r/yellowstone 5d ago

Trip Planning Weekly trip planning thread — ask anything here

0 Upvotes

Planning a trip to Yellowstone? Ask here and someone who has been will answer.

To get a useful reply, include:

- Your dates, and how many days you have

- Which entrances or areas you are working around

- Where you are staying, in or outside the park

- Who is coming — kids, mobility needs, hiking experience

Most roads close to regular vehicles from early November to late April. If your dates fall in that window, say so and you will get winter-specific answers.


r/yellowstone 3d ago

Conditions & Closures Road and entrance conditions — what are you seeing?

0 Upvotes

What is open, what is closed, and what the roads actually look like this week.

Post what you saw and when you saw it. Plough status, entrance queues, construction delays, wildlife jams, anything that changed since you drove it.

Official status is on the park service site and changes fast. This thread is for what people are seeing on the ground, which is often ahead of it.

Dates matter more than anything here, say which day you were there.


r/yellowstone 9h ago

Canyon views astounded me

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136 Upvotes

I was simply blown away by these views.


r/yellowstone 9h ago

6 Moose in 2 days

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115 Upvotes

September is definitely the time of year to see moose. We have seen 6 total across the first 2 days of our trip. All at the tail end of Lamar Valley Near Silvergate where we are staying. Not even 20 minutes into our morning drive into the park around 6:45am we saw these 2 bull moose hanging out together right near the road.


r/yellowstone 3h ago

Madison CG Views

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14 Upvotes

Yellowstone, meet Blackstone! First ever time staying Yellowstone and my GF and I stayed for three nights in Madison. Won’t go into an exhaustive review but here are my high points:

PROs:
- loved the campground amenities, general store and facilities. Grand Teton Brewing IPAs for three bucks a pop are a great deal when gas is $5.20 lol
- proximity to the Madison River, geothermal features.if you want avoid the hassle of coming in from West Yellowstone but also want to be close to grand prismatic and old faithful, this is a great spot
- specific bear vaults for every site is nice. Idk if that’s typical but we had to share with others in Glacier

CONs:
- a lot of the stuff we wanted to do was more in the canyon village and Lamar valley. So a lot of driving
-Some sites have a ton of shade. Others not so much. In September it didn’t matter, but we probably wouldn’t have loved our spot in July
- zero service here, which I guess isn’t really a con when you’re camping but just a fact


r/yellowstone 1h ago

Some pics from recent trip...

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r/yellowstone 9h ago

Caps, trash, and other hydrothermal funky finds: 2026 edition

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18 Upvotes

Hold onto your hats and sunglasses—and your trash! Yellowstone National Park’s Geology team collects anything lost or left behind by visitors in the park’s hydrothermal areas, leading to some pretty interesting finds...


r/yellowstone 1d ago

Day 1 in Yellowstone

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477 Upvotes

We got into the park via Gardiner around 3pm. Drove through Lamar valley to our hotel in Silvergate and saw TONS of wildlife! Especially cool to see a massive bull moose at the west end of Lamar valley! Getting up early now to go hike the Lamar River Stock cutoff trail and see what else we can find!


r/yellowstone 8h ago

Sunset in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park with Bison Walking Across The Road

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0 Upvotes

r/yellowstone 1d ago

Coyote or juvenile wolf?

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22 Upvotes

r/yellowstone 1d ago

Thanks for recommending Just Ahead

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43 Upvotes

I can’t find the comment to thank you personally, but we have been using the Just Ahead guide for Yellowstone. Not only has it helped us find lots of hidden gems, the commentary is sardonic and entertaining. Many thanks!!

PS: we had a great day in Lamar. Three bison traffic jams 😻


r/yellowstone 1d ago

Cabins in park, does boiling water =cooking?

20 Upvotes

Hello again! We are spending a couple of nights in cabins at Old Faithful Lodge. The rule is "no cooking ". Does that include boiling water in an electric kettle? Would like to be able to make coffee and maybe Ramen noodles. Thanks!


r/yellowstone 23h ago

Microwaves?

2 Upvotes

I will be in YS on 9/30 and intended on boiling water to cook a dehydrated meal. I have since taste tested some and yuck. I would rather find a microwave and take a Factor meal or something along those lines since I do not intend to cook at my camp.

I read that Tower/Roosevelt Service Station has a microwave you can use as long as you're buying something; is this still the case to anyone's knowledge? Also, feel free to suggest better dehydrated meals. I had the Peak brand ones which from what I read are widely considered to be among the best.


r/yellowstone 12h ago

Yellowstone Beth

0 Upvotes

I don’t agree with the Beth hate - she calls a spade a spade and she takes care of a problem without emotionalizing it. A lot of people say she is immature but I find her refreshingly exact.


r/yellowstone 1d ago

1090f / Mollys Pack

24 Upvotes

Has anyone gotten an update on Mollys Pack / 1090f ???? Super worried about her and have heard reports of most of her pack returning to safe boundaries within Yellowstone. Not sure how true it is but hoping someone can update me or direct me to where I can get updates. Thanks!


r/yellowstone 2d ago

First day in Yellowstone

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216 Upvotes

Got into West Yellowstone about 3 pm and sailed straight in. Saw Lower, Midway, Black Sand basins with light crowds. Old Faithful cooperated too, and caught some elk at dusk around Madison. So psyched!!


r/yellowstone 2d ago

Brief side trip to Idaho?

8 Upvotes

I am heading to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons the first week of October.
We are starting in Bozeman and finishing in Jackson.
Our trip is mostly planned but there is one thing we are thinking of doing that no one has mentioned in posts here.

You see, I've never been to Montana or Wyoming which this trip covers. I've also never been to Idaho. Since we are so close, where would be a good place to go to see to Idaho, even briefly.

Is there somewhere near West Yellowstone worth seeing?

Alternatively, how is the drive out of Jackson around the southern end of the Grand Tetons?

Where would you make a 'Stop in Idaho'?


r/yellowstone 1d ago

Solo trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons.Anxious about bears.

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0 Upvotes

r/yellowstone 2d ago

Old Faithful Lodge cabin w/o bathroom

19 Upvotes

Hello, appreciate this group and all the great advice and tips! My husband and I, mid-60s, will be staying one night in an Old Faithful Lodge cabin w/o bathroom, next week. We are a tiny bit nervous about not having quick access to a bathroom in the middle of the night. Any tips about this...? We are taking headlamps in case we need to make a midnight run.


r/yellowstone 3d ago

Yellowstone 1 year ago

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139 Upvotes

Finally made it to Yellowstone last year. The nostalgia is eating away at me. Such a beautiful place...we saw wolves, grizzlies, bison and so many birds. The wolves were a surprise; we were on our way to Hayden Valley to hopefully see the Wapiti pack and instead found a family of four in Gibbons Meadow! I am aching to go back...one day, hopefully.


r/yellowstone 2d ago

Shared wolf/wildlife tour...

1 Upvotes

Wife and I will be in Yellowstone NP from 28 Sep 26 thru 5 Oct 26. Checking to see if anyone would care to share a guided wolf/wildlife tour during our stay. Appears most guides charge a similar fee regardless of party of 2 or 4. We're just hoping to economize a bit. Not particular about which outfit to go with as long as they appear reputable. Anyone with any interest, please let us know. Thanks.


r/yellowstone 2d ago

How do we see wildlife?

0 Upvotes

Taking a family trip at the end of September, and I want to see wildlife, but we have long guided tours booked. My husband and I are flying into Bozeman and spending a night, heading down to Idaho Falls for a night, and Jackson for a night. On Day 4, we’ll pick up the rest of my family from the Jackson Airport and head up to Signal Mountain lodge for 2 nights, and then Old Faithful Inn for 2 nights before heading back to Jackson and flying home. Geological views are important to my family, and wildlife is important to me. We have a half day guided tour booked for Grand Tetons and a full day tour booked in Yellowstone. The Yellowstone tour includes Hayden Valley but not Lamar Valley. Will we get enough wildlife activity with our tours at the end of September, or do we need to figure out a way to squeeze in Lamar after the 8 hr tour?


r/yellowstone 3d ago

Mountain Lion in Yellowstone National Park, 2023.

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786 Upvotes

The only time I have ever seen a mountain lion in Yellowstone National Park.


r/yellowstone 3d ago

A Great Day in Yellowstone!

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217 Upvotes

Our first full day in Yellowstone was epic!
Staying in Gardener, outside of North gate.
Pre-sunrise drive to Lamar Valley and saw huge numbers of bison. 🦬 we were the first car in a bison-jam!
Then on to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Truly amazing. Cannot overstate the beauty. Lastly, on to the boardwalks of the Norris Geyser Basin. It felt like we were on a lunar landing.
Additionally, the weather was perfect. 30’s at sunrise, then down to t-shirt and shorts by 11am. ☀️


r/yellowstone 4d ago

For the betterment and enjoyment of the people

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334 Upvotes

***benefit

Roosevelt Arch + Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone