Yellowstone: 5 Days of Geysers, Canyon Walls and Wildlife Valleys

Most visitors reach Yellowstone through the gateway town of West Yellowstone, Montana. The drive from the West Entrance to Madison Junction takes about 30 minutes, and real-world times run long when wildlife or construction is on the road. You need an entrance pass (see tips); no vehicle reservation is required. The park's Old Faithful area lies south of Madison, but we go north first so the rest of the loop unrolls in one direction.

There is no full-service dining at Norris, so plan on a packed lunch. Pack a lunch before you enter the park; there is a Norris Meadows picnic area near Norris Junction. Eat by mid-day and you will reach Mammoth with the afternoon still open.

Before dinner, take the 0.6-mile walk through the Army-era buildings of the park's first headquarters, most of which are still standing and used by the park as headquarters or employee housing. The walk takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace. Employee residences are not open to the public, so stay on the paved route.

The dining room is the sit-down option at Mammoth and advertises locally sourced, sustainable cooking (its website says it was Wyoming's first Green Restaurant Association 4-star certified restaurant). In summer, dinner is served without reservations, and it is a pricier, full-service option compared with the Terrace Grill.

The park's northern base since 1936 (with a 1911 wing) sits beside the terraces and is open nearly year-round. Room types run from suites and deluxe rooms to hot tub cabins, Frontier cabins and basic cabins without a bath. It is a $$ property. Rooms generally lack TVs and air conditioning; in-room cooking and smoking are not allowed park-wide. Staying two nights here spares you a packing-up morning and puts you much closer to Lamar Valley than the Canyon or Old Faithful lodges.

On the way back west, stop at the Tower Fall parking area. The trailhead record says the path here leads to an overlook of Tower Fall. The large lot is heavily used and parking can be a challenge in busy hours, which is another reason to be here mid-morning rather than midday. The nearby Tower Creek Trail and the Tower Fall general store are alternatives if you have extra time.

A half-mile boardwalk about 8.3 miles east of Mammoth on the Grand Loop Road with minimal elevation gain. It is a gentle primer on how wolves, elk, bison and grass fit together on the northern range you just watched. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes.

The quick-service grill serves burgers, sandwiches, salads and hand-dipped ice cream, first-come first-served, which suits a midday break between two outings.

After a 5 am start, most people want an easy dinner. The Mammoth Hotel Dining Room takes walk-ins from 4:30 pm; the Terrace Grill closes at 7 pm. Both are steps from your room.

Budget a leisurely morning. The drive takes about 40 minutes from Mammoth to Tower Junction and 50 to 60 minutes from Tower to Canyon, so roughly a 90 to 100 minute drive without stops. The route crosses Dunraven Pass, which generally sees more winter weather than other park roads and closes for the season earlier. If it is closed, go via Norris (Mammoth to Norris to Canyon) instead; see the dated conditions in the tips.

A food hall built around a 1950s Mission 66 theme, with Fresh Woks (ramen and pho), Slow Food Fast (home-style meals) and the grab-and-go Falls Cafe, plus the M66 Lounge for cocktails. First-come first-served; hours and menu concepts shift late in the season (see place hours).

Dinner service is in the evening with grab-and-go available late (see place hours). If you would like a drink afterward, the M66 Lounge stays open later.

Yellowstone's oldest operating hotel (1891) has a dining room on the shore of Yellowstone Lake with an emphasis on local and organic ingredients; the concessioner lists casual dress. Lunch runs 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, first-come first-served. Dinner there requires reservations. Even if you skip lunch, walk through the sunroom lobby; the columned facade was designed by Old Faithful Inn architect Robert Reamer.

It is about 40 minutes between Old Faithful and Grant Village (a few miles south of West Thumb), so plan on 40 to 60 minutes from West Thumb to Old Faithful, more with wildlife or construction delays. Arrive with time to walk into the Old Faithful Inn lobby before dinner.

Dinner requires reservations; the concessioner lets in-park lodging guests book up to 60 days ahead (30 days for guests at other in-park lodges), and non-guests can try the host stand for same-day openings. Breakfast and lunch are first-come first-served. The room is part of the National Historic Landmark inn, so it is worth the effort to secure a table.

The Inn's quick-service counter opens at 6:30 for continental breakfast and espresso, which matches the early start. Deli hours change through the season; see the place hours and check the concessioner site.

Lunch runs 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, first-come first-served, in the historic inn. Eat, then head north to Madison and the West Entrance; Old Faithful to Madison is 35 to 45 minutes and Madison to the West Entrance about 30.

Allow roughly 1 to 1.25 hours from the Grand Prismatic/Fairy Falls lot to West Yellowstone (our estimate; Madison Junction to the West Entrance is about 30 minutes). If you fly out of Bozeman, Cody, Jackson or Idaho Falls, allow time for the onward drive; West Yellowstone's small airport operates seasonally, early May through mid-October.