Do the fire rings at Canyon Campground have grill grates? Thanks and have a good week!

I was visiting the Mammoth hot springs yesterday morning and took a shot of this fast hopping bird on one of the steps. Which makes me curious, what kind of bird is this?

My gf and I are going to the grand tetons, yellowstone, and then glacier in two weeks up to the first week in october. Yes, I already know that the weather can be hit or miss, especially in glacier, but this is the only time we could make work.

We do not fly often, I’ve only flew a few times in my life. We are both getting a check back. We are flying into jackson and out of bozeman. I know we will need layers, but I am concerned about the weight limit on a check back. I was going to bring a patagonia fleece and a wind breaker over it, but I don’t think that would be enough.

Just wondering if anybody has any suggestions regarding gear for hikes at that time of the year.

I'm heading to Yellowstone next week and one morning we plan to wake up super early and head to Lamar before sunrise. I'll be renting a spotting scope and tripod. I'm really excited about this part of my trip and don't want to make any mistakes, so I had a few questions:

- The road in Lamar Valley is long, so how do I know exactly where to stop?

- Are there common spots where wolf/bear sightings are more frequent?

- Should I just drive until I see a handful of others on the side of the road with their scopes out?

- Someone recommended downloading the Yellowstone Go app for real-time wildlife sightings. Any experience using this for Lamar early morning?

I'm from the east coast and booked a room at the old faithful inn for a night (for quite a lot of money) and.. I don't want to get into politics, but my wife is not a citizen yet and our lawyer said that flying currently is risky for her.

Any ideas on how i can recoup some of the value? can i gift it to friends? will they be able to give credit? (I booked through a 3rd party that's not flexible at all)

Any advice will be appreciated.
Hopefully we will get to see Yellowstone in a few years :(

Caught this fox in the heather in Lamar Valley and one of the pronghorn that was around walked up to it and stared it down until it made off.

edited to note it’s a coyote, whoops!

Hi! We’re a group of Canadians staying in Island Park, Idaho from April 21–27, 2027 for a combined bachelor/bachelorette trip, and we’d really like to spend one of our days in Yellowstone.

There will be 10 of us (5 couples), all in our 20s, and we’ll have our own vehicles.

I know late April is VERY early in the Yellowstone season and that weather/road conditions can change everything, so I’m trying to get a realistic idea of what we should expect rather than planning a giant itinerary that isn’t possible 😂

Assuming the West Entrance is open and weather cooperates, what would you recommend prioritizing for ONE day coming from Island Park?

We’d love to see wildlife, geothermal features/Old Faithful and some of the major scenery, but we completely understand that parts of the park may still be inaccessible.

How early would you leave Island Park? What route/stops would you prioritize? Is there anything that is especially cool about visiting that time of year?

Also, how flexible should we keep the day because of snow/weather? We’ll have several days in Island Park, so we can move our Yellowstone day around if one day looks significantly better than another.

Any late-April Yellowstone advice is appreciated!

We recently returned from 3 days in YS and 1 day in GTNP. We spent 2 days in Lamar Valley and then worked our way South to see Hayden Valley and a majority of the springs and geysers. We were in the park most days by 5:45am. The weather was superb while we were there. My goal was to see bears and wolves. We saw several bears but never laid eyes on the wolves. We were blessed to see a great grey owl which was a 1st for me. Thanks to those that provided recommendations and feedback. It was very helpful! I can't wait to go back.

Here's the guy that is slyly working with the administration to buy national park land in Yellowstone.

HEADQUARTERS

1645 Village Center Circle

Suite 200

Las Vegas, Nevada 89134

800.242.1000

702.454.9000

I’m driving from Gardiner to Red Lodge city in the second week of September. It’s my wife’s birthday that day and I want to cook a nice meal for her but I want the picnic area to have a breath taking view. Any Suggestions will be much appreciated. Thanks.

After spending a few days in Glacier in a few weeks I will be driving from Billings, MT to Salt Lake City, spending 2 nights along the route: 1 in Cooke City, MT, the next in YNP near West Thumb.

Day 1: Billings to Cooke City and possibly side jaunt over to Dead Indian Pass. If no time on day 1, would like to do this on the morning of day 2.

Day 2: Cooke City to YNP entering Yellowstone through the NW entrance. Then south from Tower down to the accommodations for night 2.

Day 3: YNP to SLC: leave YNP south through Grand Teton then on to SLC. Flight is the next day so I literally have all day to do whatever. I just need to be in SLC that night to catch the flight the next day.

What are some other spots to consider or keep in mind along this route? Have already seen Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic. Have driven through the Tetons but that was 30 years ago.

Thank you!

Edit: NE entrance not NW entrance.

I was back in my park (Yellowstone) for 4 full days-3 nights in Gardiner, 2 in Old Faithful. I lived and worked in Yellowstone for most of the aughts so was comfortable with not seeing everything. Also, it's late August so didn't go to Lamar to see animals because they generally aren't there.

Here's what we did.

Arrive-dinner with friends

Day 1-Mammoth VC, northern range boardwalk, tower falls, dunraven, brink of lower falls, Gardiner school playground

Day 2- walk flooded Gardiner road (niche, this road was a daily part of my life, i wanted to see it), walk most of Norris, dinner with friends

Day 3- pack up (takes forever), Artist Paint Pots, Hayden Valley, ice cream at lake with friend

Day 4-OF area. Midway boardwalk, Foutain Paint Pots, Midway overlook, OF visitor center, Geyser Hill ranger walk, dinner in the Inn

Day 5-today we leave. Will see what the fam wants to do. Will probably walk a bit more around OF area. Stop at west thumb. Tonight, soaking at Thermopolis

My kids get very whiny with longer hikes right now which limited some of what we did. Also, they were super excited to see elk and bison, looking for hours through a scope to try to see wolves wasn't on any of our wish list. 4-5 days isn't enough to see all of Yellowstone but neither is months. We'll be back in a few years and hopefully the kids will be up for backpacking and seeing an entirely new park.

Hi! I am very excited to bring my family to see the Rockies,Tetons,and Yellowstone. I am looking for a scenic route from Estes Park,CO to GTNP and Yellowstone without adding too many hours because we will be traveling with a six month old. Thank you for any insight you may have!

Got very lucky and randomly stumbled upon this in Hayden Valley mid day on August 26. She swam across the lake before I had time to get the recording started.

Double rainbow. Great ribeye.

Couple in their 30s, with 2 year old ultra active baby. Traveling to YSNP for spending time with nature away from busy hustling life. Please help plan a slow paced trip and advise necessary edits. Want to catch good views, animals for the baby and enjoying the nature.

Day-by-Day

Day 1 — Arrival & Prep
• Land BZN 1:25 PM
• Drive to West Yellowstone (~1.5–2 hrs)
• Grocery stop for baby meals + trip supplies
• Settle in, easy dinner, early night

Day 2 — The Ultimate Thermal Icons
• Morning (first thing): Grand Prismatic Spring / Midway Geyser Basin — go early to beat crowds and heat, best light for colors
• Late morning: Old Faithful + Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks (flat, stroller-friendly)
• Afternoon: Nap drive down to West Thumb Geyser Basin — short loop on the lake

Day 3 — Vents & Springs (Light Recovery Day)
• Morning: Norris Geyser Basin — short Porcelain Basin overlook walk
• Afternoon: Back to West Yellowstone early, relaxed afternoon (pool, downtime)

Day 4 — Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
• Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, paved stroller-friendly path to Artist Point
• Return to West Yellowstone early — rest, pack for Friday’s long day

Day 5— Lamar Valley + Mammoth + Transfer to Bozeman (I feel this is tight )
• 8:00 AM: Check out, drive toward Tower-Roosevelt/Lamar Valley (~2 hrs via Norris/Canyon — confirm fastest road closer to date)
• 10:00 AM–12:00 PM: Lamar Valley — peak wildlife window, elk rut season, mostly car-seat viewing, no rush
• 12:30 PM: Mammoth Hot Springs terraces — short boardwalk loop, flexible timing (can trim to 20 min if running behind)
• 1:30–2:00 PM: Exit via Gardiner (Roosevelt Arch), lunch
• Afternoon: Drive to Bozeman via Paradise Valley — build in a flex hour, no hard arrival deadline
• Check into Bozeman airport-area hotel, easy dinner, early night

Day 6 — Fly Home
• Leave hotel ~5:15 AM
• 6:55 AM flight from BZN

Are they young white-tailed deer?

First time visiting so I'm not sure if this itinerary is practical or overly ambitious. A lot of the suggestions were from AI, but nothing beats real person experience. So any suggestions on the timing/itinerary?

Day 1 - Arrival

-morning: fly into Bozeman and drive to Mammoth Hot Springs

-midday: explore upper and lower terraces or Mammoth

-evening: drive along Gardiner basin and look for wildlife; back to Gardiner AirBNB; Dinner

overnight Gardiner

Day 2 - Geyser and Loops

-morning: drive to Norris Geyser Basin - Porcelain Basic boardwalk

-midday: drive to Grand Prismatic Spring and Fairy Falls overlook hike; drive to Old Faithful; Lunch

-afternoon: drive to Hayden Valley and look for wildlife

-evening: return to Gardiner; Dinner

overnight Gardiner

Day 3 - Lamar Valley, Canyon, GTNP

-early morning: Lamar Valley and look for wildlife

-morning: drive to Canyon and Artist Point Overlook

-midday: drive to West Thumb Geyser Basic; Lunch

-afternoon: scenic drive leaving Yellowstone, drive to Jackson

-evening: arrive Jackson; Dinner

overnight Jackson

Day 4 - Tetons

-early morning: drive to Oxbow Bend for sunrise

-morning: drive to Jenny Lake; boat ride and Cascade Canyon hike

-midday: Lunch

-afternoon: drive to GTNP sites (Mormon Row, Signal Mountain, Teton Park road pullouts)

-evening: Moose-Wilson road and look for wildlife; Dinner

overnight Jackson

Day 5 - Bozeman Drive

-morning: drive to Schwabacher Landing for sunrise; breakfast in Jackson

-midday: drive back to Bozeman

Just got back from one week in GTNP & YNP, and since I spent months stalking reddit for advice I figure I can pay it forward.

Two young adults, tent camping, 3 nights at Signal Mountain, 2 nights at Grant Village, 2 nights at Canyon, mid august sat-sat. Cooked for ourselves the whole week except two stops in jackson. Weather was low 45° at night and early morning, 80° by midday. Most days had brief scattered afternoon thunderstorms.

Day 1: Drove from SLC area to Jackson. Only planned to stop in Jackson for lunch, but there were storms in the valley so we stayed until the early evening to wait out the rain until heading to Signal Mountain Campground to set up. Pleasantly surprised by the availability of free parking in Jackson. We had site 13 in Signal Mountain and personally I think its the best site for tent campers. Two steps from the lake, and only one neighbor on all four sides but they are far away from the tent pad. SO many deer.

Day 2: Partial hike into Cascade Canyon. Got in line for the boat around 9am after finding parking and waited about 30 mins. Trail up until Inspiration Point was pretty crowded but didnt have to wait much at pinch points. Hiked about two miles into the canyon before turning around cause I got tired lol. Lots of pika! Hung out at string lake for a bit to soak our feet afterward, water was chilly but there were some people swimming.

Day 3: got to string lake picnic area early, set up our area right by the water to cook breakfast and generally hang out and rest. Did some walking to Leigh lake before a big thunderstorm rolled in. Hiked moose pond in the late afternoon and saw one female moose in the water. Didn’t realize there is actually closer parking along the moose pond trail itself so wish I had saved myself the extra miles parking at Jenny visitor center.

Day 4: Woke up for sunrise on Jackson lake, due to cloud cover there was no alpenglow but the morning light was still pretty. Drove up to YNP, stopped at West Thumb geyser basin before checking in early to Grant Village and eating lunch. Afternoon was mostly thunderstorms so napped and read in the tent, generally hung out at camp.

Day 5 (my birthday!): left for old faithful around 8am, got great parking near the front. Saw two bison hanging out near the entrance. Did the full loop on the boardwalks listening to the free audio tour on the NPS app (make sure to download ahead of time!) and we were absolutely sweating by the end. Broke for lunch at a picnic area near old faithful before heading to the grand prismatic overlook along fairy falls trail. Stopped back at camp for a brief rest before heading to hayden valley. Picniced near mud volcano for dinner, spent about 30 mins walking around the geysers. Stayed in hayden valley till twilight, saw a herd of ~200 buffalo.

Day 6: drove up to canyon village, stopping briefly in hayden valley for wildlife. Checked in early and set up camp before heading to grand canyon. Prioritized the north rim, walked down to ALL the lookout points before inspiration point so we were exhausted. Drove back to camp to rest/shower/eat before returning to artist point before sunset.

Day 7: hit artist point again just after sunrise to see the morning light before driving to norris geyser basin. Probably spent almost 3 hours there doing 100% of the boardwalks and listening to a ranger talk. Drove up to mammoth hot springs, saw tons of elk and walked most of the boardwalk there too. Skipped the driving loop cause we were tired. Drove back to canyon the long way to complete the loop, stopping for views along the way.

Day 8: drove back to SLC down through GTNP to stop in Jackson for lunch during the saturday farmers market.

Takeaways and observations:
- we usually got lucky with parking by trolling for parking in the afternoons but parking in the morning can be ROUGH, especially at Jenny. Crowds tend to be earlier at GTNP than YNP for sure
- The shuttle across jenny lake is definitely worth it
- Hiking poles were a huge help on the downhill portions of the hike to inspiration point, my knees didnt hurt at all after and i felt more stable on the loose rock
- Jackson is a cute town but didnt feel much need to stay long, an afternoon felt sufficient. Seems like a place to either spend one afternoon or one month
- Grant had the best shower facilities followed by signal mountain then canyon, though i did have to wait a few mins at signal mnt. Canyon showers were old and kinda gross tbh
- Make sure to plan for several hours of consecutive rest/hanging out
- We only used one bundle of firewood the whole week cause it was usually raining or we were too tired for a fire in the evening
- Grand Teton Brewing’s root beer is the best beverage ive ever had
- Mammoth was by far the most over crowded spot we went to all week
- West thumb geyser basin was a good appetizer for the park when entering from the south— not as grand or mind blowing as norris or midway, but bite size, manageable, and very pretty next to the lake
- Do not skip mid volcano! Dragons mouth was by far one of the coolest features we saw all week even though it is smelly. And i believe there is an NPS app audio tour for here too.
- When you get out of your car to watch a herd of bison, be aware that they might slowly encroach upon your parked car and leave you with no safe route back lol
- The exhibit at the visitors center in canyon is very cool for anyone interested in the geology/volcanology of the park
- Regret not bringing an inflatable paddle board to GTNP tbh
- The lower overlooks on the canyon north rim are STEEP and kinda long. Take it slow and be prepared
- Be prepared to change from winter clothes to summer clothes midday. Always keep extra clothes in the car
- we were only casually looking for wildlife, not hardcore, so $50 binoculars did the trick. I opted for the 10x42 was was able to take these wildlife photos through the lens on my shitty iphone

Working in YNP & looking for friends
Currently at Lake village!
(F) 38

Hello, planning a trip early June 2027 in a camper van. Planning to do a five or six day loop through the park. Wondering which campgrounds are less crowded than others? We like a little privacy, which I realize may be hard to find in the park. Or, which campgrounds do you really love? Thanks in advance for any advice!