Yellowstone Bucket list trip No.1

Mammoth Hot Springs

Wildlife - Bullsnake

Yellowstone summer tip – a destination you should put on your bucket list

We had booked the Rockymountain RV Park in Gardiner shortly before the North entrance of Yellowstone for 3 days. For additional 2 days we stayed at Fishermans Bridge Campground within Yellowstone.

5 unforgettable days

The arrival day, we went to the Roosevelt Arch, and took the mandatory Yellowstone picture at the entrance sign. At the Horace M. Albright Visitor Center in Mammoth Hot Springs, we picked up the Ranger Book and attended a Ranger talk about how to behave in the wilderness. After that we spent the rest of the day at Mammoth Hot Springs.

The next day we spend most of the time at Norris Geyser Basin. After that we drove through the park to see the Tower Falls and we took a bath in the Boiling River where we saw a deer and a snake. We also crossed the Lamar Valley, but we only saw herds of Bisons.

Old Faithful, and Grand Prismatic Springs we visited from our second Campground at Fishermans Bridge on our way back we hit a traffic jam caused by a bear crossing the street to take a bath.

We went 2x to Canyon Village and Grand Canyon, unfortunately were Oncel Toms Trail, Inspiration Point and Brink of Upper Falls closed. At Artist Point and Lookout Point we had a gorgeous sight of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon and the Upper Falls. We took the Firehole Canyon Drive also 2 times, since we had so much fun to float in the River.

The Landscape of Yellowstone is unique!

You must see it. The 4 thermal features: Geysere, Mudpots, Hotsprings, and Fumerols are fascinating. Old Faithful is the most famous geyser, for the reason that his eruptions are very predictable (all 90 minutes) since years. Steamboat is the largest Geyser sadly we missed the last eruption. He was quiet for years and this year (2018) he already erupted 15-times.

Links and Tips

The Yellowstone National Park Website has a lot of information.

We love the Gypsy audio guide it gives you a lot of information and points out all important stops.

Travel Time

In my opinion, the best time to visit the park is end of May or at the beginning of June and in September. If you travel in summer, it is good to plan the trip as early as possible June – August are the main travel months. So, everything gets filled up fast.

Camping and Lodging

Yellowstone National Park Lodges and Camping – Yellowstone National Park you can book one year in advance and the canceling fee is not high in the National Parks.

free Campgrounds

booking.com

airbnb.com

RV, Car Rentals and Flights

Cruise America offers campers, and at outdoorsy.com you can rent private RVs and travel trailers. In case you need a car, we like to rent them at Alamo if you like to check out a search engine try this one; https://www.priceline.com/

To find a cheap flight I use Skyscanner.

National Park Entrance Fee

Seven-day entrance passes cost $35 per car and $20 per hiker. If you plan on visiting multiple USA national parks, it is best to get an America the Beautiful Pass.

Seattle – Glacier – Yellowstone – Teton National Park – Idaho RV Route

How to get the most out of the interactive map:

Option 1: Click on the rectangle at the top right and save the complete map with the highlights & tips in Google Maps. With a click on the star the map is saved as a favourite.
Option 2: Click on individual sights, then a drop-down menu opens on the left. You can use this to “open in Google Maps” the sight and save it there as a favorite.