Yellowstone National Park encompasses 2,219,719 acres. To help visitors best plan their trip, top experiences to arrange in Yellowstone include the following:
- Biscuit Basin – Just north of Old Faithful is Biscuit Basin, which features stunning thermal features, boiling hot jeweled sapphire color bubbling pools and much more.
- Scenic Drive – Among the two best scenic drives in the park include the Canyon Village to Tower-Roosevelt stretch, which leads to Yellowstone’s main Grand Loop. This 19-mile drive leads through Yellowstone’s landscapes and highlights the 23-mile long Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which is a remarkable sight.
- Best Hikes – Hayden Valley features a marked trail that allows outdoor adventurists to see bison, moose and elk. The Lamar Trail is near Soda Butte, branching off into several other trails. If hiking before 8:00AM, visitors should bring binoculars, which helps to maximize the chances of seeing wolves.
- Flora and Fauna – Yellowstone offers incredible flora, including lodge pole pines, fir trees and aspen. Their landscape also highlights wildflowers, lupine, Indian paintbrush, huckleberries and sagebrush. Their fauna includes wolves, bison, black and grizzly bears, mountain lions, moose, pika, bighorn sheep, elk, eagles, trumpeter swans and much more.
- Photo Opportunities – One of the most spectacular photo opportunities in all of Yellowstone is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, which features plunging 1,000 foot cliffs that meet Yellowstone’s rolling river. The two highlights include the 109-foot high Upper Falls and the 308-foot-high Lower Falls. These falls are only visible from hiking vantage points, so visitors should allow enough time for hikes and sightseeing to accommodate taking pictures of these stunning natural wonders. The North Rim Drive is a 2.5-mile road that leads to Inspiration Point and Lookout Point. These areas are best to visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
- Traveling Strategies – These traveling strategies will help avoid crowds, making vacations more comfortable and enjoyable.
- Old Faithful is open 24 hours a day, so visiting at dawn allows for superb photo opportunities.
- Always schedule plenty of time to visit the park. Yellowstone boasts plentiful wildlife, which is unpredictable and scheduling extra time to view wildlife in their native habitats is a once in a lifetime experience.
- The park is very crowded, especially since it is only open seasonally. The park also features more than 1,000 miles of trails. Visitors that have additional time can take advantage of walking trails, which are far less crowded than roads and parking lots.
- Research top sights, trail conditions and always bring cameras with zoom lenses to get the most of photographs when visiting Yellowstone.
For visitors to the area that want to save money, Yellowstone Holiday is located outside of West Yellowstone. They are on the shores of Hebgen Lake and offer West Yellowstone campgrounds, including Yellowstone RV campgrounds.
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