Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Arguably the most famous national park in the United States, Yellowstone National Park is a sight to behold. A six hour drive from Provo, makes it ideal for a road trip when your Friday class has been cancelled. In addition to visiting this park, make sure to take stops on the way up and down. 

Things to Do

Yellowstone National Park

This park has many things to offer such as hikes to see geysers, hot springs, bison, elk, and other creations of nature. Although hiking the backcountry is allowed, avoid hiking here unless you are extremely prepared for all that nature can throw at you (including bears). Make sure to visit features such as Old Faithful, and try to go early in the morning or in the late afternoon to avoid crowds.

Easy Hike: Observational Point Hike
This a 1.1 mile loop that passes by Solitary Geyser and allows a view of Old Faithful from a different angle.

Harder Hike: Uncle Tom's Trail
This hike will starts at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and goes to the Lower 
Falls. There are 328 stair steps to go to the Lower Falls and there are benches on the trail for resting when making it back up. 


Jackson Hole

Located in Wyoming, this is a great place to stop for souvenirs and exploring its rustic-style architecture. Don't forget to take a picture with the arch made of antlers in the town square.

Grand Teton

This national park boasts beautiful landscapes and features such as the Grand, the South, the Middle Tetons and Jenny Lake, which has a ferry that can be taken across the lake.

There is a a combination pass for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks that costs $50 to admit one vehicle into both parks that lasts for up to seven days.This is a lower cost option than buying a pass for each park separately, which costs $30 each.

Playmill Theatre

This is a small theatre that is located in West Yellowstone and offers a nice break from looking at all of natural features of Yellowstone. Their repertoire for next summer includes Disney's The Little Mermaid, Disney's Newsies, and Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun.
Click Here for more information and to get tickets. 

Places to Eat

Running Bear Pancake House

A great place to stop and get a filling breakfast before entering the park.
Address: 538 Madison Ave, West Yellowstone, MT 59758

Timberline Cafe

Offers classic American food such as steak, burgers, fries, sandwiches.
Address: 135 Yellowstone Ave, West Yellowstone, MT 59758

Where to Stay

Island Park

This is a collection of islands that are home to many cabins and is not too far of a drive from Yellowstone. See if a friend of yours has a family cabin that you can stay at or see if one can be rented out for the weekend through a website like Airbnb, which tends to be cheaper than other sites but make sure to split the price to keep costs down. Island Park is a little more pricey than other areas so make sure to look for the best price. This is ideal if you want to have a little more privacy than what a hotel offers.

Click Here to check out available cabins.

West Yellowstone

This is right outside of Yellowstone and there are plenty of hotels nearby. Here are some good sites to find cheap hotels.                                                                                             Click Here and Here for hotel suggestions.

How to Get There