Is Yellowstone worth visiting?

Spanning 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is the second largest national park in the contiguous United States after Death Valley, which covers 3.4 million acres. Like Death Valley, Yellowstone transgresses state boundaries, stretching from Montana to Wyoming to Idaho. 

Yellowstone is also the oldest national park, having opened in 1872, according to the National Park Service. That likely explains its popularity, which kept us from visiting for many years. Yellowstone attracts more than 4 million guests annually.

When we found ourselves in striking distance of the park after Labor Day and peak tourist season, we decided to take advantage of the proximity, urged on by our wonderful hosts Mike and Barbara in Bozeman, Montana. Like us, you may be wondering, “Is Yellowstone worth visiting?” Find out about our experience to decide for yourself.

Wildlife

Having recently toured Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where bison surrounded us as we crept along Scenic Loop Drive, we weren’t too sure about venturing into Yellowstone. We did see bison there, but from a much greater distance. We were even closer to the animals on a drive through Ted Turner’s ranch in Bozeman. 

Despite that, the animals were nice to see. And for many people, Yellowstone is their only experience with bison and other wildlife. 

We also observed some elk partaking of their evening meal in the Madison River, and we spotted a lone elk midday in the middle of a meadow. We appreciated those sightings, as we hadn’t seen elk or deer at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

We saw no other wildlife at Yellowstone except for swans, geese, and birds. That doesn’t mean other mammals aren’t there. They definitely are, as are fish and reptiles. Many guests have spotted bears, wolves, pronghorns, coyotes, and moose there. 

Vastness

That leads to my second point. Covering millions of acres, Yellowstone is enormous. There’s no way to see it all in one day. Even going two days, like we did, you may not get through it all. There’s a lot to take in. By not hitting every area, you may miss some opportunities to view certain wildlife, as we can attest to. The time of day of your visit can make a difference too.

Along with that enormity comes something we found quite unique and fascinating. Yellowstone features a great variety of landscapes: 

• Rivers and creeks
• Lakes and beaches
• Grasslands and meadows
• Forested mountains
• Canyons and waterfalls
• Geysers and hot springs 

Everywhere we turned offered something different to look at, making the park an amazing place to explore.

Geysers

Speaking of geysers, they’re the draw for most of Yellowstone’s guests, who’ve heard stories about Old Faithful, which erupts as a natural fountain regularly throughout the day. When we arrived at the geyser’s location, we had to wait an hour to witness the wonder for ourselves, but we didn’t mind. That gave us time to watch a couple of educational videos and peruse the displays and gift shop in the visitor center there. ​

Despite its renowned allure, Old Faithful is only one of about 500 geysers at Yellowstone, according to the National Park Service. Because the park is a supervolcano, it’s home to other hydrothermal features as well, including hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles — or openings that let sulfurous gases escape.

As we drove through the park, plumes of steam caught our eyes and captured our attention, presenting unfamiliar sights. Although we’ve walked through an active volcano crater in Hawaii, the steam escaping it paled in comparison to the scenes we beheld at Yellowstone.

Conclusion

After watching Old Faithful and observing bison far in the distance on our first visit to Yellowstone, we left with a meh feeling about recommending the park. Old Faithful was impressive, but our experience with bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and on the Alaska Highway made this park feel ho-hum. 

Since we were camped in the area for a few days, we decided to make another trip to investigate more and give Yellowstone a fair shot. On our second expedition, we navigated the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, worked our way up a mountain pass, and then turned around and drove through meadows and mud volcanoes to see Lake Village and expansive Yellowstone Lake. 

That drive changed our minds about the park. The diverse topography, incredible views, herds of bison, and more convinced us that Yellowstone is indeed worth visiting — especially for those who will never make it to other sights we’ve seen. Just be sure you allow more than one day to explore the natural beauty. 

You might also like Is the Crazy Horse Memorial worth visiting?