A Complete Guide to Yellowstone for First Timers

This summer we were fortunate enough to go on an amazing 3-day RV trip to Yellowstone. If this is your first time planning an RV road trip like this—don’t fret.  If you’ve never been to Yellowstone before—we got you! 

In this post, we share all you need to know for your first time at Yellowstone. From National Park highlights, to what you should wear, we are excited to help make your first trip to Yellowstone a good one. 

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When to go 

There are benefits to going to Yellowstone at all different times of the year, but there are a few things to keep in mind when deciding when to visit. The first thing to consider is that parts of the park may be closed off during the winter months.

The roads in Yellowstone can also be a bit of a shock, depending on your type of vehicle. So driving through snow conditions may not be the kind of adventure you had in mind.

Another thing to consider is the type of weather you would want to hike in. The rainy season creates muddy trails, so be careful if you plan your trip to Yellowstone in early spring.

We went in July, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. The highs were 85–perfect for a day of hiking—and it dropped to 35 at night, perfect for a campfire. We’d recommend going during the months of May-Oct to ensure you have good road conditions and full park access. 

National Park highlights 

There is honestly so much to see at Yellowstone, it can be overwhelming (in the best way). But chances are you won’t be able to see everything in one trip. Here are the absolute must-see attractions that you should prioritize for your trip to Yellowstone! 

Old Faithful Geyser

• What is it? Old Faithful Geyser is the oldest and most predictable geothermal eruption in Yellowstone.
• It is hands down one of the most popular attractions, so expect large crowds.
• The Geyser goes off every 90 minutes or so and the eruption lasts for a solid minute.
• The national park service lists the prediction of the eruption time on its website, so you can plan ahead of time.
• It’s cool to see once, but a little overrated. Luckily we arrived right before it erupted, so we did not have to wait long for the quick show.
• There’s a free parking lot for cars/RVs with your park pass.
• You’ll find gift shops and a grocery store within the area (overpriced).

grand Prismatic Springs 

Kepler Cascades (lookout spot) 

• What is it? Kepler Cascades is a 50ft waterfall near the South entrance of Yellowstone.
• This is a quick lookout spot, so you’ll only need about 30 minutes to see all of the cascades.
• It’s located about 2 miles south of Old Faithful.
• There’s a lovely hike nearby that will lead you to a private geyser (see next highlight).

Lone Star Geyser TRAIL

• What is it? Lone Star Geyser is a smaller, private geyser that erupts up to 45 feet tall.
• It is located just around the corner from Kepler Cascade. 
• You’ll walk a 2.5-mile pathed trail from Kepler Cascade to get the geyser. It’s a nice trail through the woods and swamps that goes along the Firehole River— biker-friendly. Mosquito-friendly, too, so bring bug spray! 
• The geyser goes off approximately every 3 hours. Try to time it out so that you get there just before the geyser is scheduled to go off. We walked all the way there just to miss it. 

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone 

• What is it? The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is a 20-mile long canyon surrounding the Yellowstone River.
• This is a must-see stop while you are in Yellowstone. 
• Carve out half a day so you have time to see all of the incredible stops within the canyon. 
• We’d recommend parking at ‘Uncle Tom’s’ lot and hiking the trail all the way to ‘Artist Point’.
• ‘Artist Point’ is the main lookout spot within the canyons, but the view along the hike is pretty incredible too. 
• It’s an intense hike (about 7 miles), and the elevation change can take some adjusting.
• Bring lots of water and pack snacks! 

Boat rental at yellowstone lake

• What is it? A self-guided boat ride on Yellowstone Lake.
• The pickup spot is at Bridge Bay Marina.
• To rent the small motorboat, it costs $60 for the first hour and $30 for each additional hour after that.
• The motorboat fits up to 6 people. It’s a fun activity to do with a group of friends.
• It’s a great way to see all of Yellowstone Lake.
• Yellowstone Lake remains cold year-round. The average temperature of the water is 41°F, so you won’t be diving in from the boat.
• Gas and life jackets are included in the boat rental fee.

Mammoth Hot Springs

• What is it? Mammoth Hot Springs is a unique grouping of hot springs near the North Yellowstone entrance (Montana entrance).
• Take the boardwalk stairway path all the way up the hot spring. It’s a big loop and a nice walk.
• You’ll find a great view of the mountains and the nearby town at the top of the hike.
• Stop at the Mammoth Springs town down the road— a cute area with shops and dining.  
• Grab a huckleberry chocolate chunk ice cream cone on your way out. Delicious! 

Where to stay

Team camping or team glamping?! Yellowstone is a massive national park with many of its attractions spread out from one another. It’s so massive that it spans across 3 states: Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho! Luckily there are plenty of campsites within the park. 

There are 12 campgrounds in Yellowstone with over 2,000 campsites in total. Since attractions are often 30 minutes to an hour apart from each other, we’d recommend choosing your campsites based on where the attractions you will be visiting the next day are. For example, if you plan to visit Old Faithful and Prismatic Springs the first half of your trip, then staying at Bridge Bay Campground makes sense. But if you hit up Mammoth Springs and Lamar Valley, you can book a night at the Norris Campground on the North end of the National Park.

We decided on an RV rental through Outdoorsy and it worked out wonderfully! If you decide to go the RV or road trip van route, you can use our code THRIFTY to get $50 off your first Outdoorsy rental.

Animals to expect 

Yellowstone is home to a wide variety of animal families. The thought that we could see animals that we were not used to seeing was a huge tourist highlight for us.

What animals can I expect to see?: Bison, elk, deer, bears, moose, and wolves are common animals that you could see on your Yellowstone trip.

We saw the majority of our animals from the comfort of our RV, but it’s not uncommon to see some of these animals while on a hike or when hanging around your campsite.

What is an animal traffic jam?: An animal traffic jam is exactly what it sounds like. In Yellowstone, you’ll usually know when there is a wild animal nearby because you’ll find yourself suddenly stuck in a traffic jam. This can be caused by an animal physically blocking the road, not letting cars go through. Or if an animal is near the side of the road, cars will often slow down to take pictures, causing traffic to pile up.

It can be pretty cool to see such large animals up close, but please be smart. If you are respectful of the animals, they will most often leave you alone. Don’t leave food outside of your campsite and consider carrying ‘bear spray’ if you plan on doing a lot of remote hiking. Wait, did we just say bear spray? Yes, welcome to Bear Country!

Driving Tips 

Whether you are rocking an RV or a car, driving on the Yellowstone roads can be a whole new experience. These are some tips we wish we would have known before hitting the road on our trip to Yellowstone.

• Be prepared to go slow— roads aren’t always the smoothest in Yellowstone.  
• Watch out for animal traffic jams. 
• Know where the gas stations are. You can use the app GasBuddy to find cheap gas options nearby.  
• Take wide turns if you are renting an RV for the first time.  
• Avoid driving at night (animals, narrow roads, scary cliffs to name a few reasons).
• Roads are windy and cliffs with tiny railings are a real thing. 

What to Wear

We love a good packing hack, but surprisingly we couldn’t find anything on the internet about what to wear at Yellowstone when we were planning for our trip. Absolutely nothing! So we wanted to make sure we called out a few of the outfit essentials to have on your Yellowstone trip. 

-Hiking boots: with the amount of hikes and trails you will go on, you’ll want to make sure to have a good pair of shoes with traction. If you don’t have hiking boots, tennis shoes work as well. 

-Baseball cap: you won’t have your normal bathroom setup, which means bring on the dry shampoo and cute hats! Here’s one of our favorite travel themed baseball hats from @thenxtstop. 

-Your favorite pair of leggings: not sure who is leaving the house without leggings these days! These will come in handy whether you are on a hike or lounging around at your campsite. 

-Lightweight sweatshirt: even if you visit during the thick of summer, a sweatshirt is going to be your friend. At night it can drop 40-50 degrees from the days high.