Begin Early

For this to work, you’re going to have to begin early. We left our campsite at Grant Campground at 5:50am to get to our first stop by 8am. We began our day at Lamar Valley, which is in the North portion of Yellowstone. I could make excuses all day long about how we ended up in a campsite that was as far as you could possibly get from where we started, but the truth is- I didn’t do my research well enough for this portion of the trip. Thankfully if you’re reading this now- you won’t have that issue. 

Lamar Valley 8:00AM

Once we arrive at Lamar Valley, we drove around and stopped at all the outlooks.

Lamar Valley is known for its wildlife sightings, and on our trip, it definitely lived up to its name. We got there at about 8am, so right after the sunrise, which we read was the best time for wildlife. On the way there we saw many Elk and even a small black bear on the road! 

Pro Tip: Bring Binoculars if you have some. Thankfully, a nice woman let us borrow hers! If she hadn’t we would have missed the wolf pack!

During our small (about 5 mile) round trip, we saw: 

Hundreds of Bison

A Pack of Wolves 

Herds of Elk

Many Prairie Dogs 

and a Black Bear

Lamar Valley did not disappoint in its animal sightings. Next up- Mammoth Springs.

Mammoth Springs 11:00AM

In Mammoth Springs, we saw some amazing geothermal activity. This is one of the things Yellowstone is most known for. The Mammoth Springs are mesmerizing due to their white color. According to the National Park Service, the springs are white in color due to the limestone deposits. Whatever the case may be, this area has a nice, easy boardwalk that leads you around the entire area. The boardwalk is not wheelchair accessible as there are a few staircases, but you can drive to the other area if you cannot do the boardwalk, but want to see different angles. 

I would rank the hike a 4/10 in difficulty. There are a few stairs but generally speaking, the hike is very doable, even if you aren’t in great physical shape. This is a busy hike, so keep that in mind! 

Expert Tip: If you want to get the best photos of Artist’s Point, you should be set up at 9:30am. This is the best time to capture the light in the Canyon. 

Canyon Ridge had a pretty large gift shop and 2 restaurants (one sit down and one quick service). So we took advantage of the empty covered tables and ate our packed lunch here. We actually got a few local beers and took in the cool breeze in the shade, as it was getting a little warm in the middle of the day. 

Bonus: Grizzly Sighting! 

Everyone wants to see the “Big 5” while in Yellowstone: Wolves, Moose, Bison, Elk and Bears (both Grizzly and Black). If you’re keeping count, we are at 4, having already seen wolves, bison, elk and a black bear in Lamar Valley. But the thing Bruce really wanted to see was the Grizzly Bear. Thankfully, as we made our way to our next stop (Fishing Bridge) and went through the other wildlife haven, Hayden Valley, we saw a lot of cars pulled to the side of the road. This is always a good sign that there has been wildlife spotted. The more cars, typically, the rarer the animal. We quickly pulled over and walked down to see a Grizzly Bear across the lake! We were so excited but as the Grizzly began making its way across the lake, we decided to move on. They are big and we aren’t taking any chances! 

Bonus “Stop”: Fishing Bridge 4:00PM

I have quotes around stop because we didn’t actually stop of Fishing Bridge, although you might want to! We aren’t big on fishing and we had already had a big day so we skipped stopping here and instead took in the views as we followed the winding roads by the Yellowstone Lake. We found this was the least crowded part of the park so it is definitely a good spot if you have a little more time or if you’re looking for some solitude. 

Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Springs 7:00PM

So we didn’t actually see the eruption at Old Faithful. Now I know what you’re thinking- you missed one of the most impressive stops at Yellowstone! And that’s true, but hear me out. First of all, we didn’t plan this part very well. We were SO hungry at this point and as you see from those clouds, a storm was a-brewing. We were worried that we wouldn’t be able to start a fire to cook our food and because we traveled during COVID-19, most of the restaurants in the area were closed or were closing early. We decided to come back the next day after our trek in the Tetons, instead of waiting for the next event and potentially missing dinner! 

Tips on how to make this work in 24 hours: 

Download the Yellowstone app AND the eruption times for Old Faithful. There is almost no internet (wifi or cell service) in Yellowstone. Because of that, we couldn’t download the times while we were in the park and had to play it by ear. That doesn’t work well when you’re on a time crunch. 

Get dinner at the Old Faithful Inn or at one of the two quick service restaurants and plan to hang out a little. If we only had a day- this is what we would have done so we wouldn’t miss it! 

If Old Faithful has just erupted, head to Grand Prismatic Spring in the interim. We had just enough time to head over, see the impressive spring, and make it back before the next eruption. They are about 90 minutes apart so it gives you some time, even considering the driving distance (about 15 minutes) between the two. 

Whew- so there is it. A VERY packed day in Yellowstone. Obviously this itinerary would still work if you had a little more time and wanted to space these things out. There are plenty of very accessible hiking trails that you can explore in each of these locations. Honestly, this is just a taste of the park. To really experience it all, I would say you need a couple days. Although, because of the crowds, Bruce and I were totally fine with our fairly limited time there. 

Did we miss any must dos? Any hikes we have to go back for? Let us know in the comments!