There are a lot of shops in this little touristy town! We ate at Firehole BBQ Company which was ok…read moreand then had ice cream at another place. Just about every shop has souvenirs of all sorts for you to buy. *West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center is in town, this is not located in the National Park - very helpful and informative staff *The entrance to Yellowstone National Park is really close-by, about ¼ mile away or so. *Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center - small admission fee, but well worth it and tickets are good for two consecutive days. We went for part of one day, but wished we had time to go again. *Museum of the Yellowstone - there's a small fee to enter. We didn't go in, but we did walk along the front to view the vehicles, buffalo and bear sculptures. Nice small town with plenty of things to do before & after visiting Yellowstone National Park!

+ Idyllic neighborhood rest town before you head in to Yellowstone…read more + Lots of shops and restaurants and gentle sightseeing around town in preparation for your big trip. - Traffic slightly different here. For Yellowstone Ave (leads directly into the park), instead of numerous street lights to keep traffic steady, it's a 25 MPH speed limit. But thus, if you're trying to get on to this street, you gotta carefully look all 3 ways farther down (not just left and right, but also across the street if someone else is also trying to get on to this street); don't have any red lights to hold the traffic for you, like at the Electric St intersection.

A must-see when visiting Yellowstone NP! These travertine terraced springs are a sight to see. So…read moremany beautiful colors and lines. Nothing like any of the other springs we've seen in the park this trip. Very cool! The boardwalks throughout the springs and terraces are well maintained. This stop had quite a few stairs, so keep that in mind when visiting. They have multiple parking areas along the boardwalk, so parking wasn't an issue for us. Fort Yellowstone is very cool too! There so much to see at this destination! There's a visitor's center, post office, military housing, restaurants, hotel, gas station, gift shop, etc. One of my favorite stops this trip. Would highly recommend!

I was not sure about coming all the way out here because my original itinerary had me taking the…read moreroad on the other side of the park. However, I fortunately was informed by rangers that Bunsen peak (close to mammoth springs) was a better choice than the original trails I was gonna check out (they were still covered in snow!), so I came here because it's just minutes away from the Bunsen peak trailhead. I'm so glad I did! The formations of the hot spring are SO interesting, one of the coolest areas in the park in my opinion. The colors are lovely, and the path is very accessible (it's a big wooden boardwalk, like how the thumb geyser basin area is). There are a number of steps but parts of the path are flat/wheelchair accessible. There is sporadic parking throughout, and a lot of turnover so I got a spot reasonably easy. There are maps posted all throughout the area so you can walk the whole thing and not get lost. Overall, I would highly rec a visit to this area for anyone visiting Yellowstone, it's really cool and I've not seen any other natural springs before that are quite like it. 10/10!!!

The Mammoth Terraces run along two sections of west upper Grand Loop Road, south of downtown…read moreMammoth You drive southwest from the center of Mammoth, and when the road turns south, the terraces start just outside of town. You cant miss them, all white and frosty-looking for half-a-mile along the west side of the road. There are parking areas and trails. Then the road leaves the terraces, and after another half-mile, the road takes a hairpin turn north and comes back to the terraces. Take the turnoff to continue north for more trails and a great overlook! Or stay through another hairpin turn on Grand Loop Road and continue south through another half-mile of terraces. I mention this location because as of Aug 2026, Yelp placed the terraces in the middle of the town of Mammoth, and you cant see the terraces from there.

If you're coming into Yellowstone through the North entrance, definitely make a stop here and check…read moreout the hot spring terraces. The limestone rock formations and water features are very cool. The trail isn't overly long so you can make the full loop in about an hour or so (two if you're a slow walker or likes to stop a lot for photos). Parking can be a challenge, like most other popular spots at Yellowstone, but just be patient and eventually you'll find a spot.

If your visiting West Yellowstone it's a must see if your interested in the local history or the…read morehistory of the park. Lots to see but it's not an all day affair

This is a small but, very informative museum about the history and events that makes up…read moreYellowstone. There are artifacts. There are 3 videos in separate areas about the fires of 1988, the earthquake of 1959 and the changes brought about by the addition of hotels and the automobile. There is also a small gift shop. Worth a stop.

The Gardiner Chamber of Commerce is located in a shopping center right across and right outside the…read moreentrance of Yellowstone. There is plenty of parking. If anyone needs to use the restroom , I recommend coming here and using these nice clean restrooms. These are just to relive yourself , absolutely NO grooming yourself like a sink bath or anything like that . They had signs prohibiting that. There are lots and lots of magazines , maps , and pamphlets here that are free. There are also lots of little information areas inside. They had information and displays on the rocks and fossils in Yellowstone. They had the nicest volunteers who were ready to help with all the publications I was filling my arms up with. I explained that the tourist books are what helps me be Yelpful on Yelp ;) I would stop here if you have younger ones that need a cool spot to walk around on warm days for a few minutes or if you need to inquire about permits for anything from fishing to camp spots. They can answer your questions.

We liked Gardiner MT at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It's a very small town,…read moreand we found it easy to walk everywhere. There were cute and rustic places to eat and to shop. Some of them have a good number of years of history behind them. The next time we come to The Yellowstone national Park, maybe we'll stay in Gardiner.

Great place to stop and stretch your legs, use the restroom and learn something interesting about…read morethe area! There are park rangers available for questions right when you walk in. There's a gift shop to your left, and restrooms to your right downstairs. The museum exhibits are upstairs and downstairs. They even have some interactive exhibits for kids to learn. Overall a great stop! Restrooms were clean and staff friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.

Good educational exhibits. A few souvenirs…read more I admit we read every descriptive sign we came across at scenic locations. The Albright Visitors Center was the first exhibit we went into on its own. We loved the many educational and descriptive and historical displays. We liked being up close with representations of wildlife that we didn't encounter in person. I liked the comparative paw print exhibit! The A/C and restroom were nice, too :-) (Jul 2026)

This spot gives you an amazing panoramic view of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from the north…read moreside. Lookout Point is one of a few lookout spots you can stop at when you drive on North Rim Drive (a one-way drive). Just heads up, the parking lot isn't very large. If you continue on with your drive on North Rim Drive, you will eventually end up in Canyon Village. If you want to make an adventure of your stop here, I suggest hiking the North Rim Trail east to Inspiration Point and enjoy the beautiful views along the way. There is also a paved path and some wooden steps below that take you down to a viewing platform called Red Rock Point. This will give you a close full view of Lower Falls. Lookout Point was one of my favorite spots to stop at on the North Rim. I highly recommend checking it out.

At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone there is a lower and upper portion of the falls. This is the…read morelookout point on the lower falls and I think this is the best view of the lower falls. You can go to the brink of the lower falls to see the top of the waterfall, but this lookout overlooks the entire thing which I think is better. Another underrated view is the red rocks view which is right next to this lookout point. Instead of going straight to the lookout you go down the stairs, walk a bit and then get to the red rocks view which is a bit closer to the waterfall and more eye-level. There are also fewer people here so you'll have more time to take nice pictures and videos without the crowds.

If you have time stop in at the historic center and see all the the exhibits and historical info…read moreit's $10 a ticket for 2 days Well worth the stop

At the Yellowstone Historic Center has bunch of train artifacts from the old days of trains that…read morecome through Yellowstone National Park. They have three stage coaches on display next to the front door of the entrance and exit door. Also there is a fee to enter the establishment which is not bad. Once you get in you'll see some artifacts from the conductors and operators of the trains that came through. Also some clothing display and items from what was use on the trains and etc. Also they do have a theater inside which has some seating as well. If you want to learn about the historic trains come here.