by far one of the most interesting facts about Yellowstone.
The most famous is Old Faithful but there are a lot more than that including some much prettier and taller ones.
The most noticeable ones are castle, daisy, grand and riverside geysers.
It’s also home to a lot of hot springs and you can even walk all the way to the morning glory pool which is a stunning hot spring that looks like the flower of the same name.
There is a boardwalk and as usual, please stay on it as it’s dangerous to walk on the ground.
There are usually rangers walking around the basin so don’t hesitate to ask them questions, they have a wealth of knowledge to share.
You should set aside a couple of hours to visit the entire basin.
8. West Thumb Geyser Basin
The West Thumb geyser basin is also located on the lower loop and while it doesn’t have as many geysers as the upper basin or the colors of the midway basin, it is very scenic because it’s on the shores of Yellowstone lake.
You can go on the boardwalk all the way to the lake and see the stunning Black Pool which, despite its name, is a turquoise hot spring.
With the lake in the background, it’s absolutely stunning and a great photo spot.
9. Hayden Valley
The Hayden Valley is also a great spot for wildlife spotting. If you can’t make it to Lamar Valley, the Hayden Valley is your second best bet to see animals.
It’s located between the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake so chances are that you will drive this way anyway.
There are a lot of bisons but also opportunities to spot bears and other animals here.
10. Yellowstone Lake
With so many mountains, geysers and hot springs, we sometimes forget that Yellowstone is also home to several lakes.
The largest lake is called Yellowstone Lake and it covers 136 square miles.
You can drive alongside its shore between West Thumb and the Grand Canyon but also do a lot of activities such as hiking, fishing or going on a lake cruise.
11. Tower Fall
Located near Tower Junction, Tower Fall is one of the most accessible waterfalls in the national parks since you can easily get to a viewpoint from the general store.
There is no need to go on a long hike for this one and the views from the overlook are stunning.
It’s 132-ft tall and a very good spot for photos.
12. Mount Washburn
Mount Washburn is one of the main peaks in Yellowstone and an excellent place to spend some time if you are a hiker looking for amazing views.
The Dunraven Pass – Mount Washburn Trail is spectacular and boasts some of the best views in Yellowstone.
It takes around 5 hours to complete so you need to be prepared and don’t forget to carry bear spray.
13. Firehole Canyon Drive
Firehole Canyon Drive is a bit of a hidden gem in the park. It’s not entirely hidden but most people completely miss it.
I actually got to know about it because I was using the Guide Along App and they recommended it.
By the way, you should really get that app because it makes your experience in Yellowstone so much better.
The entrance to the drive is located right after the Madison information center. It only takes 10 minutes to drive it but it’s very scenic.
There is a stop to see the Firehole falls as well as one to go to the Firehole River swimming area which is an area of the Firehole River where hot water from the hot springs flows, making it a good temperature for a swim.
Map of the sights in Yellowstone
I hope this article has helped you plan your trip to Yellowstone, no matter what, I can promise you one thing, you’ll have the experience of a lifetime.
It’s such a beautiful place and I’m sure it will steal your heart, just like it stole mine.
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