How to Spend the Perfect Weekend in Yellowstone National Park

I’m going to be honest right off the bat with you: I LOVE Yellowstone National Park. It ranks right up there with Australia. I do believe it is the best National Park I’ve been to and that you must see it in your lifetime. It gets neglected a lot because it’s far, it’s huge, and it’s NOT a “drive thru” park. You need to plan a Yellowstone National Park Itinerary.

It greatly pains me to speak to anyone that has been to Yellowstone and doesn’t love it. The reason for this is quite simple: they did it wrong. Yes, there is a right way and wrong way to do Yellowstone and I’m here to tell you how to make the perfect Yellowstone National Park Itinerary.

I’ve been to Yellowstone 4 times in my life. Once when I was a baby (I literally took my first steps in this park), once as a pre-teen, once as a college kid, and most recently at 34 with my husband (it was his first time!). I’ve enjoyed it every time. Well, I don’t know about the very first time, but I’d like to think that’s why I (finally) started walking. It was my love of Yellowstone. 🙂

I truly believe Yellowstone is the best National Park, BUT, as I said before, it is NOT a “drive-thru” park. In fact, the scenery isn’t the reason to go. If you just want scenery, I definitely recommend the Grand Tetons instead. We have always done both during the times we’ve been. However, the post is not going to cover the Tetons. That comes later.

I see a lot of posts out there that do both and so you might be wondering why I’m leaving it out. Here’s the deal: I really want to cover a Yellowstone National Park Itinerary, so all my focus is going to be there, and how many days to spend there. I’m also answering a few other questions I’ve gotten since being back. That being said, we have a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in.

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How to Spend One Weekend in Yellowstone National Park

Now, I definitely think you need more than a weekend in Yellowstone, but if it’s all you have, then do it. I hate it when people tell me to skip something just because . A weekend would give you more time, not quite enough in my opinion, but you’re getting there.

In a weekend, you could hit my favorite spots. Be sure you spend at least two nights in the park, for my itinerary, I’m giving you 3 nights in the park. Here’s a brief break-down of the top spots and how to hit them in a weekend.

Day One

• Friday Evening: Arrive in the park and stay in the Canyon area. You’ll be in the perfect place to start exploring one of the best parts of the park. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is simply stunning.

Day Two

• Saturday Morning: Spend the morning in the Canyon area (2-3 hours), then drive to West Thumb (1 hour)
  • Afternoon: Explore West Thumb (2 hours). West thumb is a great place to explore the geothermal activity of Yellowstone.
  • Evening: Head back to Canyon

Day 3

• Sunday Morning: Get up early and head over to Mammoth (1 hour drive, 3 hours there). Mammoth is a great place to try to see elk and explore more of the geothermal activity of Yellowstone.
  • Afternoon: Head over to Old Faithful (1.5 hour drive, 3 hours there). Stop at the Grand Prismatic on your way to Old Faithful.

• Evening: Drive back to Canyon via Hayden Valley and hope for wildlife. (1.5 hours). The longer you stay in Yellowstone, the more likely you are to see wildlife but it’s still worth a shot to try to see what you can even in a short amount of time.

Top Tip:
Download the audio guide to Yellowstone to your phone.
It’s a very drivable park but if it’s your first time, this will help immensely.

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Where to Stay for Your Yellowstone National Park Itinerary

I said several times that you need to stay in the park. I whole-heartedly believe this. The places to stay are expensive, not that nice, and without a lot of options. Nevertheless, it’s imperative to stay so it is what it is. You also need to book early. It fills up. Here are your options below. Basically each of the 8 areas has places to stay.

BUT, keep in mind, the are varying degrees of “rustic” and certain ones are only open during certain times. You must always check road, hotel, and campsite closures. And Yellowstone is whole other world in the winter. In fact, the next time I go, I plan to go in the winter as it’s a completely different beast and therefore experience.

1. Mammoth Hot Springs: Mammoth is a good place to stay but it gets crowded and it’s not centrally located. However, it’s a good starting or ending point.
2. Tower-Roosevelt: Roosevelt Lodge is not always open but does have lodging.
3. Canyon Village: Canyon is my favorite place to stay. Remember that epic waterfall from above? That’s this area. But that’s not why I recommend it. It’s less crowded than Old Faithful or Mammoth. Since we went during the pandemic of 2020, this was a big plus. Really, it would be nice anyway though. You’re probably headed out to Yellowstone to be away from crowds and while that’s not going to happen completely, this will help. It’s also centrally located so easy to get around to different parts of the park. With a park as big as Yellowstone, you definitely need that.
4. Fishing Bridge + Lake Village: There is an RV park at Fishing Bridge and Lake Village does have accommodations.
5. Grant Village + West Thumb: There is accommodation here as well but it closes early in the fall.
6. Old Faithful: I’m sure you’ve heard of Old Faithful Lodge. Obviously, there is accommodation here but it’s not as glamorous as you might think, but it’s an option.
7. Madison: Madison has campsites you can book.
8. Norris: Norris also has campsites.

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What Makes Yellowstone So Special?

Alright, I’ve raved about Yellowstone for the last 4,000 words, but what is it that makes it so special? That, my friend, is the thermal activity. You see, Yellowstone is actually a super volcano. Yes, they expect it to erupt any day now. However, they’ve been saying that my whole life. Huge eruptions occurred here, the latest about 600,000 years ago.

What is now the park was the center and it collapsed, forming a 30 by 45 mile caldera or basin. The heat that powered those eruptions is what still fuels the park’s geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mudpots. When I say hot springs, I do not mean ones you can sit in like in Colorado. These are not safe for that. Please stay on the boardwalks and trails.

This isn’t the only place that has this, but it’s one of very few. Iceland, New Zeland and Japan are the only others that have this sort of hydrothermal activity. And Yellowstone, is the largest group of hydrothermal features in the world.

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