Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park also spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs, and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful.

Note: This 142+ miles-long tour covers the essentials of Yellowstone National Park in 5-6 hours.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

This tour of Yellowstone features multiple entrances to accommodate travelers entering from any direction. Get ready to experience one of the most incredible landscapes in North America, featuring stunning volcanic features like geysers and hot springs, majestic wildlife from bison to gray wolves, and more natural beauty than you can capture with any camera.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

If entering via the South Entrance, you’ll pass the Grant Visitor Center, a great place to make a pit stop before continuing onto the Grand Loop which circles the whole park.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

First in this section of the park is the West Thumb Geyser Basin, one of Yellowstone’s largest geyser basins which features some truly remarkable geothermal features.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Your route takes you next past Shoshone Lake, a lovely secluded little patch of wilderness with a great hiking trail to boot.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Up next is Isa Lake, which sits directly on the Continental Divide. In a way, this lake marks the backbone of the country!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Faithful, up next, is one of Yellowstone’s most famous attractions for a reason. This huge geyser is so reliable it was once referred to as “eternity’s timepiece”!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Up next is Morning Glory, a deep hot spring pool which has, unfortunately, been severely damaged by tourists over the years. However, it’s still a sight to behold.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

You’ve heard of hot tubs, but how about a hot river? That’s exactly what you’ll find at Firehole River, a river naturally heated by a nearby hot spring.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Then you’ll be able to park and see Grand Prismatic up close. It’s a staggeringly huge hot spring with rings of shocking color encircling it. This is one of Yellowstone’s can’t-miss attractions!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Next up is the Fountain Paint Pot, a wonderfully colorful mud pot which is constantly burbling and rearranging itself thanks to the volcanic power underneath it.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

You’ll see the West Entrance Visitor Information Center if entering the park via the town of West Yellowstone.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As you drive past the picturesque Gibbon River, you’ll hear about its importance to the Shoshone tribe, as well as how they used the park’s natural obsidian deposits in the past.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

After that you’ll find Gibbon Falls, one of the park’s most easily accessible waterfalls. Unlike many falls, which require long hikes down rocky trails, this one can be seen from the road!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Your route takes you next to the Artist’s Paint Pots, another set of colorful mud pots featuring a boardwalk which takes you past not only the paint pots, but also a bunch of small geysers as well. This is a must-see spot.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The next geyser basin you’ll reach is the Norris Geyser Basin, the oldest, hottest geyser basin in Yellowstone, with temperatures measured up to 459 degrees below the surface!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Up next are the Swan Lake Flats. These aren’t just a great place to spot wildlife, they’re also the birthplace of one of Yellowstone’s eight wolf packs!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

After that, you’ll see Mammoth Hot Springs, one of Yellowstone’s most picturesque features. But these terraced hot springs aren’t just perfect for photos–they’re also a huge draw for the local elk population!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

If entering from the north entrance, you’ll pass another heated river called the Boiling River. Don’t worry about the name, though–it’s actually quite a pleasant temperature!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Roosevelt Arch is a rusticated triumphal arch at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Montana, United States. Constructed under the supervision of the US Army at Fort Yellowstone, its cornerstone was laid down by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Albright Visitor Center is up next for those entering from the north, and it’s a great place for anyone to stop for snacks or a restroom break.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Up next are the Undine Falls, a 60-foot waterfall named after fairies from German folklore.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Just across from Undine Falls is a trailhead leading to the 80-foot Wraith Falls, another of Yellowstone’s nearly 350 waterfalls!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Next, you’ll pass through Tower Junction, home to the Roosevelt Lodge where, despite the name, no Roosevelt ever camped. But that doesn’t make it any less of a fantastic camping spot!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As you drive, you’ll pass Lamar Valley next. This valley is the best place in Yellowstone to spot the park’s iconic wildlife. You’ll almost definitely see bison here, and might even get lucky and catch sight of some elusive wolves!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Visitors entering from the northeast will enter through the Northeast Entrance near Cooke City.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Continuing along the Grand Loop, you’ll arrive at Dunraven Pass, one of the highest points in the entire park. This 9,000-foot pass also features the trailhead to a hiking trail leading up an additional 1,000 feet for a truly commanding view of the park below.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mount Washburn, elevation 10,243 feet, is a prominent mountain peak in the Washburn Range in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The peak was named in 1870 to honor Henry D. Washburn, leader of the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Next, you’ll pass through Canyon Village, the strange, semi-town where many of Yellowstone’s workers live during their time at the park. It offers a fun glimpse into what life is like for the park employees!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Continuing on, you’ll arrive at Inspiration Point, the most popular of the overlooks along Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. The vista here is simply unmatched anywhere else in the park.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Up next is Hayden Valley, which offers a glimpse into the past. Though it’s a lush green valley today, it was once at the bottom of a lake!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Those entering from the east will enter through the park’s East Entrance in Cody.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Next, you’ll cross Fishing Bridge and hear about the park service’s early, misguided attempts to boost park visitation by introducing invasive trout to the rivers.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Finally, you’ll arrive at Yellowstone Lake, the largest high elevation lake in North America. This pristine lake is too cold to swim in, but it makes the perfect place for a picnic or even a boat ride!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included