When preparing to visit Yellowstone National Park, there are several time and money saving tips for first-time visitors.
- Stay outside of the park to help save a bundle on costs. Yellowstone Holiday is located outside the West Entrance, on the shores of Hebgen Lake. Instead of staying in an expensive hotel, they provide Hebgen Lake lodging, a Yellowstone RV park and even camping.
- Yellowstone National Park is crowded, but worth the long waits and driving times. The park is remarkable and highlights native wildlife and abundant beauty that are not viewable in other areas of the continental 48 states. Their geologic wonders are famous worldwide and are irreplaceable. As a self-drive national park, it’s worth the time to spend meandering trails, taking pictures of sites, viewing wildlife, having outdoor picnics, patiently awaiting geysers and much more.
- Visitors should allow for reasonable itinerary times. Since Yellowstone National Park holds so much unexpected beauty and wonder, including unforeseen wildlife sightings. It is important to provide enough time to view the unexpected, take detours and spend time enjoying the breathtaking sites.
- Rising early and getting a head start at the park is important, as it helps beat traffic and animals are generally more active in the mornings and at dusk.
- Asking park rangers for information, including animal sightings, park information, top sights and much more is extremely helpful. For people with children, asking rangers for interesting children’s sites can also be helpful.
- Yellowstone’s weather is unpredictable. It can be 60 degrees one day, the next day may have snow flurries and then the day after may be 90 degrees. When packing for a Yellowstone excursion it is important to pack several different layers to help prepare for any times of extreme weather variations. For example, since the North Entrance has lower elevations, this area is often warmer than other areas of the park. Visitors should consider packing base layers, long-sleeved shirts, shells, fleeces, down vests for chilly evenings, rain gear, shorts, etc.
- Planning routes is an integral part of seeing all of Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is a massive park and each geographic region offers completely different scenery. To make the most of each vacation, visitors should print out online maps, plan general routes, check newsletters and advisories about road constructions, delays, work crews and closures.
- Packing the right gear is important when visiting a wildlife mecca. Visitors should bring binoculars, hats, sunscreen, constellation charts for stargazing, comfortable clothing, hiking shoes, allergy medicine, cameras, sunglasses and other necessary gear.
By following these helpful tips, people can ensure they have a memorable vacation that is well planned and stress free.
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