Planning a visit to Yellowstone National Park?

Yellowstone National Park is one of those magical places where time seems to stop, yet the passing of it echoes throughout the ancient caldera. Exploring this incredible national park can be the trip of a lifetime but for some travelers, planning it can be an overwhelming and daunting task.

To help make planning your road trip easy and stress-free, I’m sharing 13 insider tips for visiting Yellowstone I’ve put together after visiting this amazingly beautiful national park several times.

Some of these tips I developed after making mistakes and discovering better ideas, while others were shared with me the first time we went.

And now I’m sharing them all with you.  If you have questions, I’m happy to answer them. Send me an email or leave a comment below!

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Planning a road trip to Yellowstone National Park and feeling overwhelmed?

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The Park

Yellowstone National Park with its nearly 2.25 million acres, is the eighth largest national park in the United States. 

In 2024, it ranked fourth for annual visitors with 4.74 million people experiencing the park, while the Great Smoky Mountains received over 12.19 million visitors!

While statistics are sometimes cool to note, the point I want to make is that as popular as Yellowstone National Park is, it is neither the largest, nor the most visited of the 63 national parks in the U.S.!

Yellowstone does however hold claim to being the first national park, designated as such by President Ulysses Grant in 1872.

But even though Yellowstone isn’t the largest, nor the most visited, there are things you should know before going that will help you have a much better experience.

Here they are in no particular order…

Don’t visit during peak season if you can help it

Peak season for Yellowstone is June through August.

Not only are these the hottest months of the year, but it can seem like all 4 million people are trying to visit the park at the same time.

If at all possible, plan your visit for late May to early June, or September thru early October.

These shoulder seasons usually see fewer crowds and cooler temperatures.

Visit from late October through early May and you’ll find many of the roads closed for the season. In fact most of the park itself is closed to visitors during this time.

If you must visit during the peak season, just be mentally prepared for long wait times and heavy crowds and you’ll be fine. Patience is the key when visiting during these busy summer months.

Really.

My family and I have visited the park in mid-May, June, July, and late August. Regardless of when you go, the park is amazing, and there’s so much to see and do. It truly is an experience like no other.

Car vs. RV

Most roads in Yellowstone National Park are narrow, curvy and two-lanes. Sometimes driving an RV through the park can be somewhat of a challenge, even in the best of weather.

On one of our earliest visits, we drove a 31’ C-class motorhome through the park…in late June…everything I’m saying don’t do, we did!

We found it was difficult and at times frustrating to try and find a place to park whenever we wanted to park and explore a particular area.

Just be aware that some of the parking areas have very few parking spaces for oversized vehicles.

A few times we decided not to stop because we couldn’t find a place to park.

Most areas in the park can accommodate vehicles up to a maximum of 40’.  This is a combined length of RV and vehicle and puts you in the oversize parking category.

At the Artist Point parking lot for example, there are 109 parking spaces, and only 9 are oversized.

You can imagine how crazy it can get during peak season trying to grab one of those 9 spaces.

Incidentally, Artist Point was one of the areas we attempted, and passed by because of the crowds and limited parking.

I so regretted not being able to visit that area, that it was the first place we went on our next visit! I’m so glad we did because the view took our breath away. It was in a word, stunning.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, the best way to handle it is to get to those areas you are particularly intent on visiting EARLY! As in before 9am. The majority of visitors are on the road between 10am and 6pm so plan accordingly.

If you have the choice however, I recommend bringing a tow vehicle (or leaving your travel trailer at the campground) and drive your smaller vehicle through the park…SO much easier and less stressful.

Check out the Lodges of Yellowstone

In addition to the regular popular attractions, take the time to visit and explore Yellowstone’s nine lodges; even if you’re not staying in one. They are true works of art themselves and a reminder of an era in our nation’s history that’s disappearing.

Old Faithful Inn – Built in 1903, the Inn has been an architectural influence on numerous other national park lodges and hotels. The Grand Canyon Lodge, Paradise Inn at Mount Rainier, Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, and even Walt Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge are just a few. 

Old Faithful Lodge – Near the Old Faithful Inn is the Old Faithful Lodge with its huge windows in the dining room that look straight out at the Old Faithful Geyser itself.  Built with massive logs, the interior is beautiful and has a great gift shop and bakery.

Roosevelt Lodge – Located near the Tower Falls at the northern end of the park, Roosevelt Lodge is built near a campsite President Theodore Roosevelt once used during his stay in the area in 1903. Near the lodge is a corral from which stagecoach tours, horseback rides, and outdoor BBQ style cookouts are available.

Canyon Lodge – Comprised of five separate lodge buildings, Canyon Lodge is the largest of the Yellowstone lodges with over 500 hotel rooms, suites, and cabins. It’s located near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The other lodges include Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Lake Lodge, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, and Grant Village. Each are uniquely different and a stop at each one is a delight.

Admission

Entering Yellowstone is not free…there is an admission fee of $35 per vehicle which is good for unlimited visits for up to seven days after purchase. 

My next insider tip for visiting Yellowstone: buy the America the Beautiful Pass.

There are several options for this pass.

Annual Pass – For a fee of $80 you gain admission to all the national parks and nearly 2,000 various federal recreation sites in the country, unlimited visits, for one year.

If you plan to visit more than two national parks in one year, the America the Beautiful Pass will easily pay for itself.

Senior Pass – For seniors over the age of 62, there is a discounted Senior Pass – $20 for an annual pass or $80 for a lifetime pass.

Military Pass – For active military, veterans, and gold star families with valid ID, you can obtain the free annual Military Pass.

For those visitors with a documented disability regardless of age or % of disability, consider applying for the free lifetime Access Pass.

4^th Grade Pass – There is also a free pass for 4^th Graders good from September thru August of their 4^th grade year.  For more information on all passes visit the National Park Service’s website here.

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Bring Appropriate Footwear & Clothing

Make sure you check out the weather forecast before your trip.

The elevation in Yellowstone can vary from about 5,000’ to just under 9,000’, and weather and temperatures can change on a dime.

The best advice I can share is to dress in layers and bring a waterproof outer layer. You’ll thank me!

Early mornings can be chilly, even in the summer. It has been known to snow in Yellowstone in July.

By mid-day you’re warm and sweating, and after the sun goes down, you’ll find yourself reaching for a sweatshirt again. 

Bring good footwear with you too.

Hiking boots, trail shoes, supportive sneakers, are all good options for most of the park depending on your activity. 

Blisters are not something you want to deal with as it may cause you to stay in the car and miss out on a great photo opportunity!

Plan Your Visit

Yellowstone is huge and to have the best experience, consider this next insider tip for visiting the park.

Research and plan your visit well in advance.

Know where you want to stop and what you want to see.

Know what time of day is best for each attraction you want to visit. The key is also understanding how far apart various locations are and the drive time you can expect to take getting from one area to another. Don’t be surprised if the 30 minutes between two locations ends up taking nearly two hours because a bison herd decided to take your route, or a mother black bear and her cubs are sighted in a glen off the road and two hundred people pull over to take a photo.

Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Some places you’ll want to visit as early as possible in order to beat the crowds and find good parking.

Old Faithful is best experienced before 9:30 am as the busiest times are between 10am and 4pm.

Plan your route so you don’t miss anything on your list.

Go to your furthest destination first then work your way back to your night’s accommodation.

Consider driving the Grand Loop clockwise to avoid being caught up in the crowds.

Most people subconsciously choose the path to the right so those areas normally get busy first. But if you travel in the opposite direction, chances are you’ll have several stops to yourself before it gets busy.

Get Out and Explore

Yellowstone is best experienced on foot.

Unless you are pressed for time and doing what I call the “Big Ben, Parliament” drive-by technique, you really must get out of your vehicle and experience as much as possible.  (I know, I may be showing my age here, but channeling the Griswolds on a family trip is just natural -don’t you think?)

So, get out and hike some trails.

Experience Yellowstone Lake by reserving a boat or booking one of the lake tours. Take a stagecoach ride through Pleasant Valley.

Go fishing or take a bike ride through an area of the park and truly experience your environment.

I promise you won’t regret it and you’ll have stories to tell!

Bring Binoculars

One thing that you will want to bring with you (if not, you’ll wish you had) is a pair of binoculars.

Yellowstone is so vast that you’re likely to see dots in a meadow off in the distance and you’ll wonder: Bison? Wolves? Bear? Antelope? Elk?

You won’t regret bringing them.

Ride the Stagecoach

One of the most unique things we’ve done in the park is the Stagecoach ride from the Roosevelt Lodge area.

For $22.10 per person, ($11.05 per child) you can ride a stagecoach through the valley and get an idea of what it must have been like to ride this popular mode of transportation through the park over a hundred years ago.

On the hour-long trip, we saw coyotes, rabbits, fox, deer, and dozens of chipmunks!  Afterwards, consider having dinner at the Roosevelt Lodge or the outdoor Old West Dinner Cookout.

Make reservations

Because the park is hugely popular, you’ll want to make reservations for dining, camping or lodge accommodations, and any special activities you want to experience.

And make them as early as possible! Believe it or not, some things book up a year in advance.

The worst thing is to get there and not be able to do something, or miss out on an experience because there’s no availability.

On the same note though, be flexible with your itinerary.

Sometimes, things just get out of your control. It makes for a better vacation if you just roll with it.

Miss a dinner reservation because of a traffic jam? Bring along food in a cooler or have a backup reservation scheduled just in case.

Who wants to be stressed out on vacation?

Don’t Be in a Hurry

Which brings me to my next insider tip for visiting Yellowstone National Park.

Don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere in the park. 

Even if you’re fortunate enough to visit during off-season and miss out on the crowds, you may still experience delays.

When traffic stops for wildlife, it’s not uncommon to be at a stand-still in miles of traffic for up to an hour or more.

After spending enough time in the park, you learn to anticipate what kind of animal sighting is responsible for holding up the traffic based on the length of the build-up and how long you’re waiting.

Usually it’s either bison or bear – see if you can predict which animal it is during your visit!

One of the worst things I see people do is get frustrated with the stop-and-go traffic and try to get around vehicles in front of them only to hit an animal crossing or stopped in the middle of the road they didn’t see. 

The animals live their entire lives in the park.  It’s their park.  We’re just visitors.

Respect the speed limits, your fellow drivers, and enjoy the experience of the beauty around you and the people you’re with.

After all, you’re not at work, or late to a meeting, so why rush?

Want my exact Yellowstone road trip map with parking areas, lodging, fuel and food stops noted throughout the park?

Download my Yellowstone National Park Road Trip Planner with an interactive map and enjoy stress-free travel planning! You’ll get:

• Interactive map with:
  • must-see sites, lodging, fuel, food, and parking areas clearly marked
• Sample 3–5 day itinerary
• 6 pages of insider tips and more!

One map. One plan. Zero stress

Bring Food & Drinks

As I mentioned earlier, bring a cooler with you full of snacks and drinks.

It’s much cheaper to load up on the necessities before you enter the park. Consider doing some grocery shopping outside one of the entrances.

While there are places to dine inside the park, they can be few and far between. You don’t want “hangry” people in your group!

We usually bring sandwich fixings, snacks, drinks, fruit, etc. with us.

Check out these other road trip essentials to bring along on your trip.

Get the App

My final and 13th insider tip for visiting Yellowstone National Park is to buy and download the Yellowstone audio tour by GuideAlong.

Since there’s little cell service in the park, you can download the audio and still have access to helpful bits of information about things to see and do, not to mention learning a bit of the park’s history.

It’s a great addition to your trip and provides excellent information about what you’re seeing and experiencing.

That’s it. My 13 best insider tips for planning your Yellowstone National Park road trip to help you enjoy your vacation to the fullest! And since you’ll be in the area, make sure to check out my Itinerary for Grand Teton National Park and you can enjoy both national parks!

If you have questions or comments, let me know below! Enjoy your trip and embrace your inner dragonfly!