How to Visit Yellowstone Park: Best Things to See and Do

When we plan the trip to the western United States, most of us are attracted to big cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

But for those of us who like wild nature and great landscapes, there is a visit that, although it requires some planning because it is not as close at hand as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, is without a doubt a must on any route along the west coast and I mean to yellowstone national park.

We must be honest and we confess that we had many doubts when it came to including a visit to Yellowstone in our route.

Not being very close to large cities or the characteristic west coast route, visiting it was almost a logistical challenge.

But when we were thinking about the trip, the idea came to mind that not every day we were going to be so close to Yellowstone and that there are things that are either done when the opportunity arrives or we may never do them again.

And that was the trigger for us deciding to visit it. If there are logistical complications we would solve them because a National Park as brutal as this one deserved it.

But yellowstone national park We cannot be left out of the trip.

Yellowstone, northwest Wyoming

Yellowstone It is the first natural area in the world that was considered, in 1872, as a national park.

occupies a area of ​​9.000 square kilometers, with a plateau located at a height of 2.400 meters high, surrounded by mountains belonging to the Rocky Mountains.

To have an idea of ​​the distances, it is useful to know that Yellowstone is 1.600 kilometers northeast of San Francisco and 1.500 kilometers north of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in the northwestern wyoming

To visit Yellowstone there are several ways to do it, which can be summarized in taking a long drive or taking a plane and reducing the distances somewhat, which is what we decided to do.

How to get to Yellowstone by road

The options that are usually considered to visit Yosemite are either to reach Salt Lake City, capital of the State of Utah, 560 kilometers from Yellowstone and from there by car, or even better, to arrive to jackson, south of the park.

After considering several possibilities, we saw that the most feasible thing was to take a internal flight  but also Jackson Hole.

En Jackson Hole We rented a car that we picked up at the airport, from where we left for Yellowstone. There is about two and a half hours of walking across the Grand Teton Park.

It is a beautiful road, flanked by high mountains still with traces of snow and lots of vegetation.

These two and a half hours include stops along the way to enjoy the landscape, but we did not deviate at any time to make any visits recommended in the guides.

When you arrive at the American parks, you find some sentry boxes where the rangers, who welcome you and deliver a kind of newspaper in Spanish with information about what you are going to visit, advice, etc.

The road-route that runs through Yellowstone, and which takes you through most of the places you have to visit in the park, it is shaped like a huge figure eight.

Each circle of that eight has a diameter of 40 kilometers.

There are six service areas near the intersections of the park routes, where we will find gas stations, campsites, restaurants and hotels.

More than 300 geysers in Yellowstone

The national park of Yellowstone has achieved worldwide fame for its more than 300 geysers, which owe their existence to the fact that Yellowstone is located on land that maintains great volcanic activity.

In fact, Yellowstone is home to half of the geysers in the world.

What the Yellowstone volcanic caldera is like

Yellowstone is located in a huge caldera or volcanic basin, which is what remains of a large volcano that exploded thousands of years ago.

It is, therefore, a hot spot in the Earth's crust and that is why many geothermal phenomena can be observed: geysers, hot springs, etc.

What geysers to see in Yellowstone?

All tours within Yellowstone, I would highlight the Grand Prismatic Spring, the second largest hot water spring in the world.

The colors are unreal, from the deep turquoise of the water to the orange edges of the rim, a sight to behold.

The other spectacular stop is the canyon carved by the Yellowstone River, beautiful, with its yellow rocks to which the park gives its name.

Bison in Yellowstone

Without a doubt, one of the greatest attractions that our visit to Yellowstone National Park, riding a Wyoming, is the possibility of see a wide variety of wild animals on freedom.

Among them, it is perhaps the bison one great yellowstone icons.

But besides the herds of bison, which is what the american buffaloes, It is also possible to see a wide variety of wildlife.

We must keep in mind that at the beginning of the 50th century it is estimated that there were between 70 and XNUMX million bison in the United States.

And in the year 1830, bison hunting to protect farms and livestock became almost an industry, and protective measures for these animals were established very little by little.

Specifically, it was in 1894 when bison hunting was prohibited. in Yellowstone.

Currently, in the national park there is a stable population of about 4.000 bison.

The main points of yellowstone national park where we will find the bison and other animals are the Lamar and Hayden Valleys, and seeing wildlife is a must-see in Yellowstone

How to See Wild Animals in Yellowstone

Seeing more or less bison or other wild animals such as deer, bear, elk, coyote or herds of elk (a species of deer characteristic of North America), is a matter of luck, but it is advisable to go first thing in the morning or late in the morning. afternoon time the areas where they are located.

To avoid dangers, since the truth is that every year there are visitors injured due to carelessness, we must take into account a series of recommendations.

Basically, it's about do not disturb wild animals.

In fact, it is prohibited to approach bison or bears closer than 100 meters, and in the case of other animals, closer than 20 meters.

It is also prohibited to feed the animals and special caution must be taken with female animals and their babies.

Another aspect that is very enjoyable from the moment you enter the park are the scenery, wonderful, with rivers and vegetation that invite you to stop the car and sit down and have a good time looking at the pictures that the park offers.

Mammoth Hot Springs, thermal springs

Mammoth Hot Springs It is an area of hot springs They run along a limestone rock surface, so that the high water temperatures (more than 70 degrees) create terraces with highly colorful surfaces.

But given the great variability that the flow of water has depending on the time of year, there are long seasons in which rocky areas dry out, the color disappears and some rococo promontories remain with a brilliant white color.

Compared to the other areas of the yellowstone national park, where geysers are abundant, in Mammoth Hot Springs it is not strong enough to cause a geyser.

It is water that arrives through different internal fractures from a volcanic deposit located 35 kilometers away, too far away to cause a geyser.

For visit Mammoth Hot Springs There is a route with walkways that run so that you can see the different formations of the terraces.

Entrance fee to Yellowstone National Park

The price of admission to Yellowstone It is 25 dollars, and it includes access to a car with all its occupants.

Now, if in your trip along the west coast of the United States you are going to visit several national parks, you can consider the option of purchasing the Annual Pass, a tourist pass valid annually that for $80 for a vehicle and four passengers allows you to access the vast majority of the aforementioned parks.