Top Ten (Ok, 17...)Things to Do in Yellowstone National Park

As outlined in a previous post, I spent the summer of 2005 working for the park concessionaire in Yellowstone National Park.  It wasn't glamorous work, but I did get the opportunity to live in Yellowstone for an entire summer and I spent alot of my free time exploring and hiking.  I created this Top Seventeen list for a friend who was going to Yellowstone the following summer.

• Walk around the Old Faithful Geyser Basin.  You can pick up a guide leaflet by the trail for 50 cents (or return it when you’re done and you can use it for free).  Stop by the Old Faithful Visitor Center before you start walking to note the times of the major eruptions in the area.  Old Faithful erupts about every 90 min; if you can time it right, try to catch either Castle Geyser or Riverside Geyser too.

Castle Geyser

• For a unique perspective, hike up to Observation Point to watch Old Faithful erupt.  The trail goes off the boardwalk behind the Old Faithful Lodge.  It’s about a ½-mile hike and kind of steep, but well worth it.
• Walk around the Hot Springs at Mammoth.  Same thing with the guide leaflet.  Rangers at Mammoth lead guided walks of the terraces too that are pretty interesting.
• Check out the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone.  If you feel like getting out of your car, check out the Uncle Tom’s Trail on the South Rim of the Canyon.  It’s a whole bunch of stairs down to the base of the falls – hard on your lungs coming up but well worth it.
• Take a few minutes to go in the Old Faithful Inn.  It is the original National Park lodge and it’s stunning.  They do historical tours of the inn which are really cool.

Interior of Old Faithful Inn

• Eat some huckleberry ice cream at one of the Yellowstone General Stores.  You won’t regret it.
• For wildlife viewing, check out the Lamar Valley (NE corner of the park, especially good for wolves) or the Hayden Valley (between Lake and Canyon, best for bison and bears).  Dawn or dusk is best, although you will see bison and elk at any time.
• The Hayden Valley is one of my favorite spots in the park.
• If you fish, take the 3-mile hike from the Canyon-Norris road into Grebe Lake.  Tons and tons and tons of trout, grayling, etc.  Very tasty too.  The rangers can help you find the trailhead on the map – it’s a really flat trail.
• If you like to hike and aren’t afraid of some steep hills, try either Bunsen Peak (just south of Mammoth) or Mt. Washburn (just north of Canyon).  Bunsen Peak is shorter, maybe 3 miles roundtrip, but you have great views of the Gardner Valley.  Mt. Washburn is quite possibly the most bang-for-your-buck hike in the park, you can see the whole caldera and the Tetons off to the South.  It’s a long hike, though…8 miles round trip, but there is an observation station on top with toilets and a place to go inside.

Views from top of Mt. Washburn

• The Artist Paintpots just north of the Norris Junction are very cool and largely overlooked.
• Check out the West Thumb geyser basin for some neat thermal features and a pretty cool view of the lake.
• A great place to watch the sunset – there’s a bluff overlook drive on the Fishing Bridge-East Entrance Road.  Watch for the turnoff about three miles down the road.  Drive to the top, bring a picnic or bottle of wine, and watch the sun go down.
• The Lake Yellowstone Hotel is worth a look.  The dining room there is pretty decent, especially for breakfast.  There’s a string quartet that plays in the lobby there around dinner time – great views of the lake and a good place to drink a cocktail.
• Night time Ranger programs are almost always good and are offered just about every night in various locales.  Check the paper you get when you come in…I’ve been to programs on history, wildlife, art in the park, stargazing, etc.
• If you’re looking for good food in West Yellowstone, MT, try the Gusher.  They have great pizza and it’s pretty cheap.
• In Gardiner, check out Helen’s Corral Drive-Inn for the biggest, tastiest, greasiest cheeseburger you’ve ever had.  They only accept cash, and the burgers cost about $9 but you won’t be sorry.  In fact, it's rumored this is the cheeseburger that Jimmy Buffet wrote about in “Cheeseburger in Paradise” (as Gardiner is in the Paradise Valley).

Of course, this list only scratches the surface of all of things to do in Yellowstone, but I think it's a pretty good start :)