A subreddit for discussion, photos, videos, and articles related to the world's first national park and the surrounding region (the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem)
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Please share news, pictures, stories or ask questions concerning the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Yellowstone National Park was established by the U.S. Congress and by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. It is widely held to be the first national park in the world. Known worldwide for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park.
Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles (8,983 km2). More than half of the world's remaining geysers are in Yellowstone. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the largest remaining nearly intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone.
Some handy advice for anyone considering visiting or working in Yellowstone can be found in
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We are visiting Yellowstone via the north entrance in February. When you enter the park, where can you park your vehicle and start out? We were interested in the hot springs. I have read about the Albright Visitor Center but it didn’t look like direct park access. Couldn’t find much online about anything once you make it through the entrance on where to go, so thank you in advanced!
Ok so like it says we're going to west Yellowstone in February. 2 in our group couldn't get as much time off as the rest ( 5 people total) 2 have to get back to the airport earlier than the rest. I can see that I can set up an Uber for a couple hundred bucks which isn't the issue I'm just more concerned about the reliability due to the remote location. Has anyone else used Uber in winter successfully to get to west Yellowstone from Bozeman?
Does anyone know if Mammoth Campground booking for 7/31-8/2 is available. I can see Rs through about 7/14… but everything after says unavailable- do they not open sites for reservations until 6 months out?
New to booking on Reservations.gov / npr.org
Can’t find a legend or anything stating that like I’ve seen with other campgrounds
Argue me if you have a different opinion. I’ve only been once and we stayed at Madison so I’m extremely biased. From what I can tell, Canyon is just too expensive and not to my personal taste. That one’s off the bracket for me. I had nothing but back luck at fishing bridge, I imagine I must’ve done something horrendous there in a past life because it seems to hate me. Mammoth is really pretty but it seems to be for more of a hotel stay than a camping stay. Roosevelt is my favorite location map wise (the north was my favorite) but it’s a bit log-cabiny. The lake is pretty, but it’s so far from everything else. (Especially for me, since I like the north more)
Does anyone have a favorite campground for tent camping? Not backcountry because I am terrified of bears. Going back in the summer and Madison seems like the ideal place to stay but I’d like to hear other opinions.
We will be camping in Yellowstone in our RV for 5 nights this summer and I am wondering if we should also try to do one of the nightly Rodeos in Cody on the way there? Any thoughts or comments, is it just a tourist trap for people that don't have rodeos at home? (We have a covered Rodeo Arena less than 5 miles from our house that hosts a few rodeos per year)
Have you ever lost something and wondered about its final resting place? Earbuds, books, gloves—where do they end up? A dumpster? Maybe. A bird’s nest? Why not. The lost and found? Sure. Things are just things, and like a love affair, they often come into your life with intensity. If you lose them right away, the pain is sharp. But sometimes, the connection fades, and you let go without a second thought.
I have this thing with gloves. I leave them behind all the time—on restaurant booths, in coat closets at parties. And phone chargers? You know how that goes. Losing stuff has its own rhythm, its own inevitability.
Hi! I’m planning a family trip for this summer (2025). Plan to fly to Billings, MT rent a 32ft Class A or Class B RV and camp around the park. Looking at 9 nights.
Am I crazy to move campgrounds each night? We won’t have another car. So thinking we’d close up RV and drive to wherever each day.
Is it ok to park alongside roadway (if parking) to pickup a roadside trail?
Looking to start in NE gate, head down to South Gate and Grand Tetons, then back up along the west side of park and leave the north gate.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Hey all, currently planning a trip to GTNP and Yellowstone for mid-May. Not a huge planner in terms of my park visits but like to research in advance and keep an open itinerary knowing crowds, closures, and weather will impact things.
I've been told GTNP but did not trek north to Yellowstone, currently looking to split a week between the two with hiking and photography (wildlife and landscape) being my main points of interest.
Just looking for general insights to what to expect and any recommendations for places to stay. Will be flying in and out of Jackson Hole if that impacts thoughts on where to stay for the Yellowstone portion of the trip. Haven't booked anything yet but tentative timing is May 10-17/18.
I have taken your advice and came back to the group when I had a clearer picture of our road trip. I would love suggestions, recommendations for sites to see activities to do, tips etc. We will leave Pagosa Springs and travel north beginning around May 15th. Goal to be at Custer, SD by May 18th. May stop at Estes or Fort Collins. Will travel to Cody, Wy on May 21st. Check in to Bridge Bay Camp grounds on May 24- May 28, move to Madison Campground May 28- June 1. Plan to do the north side of the park while in Bridge Bay, south part while in Madison. Want to do Beartooth pass before moving to Grand Tetons. But the pass doesn't open until 5/24... all suggestions are welcomed.
Sorry for the lack of clarity- the temps were well below freezing and this was shot with two river bends between me and the carcass. It’s amazing how big the bison is compared to the already large wolf.
Good morning! I’m planning a late July/August trip to the Driggs, ID area. I’m interested in some longer and non-technical day hikes for a few weeks on the Idaho side of GRTE and the SW corner of Yellowstone. I’ll need to base camp at least two places with my pickup and small travel trailer - likely look for dry camping in the NF. Bechler Ranger Station and Coyote Meadows are the two trailheads I’m focused on since they look to provide the most options for hikes. Any suggestions for trails or loops?
Also, what’s the road like from Grassy Lake Road to Flagg Ranch?
Very early in planning summer 2026 trip. Planning on flying into Bozeman. After picking up supplies, driving to Old Faithful Inn area to stay the night.
Would it be better to drive through the North Entrance or through the West Entrance?
We will be visiting Yellowstone on April 20th 2025, from the west entrance. Planning on checking out: Old Faithful, Morning Glory Pool, Grand Prismatic Spring, Gibbon Falls, Grand Canyon, and then Mammoth Hot Springs. The road looks like it will be open the third Friday of April, but will the trails be open to the Grand Canyon? I have a stroller. How much time should I allot for this? Are snow chains required once the roads open? Thank you!
Hi, I was in Yellowstone once in my life in my late teens. My favorite hike was down from a valley that started in an evergreen forest down into a valley of 10-15 foot tall sagebrush. No idea where this was in the park. Any ideas? I tried googling and found a few options but they look to have shorter sagebrush. I’ll be visiting in the summer and want to take my husband on this hike. It was my favorite and most magical hike as a kid. The sagebrush was taller than my parents, extremely fragrant, and in the sunset sparkled with the sunset casting on grasshopper hopping overhead from bush to bush.
Planning on driving to Mammoth Hotsprings tomorrow morning (Friday dec 27th). I heard Yellowstone is getting a lot of snow from my weather app but on their website there isn’t any weather advisory.
Driving from Bozeman. Any websites I can check out to view what the road conditions are.
Thanks!
We’re coming in from Bozeman on Saturday. We’re also from the south and don’t have a ton of experience driving in snow. Any recommendations on the best route or advice for first timers?
Hey all, I am in Yellowstone for one week with sole motive of wolf watching. I am going to park before sunlight for the whole day and have not yet seen wolf for 2 days. I am doing multiple rounds from tower junction to soda butte and have both binoculars and scope with me.
Please advice on places with chances for wolf sightings.
Thanks
Edit - Thanks everyone. I was able to see 5 wolves from "Boulder" through spotting scope. I also spotted pygmy owl and a fox from close distance.
Hi everyone!
We’re planning a trip to Yellowstone in late May/early June 2025 and are hoping to see a lot of wildlife along the way. We’re starting from Cody and heading to Bozeman after Yellowstone. Here’s our current route through the park: Old Faithful/Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins// Canyon Lodge and Cabins// Gardiner/Corral Villas Yellowstone
We’d love any recommendations or tips on how to maximize wildlife sightings (bears, bison, wolves, etc.) along this route. Are there specific areas we should prioritize? Best times of day for wildlife viewing? We’re especially interested in scenic hikes or drives that might offer good opportunities for spotting animals. We’re experienced in Hiking and would be open for even challenging Routes. Any feedback on the accommodations would also be appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
I was in the right lane and the line of cars behind them was about 7 miles long.
We are planning (wayyyy ahead) for spring summer of 2026. We'll be coming from Bozeman, and then heading toward Bighorn after Yellowstone. We will have about a week to spend in Yellowstone. We want to stay inside the park. Does it make sense to stay in 2 different parts of the park (3-4 days on each side)? We are in our mid-60's. One is active and will be doing 1-2 hour hikes. The other has limited mobility and will do shorter walks (accessible ones, most likely) and is also very content to hang out looking at scenery and wildlife while the other does the hikes. Also, of course, we want to see Old Faithful and other "must see" spots in the park.
Which lodging would you recommend on each side of the park? Places with accessible rooms would be best. Also, we are thinking of starting around May 5 Mid-July (due to comments here, thanks), but are very flexible with timing. Is that a good time to see wildlife out and about, or would you recommend a different time?
All suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
We are planning our second trip to Yellowstone end of June / first week of July, our first trip was in the summer of 2017 was only 3 nights in the park just before the big solar eclipse which we watched from the Douglas, WY area. We have a fairly self contained 28 ft motorhome with 400 watts of solar towing a small car. Details on the plan is still being worked out, but we currently have 5 nights reserved at Bridge Bay, I am driving up from Louisiana in our motorhome and my wife will be flying in to meet me somewhere after she gets done attending a conference that ends 4 days before our Bay Bridge reservations began.
The logical option is probably for her to fly to Denver and ride with me the last circa 500 miles, which would be 2 days in the RV as I try to limit RV driving to about 350 miles per day. Having her fly into an airport closer to the park is also under consideration, however as of now flights to Denver from her conference in Canada are a LOT cheaper than flights to the airports closer to Yellowstone (Jackson / Cody) which are 3-4 times higher, or even Riverton or Casper which is 2-3 times, plus adds multi hour layover.
Either way I may try to pick up a few more nights in / near Yellowstone before / after our current 5 night reservation, most likely as of now the plan would be to add 1-2 nights prior in Grand Tetons, followed by a couple of nights afterward in Cody.
Now down to questions, first does anyone know how the AT&T cell reception is at Bay Bridge, I see mixed information online, some says only Verizon is available there. I understand cell service is limited in the park, and experienced that on our 2017 trip, but still need to check in with things back home from time to time?
How are road conditions in the park, particularly driving an RV since the floods of a couple of years ago, I am primarily wondering if I should enter / exit the park from the east entrance or the south entrance with the RV (I drove both with the same RV in 2017)?
Any other big changes I should know about since our August 2017 visit?
thanks
Hi! I’m looking for any advice/suggestions on a winter trip in February. We will be first time visitors to YNP and winter time in the park has been a dream of mine. We will be flying into Bozeman and planning on staying in Gardiner and renting a car because we also planned on driving to West Yellowstone as we would like to do a snowmobile tour as well while there. I was thinking 4 nights in Gardiner and 4 nights in West Yellowstone, but am open to more in Gardiner as really the only thing it seems like we can’t do from there is the snowmobile.
We will do a wolf watching tour (top priority) with a company that picks us up from our lodging. I was also looking at doing some of the snow coach tours (Old faithful, grand canyon, norris basin) that leave from Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Would we be able to park at the hotel for the day if we are not hotel guests?
Please feel free to share any advice, suggestions, things we should definitely do or things we should save for a summer trip.
I would also love to see Midway Geyser Basin, but not sure on the best way to do that or if possible.
Thanks in advance!