This area has nice stone-walled walkways and hiking trails, with great views of 84-foot Gibbon…read moreFalls and the Gibbon River. The views are quite close to parking, with a flat walkway. Look closely. We saw a lone osprey perched on a bare treetop over the river! (Jul 2026) This is the Yellowstone caldera rim, created about 631,000 years ago. There's a fair-sized parking area here. We didn't see an outhouse at this parking area.

The Obsidian Cliff Parking pulloff has an outhouse just off Grand Loop Road. This outhouse was…read morevisible from the road, but it was not listed in the NPS Yellowstone National Park app. It was about a mile north of the Beaver Lake Picnic Area. That picnic area also has an outhouse, which was listed in the app, but that one was not visible from the road so we missed it. It was a very timely find.

There are waterless vault-style outhouses in the Fountain Paint Pot parking lot. It was a nice hike…read morearound the trail, and we were staying hydrated in the hot weather (Jul 2026). Like the others so far, these were clean, and had the necessary supplies, around 9:20AM on a Wed.

There are several pulloffs near the parking at Bunsen Peak Trailhead north of Swan Lake, with a…read moreview to the south across Swan Lake Flats. The Flats open up an unobstructed 10-mile view to South and North White Peaks, and it looks like Echo Peak, nestled behind Dome Mountain. We later looked at a topographical map and other posted photos to identify these peaks.

Not the biggest or the best but hey there the only station in town and normally next to the general…read morestore plus flush toilets are nice

My van broke down at Ice Lake, between Canyon Junction and West Yellowstone, MT. I was able to…read morepull-off the road, into the Ice Lake parking area. So, I was not blocking traffic or causing any difficulty for the tow truck. As an AAA Member, I called AAA (after I managed to get my hands on a cell phone that worked, another story). AAA is not allowed to enter the park to service their members. Hmmmmm, why not? So, the AAA dispatcher transferred the call over to YPSS, Inc. at Canyon Junction, 8 miles away. They sent-out a tow truck, a flatbed. Did the tow truck arrive promptly? Yes. Was it a state-of-the-art flatbed? Yes. Was the driver, Dave, courteous, efficient? Yes. Did Dave, know what he was doing? Yes. Were the towing charges reasonable? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It is exactly 31 miles from Ice Lake to the mechanic (Jake's) where the van was dropped-off in West Yellowstone, MT. The towing charges were $565.65! That is $18.25 PER MILE!!! As a retired "business guy," I think it is wonderful that independent businesses, corporations (large & small), are allowed to do business in our National Parks ... vendors of all stripes ... restaurants, stores, etc. That said, these exclusive agreements are NOT a license to steal from visitors to our National Parks. [UPDATE, 6 MAY '18] I just had a fellow, Derek, a local to this area, pushing-back rather vigorously on the review, above, which I have toned-down a wee bit. (I'm still not clear on Derek's relationship to this business, obviously a friendly one.) Derek was going out of his way to explain how difficult it is for a "provider" to operate in a National Park. Based upon Derek's comments, it certainly sounds difficult, with loads of overhead and unusually high expenses, including a cut taken out of the business profits by the National Park Service. Okay, fine. It is also noteworthy to know that an outfit like this one, YPSS, has no competition in the Park. So, it is difficult for a vendor / provider to operate in Yellowstone. Okay, fine. I still say that $18.25 per mile is exorbitant and I'd like to know how much of that $18.25 per mile is PURE PROFIT for the "provider".

4-25 & 4-26-22 An almost perfect time to come for a visit:…read more1. Not many cars so entering is quick 2. By the entrance there was a flashing sign Bison on road and we saw so many the first day- even close enough like 10 feet away to take photos. 3. The snow on the mountains, boulders and trees was jaw dropping beautiful. 4. It was cold enough to see icicles and bundle up but we didn't need to use our snow boots or use chains on our tires. 5. Luckily at least the Mammoth Springs General Store was open so we could enjoy the huckleberry ice cream sandwiches two days in a row. 6. Old Faithful Geyser was pretty close to the estimated time to blow though the wind made it spout to the left vs straight upwards. Not so good: 1. Many roads were closed & places not open til 4/29- we came a few days too early. 2. We really wanted to see baby bears as it was spring but saw no bears at all. 4. Only once when hubs needed to use a restroom we had difficulty finding one close by that was open.

There are 7 Yellowstone Park Service Stations within Yellowstone offering fuel and limited snacks…read moreso don't worry about running short on gas. You will, however, pay about $.50 per gallon above the going rate elsewhere. You get your fuel and drive on, not much else to say. The stations are operated by Sinclair which I did not realize was still in business. The operator was very helpful in answering questions and providing directions.

Extremely clean, people were incredibly helpful. Will be a regular stop now on my way to Billings…read moreor camping in Island Park.

I wish I would have read the review from James D. because we experienced who I'm assuming is the…read moresame man he mentioned (tall, burly white man with graying hair and a short graying beard). My dad, 71, went in before I did and bought some waters. I came in and that man was standing near my dad on the same side of the counter and a nice lady was ringing up my dad. I went to look for other things and could hear the man yammering on about something, obviously intoxicated, but harmless BS. Then I went to the front to pay for my items and that guy and another man were still kind of talking to my dad. My dad dropped something out of his pocket on the way to the door and the man asked if he wanted a bag and my dad said no, but then the guy started saying condescendingly, "Do you need help out to your car," all loudly, making fun of him. Then my dad just laughed and walked out the door and that man turned around and started hysterically laughing and the other guy did, too, like they were proud of themselves for making fun of a paying customer? Then I paid and was leaving and said it was nice they made fun of paying customers and may have called him an a**hole under my breath. We were filling up the car with gas (although we shouldn't have given them anymore of our money) when the lady came out and said my card didn't go through. I went back in and that man was hovering near me, saying they were about to call the authorities (let's say he was joking; after all, I'm "lucky enough" to be white so I guess I missed his racist streak). The lady ran my card again and the man was saying how she shouldn't let anyone go until the register drawer opens, adding, "not saying they aren't good people." What made it all really uncomfortable was that the guy was obviously loaded on either booze or something else. The other guy had more sense and went around and pushed a button the lady hadn't so my purchase went through. I thanked her, and as I was leaving, I said "Feel free to talk about me when I leave," but she was the only one who heard and laughed nervously. For a town of a little over 200 people, you'd think business owners (like that guy, I'm assuming) would have the sense to be nice to people supporting their businesses. Another guy at a bait and tackle place on Hwy 20 asked my dad where he was from because he had shorts on and it is cold. When my dad said California, he got really smart mouthed and was a d*ck. Again, funny that a guy who had NO customers in his shop and six employees would think it was necessary to comment on something like that. Luckily the three younger boys working there were really sweet and friendly. I thought small towns were supposed to be filled with nice people, but apparently some owners in Island Park don't care if their businesses stay afloat.

If you need a tow or repair work done go to Jakes he's about the only game in town. There always…read morebusy and the employees were nice enough when I stopped in for a low tire

I'm a very picky person, and a mechanic by trade. Jake is an absolute professional who has your…read moreinterests in mind. Vehicle service was quick and all service was transparent and quality. My battery also needed charging and was done no charge! Thanks Jake, 10/10 would recommend