2 Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary: The Experience

Visiting Yellowstone National Park is a phenomenal experience. An experience we absolutely recommend! Our awe inspiring journey started at one of our favorite places, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Arriving late afternoon/early evening we basically had just enough time to pick up our rental car, get to the resort, eat and go to bed at a decent time ahead of our awaiting adventure for the following day. 

Starting in Jackson Hole

Since we were staying at Snow King Resort and a little limited on time, we decided to grab dinner at the hotel restaurant. That was the best decision! The restaurant is called Haydens Post and the food and atmosphere were excellent. Make sure you try the crabcakes if you have the opportunity to dine here.

All vacay meals are important though, right?! For breakfast, we agreed upon a little spot in town called The Bunnery. It was aptly decorated for Fall and lightly dusted with a fresh overnight icy snow mix. And that combo makes my heart happy!

After enjoying a little more time in Jackson Hole at Lee’s Tees and grabbing Starbucks, we said goodbye to one of our favorite places and headed to a new favorite-Yellowstone!! We traveled up 191 along side the National Elk Refuge, through Grand Teton National Park and finally beside part of Jackson Lake before arriving at Yellowstone National Park South Entrance about an hour later.

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Day 1 From South Entrance 

Using our National Park Pass, which by the way pays for itself quickly, we entered the park through the South Entrance. Make sure you grab a map and  Visitor Guide as you enter the gate. Mine were soft and tattered by the end of our trip! 

The park loop is somewhat of a figure eight and you would double back in the center if all roads were open and you came and went at same entrance. 

Charting Our Course

We were staying at different locations each nite and heading to South Dakota afterwards so we chose our path accordingly. Also, the road was closed for maintenance between Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Village. 

From the South Entrance,  we headed straight up to West Thumb. Wonderful 1st stop with so much to see! The West Thumb Geyser Basin includes an area of Yellowstone Lake. As you walk along the boardwalk, you see geysers with beautiful aqua colored water, steaming on both sides and a gorgeous lake view.  Watch for elk too. As we were strolling along the boardwalk taking pictures of the captivating geysers, we came up on a grassy area to one side where some elk were grazing. They were so close to us, yet not even paying attention to people. (Always be very cautious around wildlife as you are in THEIR habitat and they are unpredictable.) We continued the boardwalk loop, through the trees and snowy path,  back to our vehicle in the parking lot and on to the next stop. 

UPPER GEYSER BASIN

Old Faithful 

Right?! Yes, it’s that easy to get to Old Faithful from the South Entrance. We parked in the parking lot along with everyone else pouring in about the same time. Wow! We had just been blessed with happening up on Old Faithful nearing another eruption. We walked past the yurts. I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to a yurt. I’ve never stayed in one for sure.

I stopped to take a couple of pics of the Old Faithful sign and then headed to the platform. There were layers of people in each direction. This is where I overheard the next predicted eruption time. I had my video ready and took a little video of Old Faithful gearing up. 

Also, as I was waiting I heard some people talking about being from East Texas and then actually from our hometown. Small world. They were just as surprised that we were there at the same time too. 

Watching the time, I started videoing and captured the steamy Old Faithful Geyser erupting! Such a cool experience to be there in person. Everyone cheered as the thick steam started shooting straight up, cutting through the already dense steam cloud. 

And just as Old Faithful’s eruption tapered off, it began to snow!! How exciting. Remember we are from Texas…East Texas…so we get excited about a little bit of snow. Haha

Geyser Grill

After all of the excitement, we were ready to eat. Since we were right there, we decided on the Geyser Grill at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge (how fitting). They were serving food, but were not allowing inside dining. We chose to go eat in our rental van with the heater on. As we are sitting there eating it really began to snow.

Biscuit Basin

Next stop was Biscuit Basin where we saw a Bison grazing just a few feet from the drive. Very close! We took pics pretty quickly and kept driving in case he decided he didn’t like our vehicle for some reason.  Would not want to have to explain that to the insurance company.

We did notice a couple of others trying to get a picture with the huge bison from outside of their vehicle. A Park Ranger pulled up and swiftly put an end to that activity.  

MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN

Grand Prismatic Spring

After more geysers and more bison on our route, our next big stop was Grand Prismatic Spring. This is spectacular. From the parking lot as you are walking up toward a bridge, you see a waterfall pouring into a large steamy geyser. Following a bit of an inclining switch back boardwalk, you level out as the boardwalk continues around another big and very steamy turquoise geyser, feeding the waterfall. Follow the entire large boardwalk loop to the sites of intense color, interesting surface formations and vivid geysers.

LOWER GEYSER BASIN

White Dome Geyser

Continuing towards Madison into the Lower Geyser Basin, we were headed to West Yellowstone for the night, but not before we saw more bison and geysers. We took a little detour on Firehole Lake Drive and saw one of the more unusual geysers, called White Dome Geyser. It was a raised formation seemingly sitting out by itself, but within viewing distance of Great Fountain Geyser. Very cool. Like a mini volcano. 

We spent the night at Evergreen Motel in West Yellowstone where we had reservations. It’s a cute motel remodeled with a modern lodge feel.  We ate dinner at Bullwinkles and breakfast at Running Bear Pancake House.  My favorite was actually stopping at Go-go Espresso Café for our hot chocolate to drink on the morning journey through Yellowstone. Each was made to order with our customized requests, and they were delicious. 

Day 2 From West Entrance

From the Yellowstone National Park West Entrance, we headed towards Norris when we reached the junction at Madison. 

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

Gibbon Falls

You may notice Gibbon River along side the main road and you will want to stop at Gibbon Falls before reaching Norris. There’s parking and restrooms here. The waterfall is beautiful and there are several picturesque views. 

Artists Paintpots 

You’ll have a 1/2 mile or so hike from the parking lot to the Artists Paintpots, but it’s an easy and scenic walk. You start with a boardwalk, through a wooded trail and then back to boardwalks safely framing the geysers. This basin is full of colorful little geysers that are steaming and bubbling. There is an upper level overlook, if you wish, also. Restrooms are available at this stop as well.

Roaring Mountain

After passing a couple of small lakes, heading towards Mammoth Hot a Springs, you will see Roaring Mountain. This is a great little stop with a geysers sprinkled on the face of a small mountain. It’s a steaming hill basically. 

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS TERRACES

Mammoth Hot Springs

This is one of my favorite parts of Yellowstone National Park. On the main road before you get to Mammoth Hot Springs, you will go through a breathtaking area called Golden Gate. The view was totally unexpected and stunning! 

Mammoth Hot Springs was also unexpected. We were so pleasantly surprised to find this fabulous little village up North with a General Store, Post Office, Hotel and so much more. 

We were just in time for a late lunch at Terrace Grill. Very similar to the previous day in that they were serving food (appeared to be same menu), but no inside dining. They also informed us that the Geyser Grill at Old Faithful had closed due to a Covid spike. We were apparently some of the last served the day before.  

We enjoyed eating, shopping and exploring this pristine village. Even with Elk making themselves at home in the yards of businesses and homes, it still felt very clean and well maintained. 

Lower Terraces Area

On the way out (or in) you’ll notice the Lower Terraces Area with the boardwalks provided for exploring. The steamy mounds and interesting formations were eye catching as we left the charming village of Mammoth Hot Springs. 

Upper Terraces Area

This one-way loop should not be missed (as long as you are not in a bus, trailer, or RV).  It is also closed in the winter. We were there in October. When you reach the parking lot, get out on the boardwalks and enjoy the beautiful, colorful geysers and look out over Mammoth Hot Springs. Towards the end of the loop is an awesome steamy dome formation. It’s right on the road and very cool. We drove this loop after visiting the village because we were headed back south. If you are continuing on to Tower-Roosevelt, you will want to make this short loop before going into Mammoth Hot Springs to explore the village.

GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE 

Canyon Village

Since the road was closed between Tower – Roosevelt and Canyon Village, we chose to go back south to Norris and then cut over to Canyon Village. What a beautiful drive it was through the middle of the “figure 8“! The snow had not melted through this area and it was a wintry scenic drive.

The Visitor Center was closed at Canyon Village, but there was a Park Ranger outside who answered our questions on the best places for views. Canyon Village in general seemed pretty vacated, but I’m guessing it’s a pretty hopping place when the hotel is full. 

South Rim Drive

Get ready for a beautiful view of Yellowstone River as you turn on (and off) of South Rim Drive. You will want to follow this road all the way to the end, stopping at Artist Point, and then back out.  Artist Point has the best views of the Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon.

Uncle Tom’s Point

Uncle Tom’s Point was one of the places that the Park Ranger mentioned and it proved to be a nice place for a view of the falls. Look for the chipmunks scurrying over and through the rocks when you stop here.

Artist Point

This will be a short little hike from the parking lot, but well worth it!! It’s all paved and you will have pretty Yellowstone River views along the way. Make sure you go all the way to the upper level. Very important. You will be amazed at the breathtaking views once you reach the platform at the top of the steps. You are now overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It is stunning! Unlike the Grand Canyon, you can take in this canyon from one vantage point. 

HAYDEN VALLEY 

Mud Volcano

Still heading south from Canyon Village toward Yellowstone Lake, you enter Hayden Valley. Just off the main road in southern Hayden Valley is Mud Volcano. It’s a large flat steamy valley area. We got a nice surprise with a herd of bison grazing on the adjoining hillside while we were there. 

YELLOWSTONE LAKE

Lake Village

Such a blessing to discover a double rainbow on the horizon of Yellowstone Lake! The second one was faint, but easier to see in person. It was just gorgeous.  There was not a lot happening in this area so late in the season (October), but we did enjoy the gorgeous views around Yellowstone Lake.

Fishing Bridge 

After exploring in the Lake Village area a bit, we headed East along the north side of Yellowstone Lake, past Fishing Bridge. Since we were staying in Cody for the night, we would exit Yellowstone National Park through it’s East Entrance. 

Sylvan Pass

Leaving through Yellowstone National Park East Entrance (or entering), you will experience Sylvan Pass. The elevation at the East Entrance is 6951 feet and Sylvan Pass elevation is 8530 feet. It’s a very pretty drive through this higher elevation area. There was Fall foliage as well as snow when we traveled through this area to exit towards Cody. There was also an amazing rock formation. Does anyone know what this is called? 

We hope you have enjoyed this two day Yellowstone experience and gleaned some sort of useful insight from this article. Maybe you are planning a trip to a Yellowstone and were looking for where to start, a route, or sites not to miss. Maybe you just put Yellowstone on your bucket list because you were inspired to go see it for yourself! Or maybe you’ve been there, possibly numerous times, and reading this itinerary brought back happy memories! No matter what brought you to our site, we hope you gained something from it and will return again. 

If you’ve followed us for a while, you know we are big fans of tours. If you have time and funds, you can learn so much on a tour. You get to sit back and relax, not have to worry about transportation, or sometimes even lunch and you usually meet some very interesting travelers! Fortunately, there are plenty of tours to choose from for Yellowstone. Check these out!