United States

Yellowstone National Park

June, bison calves on Lamar.

Season

January●●●●●Snowbound, North Entrance only, wolves crossing the road
February●●●●●Bison crusted with frost, wolves visible on the snow
March●●●●●Most roads still closed, snow coaches the only way in
April●●●●●Lamar opens to vehicles, bears in the low country
May●●●●●Roads opening week by week, calves dropping
June●●●●●All access by mid-month, wildflowers in Hayden
July●●●●●Crowds thickest, bison herds drifting across the road
August●●●●●Fire smoke through some days, bison rut at full roar
September●●●●●Crowds thinning, elk bugling at dawn
October●●●●●Roads closing one by one, first snow holding
November●●●●●Most roads closed, the park to the wildlife
December●●●●●Snow coaches running again, North Entrance the only road

Location

Curated places

Fairy Falls & Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail

Trail · 180 min · Free

A 5.4-mile round-trip from the Fairy Falls trailhead off Grand Loop Road. A spur half a mile in climbs to the overlook above Grand Prismatic Spring — the angle that makes the rainbow legible, an extra mile round-trip on top of the main trail. Past the spur, Fairy Falls drops 200 feet in a meadow at the trail's end. Most hikers turn at the overlook; the full trail loses the crowd.

Lamar Valley & Hayden Valley Drive

Scenic drive · 240 min · Free

The two wildlife corridors of the park — Lamar in the northeast, Hayden central south. Dawn or last light gives you bison herds, possibly wolves on the meadow ridges, sometimes bears in the trees. The Grand Loop Road covers both with the Canyon area between. A spotting scope earns its weight in the trunk.

Old Faithful Inn

Stay · 720 min · ───

The 1904 Robert Reamer log lodge — a National Historic Landmark and the largest log-frame structure in the world. The seven-story rotunda anchored by a stone fireplace; balconies climb the inner walls. Reservations open thirteen months ahead; the Old House rooms (older, smaller) book first. Eat in the dining room once for the room itself.