2 Day Yellowstone Itinerary

Yellowstone National Park is by far one of the coolest national parks in the United States! It is like a whole other world. The sights are some of the craziest I’ve ever seen and also most unique.

Bright blue geysers like you can’t even imagine, incredible waterfalls and lakes and an abundance of wildlife are just a few of the reasons I highly recommend heading on a road trip there. Road trips are definitely such a great way to travel right now and this national park is huge making it easy to social distance. I’ve been several times so I have gathered a list of the top things to do for a 2 day Yellowstone itinerary!

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Springs- one of the Best Things to do in Yellowstone

Where to stay for a 2 day Yellowstone Itinerary

West Yellowstone-

Wild Rose Ranch Resort:

I stayed at this resort last year when I visited Yellowstone and it was really great. Our family was tent camping and RV camping and they had plenty of space for that and nice facilities. If you aren’t planning on camping, they also have some really nice cabins. The setting was amazing and right on a lake and it was so fun to end a day at Yellowstone park and come back and make dinner and s’mores by the fire. The location in West Yellowstone was awesome and really close to the park.

Click here to book a stay.

Island Park

Henry’s Lake Goose Bay-

Island Park, Idaho is another really popular place to stay when heading on a road trip to Yellowstone. This is a great area close to West Yellowstone and also close to Bear World. This cabin is really nice and has 4 different bedrooms. It is situated right on a lake and it’s the perfect place to relax when you are not running around the park. Click here to book a stay.

Big Sky

Alpenglow:

Another year that I went to Yellowstone, my family opted to stay in Big Sky, Montana. It is a bit further from the parks, but wow Big Sky is absolutely breath taking. You could easily spend a day or more in this area hiking or relaxing- the views are insane and there is tons of wildlife here too!

We had an absolute blast staying in an Alpenglow cabin that was big enough for the entire family (there were 12 of us!) The cabin was really nice and everyone was running around gawking at all of the rooms and choosing their rooms. There was a huge kitchen so this was really nice so we could make our own meals. It also included a game room and a hot tub. This place was truly perfect for our family vacation.

Click here to book your stay!

views from our cabin in Big Sky, Montana near Yellowstone

In Yellowstone Park

Old Faithful Inn-

The Old Faithful Inn is a great option if you really want to stay in Yellowstone National Park. There are a few other lodging options in the park, but this one is in a superb location and is the most requested lodging in the park- for good reason. The lodge dates back to 1903 and there is tons of history here. There is also a full service lounge, restaurant and snack bar so you are all set during your stay here. Click here to book your stay.

Top Things to do in Yellowstone Itinerary

1- Fountain Paint Pot

Near the entrance of West Yellowstone on Grand Loop Road, you will find the Fountain Paint pots. There are many different hot pots in this part of the park and they are worth stopping to explore and look at if you are on your way to Old Faithful. The Fountain Paint Pot Trail is an easy 1/2 mile trail that passes many different geysers. I especially loved the Fountain Paint Pot because it was the clearest most beautiful turquoise color. This area is definitely worth a stop to explore.

One of my favorite geysers at Yellowstone is the Fountain Paint Pot. The color of blue is so vibrant.

2- Grand Prismatic

On the same Grand Loop road and only a 3 minute drive from Fountain Paint Pots, you will find a must see spot in Yellowstone- Grand Prismatic. This is perhaps one of the most popular things to do in Yellowstone and I highly recommend stopping and gawking at this natural wonder.

Prismatic Spring, which gets its bright colors from pigmented bacteria found in its hot waters. This hot spring is nearly 300 feet around and 160 feet deep. Depending on the weather conditions, you might not be able to see the incredible vibrant colors you see in most pictures because there will be so much steam over it, but it’s still worth a stop.

3- Upper Geyser Basin

I really enjoyed the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone and definitely think it is worth a stop. Just past Grand Prismatic and right before Old Faithful, you will find the parking area for the Upper Geyser Basin. Actually a fun little fact is that Yellowstone actually holds approximately half of the world’s geysers and most of them are located in the Upper Geyser Basin!

Just one square mile actually has at least 150 of these geysers which makes this the most densely concentrated geyser area in the world and it includes many of the worlds largest geysers.

My family and I enjoyed walking around this area on the convenient walking paths they have. You could technically spend hours in this spot if you wanted to visit every single geyser, but depending on time, you might eventually want to move on to the big show- Old Faithful.

4-Old Faithful

After visiting the Upper Geyser Basin, the Old Faithful area is a perfect place to take a lunch break. There are many facilities in this area including a general store with cute souvenirs, a lodge and even a cafeteria with quite the selection of foods to eat. There is an information center and you can find out when Old Faithful is going to go off next.

Old Faithful goes off every 45-125 minutes and there will be information boards telling you exactly when it will be going off next. So you will be able to find out if you need to hurry up and get to the viewing platform or if you have a little bit of time to kill and can relax and eat lunch. There is a huge viewing platform to stand on for when it goes off so have fun and get your camera ready!

No 2 day Yellowstone itinerary is complete without visiting ye old faithful!

5- Kepler Cascades

Kepler Cascades is a waterfall on the Firehole River in southwestern Yellowstone. The cascades are located approximately 2.6 miles south of Old Faithful. The cascades drop approximately 150 feet over multiple drops. The longest drop is 50 feet. They are quite the sight to see! They are a perfect place to stop on your way to Yellowstone Lake.

6- Yellowstone Lake

If you didn’t stop for lunch at Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake would be another great option to stop for lunch. There are a few restaurants here, including the Lake Yellowstone Hotel Dining Room. Or if you packed your own lunch, this is a really scenic place to eat it. Yellowstone Lake is the biggest body of water in Yellowstone and it covers 136 square miles with 110 miles of shoreline.

There are even campsites on this shoreline! If you are hoping to fish, this is a great place to do it. There are boat tours or if you brought your own, you can hop right in the lake. A lot of people also like to kayak and canoe here.

7- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is hands down one of my favorite things to do there. The first large canyon on the Yellowstone river is called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and it is seriously awe inspiring. The canyon is around 24 miles long and between 800 and 1200 feet deep.

There are many different overlooks and a few trails and walkways that wind along the rims and into the canyon. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone really shows off Yellowstone’s geologic history with all of the dramatic colors and features. There are two different ways you can get here, either the North or South Rim Drive.

South Rim Drive: This drive begins about 2 miles south of Canyon Junction and the road leads to various viewpoints of Upper Falls at Uncle Tom’s Point. It also leads to Lower Falls and Artist Point.

North Rim Drive: This drive begins about 1 1/2 miles south of Canyon Junction. This road is only one way and leads to four different views of the canyon, each with its own unique features. It leads to Lower Falls and Upper Falls, Inspiration Point and Grand View.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Things to do in Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was one of my favorite things to see and do in this Yellowstone itinerary. This point of view is located at Artist’s Point.

8- Mammoth Hot Springs

You will most likely see Mammoth Hot Springs on a different day than some of the other attractions, unless you are trying to pack in as many things as you can in a single day. Mammoth Hot Springs is located near the North entrance of the park. There is a little town near these hot springs with souvenir shops and cafes. There are even places to stay the night here too.

My family saw a ton of deer just walking right on the road in this area which was really cool to see. (There is a lot of elk in this area too). Mammoth Hot Springs is definitely another thing that any visitor to Yellowstone must see. These springs are less colorful than some of the others, but they are truly very unique.

Mammoth Hot Springs consists of these terraces, which were actually formed hundreds of years ago as the calcium carbonate. Basically, the hot water formed all of this, the structure cooled and hardened leaving behind this masterpiece. There are two different terrace boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs, the upper and lower and there are approximately 50 hot springs here!

There are boardwalks that cover this area so it is really easy to walk around and is just over 1 1/2 miles of walking. Some of the can’t miss features include Minerva Spring which is known for its range of colors and intricate travertine formations and Liberty Cap is also really popular. It rises about 37 feet in the air and is like a hot spring cone named in 1871 for its likeness to peaked caps worn during the French Revolution.

9- Lamar Valley

Visiting Lamar Valley is a MUST for any animal lover. This is one of the very best spots in the park for spotting coyotes, wolves, bison, elk, grizzly bears and more. The best time to come is early in the morning or right around sunset because the animals or the most active. My family and I saw so much wildlife here I was squealing with glee. This area is also just absolutely beautiful and if you come in the Summer time, you are sure to see tons of wildflowers.

The Lamar Valley was absolutely beautiful at sunset and was one of the main places I saw wildlife.

10- Wildlife Spotting

One of the best things to do in Yellowstone is spot wildlife. We spotted a ton of bears and even a bear with their cubs. Make sure to always keep a safe distance.

We also spotted dozens of buffalo while in Yellowstone!

11- Ride ATV’s

Looking for something a little more adventurous for your 2 day Yellowstone itinerary? I highly recommend renting ATV’s! We spent an entire afternoon riding all around the outskirts of Yellowstone and seeing some incredible sights. Plus- it was a ton of fun!