Yellowstone National Park – Fourteen Highlights to make your Bucket List Trip complete

Last Updated on September 12, 2023 by

Yellowstone National Park is a bucket list trip for many, and it certainly was for us. What we did not realize at the time, even after seeing it on the map, is just how large the park is. The Grand Loop Road, nearly 150 miles long, can take you upwards of a full day without stopping just to complete.

In terms of land mass, Yellowstone is as large as Delaware and Rhode Island combined. With five entrances covering portions of three states, and ten visitor or information centers, just getting into the park and collecting park maps can be overwhelming.

Over three million visitors per year enjoy this park, but not all take full advantage of seeing its some 10,000 hydrothermal features, which constitute roughly half of all those known in the world. Concentrated in roughly five areas of the park with NUMEROUS pullouts is a lot of ground to cover. And let’s not forget the American Serengeti.

With all of that driving and open land to consider, here is a collection of hydrothermal features with scenic and historic stops, both large and small, that we feel capture the heart of Yellowstone.

Old Faithful

The beauty and power of Old Faithful was a key element to Yellowstone’s designation as a National Park. Perhaps the best known of all Yellowstone landmarks, the Old Faithful geyser shoots between three and eight thousand gallons of water over 100 feet in the air up to twenty times a day. In the mid-1800’s Old Faithful’s eruptions could be predicted to within a few minutes. Today, due to earthquakes and changing geology, it is less ‘faithful’ than it used to be, erupting between and hour to an hour and a half apart, give or take ten minutes.
There are three ways to view Old Faithful – from the viewing deck at Old Faithful Inn, from the benches surrounding the boardwalk, or our personal favorite – from the Observation Point – a short hike away. For details on how to make this a half day outing combined with Upper Geyser Basin head over to our Old Faithful and Upper Geyser post.

Upper Geyser Basin and Geyser Hill

Old Faithful may be the best known geyser in Yellowstone, but the Upper Geyser Basin contains at least 150 additional geysers in a tightly contained area. The basin consists of several different sections, including the Old Faithful area, Geyser Hill, the area between Castle Geyser and Morning Glory Pool, Black Sand Basin, and Biscuit Basin.
A boardwalk will take you from Old Faithful to Geyser Hill and all the way out to Morning Glory Pool. Additional trails will allow you to connect to both Black Sand and Biscuit Basin. For details on how to make this a half day outing combined with Upper Geyser Basin head over to our Old Faithful and Upper Geyser post.

Grand Prismatic Spring

The spring is the largest in the park at 200-330 feet in diameter and more than 121 feet deep. The brilliants bands of orange, yellow, and green are actually created by trillions of microscopic organisms known as thermophiles.
There are two parking areas available to view the pool, but parking at either between 9AM and 6PM during peak season is going to be a challenge. The Grand Prismatic Spring parking lot provides access to the nearly mile long boardwalk surrounding both Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser.
Our preferred option is to head slightly farther south and park at the Fairy Falls parking lot. Parking here is likely to be (slightly) less congested and the path takes you to the Prismatic Spring Overlook. It is a 1.6 mile round trip to the overlook on a very wide, smooth path. From there, you can continue on to Fairy Falls, the highest falls in the park. Our Grand Prismatic Spring and Fairy Falls Trail post provides a more complete description for your half day outing.

Mammoth Hot Springs

The official park headquarters, the village of Mammoth Hot Springs is seemingly frozen in time, offering visitors a more rustic approach to Yellowstone. Following the failures of the first park superintendents, the US Army was brought in to restore order, prevent poaching and preserve the natural resources.
The hot springs are a must visit, and are unlike any other formation in the park. There is an extensive boardwalk system around the hot springs with a half dozen entry points from small parking lots along the road. There is also a short two mile one way drive along the upper portion offering access to some features not visible from the boardwalk.

Roosevelt Arch

The perfect photo op to capture your visit to Yellowstone, Roosevelt Arch sits about 5 miles north of the village of Mammoth Hot Springs in the town of Gardiner . The top is inscribed with “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people”.
Gardiner is the perfect spot to book any possible adventure travel into Yellowstone. There are nearly 40 different outfitters located in this tiny little town catering from the most mild of bus tours to adrenaline inducing whitewater tours, e-bike and horseback riding tours, and many options in between. It is also an excellent spot to stop and have lunch after visiting the local Yellowstone Forever store to stock up on maps, tour info, and swag.

Lamar and Hayden Valleys

Lamar Valley is often dubbed the “Serengeti of North America”, and for good reason. It is a huge, wide valley located in the northeastern corner of the park offering probably the best opportunity for wildlife gazing in the park. Bison, pronghorn, grizzlies, and if you’re very lucky – wolves, all frequent the valley. Dawn and dusk are the best times for wildlife viewing, so plan your travel time accordingly as this is one of the more remote corners of the park.
Hayden Valley is another great spot for wildlife viewing with bison, grizzly and black bear, and coyote.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon area is definitely one of our favorite spots in the park. The Canyon is approximately 20 miles long, almost 4,000 feet at its widest point, and up to 1,200 feet deep. It is highlighted by an upper falls tumbling 109 feet and a lower falls crashing 308 feet. It has some great observation spots along both the north and the south rim, but we prefer the south due to the additional hiking trails.

Norris Geyser Basin

This is a very popular stop and likely very congested. Our visit typically saw cars parked along the Grand Loop Road even though the parking lot is down a side road another quarter mile away. We did not take the opportunity to visit here due to the overwhelming traffic.
The basin has provides some excellent examples of geysers, fumaroles, hot springs and mud pools. There are two distinct sections of this area, Porcelain Basin and Back Basin. Due to the intensity of the heat and acidity of the water, the area is pretty desolate, providing a pretty unique landscape to visit. Trails surround each area, offering about a 3 mile loop in total.
Steamboat, the world’s tallest geyser, also calls Norris Geyser home. Unfortunately, this geyser is completely unpredictable, with major eruptions coming anywhere from 4 days to 50 years apart.

Artists Paintpots

Located in the Gibbon Geyser Basin, the Artists Paintpots are one of the most popular features in the area. There are over 50 springs, geysers and vents, but the stars of the show here are the mudpots. Shades of blue, grey and brown bubble and roil in cauldrons of thick mud. A short side road followed by a short walk will bring you to the loop trail. The trail is mostly flat with a small climb up Paintpot Hill taking you past several prominent thermal features. You will certainly know you’re in the vicinity of the mudpots with the distinct smell of rotten eggs.

Mud Volcano

Similar to the Artist Paint Pots, the Mud Volcano is a large cauldron of boiling, bubbling mud. I don’t know what it is about watching the mud bubble, but to me it has the same mesmerizing effect as watching fire. Must be the little boy in me still lurking in there somewhere. Mud Volcano is in the very southern portion of Hayden Valley along a mile long boardwalk loop.

Roaring Mountain

A quick stop just north of Norris Geyser Basin, Roaring Mountain offers a treat to one of the senses not generally associated with Yellowstone – hearing. Roaring Mountain contains many steam vents (fumaroles) in a very small area. Just before the water reaches the surface, it flashes to steam created a hiss of sound.

Sheepeater Cliff

A quick side road turnoff south of Mammoth takes you to Sheepeater Cliff. This is a perfect mid-day spot to have some lunch and do some marmot watching. There are several picnic tables and a restroom. It’s a tight spot though, so RV’s are not recommended (I don’t recall if there is signage indicating a maximum length allowed).
There is an unmarked, one mile trail, that will take you to Tukuarika Falls. This is a trail we researched, but did not walk ourselves.

Obsidian Cliff

Obsidian is formed in volcanic areas rich in silica and when the cooling temperatures is just right, this black glass is left behind. Ordinarily, obsidian is found in small rocks but here is a formation nearly 100 feet high. It has been found along trade routes from western Canada to Ohio and in 90% of the burial mounds of the Hopewell people. In 1996, the site was subsequently designated a National Historic Landmark.

Golden Gate

The Golden Gate area signifies entry into the interior of the park from Mammoth dating back to the age of the stagecoach. Lichen formations on the canyon walls give off an orangey-gold glow in the sunlight providing support for it’s name.
There are two excellent pullouts with great views of the bridge and Rustic Falls. The more southern lot also has a fairly steep trail toward the base of the falls that makes for great pictures.

Always Remember the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace

Plan Ahead and Prepare, Stay on Designated Trails, Dispose of Waste Properly, Don’t Take Anything You Didn’t Bring with You, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife, Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Courtesy: Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics