Yellowstone on our own

A couple of years ago, I researched doing Yellowstone and other National Parks on our own. It was impossible to get reservations for lodging, so we took a Gate 1 Travel tour that included Yellowstone, it was great.
I think it soon after COVID and demand was high.

Per the Park website: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm not all the roads are expected to be open by mid-May. On that website, click on "2025 Regular Vehicle Travel Dates" for estimated road opening dates.

Are you planning to go into the park each day and return to Island Park each evening? Have you checked on driving times? For example, to get to Old Faithful will take an hour and a half each way. To get to Mammoth or Canyon Village, 2 hours each way. If you encounter traffic jams, which are very common in the park, especially when bison are moving through and blocking the roads, it can take significantly longer.

If that is your plan, you will be spending a lot of time in the car.

My suggestion, then, is to pick the spots that appeal to you the most, start early, drive to where you want to go, spend as much time as you can, and then go back. Don't push yourselves too long, or you'll end up with a long drive in the dark to get back to your lodging.

@Lane. Yes, we will need to go back each evening, There are 4 adults, two siblings and in-laws and it was super important that we spend time together was well as seeing the park (and one of us has a significant soy allergy so cooking is something we do for most meals). We were lots of options for a family, but fewer with two bedrooms that were for adult couples. The one we found is fabulous and has wonderful views. And in deciding which side in terms of airports, road openings, and close to popular features the west side seemed optimal for us. Now I have to map this out some way (as I am the only 1 of the 4 that works at planning our trips, the rest are vacation princesses 😹).

Thanks for the info from all - I will check out the group tours, the one we have is a private one but at $1150 a day that isn’t doable for more than the one for sure.

If anyone knows of high quality self guided ones definitely let me know where. Thanks again!

With 3 or 4 days you should be able to see a good chunk of Yellowstone, but as other commenters have noted, not all the roads will be open. You can check the NPS site for when they anticipate getting various roads open (hopefully staff shortages don't delay things). We were in Yellowstone last May, just before Memorial Day, and a snow storm closed some of the roads that had been opened--although only for a few hours--but be prepared to be flexible. By staying outside the park you'll also face the challenge of having to drive into the park each day and out each night. You'll want to get a very early start each day and hopefully the entrance station isn't too backed up. The parking lots for some of the attractions can fill up as the day goes on. And yes, bison jams are real and a herd can back up traffic for miles. Remember, they were in Yellowstone first.

You'll definitely want to spend a day around Old Faithful Village, walking the paved trails and boardwalks and seeing the various geysers. and other features, like Morning Glory Pool. If you can hike up to the viewing area high above the geyser, you'll get quite a view. There is an app, GeyserTimes, that is helpful to know when various geysers will erupt.

Mammoth Hot Springs is also worth visiting and is very different than the Old Faithful area. It can be covered in a few hours, but there is plenty to see. There are also areas worth visiting on the road from Norris and Madison Junction to Mammoth.

We took a wildlife tour from Mammoth Hot Spring, Yellowstone Wildlife Profiles, for about 6 hours. Brad knew some great spots and we saw a grizzle and a wolf feeding on a bison carcass along with other wildlife, including moose and other bears. It was done in a SUV in the Lamar Valley. He had spotting scopes too.

The last area of the park you'll want to hit is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It is spectacular, and can be covered in a day.

A final thought, Yellowstone is like nowhere else we've ever been. It is three parks in one. The geysers and other thermal features, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the wildlife. Take some time to watch the wildlife, wait for a geyser to erupt, and look for little features in the Grand Canyon.

There's some good advice here, and I am hoping that Pam, a forum member who lives in the area, will chime in.

As others have said, be prepared for road closures in mid-May. We originally planned to go to Yellowstone in May 2018 and pushed it back to September to avoid road closures. We spent three nights in the Tetons and six nights at various locations within Yellowstone.

I would probably spend one day around Old Faithful (and Grand Prismatic), one day for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with maybe a southern loop back to West Yellowstone, and one day for leisurely drive to Mammoth. I am guessing that the Dunraven Pass will be closed, and hoping that you might cover the Lamar Valley on your wildlife tour.

One way or another, you are going to be spending a lot of time driving. Even staying within the park and getting off to early starts, we spent a lot of time driving.

If you can stay inside the park at least a couple of nights. We stayed in two different areas, Old Faithful Inn and the little Roosevelt cabins. We explored the areas close to the lodging which saved time and driving. You have to keep going on to get reservations if you don't see what you want. It is constantly changing with people booking, canceling and eventually I got the nights I wanted. It is nice not to have to exit and enter the park every day. Plus being at Old Faithful Inn to watch the show is a bonus. The Inn is beautiful too. It is a huge park and if you do end up staying in Island Park the whole time, see what you can and enjoy it. A lot of the walks are on boardwalks and easy to access from the parking lot.

Hopefully you have found/seen this--- https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/operating-dates.htm
Provides some idea of when certain things might be open

The weather can be a real wildcard. I was there mid June one year and there was an overnight snow that closed roads at the higher elevations and we could not leave the Old Faithful area until the roads had been plowed ( noonish as I recall).

You may need to have 2 plans for each day; good weather and not so good.

The Park does not require a timed entry reservation, but with budget/staffing cutbacks, its not hard to image the entry process may be slower than in the past. Your commute into the park will be a combination of driving time and creeping in line to the entry gate.

Cannot help with tour companies; I just drove myself around to where the stuff was that I wanted to see.

Island Park will add 30-45 minutes one way to your “commute”.

Have you already booked a wildlife tour? If so where are you meeting them? This time of year the best wildlife will be in the Tower Junction area (bears) and out into Lamar Valley. The middle of Lamar Valley to the West entrance is about a 3 hour drive.

It sounds as if you are committed to the Island Park location but it would be better to divide your time between there and Gardiner (or Mammoth if you want to stay in the park) to cut down on drive times.

The trails will mostly be snow covered at this time of year. The least snow is generally on the Northern Range, from Mammoth out to Lamar Valley. You must have bear spray. For a group of 4 you’ll need 2 cans minimum. I wear it in the Geyser Basins as well and try to holster it every time I step out of the car.

Are you going to have time for Grand Tetons? The South entrance gate to Yellowstone which leads to the Tetons opens the 2nd Friday of May, so this year that is May 9.

To me the best guide book is Yellowstone Treasures by Janet Chapple.

Here are suggestions for your days which work in any order if you do all your nights at Island Park.

Day 1: Go in to Old Faithful. Walk the Upper Basin trying to see some of the predictable geysers. Eruption times are posted at the Visitor Center when it’s open, on the NPS geyser app and also on the crowd sourced GeyserTimes app. Unknown what impact the employment situation will be on the park and park services but Geyser Times is very reliable with up to the minute info from geyser gazers in the basin. Download it before you travel. Data is sketchy but if you have Verizon you will probably have data for updates while you are in the Upper Basin. I usually get between 5 and 8 miles a day in on the boardwalks/paths in the Upper Basin where it is mostly flat. If you want to see Grand Prismatic Spring, do this later in the afternoon. The parking area at Fairy Falls from which you can access the aerial view is small and fills so you want to wait until people start to drift back to the entrance gates in the afternoon. Also stop at Fountain Paint Pots to see all 4 thermal features in one basin. The opening status of Biscuit Basin is unknown so far this year. There was a hydrothermal explosion last summer that destroyed part of the boardwalk and unsure how they are coming on the rebuild. It was closed for most of last summer.

Day 2: Go in to Norris Geyser Basin. Walk the Back Basin and Porcelain Basin trails. There may still be some ice on the boardwalks here. Head up to Mammoth and see the terraces. Drive upper terrace drive if it’s open. Drive north out to Gardiner and see the Roosevelt Arch. There will probably ne some Pronghorn in this area. This might be a week or two early for Pronghorn calves.

Day 3: Drive to Mammoth again. Head East out to Tower Junction. This time of year there will start to be bear activity from an area called Hellroaring Trailhead thru Tower Junction and South to Tower Fall. The road south from Tower Fall is closed until the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. If the road back in to Petrified Tree is open, drive back in here. The tree is not much bit there are often bear in the meadow across from the tree depending on the snow level. From Tower Junction continue out to Lamar Valley to wildlife watch. The tours can’t go anywhere you can’t also access so after your wildlife tour, I’d head out there again. For myself, Backtracking is never bad in Yellowstone!!

Oops ran out of space!!

Day 4: Drive in to Norris Junction. Continue over to Canyon. Start on the overlooks for the Upper and Lower Falls on the North and South Rim drives as well as the separate drive for the Brink of the Upper Falls access. It’s likely some of the overlooks will still be closed due to ice/snowpack. After the Canyon area, drive south thru Hayden Valley for wildlife watching. Go to Fishing Bridge. You can continue south around the lake which will probably still be frozen.

Elk drop calves late May. Bison start around the 3rd week of April. Bears are coming out of winter hibernation in May with the Moms with new cubs coming out last (boars are out first!)

I’m happy to help with any questions you have! I go every year for about 10 days to 2 weeks.

Do plan to have clothing to layer and expect nights to be below freezing.

Thanks all (and for the detailed info Pam!). It was difficult to find the kind of house needed for this trip - we are tall, use to king beds, and no one was willing to do otherwise. So, there were not many options (and to be honest there weren’t many closer in to any entrance). We also really wanted to be together vs in a hotel so inside wasn’t an option. I hope that we got a happy medium with our decision. I did buy the suggested book about two weeks ago, just downloaded the geyser app, and will read all replies a few times to make sure there is not something that I missed. We are so excited!

I'm so glad you downloaded the GeyserTimes app. You can also look at their website while you are at home to get a handle on things.

www.geysertimes.org

I love to check the category of "Event Non-Geyser Related" for interesting tidbits. Looks like the Wapiti Wolf pack (which usually reside in the Hayden Valley but roam over to the OF area in winter) was at Biscuit Basin just north of the Old Faithful area on March 1. There are sometimes reports of things being seen on the webcam at Old Faithful but often in winter many geyser gazers drive snowcoaches and guide tours from the West Entrance so do a lot of observations then.

https://www.geysertimes.org/geyser.php?id=Event%20Non-Geyser%20Related

The traffic won't probably be terrible at the West Entrance in mid-May as compared to July/August but if you all are early risers it may be worth it to get into the park fairly early in the AM.

I'd also recommend you have a cooler with food for snacks and lunches. Not all the dining options will be open mid-May. There are 2 different sets of food options - those run by Xanterra, the lodging provider and those run by Delaware North, the operator of the General Stores (some of which have diner-type counter service, all have a small grocery area). Here is a link which you might have found on what services open when in Yellowstone.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/operating-dates.htm