Yellowstone

Without a doubt, Yellowstone is one of the most unique natural landscapes in the world. It’s one of those places I truly think you have to visit in order to understand what it’s like. There are hot, bubbling thermal pools of bright colors ranging from blues, to greens, to golds; geysers that spray boiling water dozens of feet into the air; powerful churning waterfalls that pulse through a rocky canyon; and of course, wildlife galore. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Yellowstone twice now, once in May 2019 with two of my good friends, and again in 2024 on a work assignment. Both times were incredible, and I got to see the majority of the park, driving around the figure-eight like park road and stopping many times at overlooks and hiking along as many trails as we could. The Upper Geyser Basin is definitely worth exploring, as it has so many features you could spend all afternoon wandering around its boardwalks and trails. I also loved seeing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, bison roaming around in many different spots, and Old Faithful erupting multiple times. Yellowstone was the first national park created worldwide if you can believe it, and we owe a lot to its protection starting the national park movement around the globe. It can get super busy here in the summer, so I recommend visiting during the shoulder season if you can. (Late May or early September are likely the best times to go when all the roads are open!) I really love Yellowstone, and hope I will get to go back for a third time sometime in the future!

Quick Facts:

  • Visited: 2019

  • National Park established: 1872

  • Location: Wyoming (Montana & Idaho)

  • Size: 3,472 square miles

Learn More:

Highlights & Hikes:

Hikes:

  • Biscuit Basin Trail

  • Brink of Lower Falls Trail

  • Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail

  • Lower Basin Loop Trail

  • Mammoth Hot Springs

  • Porcelain Basin Trail

  • South Rim Trail

  • Upper Geyser Basin Trail

  • West Thumb Geyser Trail

Highlights:

  • Grand Prismatic Spring

  • The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

  • Seeing Old Faithful erupt

  • All of the different colored hydrothermal features along the Upper Geyser Basin Trail