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Drive Yellowstone in Half-Day

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Description

Added by Allie Merrill

If you're just passing through Yellowstone, here are some highlights to make you feel like you saw it all!

While driving across the country, we knew we wanted to see Yellowstone, but we were also anxious to arrive in our new home of Seattle, Wa. We were a bit excited, to say the least. However, we didn't want to miss out on all of the beauty and adventure that Yellowstone has to offer so we chose a few key things to do to make our time worthwhile.

First, we drove through Grand Teton National Park, stopping at overlooks along the way. [Side note: Hikes in these parks aren't dog friendly, but you can take them out at overlooks and stopping points. As you can see, Winston loved the view.] It's worth taking the extra time to get out of your car and experience the view without a side glance or road noise.

Next stop: Yellowstone. Entrance fee is $30 for Yellowstone, or $50 for Yellowstone and the Tetons. I recommend doing both. Here, the park ranger gave us a treat for a dog, a road map, and a good luck on seeing everything! As time would have it, it's impossible to see it all in one day, but we did feel like we got a good glimpse of the area and where we would want to return to.

Next stop: Old Faithful. Definitely a tourist attraction -- lots of RVs, camera-wielding nature enthusiasts, and a large resort situated directly next to the hot springs. However, it is free to visit and it was definitely worth while. As you can see from the photos, we had to sit back because of having our dog with us, but it actually ended up being nicer for us because we felt like we had the place to ourselves instead of fighting for a view up close. Also, we saw a bison on the road amidst all of the tourism chaos! It was a great moment.

Next stop: Grand Prismatic Hot Springs. These were amazing to see in person! I read reviews online that you couldn't really see much since you're not very far above them, but I would beg to differ. It was amazing to see all of those shocking colors, and to witness something that felt so magical. This was also very popular so it wasn't a very peaceful experience, but it sure was beautiful. Dogs are not allowed here, so we had to take turns walking through it. Still worth it, though!

On the way out of the park, we happened to see elk pretty close to the road, just chillin' and ignoring all of us onlookers. That was a perfect way to end our Yellowstone tour!

All in all, it took us about 8 hours of slow-driving, taking our time, and enjoying the sights to go through both the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

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Features

Chillin
Photography
Bathrooms
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Food Nearby
Forest
Hot Springs
Lake
Picnic Area
River
Romantic
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife
ADA Accessible

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Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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Let Adventure be your Destination in Wyoming

Wyoming’s wide-open spaces make it easy to get off the grid and on a trail, through a park, into a forest, up a mountain or down a river. During your journey through Wyoming’s Black to Yellow Region, discover geologic marvels, dense evergreen forests and sprawling prairielands.

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