Day 3: Exploring West Yellowstone
We woke up early in the morning and hit the road towards the west entrance of Yellowstone. The drive was beautiful with trees as far as the eyes can see.
The drive to the west entrance of Yellowstone from Saint Anthony, ID was only about 65 miles and took about 1 hour to arrive at the entrance. While waiting to enter the park we noticed Bumble Bee from Transformers also decided to visit the park!
We arrived at the entrance around 8AM and were met with some traffic which took about 20 to 30 minutes to enter the national park. Entrance fee is $35 and they provided a detailed map of the whole park. Do not lose your map! Cellular service is mostly provided only at the main towns such as Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Village, etc. There is no cellular service up there for the most part so the map will serve you well!
Our next lodging was located near the north entrance, so our plan was to drive straight to Old Faithful and work our way up north.
Old Faithful
(Must see) (1.5 mile loop)
Probably one of the more popular stops in Yellowstone. When we arrived, most bench seats were taken around Old Faithful so we grabbed a spot in the front and sat on the floor.
Luckily, we had an unobstructed view of the geyser and our wait was only around 20 minutes before the geyser went off. Estimated time of geysers eruption is shown at the visitor’s center. We found the estimated times were quite accurate. The crowds quickly grew behind us as we waited.
The geyser went off for around 3 to 4 minutes. It kept going and going and going as the kid in the video says. 😊
Once the geyser settles you can go around the trail and check out the smaller ones. I would recommend starting towards your right going counterclockwise, finishing off by visiting Old Faithful Inn. The architectural construction of the interior is fascinating and worth the time to explore. It’s a nice place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Black Sand Basin
(1.5 mile loop trail)
This stop had some fascinating pools and geysers worth the stop. Parking was limited but we had no trouble finding a spot in the morning.
Biscuit Basin
(0.7 mile loop trail or 2.5 mile in/out)
We only did the short loop to check out the basin. Lots of fascinating pools to check out here as well.
Fairy Falls Trail head
(Must See) (1.5 mile in/out trail for Grand Prismatic Overlook or 5 miles in/out for Fairy Falls)
You will come across the Fairy Fall trail head right before reaching Midway Geyser Basin. Parking was very limited, so we had to park along side the road. We only did the trail for the overlook for Grand Prismatic Spring. The view was awesome and well worth it!
Warning: If you hate mosquito’s, take some repellent with you. We were under massive attack by a swarm of mosquito’s. They were ruthless in their pursuit of blood.
Midway Geyser Basin
(Must See) (0.8 mile loop trail)
Parking was horrible here. If traffic is bad here don’t bother trying to park in the parking lot. We did and wasted time. We ended up parking by the side of the road. A massive bison decided to come by the lake for a drink where we parked. Our first encounter with a bison up close and personal. They are MASSIVE!
This location was quite busy with tourists so expect heavy traffic. The view of the Grand Prismatic Spring from close proximity was probably the most fascinating pool in Yellowstone.
Fountain Paint Pot
(0.6 mile loop trail)
A quick and short loop trail with some interesting pools. Parking was fairly easy to find here and the traffic was minimal.
Artists Paintpots Trail
(1.1 mile loop trail)
We had some major bison jam on our way towards this stop and lost around an hour and a half in traffic. Great little trail with some slight elevation and interesting mud pools.
Mammoth Hot Springs
(Must see) (3.5 mile loop trail)
Due to some time limitations we decided to skip the Norris Geyser Basin and drove straight to Mammoth Hot Springs. This place felt like an alien planet and was out of this world. Expect to spend around an hour or two here. Pictures simply don’t do this place justice.
Mammoth Hot Springs was our last stop and it was time to exit the north entrance and make our way to our Airbnb located in Emigrant in Montana! The drive down this area was very scenic and amazing! We even had to stop our car to check out the family of deer’s everywhere.
Warning: I would warn everyone to be careful driving down the north exit due to high deer activity. We encountered a deer on the road where cars were driving 70 MPH down a curvy mountain road.
We stopped by a little town called Gardiner in Montana and had some pizza at a place called Yellowstone Pizza Company. The pizza was devoured in a matter of seconds. Yes, we were hungry after a long day of walking and driving. Very tasty!
After dinner, the day was getting late, but the sky was still bright. The sun seemed to set late at around 8PM. We took a turn on the highway and ended up traversing into unpaved roads. The landscape was beautiful and once again pictures just don’t do it justice.
Once we arrived, we were in the middle of no where surrounded by vast mountains and beautiful landscape all around. A horse and a white dog greeted us as we walked towards our home for the night.
This place was absolutely beautiful with vast landscapes all around and a unique experience but the bathroom…
Didn’t disappoint being unique…
Emigrant in Montana is known for being bear country, but we had nothing to fear… Our friend was running around the vast fields and scaring away the bears to keep us safe… He sat beside our home guarding us for the night.
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Day 3: Exploring West Yellowstone
Day 4: Exploring East Yellowstone