Your Easy, Epic, memorable
YELLOWSTONE VACATION
Complete 1, 3, and 7 day itineraries to minimize guesswork and maximize your time in the park!
Your Dream Vacation
Yellowstone National Park is one of those places you need to visit at least once (and hopefully more than once!) during your life. It’s an amazing park that offers surreal views, constantly changing and surprising landscape, and wildlife.
There are so many great places to visit and things to do in Yellowstone National Park. The park is huge and there is so much to do and see. It’s also super crowded and it can be hard to know the best places to go to avoid the crowds.
Yellowstone is not a destination where you can just wing it. You need reservations well in advance and a plan to make the most of your time there.
But let’s face it, researching a trip to Yellowstone can be overwhelming.
That’s where we come in.
Our family has been to Yellowstone every year since 2014 – once for over a month – and we know our way around the park. We have traveled with babies, toddlers, teens, grandparents and every age in between. So we know how to plan a trip with your whole family in mind.
We’ve figured out the secret areas of the park that a lot of families miss, how to avoid crowds, where to eat, what to bring… And we put all of this experience together into the best itineraries for 1, 3 or 7 days in Yellowstone National Park.
Introducing, your perfect Yellowstone vacation: planned for you. With the Crazy Family Adventure Yellowstone Guides.
Yellowstone Frequently Asked Questions:
Answers to your Yellowstone National Park questions and the easiest way to plan your vacation!
Yellowstone is in three states – Wyoming, Montana and Idaho – and has five entrances. Two of the entrances are in Wyoming and the other three are in Montana.
Yellowstone is open year-round (and is beautiful in the winter!). However much of the Grand Loop Road – the main road through the park – is closed and unmaintained in the winter.
HUGE! Yellowstone is about 3,500 square miles which is bigger than our two smallest states (Rhode Island and Delaware) combined.
Yellowstone saw almost 5 million visitors in 2021! So, it’s super crowded. It was already one of the most visited National Parks but now that more people are getting outdoors and traveling the U.S., it’s become very crowded. Still, we’ve never had a bad time at Yellowstone. Even in the busiest of the busy season.
There are a lot of lodging options around the five entrances to the park. Our favorite is West Yellowstone. We talk about why in our guides but long story short, there is more available there than elsewhere.
The Jackson Hole Airport is popular. But we prefer the Bozeman Airport for its proximity to the West Entrance. If you have a day to spend in Bozeman at the beginning or end of your trip, it has a really cool downtown!
And our most frequently asked question…
Can you just plan my trip for me?
Yes, we can! We’ve taken the guesswork out of your Yellowstone vacation planning by putting together three digital guides for 1, 3, or 7 day trips to America’s First National Park. You don’t need to book a pricy all-inclusive Yellowstone vacation package or search high and low for Yellowstone vacation rentals. We’ve included all of the details from where to stay, where to eat, which route to take, and more!
Simply decide how many days you want to spend in Yellowstone and plan how to get there – we’ve taken care of the rest.
About our Yellowstone Guides
Ready to dive into our Yellowstone guides? Here’s what you can expect inside each one:
- Daily stop-by-stop itineraries
- First-hand descriptions of each stop, including hiking difficulty and times
- Things to know before you leave
- Tips for getting there
- Where to stay: hotels, vacation homes, campgrounds
- How to get around the park
- Tips on staying safe and staying connected
- Where to eat (and when to pack a picnic)
- Important links
- And more!
A Peek Inside Our Guides
How Many Days Do You Need in Yellowstone?
We are advocates of spending as much time in Yellowstone as possible. If you have the chance to choose, we’d recommend one to two weeks exploring this National Park. It’s huge and you will not get bored.
But we know long vacations are not always an option, so we’ve created itineraries that are just right for 1, 3 or 7 day trips. Here’s how you can choose which is right for you.
One Day in Yellowstone
Perfect if you only want to see the most popular features in Yellowstone: Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, wildlife, Yellowstone Lake, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Also great if you’re trying to cover a lot of ground in a small amount of time, like Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons.
Three Days in Yellowstone
With three days in Yellostone you can cover more area and see more variation in landscape. We love this itinerary because in addition to the sites from the one day guide, you can see: Mammoth Hot Springs, Gardiner, Canyon Village, and so many more geothermal features and hikes.
This guide is right for you if you have 3 or 4 days in the Yellowstone area and you want to maximize your time in the park. We kept stops close together to minimize drive time, too.
This is also a way to see a good amount of Yellowstone, but have time to see Glacier and/or Grand Tetons in one trip.
Seven Days in Yellowstone
This is our favorite of the guides because you can see the most of Yellowstone. Pick this guide if you have 7 days (or more) to spend exploring the park and surrounding areas.
This guide also keeps stops together to minimize your drive time. But it goes one step further, breaking your days into more concentrated areas so you get to really take it all in.
Not Sure How Many Days You’re Planning?
If you are still in the early planning stages and don’t know yet how long you’ll stay, we recommend the 7 Day Guide. This will give you the most flexibility to plan your trip. You can pick your 4, 5, or 6 favorite days from the guide to build your own perfect trip.
1 Day Guide
Get the most out of one day in Yellowstone with this best-of itinerary. We’ll hit all the highlights in the most popular area of the park making the most of your day!
- 21 pages
- Stop-by-stop instructions
- Dining recommendations
- Links to menus and reservations
- Park maps
- Insider tips
- And more!
In one day you can see all this:
- West Yellowstone
- Grand Prismatic
- Old Faithful
- Geyser Basin Hike
- West Thumb
- Hike the Lower Falls
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Scenic Drive for Wildlife Viewing
- And More!
3 Day Guide
Three days in Yellowstone allows you to see the most popular sights and venture out to some lesser-known areas. These days are still intense, though!
- 38 pages
- Stop-by-stop instructions
- Dining recommendations
- Links to menus and reservations
- Park maps
- Insider tips
- And more!
In three days you can see all this:
- West Yellowstone
- Grand Prismatic
- Old Faithful
- Geyser Basin Hike
- West Thumb
- Hike the Lower Falls
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Scenic Drive for Wildlife Viewing
- Kepler Cascades
- Lone Star Geyser
- Gardiner
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Hayden Valley Wildlife
- Canyon Village
- Yellowstone Lake Area
- Fishing Bridge
- And More!
7 Day Guide
With one week in Yellowstone, you can see all of the best-known features and a lot of the hidden secrets of Yellowstone. There’s even time for relaxation.
- 57 pages
- Stop-by-stop instructions
- Dining recommendations
- Links to menus and reservations
- Park maps
- Insider tips
- And more!
In seven days you can see all this:
- West Yellowstone
- Grand Prismatic
- Old Faithful
- Geyser Basin Hike
- West Thumb
- Hike the Lower Falls
- Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
- Scenic Drive for Wildlife Viewing
- Kepler Cascades
- Lone Star Geyser
- Gardiner
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Hayden Valley Wildlife
- Canyon Village
- Yellowstone Lake Area
- Fishing Bridge
- Mud Volcano
- Sylvan Pass
- Lamar Valley Wildlife
- Beartooth Highway
- Cooke City
- Tower-Roosevelt Area
- Tower Falls
- Optional Hikes, Boating and Tours
- More time to relax and enjoy!
- And More!
IMPORTANT NOTES
All three of our itineraries are best used when the Grand Loop is open – typically mid-May through October. If you visit when the road is not open, not all activities will be available or drive times will be increased.
ABOUT THE GUIDES
These are digital guides and are best experienced interactively on your phone, tablet or computer. We will not be mailing you anything. Once you purchase and download it, you may print the guide for your own use. Commercial reproduction or use is prohibited.
