Town is convenient to this entrance/exit With multiple…read moreopportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hotels, motels, grocery shopping, bar hoping, and good family or singles fun. The park employees manning the gate are super friendly and they can get through the crowds very quickly. A sightseer paradise. Mountains, wildlife, stream, hiking, biking, photography, horse bike riding, driving and getting back to nature.

This entrance is super busy! There has been long lines each of the three days we visited...all week…read moredays too! The first day, a Tuesday, wasn't too bad, but Wednesday and Thursday was horrible! Lines all the way into the town of West Yellowstone. The lines moved very slowly as well. We arrived between 9-10am every day, so make you you get there early if you want to avoid this. It would be nice if the had an express lane for people who have annual or weekly passes and aren't paying. This would probably speed up the lines. There are 4 lanes to enter. Staff is friendly and helpful. You have to show your ID to enter. There are different rates for non-US citizens.

We only spent one day in Upper Loop and one day in Lower Loop. Honestly, you can spend a week in…read moreYellowstone National Park and it's still wouldn't be enough. I mean it's 2,221,766 acres spread over 3 states (Wyoming, Montana and Idaho)! Upper Loop We visited Gibbon Falls, Norris Back Basin Geyser, Brink of Upper Falls and my favorite spot Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which is a massive river-carved gorge. We watched the sunset and I have no words. I have seen many pictures and paintings. Nothing will prepare you for the beauty. Lower Loop I was so excited to see Old Faithful as it is on my travel bucket list. It is the most predictable geyser, hence the name "Old Faithful"! Visitors can check the park website in the morning to see the next predicted eruption time based on the last eruption. It's +/- 10 minutes and pretty accurate. Get there early to get a front row seat. There are benches surrounded the geyser. We also visited Grand Prismatic Springs. It's the colorful large geyser with the gorgeous overhead view. We walk/hike about 0.8 miles to the overlook. It's not a hard hike but make sure you have your water bottle, a hat, sunscreen, and dress accordingly. Even during off-peak season in September, it was still kind of crowded and hot! Plan ahead, map out your route and stop by visitor center for additional information and tips.

Although the park was great, there were a lot of closed areas of interest. Not much in the way of…read morefood or decent shops around the area either. Also, it's not entirely pet-friendly. Most of the sights require a small walk in areas that are pet-restricted. If you're bringing a furry.... Consider throwing them in a stroller or something.

The Home of Bison. Lamar Valley is famous for its large herds of bison and beautiful grasslands. We…read morearrived late in the afternoon, which is a great time to spot wildlife. We saw huge herds of bison strolling across the valley and even got to experience a bison family crossing the road right in front of us! Unfortunately, we didn't spot any elk, bears, or wolves this time. Watching the bison slowly cross the road, bringing traffic to a standstill while countless cars stopped to take photos, was an epic experience! Seeing these magnificent animals up close in their natural habitat was unforgettable.

Amazing! The rumors were true. + Bison nonchalantly…read morecrossing the road, slowing down lines of cars. My 3rd animal crossing this vacation! - The western entrance to Lamar Valley at Tower Junction (Tower/Roosevelt Service Station) was way backed up. Many cars, slow line. * Even with many families waiting behind you, savor the moments. Not often in your life you get to witness Bovidae walking right in front of you. . Tip: better replenish at the Sinclair gas station. Will be a long drive ahead. # Warning: Don't feed them, and certainly don't touch them. Ancestrally, bison had to view us hunters as predators. And mothers recognize their calves by scent. If you touch a calf, your human predator scent will alienate the mother; she may not even recognize her young anymore, and it won't be able to rejoin the herd Dx Disastrous fate for the calf afterwards... So yeah, stay in your car. Or exit at one of the pullouts, but keep your distance. Welcome to America's Serengeti!

Great campground nestled in a meadow of wildflowers, next to a high mountain lake, surrounded by…read moremountains. This place is wonderful. The only downsides are lots of mosquitos, and the afternoon wind through the mountain pass can be brutal. American White Pelicans on the lake and moose in the willow marsh.

The park is new and still in. It's finishing stages. It is very nice with room lots, nice concrete…read morepad, picnic tables, and fantastic scenery. The manager, Todd, is amazing. He goes out of his way to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience.

August 2022 Update: when my fiancé and I went, two rangers informed us that they are officially…read morePERMANENTLY closing this trail. They went down to take out the sign and will not be allowing anyone to go through the stairs. They said it is too expensive to fix and costs millions of dollars with the rescues, especially with the amount of money they are spending to fix the roads from the flooding. Obviously really sad but Uncle Tom's trail is no more :(

This trail still exists, except it stops where the steps once existed. So it's a very steep trail,…read morea lot of switchbacks, leading to the top of the falls. Even without the stairs, it's quite a significant climb back to the parking lot so if you're not in good condition, don't attempt!

Yellowstone family adventures is a fantastic company. They genuinely made our visit a spectacular…read morememory we'll cherish forever. Trent was extremely knowledgeable about Yellowstone's natural wonders and the best places to view wildlife. He was flexible, patient and very accommodating. He went above and beyond even sticking around to take us to west Yellowstone restaurants after our daily tour. We saw all the natural wonders on our list, as well as most of the wildlife. We had some special moments like a momma grizzly with three, two year old cubs; a large bison traffic jam with babies, called red dogs; a baby elk hiding as it's mother is gone off feeding; a mountain goat with a baby; Coyote cubs; elks with calves; a black bear couple; and a wolf with cubs moving about. Because we are bird watchers, Trent adjusted our tour to accommodate some bird watching and we were able to check off quite a few birds on our life list. In setting up our tour, David was fantastic. He was patient and accommodating for our lodging needs. This made our trip extra special. We highly recommend Yellowstone family adventures for your trip to Yellowstone. We definitely plan on using them in the future.

My family of 5 just spent 7 days with Yellowstone Family Adventures and we had the times of our…read morelives! This is not a corporate tour company, it is ran by two brothers that will go out of their way to make sure they provide the perfect experience for your family! My husband caught his first Montana trout on a fly rod thanks to them! We didn't even have fly fishing in our 7 day itinerary, but my husband mentioned it to David on day two and he made it happen by the end of the trip! Thank you so much YFA for this wonderful experience! My kids are still taking about it! Money well spent! We visited in early May 2024.

It ain't called Artist Point for no reason. Artist Point is…read morefamous for its picturesque views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the spectacular 308-foot Lower Falls. It's a short, easy walk from the parking lot, making it a must-see spot in Yellowstone. We arrived early in the morning on a rainy day to avoid the crowds. With the cloudy skies, mist, and cold weather, the canyon looked like a beautiful Chinese ink-wash painting. Even without the sunshine, the canyon and the Lower Falls were absolutely stunning The Brink of the Lower Falls overlooks and trail are also accessible from the same parking area, making it convenient to explore more of this iconic landscape.

Artist Point has an amazing canyon view of a 308-ft waterfall. Easy to get to…read more We heard that Artist Point, near Canyon Village, was one of the best sights in Yellowstone National Park. The drive from the West Entrance was essentially west to east, with a jog to the north halfway-there. The elevation was increasing most of the way, getting as high as 8244-ft. We found the turns on the drive to be visually confusing, because the curving roads turned our sense of direction. At the Madison stop sign, though the turn seemed odd, we turned left onto Grand Loop Road. That was northeast. It's correct. Passing Norris Geyser, it looked odd but we turned right (east) onto Norris Canyon Rd. Coming up to the east branch of the Loop Road, we turned right (south). The entrance to South Rim Drive was then a left. It's even more confusing on the way back, because they never seemed to put a sign saying "to West Entrance" until a mile past the turns :-). Pro tip: Keep a map in front of you at those turns! Once we turned onto South Rim Drive, we drove the winding way for less than 2-miles to the end. There was a large parking lot with plenty of open spaces, plus outhouses. It was a high elevation there, about 7700-ft, and some of us felt it. Conveniently, we could drop off those who walk less comfortably at the furthest end of the parking lot, about 250-feet from the best vista. We walked to the overlook on the left. t. The 1-mile view to the west along the Yellowstone River was stupendous, with the huge crashing misting Lower Falls waterfall dropping 308-feet. We were awed by the midday view. In fact, three of our group had gone their separate way by now, and when they saw our photos, they drove here on their own the next day! They say that sunrise often creates a rainbow in the mist, but we could not manage to pass through the west entrance early enough for the at-least 90-min (usually longer) drive. From what I read, you need a low sun-angle (less than 45°) to get a rainbow in the mist. Based on a (very-)very-nerdy NOAA Solar Calculator webpage, using the Lat-Lon and time, we might have been able to see a rainbow as late as 8:50am in July. (2026). I won't say who in our group figured that out, because I'd also have to say it was After our trip :-)

I grew up in Montana and spent a lot of time around Bozeman and Big Sky, but first time visiting…read morethe historic 1930s and beautifully restored Lone Mountain Ranch. Checked out the Lytle bar (named after the family who homesteaded here), the gift shop with great Western wear; my friend got a cool white denim fringed jacket. The grounds are beautiful; walked up to their award winning restaurant , Horn and Cantle, and the very cool Saloon with live music. Decor was classy western. We enjoyed a handcrafted huckleberry cocktail a couple huckleberry lemonade mocktails and glass of wine, a mushroom appetizer, then our friends stayed for dinner. Saw a baby brown bear right outside; thankfully, did not see the mother! Totally recommend a visit here, and would love to stay here sometime!

Sometimes a place has an excellent reputation but sits on its laurels and loses the excellence that…read morebuilt that reputation. I'm leaving this review because our experience at this upscale all inclusive resort was wildly inconsistent. The property is beautiful and the staff is kind, but the level of miscommunication and operational confusion was unlike anything I've experienced at this price point. A few of the major issues: * Serious health risk: The boxed lunches on our first days were unsafe for my diabetic brother and put him at risk of diabetic shock. These were the only meals available due to our scheduled activities. * Two different planners, both incorrect: * A "featured" restaurant they offered was actually closed. * We were booked for an activity that doesn't start for another two weeks. * The sky lift was presented as available but wasn't open. * Hot air balloon miscommunication: * The time we were given was wrong. * The balloon company had no record of our reservation. * We would have missed it entirely if I hadn't reconfirmed repeatedly. * Itinerary changes without notice: * Our schedule was altered multiple times without anyone informing us. * Another guest in the lobby was having the exact same issues. There were many more problems beyond these. They did tell us an employee had sabotaged their system, but it would be impossible for that one person to have caused everything we experienced. Bottom line: We had a good time, and the place itself is beautiful. But when you compare the price to the actual experience, I could not justify the stay.

We ended our first day in Yellowstone at Inspiration Point, and honestly, it was the perfect way to…read moreclose out an unforgettable day. After hours of exploring the park, nothing could have prepared us for what was waiting at the end of that drive. The view of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Inspiration Point is absolutely stunning -- one of those rare moments where you stop talking and just stare. The canyon drops away dramatically below you, the yellow and orange walls glowing warm in the late afternoon light, and the sheer scale of it all hits you all at once. It's breathtaking in the truest sense of the word. We came with family, including a young child, and even they were in awe. The viewing area is accessible and easy to navigate, which made it even better. No difficult hiking required -- just drive up, walk a short path, and let nature do the rest. Inspiration Point earns its name completely. This isn't just a scenic overlook -- it's a moment you'll carry with you long after you leave Yellowstone. Absolutely worth the drive. Don't miss it.

I was walking thinking it was gonna be some normal yellow stone look out. And then BOOM! I see a…read moremassive, beautiful, flowing waterfall and I just had to stand there for a second and take it in. This is a MUST visit at Yellowstone national park. I would definitely recommend

Beehive Basin never disappoints! One of the most breathtaking places I have ever been! The…read morewildflowers were in all their splendor. Brilliant colors of blues, pinks, reds, yellows, whites and orange were everywhere! A sight to behold for sure! The views of Lone Mountain and the Spanish Peaks, to name a few, were spectacular. Gentle streams and waterfalls surrounded by lovely flowers were soothing to the eyes & ears. There are a few steep inclines on the hike, but worth every breath you take! In some spots on the trail, the fragrance of trees immediately takes your senses to Christmas! If you love outdoors, flowers, streams, rocks and spectacular views, you need to do this hike. You will have one of the most memorable experiences of your life!

Gorgeous!! Trail is well marked. Go early (we went about 9:30) because as it gets later, it's…read morebusy and hard to find parking. Meadows with gorgeous wildflowers, creeks with babbling brooks, forest areas, ponds, rock formations, and mountain views. We went past the trail over some boulder fields and up to the top, about 10,300ft elevation. It was tough but worth it!