My Five Favorites at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a big park. I was amazed at how much it had to offer. From geysers and geothermal, to the wildlife and even a fire lookout. There was lots to do. Here's a list of the things I enjoyed most at Yellowstone National Park.

My five favorites:

1) Grand Prismatic Spring

It is the park's largest hot spring. We first viewed it by hiking to the overlook .6 miles from Fairy Falls trailhead for a total trip of 1.2 miles. It's an easy hike with a short climb at the end but definitely worth it with this view. The colors of this thermal feature are amazing! We also went down to the boardwalk part to get an up close and personal view. So beautiful. Just make sure you watch your kids on the boardwalk.

2) Old Faithful

For me this is just one of those must do's at Yellowstone. It is a really neat thing to see. It was actually the first thing we did when we went to the park and it was the perfect welcome for us. I had never seen a geyser before and it was a very cool site to see especially at this magnitude. There's a schedule at the ranger station so you know the approximate time it will go off. We were lucky enough to see it twice while having lunch and exploring the gift shops in between eruptions.

3) Wildlife

I was amazed at all of the wildlife we saw at the park. From bear, bison, deer, to bighorn sheep, and marmots. We saw so much. I really enjoyed seeing the bison up close. It was crazy how close they got to our car. We even saw wolves! There was a viewing area in Hayden Valley where it was fun to see the wolf watchers with their big scopes. Some folks were even nice enough to let us use their scopes to see the wolves and it was great to hear some of their stories. The wildlife at Yellowstone National Park does not disappoint. You will know there is something around when the cars are stopping or their is traffic just because of wildlife on or by the road!

4) Norris Geyser Basin

Norris Geyser Basin was a neat geothermal area to explore. It's the park's hottest and most active geyser basin. To see the whole area (two basins) we walked about 3 miles on trails and boardwalk. The paths take you up close to some geysers like you see above. The landscape has brilliant colors, super smelly steam, and bubbling churning hot springs, fumaroles, and geysers. Make sure to stay on the trails and boardwalk. Very beautiful area!

5) Mt. Washburn Hike

Mt. Washburn is probably my most favorite at the park. I am a fan of lookouts, because I know they have the best views. This hike did not disappoint with the beautiful wildflowers within the first half mile and we were also lucky enough to see bighorn sheep on the way up. The views at the top were amazing. We could even see the Grand Tetons in the far distance. If you are at the park and it's a nice day, definitely check this hike out if you can. You can check out my trip report of the hike here.

There you have it. My five favorites at Yellowstone National Park. :)

Happy hiking!