3 Ideal Days for Families in Yellowstone Itinerary

3-Day Adventure

Most people know about Yellowstone’s geysers; Old Faithful Geyser (the most famous) shoots steaming spray 100 to 180 feet into the air regularly. But within Yellowstone’s nearly 3,500 square miles, you can hike forests, take a boat trip, admire a canyon, ride horseback, travel by covered wagon and stagecoach, plus look out your car window to see bison, moose, elk, and bighorn sheep. That makes it a perfect family destination.

Yellowstone National Park is very popular and it’s wise to reserve lodging, guided tours, and dinners, before arrival where possible. Lodging and tours can be booked 13 months in advance. All sit-down restaurants offer kids’ menus.

Here are three ideal days in the park for families:

DAY 1:

MORNING

To see Yellowstone’s iconic attraction before the day visitors arrive, be at Old Faithful Geyser Basin before 9 a.m. The geyser erupts every 90 minutes, give or take 10 minutes. Find the last eruption time at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and peruse exhibits that show how geology and geothermal forces create geysers and hot springs. Check for ranger-led activities and pick up a Junior Ranger booklet for your kids. Children can achieve junior ranger status by hiking a trail, attending a ranger-led activity, and completing the brochure’s activities. The reward: knowledge of the park and a Junior Ranger badge.

Walk the Upper Geyser trail or rent bicycles at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and pedal to Morning Glory Pool or Lone Star Geyser.

LUNCH, AFTERNOON & DINNER

Instead of following the many day visitors to the Lower Geyser Basin, head in the opposite direction to Yellowstone Lake. After lunch at Wylie’s Canteen or Lake Hotel Dining Room, choose your lake adventure at the Bridge Bay Marina — a scenic one-hour cruise, a guided fishing/sightseeing boat charter, or time in your own rented motor or rowboat.

Afterwards, head back to the Old Faithful area. Get a feel for the historic Old Faithful Inn, with its multi-story log lobby, by taking a walking tour. Browse the gift shop, and at the Bear Paw Deli, get an ice cream cone and eat it on the Inn’s second-floor outdoor deck, keeping your eye on Old Faithful. Before (or after) dinner, attend a ranger-led activity (when scheduled) at the nearby Visitors Center. Dine at the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room (reservations required) or the more casual Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria, the ONLY restaurant with a view of Old Faithful Geyser from the dining area.

DAY 2:

MORNING

Grab muffins, bagels, and breakfast sandwiches at the Old Faithful Lodge Bakery before checking out of your Old Faithful area lodging. Drive to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, whose cliffs captivate with bands of pink, yellow, and orange stone. On a hike of the relatively easy 1-mile South Rim Trail, beginning at the beautiful Upper Falls, the final reward is the sight of the 308-foot Lower Falls plummeting over the ridge.

LUNCH,  AFTERNOON & DINNER

After lunch at the Canyon Lodge Eatery in Canyon Village, head north to the Tower-Roosevelt area by way of the magnificent Dunraven Pass.

If you have older kids that love a challenging hike, stop at the Mount Washburn Trail, about 4.8 miles north of Canyon. The trail, which gains 1,400 feet in elevation in 3 miles, offers breathtaking views.

At Roosevelt Lodge you can saddle-up for a guided horseback ride. (Riders must be at least 8 years old, 48 inches tall, and weigh less than 240 lbs.). If horseback riding isn’t your thing, or if you have younger children, take a guided stagecoach adventure in a replica of the Old West Tally-ho stagecoach. It’s a fun ride filled with western lore.

Stay for dinner at our popular and famous Old West Dinner Cookout, (Reserve in advance, this tour sells out fast.) Cowboy lore and songs accompany your steak and baked beans meal cooked from a chuckwagon. You can choose to travel to the cookout by horseback or covered wagon. Take in the views of the valley around you with the best dinner in Yellowstone. If you don’t have time for the cookout, you can still get a taste of our famous Rosie Baked Beans at the Roosevelt Lodge Dining Room.

End your day with the drive to Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins to check into your evening’s accommodations.

DAY 3

MORNING

Get up early for the Wake Up to Wildlife tour. Yes, it’s early, but animals are most active in the early morning and the evening. The Lamar Valley is rich in wildlife, and the open vistas afford prime viewing. The kids will be wide awake when they spot elk and bison grazing on the hillsides and eagles flying overhead.

LUNCH & AFTERNOON

After lunch at the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace Grill or Dining Room, drive the Upper Terrace Loop to get a broad sense of the formations and walk the boardwalks to see the terraces up close, formed when waters from the hot springs pass through the limestone and leave calcium carbonate that builds into the unusual shaped terraces.

Stop at the Albright Visitor Center for a ranger-led program (check schedule) and to receive your Junior Ranger badges (if all the requirements were completed).

Depending on your choice of park exit gate, there is still some time to sightsee. On your way to the West gate, stop at Fountain Paint Pots, the only area with all four types of geothermal features — geysers, hot springs, steam vents (fumaroles), and mud pots. If the South gate is your destination, stop at the West Thumb geyser basin and take a short stroll on the boardwalks with views of hot springs and Yellowstone Lake.