Hey travel fam! I just got back from the first trip I’ve taken since COVID started, and I want to tell you all about it! We did a road trip from my home state of Colorado to Wyoming and visited two national parks: Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. While sometimes it still made me wary to be somewhere new, overall being outside and solely with my family made me feel safe enough to enjoy a wonderful quick getaway! If you have any questions about traveling safely during a pandemic, feel free to drop me your questions below!
That being said, here is my guide for 4 days in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Honestly, I wish we had more time, but this is a great guide to start you out on your travel planning!
First, here are some general tips you should be aware of:
1. Start early! I feel like I can’t say this enough. Both of these parks get extremely busy, even in a pandemic, so the earlier you can start the better!
2. Be wildlife aware. These parks have a ton of wildlife: bison, elk, moose, bears, bald eagles, the list goes on and on. Make sure you know what to do if you encounter some of these animals. In short, keep a safe distance from all the animals (100 yards from bears and at least 25 yards from bison or elk), and if you are doing any more backcountry hikes in areas where bears frequent, pick up some bear spray in the park. We didn’t have to use ours, but we had a crazy close encounter with a mamma bear and her cubs, so definitely be prepared!
3. Download the Yellowstone National Park App. It has maps and up to date geyser eruption predictions, so it is definitely a good guide! Service is very spotty in the park aside from near Old Faithful or the town of West Yellowstone, so be prepared.
4. Give yourself time. Yellowstone is HUGE! It takes around 7 hours to drive the loop without any stops. So give yourself plenty of time to see everything you want. We only had 2 days in Yellowstone, and it was definitely rushed. If you can, plan for more time!
5. Be flexible! Have a plan, but always be willing to adjust. My biggest tip for seeing wildlife is to just look for people (ironic, right?). So many times we saw an animal because we saw people pulled off on the road pointing at something. If you see that, ask what they see and check it out! Wildlife (especially bears) are usually where you least expect to see them, so be ready with those binoculars!
Now that you know the basics, here is my 4 day Wyoming Itinerary!
Day 1: Yellowstone
*This itinerary is written based on coming in from the south entrance. If you come in a different entrance, just adjust the order of my itinerary based on where you are on the map! This park basically makes a huge loop, so you can follow the route whichever way you choose.
1. Check out the Upper Geyser Basin area: This has Old Faithful and a short boardwalk around Geyser Hill where you can see a lot of geysers! The Old Faithful Inn is in this area to grab a meal or drinks (but it was closed due to COVID so check when you go). Old Faithful is an absolute must see! You can watch from the viewing area, but you can also get great views by walking to the backside of it on the boardwalk. Check your app to know when it will erupt (usually every 60-90ish minutes).
2. Grand Prismatic Spring and Fairy Falls: Next head up to the Fairy Falls trail. This is an easy 5-mile roundtrip trail to a beautiful waterfall. On the way, take the short trail up to an overlook of the Grand Prismatic Spring. The colors are insane, and the overlook lets you appreciate the whole spring which you won’t see if you are too close.
3. Explore the Norris Geyser Basin area: More geysers to see! Check out Steamboat Geyser and Echinus Geyser while you are here. Steamboat is one of the tallest one. These geysers are less frequent than Old Faithful, so you need to plan your visit time accordingly if you want to see an eruption.
From there, we spent the night in West Yellowstone at Under Canvas Yellowstone. It was a 'glamping' experience like no other, and I would highly recommend! Even if you don’t stay, they have a delicious restaurant on site with local favorites like elk and bison burgers that I would suggest you try!
Day 2: Yellowstone and head to Grand Tetons
Day 2 in Yellowstone for us was our main driving day! This is where you will drive the loop and see the variety of landscapes Yellowstone is famous for.
1. Hayden Valley: This is one of the areas of the park you are most likely to see wildlife. We started very early to be here at sunrise. Animals are most active at dawn and dusk, so to give yourself the best chance to see them, plan accordingly! We saw a ton of bison (a lot close to the road so drive carefully!), antelope, deer, elk, and potentially a wolf (but it was moving crazy fast).
*This area is also close to Pelican Valley which is an area known to have Grizzly bears. The sightings of Grizzlies are very rare, but driving through this area is gorgeous, and if you have time you can hike the Pelican Valley Trail. Good luck with the bear sightings!
2. Lamar Valley: From one valley to the next! Lamar is the other valley where wildlife frequent, so we drove there next to get another chance at those early morning animal sightings!
*Always check road closures in the park. At the time of writing, the quickest connection between the valleys was closed, so always look and be informed.
3. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone: The Grand Canyon area of the park is gorgeous! Definitely head to Artist Point first to get an overlook of the beautiful falls. Artist Point is on the South Rim drive, which is definitely less busy than the North Rim Drive and just as beautiful!
*From here we planned to hike Uncle Tom’s Trail to the base of Lower Falls, but due to COVID it was closed, so we drove around and actually found a brand new pullout! To find it, head back to the main road and take the pulloff for the “Brink of Upper Falls”. There isn’t a sign for it at this time until you get to the parking lot. You can hike down to the top of Upper Falls and it is incredible!
4. Other places to stop and see on the drive if you have time: Mud Volcano, Mammoth Springs, and Sulfur Cauldron. All beautiful and basically right off the main road.
We headed out of Yellowstone and stayed in Jackson Hole for the rest of our trip. Things get expensive and book fast here, so make sure you are on top of booking places to stay.
Day 3: Grand Tetons
I am definitely more of a hiking fanatic, and the Grand Tetons in my opinion had more adventurous and challenging hikes than Yellowstone, so I would plan a bit more time here if that describes you! Day 3 of this itinerary is hike day!
1. Check out Delta Lake: I will preface this by saying this is not an easy trail! 9 miles round trip with a steady vertical climb, and the trail is not officially maintained by the park. That means towards the end you have a basically straight vertical scramble up boulders and across some fallen trees. This one is definitely for my more adventurous readers out there! BUT my mother and my sister (both more novice hikers) made it by taking their time and we all really enjoyed it! If you are feeling brave, take a dip in the frigid, glacier fed water.
*To catch the trail for Delta Lake, head to the Lupine Meadows Trailhead. From there follow the signs to Amphitheater Lake. At about 3.25 miles (after the 6th switchback) you will see a path drop off down to the right which has some wooden stairs leading off the main trail (see the pic on the right). This comes right after the trail branches off to Garnett Canyon (stay on the Amphitheater Lake trail at this split). From there just follow the cairns to the top! Go early because by about 7am this parking lot is full, and the lake gets very busy after 9am.
2. If you like a calmer hike, check out the Taggart Lake Loop. Only 4 miles roundtrip but still beautiful lake views and a nice, pleasant trail.
3. Phelp’s Lake: Pack a picnic lunch and head over to Phelp’s Lake for a nice picnic. If your legs aren’t completely dead, you could either hike the Death Canyon Trail or the Lake Creek trail in this area.
4. After this you deserve a nice dinner, so head to Jackson Hole for some delicious food. We loved Hand Fire Pizza! Huckleberry is huge in this area, so you HAVE to try huckleberry ice cream after your well-deserved carbs! I recommend either Jackson Drug or Moo’s for that! (Moo's is closed certain days of the week, so check their website or call for updates). Jackson Hole is a cute town, so enjoy just wandering around!
Day 4: Grand Tetons
You deserve a nice, relaxing day for the last day!
1. Mormon Row: Head to the famous Mormon Row to see the old barns with the beautiful Tetons as the perfect backdrop for those Instagram shots! To get here, take Antelope Flats Road off the main road that runs through the park. The road here is a dirt road for a few miles, but definitely worth it. Soak in the views and occasionally moose are spotted in the area, so keep an eye out!
2. Jenny Lake Scenic Drive: Drive this beautiful one way road to the String Lake Area. This parking lot gets packed early on in the day, so you may have to circle a few times or come back to this area in the afternoon (we did the latter). For a short hike, hike the String Lake Trail to Leigh Lake. 2 miles roundtrip and very easy along the shores of String Lake. Keep your eyes out for bears here, especially across the shores of String Lake! If you get to Leigh Lake, usually there are very few people there so grab your hammock and set it up along the quiet shores!
3. From here, it is a lot of driving and overlooks to stop at! Here are my recommendations:
· Jackson Lake and The Chapel of the Sacred Heart: This is the perfect place for a lunch picnic on the shores of Jackson Lake.
· Willow Flats Overlook: This is a great overlook with optional longer hikes to Ocean/Emma Mathilda Lakes (with the potential for bear sightings!).
· Schwabacher’s Road to Schwabacher’s Landing: We stopped at the first small parking lot off this road and walked along the river. It was so peaceful, and you may be lucky enough to see a beaver in this area.
· Blacktail Ponds Overlook: Another potential spot to see beavers, otters, or moose. Good luck!
*Alternatively, you could spend this entire day in the Jenny Lake Area. It has tons of hiking, picnic spots, and water sports you can do. This area was too busy for our liking, so we went to the less frequented spots instead!
Well travel fam, there it is ! A quick 4 day trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in the midst of a pandemic! We found that as a whole, most people were really good about wearing masks and distancing, even on the trails. Continue to practice good COVID safety measures, and I hope you are all healthy and safe during this time! As always, enter your email below to subscribe and get the latest updates or feel free to reach out to me at the contact tab. Happy travels, fam!
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