Yellowstone National Park is a gigantic park and to really plan a trip well, you need to know what makes each of the areas of Yellowstone National Park unique.
Many national parks in the United States usually have one or two main attractions that draws visitors in. The dramatic cliffs of Zion, the funky spires of Bryce Canyon, Going to the Sun road in Glacier to name a few. Yellowstone is special in a different way.
Yellowstone is the first national park and is roughly 2.2 million acres (900,000 hectacres) according to the National Park Service. That is massive. Driving through in one day is just not going to cut it. You will barely see anything except the dashboard of your vehicle.
One thing that Yellowstone is NOT is dramatic. It has some features that will wow you, but if you are looking for jaw-dropping mountain peaks, you are visiting the wrong national park.
Instead you will be encouraged to learn about geothermal activity. Why is the land bubbling? What is a geyser and why is Old Faithful so…faithful? You will also get the opportunity to round a bend in the road and be stunned by a bison walking along side it.
In addition to these features, each of the places inside Yellowstone is a little different. In this blog post, I’m going to describe each of the areas of Yellowstone National Park, and tell you what makes each special.
As an added bonus, I’ll give you a list of the attractions not to miss in each part too.
My goal is that you will better understand what each area offers and if you want to visit it on your Yellowstone vacation. If you only have a few days in the park, you might have to pick and choose.
Are you a busy mom that doesn’t have time to do all the research that an amazing vacation requires and just want someone to help you? Let me.
I first visited Yellowstone National Park in the fall of 2016. A few months later, my family and I sold our house, moved to Bozeman, Montana, and stayed there for over 6 years. Living an hour and a half from Yellowstone made it easy to visit and we made it a point to go often. We love Yellowstone and have seen so much of it.
Using my expertise of the area, I can help make tough choices easier by talking them out with you. Your time is valuable. Invest a small amount to make your life easier, and create a vacation itinerary that is perfect for you and your family.
Find out more about my personalized travel itinerary services to Yellowstone National Park here.
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Map Of The Areas Of Yellowstone
Below is a visual of how I break up Yellowstone National Park and how I’ll be talking about the areas of Yellowstone National Park.
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Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone area is in the east side of Yellowstone, just south of Tower Fall and north of Lake Village.
Here you will find rushing waterfalls, a large canyon, picturesque viewpoints, and hiking trails. This part of Yellowstone is more mountainous than some of the other areas, especially along the Dunraven pass.
Visitors that love this area in Yellowstone are the adventurous ones that love hiking and seeing stunning landscapes. It also has the second best area in Yellowstone to see wildlife, so if your main goal is to see bison and bears, don’t skip this part of Yellowstone.
Attractions not to miss in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone area:
- Stop at all the viewpoints in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone along the north and south rim drives to view the beautiful waterfalls cascading down the dramatic cliffs.
- Climb Mount Washburn for panoramic views and a nice moderate hike.
- Drive over Dunraven Pass; the highest pass in the park.
- Visit Hayden Valley at dawn or dusk for the best chance of seeing animals.
Note: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is grand for Yellowstone, but if you are expecting it to be even close to as big as THE Grand Canyon, you will be disappointed.
The road between Lake Village and Canyon is generally only open between May 1 and October 31st. The Dunraven pass between Canyon and Tower Fall opens between May 22 and October 12 each year.
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Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone Lake is a very big lake in Yellowstone National Park and according to the National Park Service it is the largest high elevation lake in North America.
Its size is impressive to see with the mountains in the background. The area surrounding the lake is dotted with a few attractions that are nice to visit, although not as exciting as some other areas of the park in my opinion.
This area of Yellowstone may not be as interesting, but it is one of the best spots to stay in the park if you want to be centrally located.
We stayed at Grant Village campground on our first visit to Yellowstone. It was a beautiful campground right next to the lake. I liked being able to easily visit the Geyser Basin area and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, then walk along the lakeshore in the evenings.
Top things to do in the Yellowstone Lake area:
- Drive along Yellowstone Lake and stop at a picnic area to take in the lake’s beauty.
- Rent a boat and discover Yellowstone Lake on the water.
- Take a scenic cruise of Yellowstone Lake and look for eagles while you listen to a knowledgeable guide.
- Walk the boardwalks of West Thumb Geyser Basin and admire the vibrant hot spring pools and geysers by the lake.
- Book a guided kayak tour that takes you on the water near West Thumb Geyser Basin.
The roads along the north side of Yellowstone Lake, between Lake Village and the East Entrance, are only open between May 1 and October 31st each year, while the road that skirts the west side of the lake and leads to the south entrance is open one week later on May 8th.
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Mammoth Hot Springs And The Northwest
The Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park is a unique area of the park because of the hot spring terraces that are unlike any other in Yellowstone National Park. This area of the park starts getting mountainous as well, but the bigger peaks are off to the west a little bit and harder to access.
You can do a little hiking, but the real highlights are the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces, the elk that gather in the village, and the fact that this area of Yellowstone is open year round.
Note: I find the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris to be a bit underwhelming and usually prefer to skip it.
Another advantage of visiting this part of Yellowstone is that you have easy access to the North entrance of the park where you will find the stunning peaks surrounding Paradise Valley and Yellowstone River access.
The best things to do in Mammoth Hot Springs and Northwest Yellowstone area are:
- Hike the boardwalks and stairs of the lower terraces all the way up to the upper terraces area of Mammoth Hot Springs. If you have trouble climbing stairs, you can drive to the upper terraces area too. If you have to choose between the two, the lower terraces are more spectacular.
- Take pictures of the elk lounging in the grass in Mammoth. Seriously, they are always there.
- Hike Bunsen Peak for a moderate hike in the northwest area of Yellowstone with panoramic views at the top.
- Visit Blacktail Plateau in the spring to see baby bison.
- You can skip Petrified Tree or Sheepeater cliff. We weren’t very impressed. There are better areas in the park.
- Go cross-country skiing around Mammoth if visiting in the winter.
The northern road between Mammoth and Tower-Roosevelt is open year round unless there is a huge snowstorm. The road between Mammoth and Norris is open to cars April 17 to October 31st.
Northeast Yellowstone
In Northeast Yellowstone you will find a big beautiful valley that eventually turns mountainous the further east you drive. I’ve also included Tower Fall in this section as the access and the activities align better to the Northeast Yellowstone area than the Canyon area.
Visitors that choose this part of Yellowstone to visit are the ones that are here for the wildlife. The Lamar Valley is by far the best area to spot bison, black and grizzly bears, wolves, elk, and pronghorns. You might even see a coyote, fox or bald eagle.
Top attractions in Northeast Yellowstone:
- Visit Tower Fall and walk the 0.75-mile (1.2km) trail to see the view of Tower Creek flowing into the Yellowstone River.
- If visiting in the winter, cross country ski to the Tower Fall overlook.
- Go to the Lamar Valley at dawn and dusk for the best chance of seeing wildlife out and about. Don’t forget to bring your binoculars. The Lamar Valley is pretty big!
- Hike the easy Lamar River Trail. It goes on and on for miles, so hike for as long or as short as you’d like.
- Take a guided Yellowstone wildlife tour
- If visiting in the summer, drive east out of the northeast Yellowstone entrance over the scenic Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana.
Note: The trail down to the base of Tower Fall is closed due to erosion and has been closed for as long as I have been visiting the park.
The road between Tower-Roosevelt and Tower Fall is open between May 8 and October 31st and the northern road between Mammoth and Cooke City is open year round. This makes it one of the few areas in Yellowstone National Park where you can explore on your own in the winter.
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Geyser Basin Areas And The West
Besides the animals the most interesting part of Yellowstone National Park is the geothermal activity. With the caldera area being at the center of Yellowstone, it brings some amazing geological and hydrothermal features that make Yellowstone famous. The most popular of them all is Old Faithful.
This trusty geyser has been erupting and amazing people for years, but it’s not the only one to admire. According to the National Park Service, there are hundreds of active geysers in the park and over 10,000 hydrothermal features in Yellowstone. That’s a lot of geysers, hot spring pools and mud pots to gape at.
To top it all off, the majority of these hydrothermal features are concentrated in one area of Yellowstone, the west. If you are visiting Yellowstone to be amazed by geysers and see pretty colorful pools of hot water, you can’t miss the geyser basin areas.
In my opinion this is one of the best areas of the park to visit. It can get busy, but there is a reason it is. There are also ways to not get overwhelmed by the crowds.
Here’s what to do in the Geyser Basin areas and the west side of Yellowstone:
- See Old Faithful erupt
- Walk inside the Old Faithful Inn and admire its architecture
- Explore the Upper Geyser Basin. Read more: Complete Travel Guide To Upper Geyser Basin In Yellowstone For The First Time Visitor
- Go late in the afternoon to see Grand Prismatic Spring. Read more: Your Ultimate Guide To Visiting Grand Prismatic in Yellowstone National Park
- Don’t miss the Norris Geyser Basin
- Take an easy hike to Fairy Falls
- Visit the hidden gem Lone Star Geyser. Find out more here: Lone Star Geyser: An Easy Hike Like No Other In Yellowstone National Park
- Explore the Lower Geyser Basin
- Stop at Kepler Cascades
- Hike to Mystic Falls, an easy hike with a pretty waterfall at the end.
The road from the west entrance to Norris and Old Faithful is open from April 17th to October 31st. To go further than Old Faithful, you will have to wait until May 8th.
South Yellowstone
The south Yellowstone area is probably the most boring part of Yellowstone National Park. It is the gateway to the Grand Tetons which is great, but there aren’t too many things to attract visitors.
Lewis Lake is a nice lake in Yellowstone if you are interested in boating on a smaller lake than Yellowstone Lake; otherwise, the only other worthwhile stop I can think of is Lewis Falls.
If you want to get off the beaten path and explore a side of Yellowstone that is lesser known, consider a canoe trip to Shoshone Lake. We went in 2020 and it was an incredible way to be out in nature and have only other animals for company. This trip starts at Lewis Lake.
Note: You can also hike a trail to the backcountry and stay by Shoshone Lake without taking a canoe too.
Read more if this sounds interesting to you: The Yellowstone Experience You’ll Never Forget: Shoshone Lake Canoe Trip
Summing Up My Thoughts On The Areas Of Yellowstone National Park
I remember planning my first trip to Yellowstone and being completely overwhelmed with the choices. I hope this post brings a little more clarity on what the different areas of Yellowstone National Park offer. If I didn’t answer something, feel free to ask a question below or send me an email.
Hope you enjoy your time in Yellowstone!
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Yellowstone looks amazing, this is such a great guide and so special
to see the hot spring and the lake.
Thank you so much. It is such a special park.
We visited Yellowstone NP back in 2012 and found it incredible. We loved our visit of 3 days to the park. Would love to visit again, especially in winter covered in snow.
Yellowstone in the winter feels so different. So peaceful. Hope you get to return.
I honestly didn’t realize that the park is so big! As someone who’s never been, this post was super helpful.
It is sooo huge!! I’m glad it was helpful and you are able to visit sometime soon!
Even though Yellowstone has on my wish list, I knew not much about it except for hot springs and geysers. Your comprehensive guide made it clear its HUGE. And there is wildlife, lake / kayaking, hiking, so much to do, other areas to explore.
It is huge!! 🙂 I’m happy that this guide was helpful. Hope you make it for a visit soon!