This past summer we spent two weeks to get from Louisiana to Seattle, Washington. This was our first prolonged road trip together and we not only survived, but we had a wonderful time!
On our road trip we made time to spend a few days at Yellowstone National Park. Now some people can spend a couple of weeks in Yellowstone trying to see everything, but we managed to fit everything we wanted to see into four days. (If you want a good source for national park trip planning, I really enjoy reading Dirt In My Shoes as well as the National Geographic National Parks Guidebook; such lifesavers!)
For planning our stay in Yellowstone I divided the park into four quadrants, one for each day. The park is HUGE and has a two lane highway with a lot of traffic, so breaking the park up into parts really helped manage our time and honestly, helped us relax so much more. We didn’t have to run from one corner of the park to the other in one day.
Day 1: Southwestern Quadrant
- Old Faithful
- Norris Geyser Basin
- Paint Pots
- Geyser Hill
Day 2: Southeastern Quadrant
- Avalanche Peak Hike
- Canyon Village
- Mud Volcano
Day 3: Northwestern Quadrant
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- North Entrance
Day 4: Northeastern Quadrant
- Lamar Valley Hike
- Tower Falls
- Roosevelt Lodge
Day 5: Revisiting our favorite spots
- Yellowstone Lake
- Old Faithful Lodge
Having 5 days to enjoy the park was the perfect amount of time to not only see the entire park, but also revisit some of the things we loved. We really enjoyed having the 5th day for relaxation and getting ready for the last leg of our road trip. We loved Yellowstone and can’t wait to visit again!
Much love,
Chelsea + Zach