Yellowstone Park is one of the most spectacular places on Earth, and springtime is an especially special time to visit. If you’re planning a trip to Yellowstone in the spring, you should know that it can be quite busy. But there are still plenty of things to do and see in the park in the springtime, if you take some time out from your busy schedule to explore. Here are a few tips from our Yellowstone tour guides to help you plan your visit to Yellowstone in the spring.
Get Up Early
If you’re planning to visit Yellowstone Park in the spring, it’s important to get up early. This is the best time to see wildlife, steam from hydrothermal features and be in the right place for Old Faithful to erupt. You’ll also have fewer people around to disturb the quietness of the park and limit your risk for hypothermia. However, you’ll need to pack a little extra warm clothing for April as the temperature can dip below freezing during the day and rain can quickly turn into ice on roads overnight. If you’re interested in seeing wildlife, head to Lamar Valley in April to watch bison calve and black bears emerge from their dens. You’ll also see wolves, moose and elk in the area. Make sure to follow the park’s wildlife viewing guidelines and stay at least 100 yards away from any animal.
Hike
Spring is a great time to explore Yellowstone Park when it’s quiet and less crowded. You’ll have more time to get up close and personal with wildlife without crowds obstructing your view. It’s also an excellent time to take a Yellowstone backpacking day trip! Many of these are accessible and relatively easy, which means you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy them. In addition to enjoying the landscapes and waterfalls, you’ll likely be able to spot a variety of birds and animals as they start to return from their winter homes and migrate back into the park. Some of the most common reappearing species include sandhill cranes, mountain bluebirds and ospreys.
Go Wildlife Watching
Spring is an amazing time to visit Yellowstone Park, with wildlife in full bloom and birds reemerging from their winter hiding places. It’s also less crowded and offers an opportunity to hike in relative solitude. During this brief period, you can enjoy everything from wolf pack hunts to grizzly bear sightings to an abundance of bison and elk calves. As with all Yellowstone wildlife, be aware that animals are wild and unpredictable – always keep your distance. Use binoculars or a telephoto lens to get a better view of animals and back away slowly whenever an animal approaches you. Besides the wildlife, spring is a great time to explore thermal features like geysers and hot springs. The steam that rises and gathers during these times makes them particularly exciting to watch.
Check Out The Old Faithful
If you are visiting Yellowstone Park in the spring, don’t miss seeing the world’s most famous geyser: Old Faithful. This gushing spout of superheated water has fascinated millions of visitors for over 150 years, and it’s a must-see on every trip to the park. The first geyser named in the park, Old Faithful erupts at regular intervals and is the most predictable geyser in the Upper Geyser Basin. You can get an estimated eruption time online, and the rangers at the visitor center and at a Junior Ranger station will let you know if there’s a chance you can see it during your visit. To avoid the crowds, try to arrive early in the morning – ideally before 10 am, but getting here earlier is even better. Then, you can walk the boardwalk trails through the Upper Geyser Basin with far fewer people, and exit the park before it gets too crowded.
Don’t Overdo It
One of the most important things to remember when planning a visit to Yellowstone Park in the spring is to not overdo it. Over 4 million visitors come to Yellowstone each year, and it takes a lot of effort and resources to keep everyone safe while enjoying the park. You don’t want to risk falling in a hot spring or getting charged by a bison. This is a common occurrence, and it can lead to serious injury or even death. For this reason, we recommend exploring Yellowstone on foot, rather than driving around. This way you can get off the beaten path and really enjoy some of the lesser-known parts of the park! Contact us to start planning your next adventure now!
Why 5 Million People Visit Yellowstone Park Annually
Yellowstone Park has a wide variety of attractions that draw a lot of visitors. There are geysers, hot springs, a grand canyon, forests, and more, and our Yellowstone tour guides are here to help you find the best!
Old Faithful
Located in the Upper Geyser Basin, Old Faithful is the largest concentration of geysers and hot springs in the world. It’s also the park’s number one attraction and is a great reason to visit Yellowstone. Currently, Old Faithful erupts 20 times a day. Eruptions can be predicted within about a 10 minute variation based on prior eruption length and water discharge.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs is one of the many unique reasons why 5 million people visit Yellowstone Park annually. The travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs have formed over thousands of years as hot water laden with calcium carbonate flows over them. Over two tons of carbonate are deposited in Mammoth every day! Additionally, Mammoth is both a town and a geological formation, providing a wealth of amenities including history, lodging, and restaurants. Mammoth is also a great place to see wildlife. You can often spot elk grazing in the area and in the fall, you can even witness the rut.
South Rim Trail – Artist Point
If you want to see one of the most awe-inspiring views in the park, head out on the South Rim Trail to Artist Point. It’s a great option for a Yellowstone vacation package. If the weather’s good, you may even be able to see a rainbow over the Lower Falls from Artist Point! During the summer, this hike gets extremely busy so it’s best to try and get up early to beat the crowds. The trail begins at Chittenden Bridge and ends at Artist Point. It’s a 1.9-mile round-trip.
Wildlife
Yellowstone Park is home to a unique mix of geothermal features and wildlife. It holds half of the world’s geysers, mud pots, hot springs and steaming fumaroles. The park also boasts a variety of grizzly bears, wolves, coyotes, elk and bison. Visitors can catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures while traveling through the park, and some animals are easier to see than others.
Mud Volcano
Mud volcanoes occur where layers of water-saturated clay rocks in the Earth’s interior are under pressure from above, driven upward by nearby gas. They are usually small, just a few inches or meters tall. The mud volcano in Yellowstone Park is unique because it has enough acidity to destroy stone, creating bubbling mud pools and spitting hot springs. This area also has one of the most powerful odors in all of Yellowstone, thanks to hydrogen sulfide gas that escapes from the ground here atop a resurgent dome within the magma chamber of the Yellowstone Caldera. Contact us to start planning your next adventure now!
Things To Know And See Your First Time At Yellowstone
The park is a very popular tourist destination and can get very busy, especially during the spring and fall months. During these times, it is very important to take your time and enjoy the scenery. If you’re planning your first time at Yellowstone, there are a few things you should know. These tips will ensure your trip is both safe and fun.
The Grand Prismatic Spring
The Grand Prismatic Spring is the most famous hot spring in Yellowstone, and it’s one of the park’s most popular attractions. At 370 feet in diameter, it’s bigger than a football field and the third-largest spring on Earth. The water is incredibly hot (it’s up to 189 degrees Fahrenheit) and bubbles up in a circle around the center of the spring. The ring of hot water gradually cools as it spreads out across the spring’s massive surface, creating bands of distinct temperatures around each side. These colors are the result of billions of microbes and minerals in the water, as well as sunlight being scattered by mineral particles. The bacteria thrive in the warmer waters and create a rainbow of vibrant colors, with dazzling bright yellows, fierce oranges and deep reds only appearing near the edges of the spring. You can see this incredible rainbow from the boardwalk in the Midway Geyser Basin, but it’s worth a short hike up to the overlook for an even better view. The trail starts at Fairy Falls and climbs 105 feet above Midway Lake.
Old Faithful
If you’re visiting Yellowstone for the first time, then Old Faithful is likely at the top of your to-do list. But, with so many visitors coming to see the world-famous geyser every year, getting the best view can be tough. However, there are a few things you can do to ensure you have a memorable eruption viewing experience. As a rule, it’s best to visit in the shoulder seasons (September or October) when crowds are less likely. Also, avoid times between noon and 6 p.m. when bus tours and visitors are expected to arrive, if you’d like a more intimate experience with the erupting geyser all to yourself. Another thing that’s often overlooked when visiting Yellowstone is the wildlife that lives around and on top of the geyser. Thousands of animals (including bison, elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and even birds) call Yellowstone home.
Yellowstone Lake
There are a lot of things to know and see when visiting Yellowstone for the first time. It’s important to understand the basics and plan ahead to make the most of your trip! One of the most popular activities at Yellowstone is exploring the 136-square-mile Yellowstone Lake. It’s the largest high-elevation lake in North America and is home to many thermal features. It’s also a great place to get out of the crowds and view more wildlife. There are a variety of options for boat tours, fishing, and kayaking on the lake. It’s also important to remember that Yellowstone is constantly changing. This means that you won’t be seeing the same thermal features you saw last year!
The Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs, one of Yellowstone’s most stunning attractions, is a geothermal site known for its travertine terraces. They are unlike any other thermal feature in the park. These unique formations are a result of a geothermal system that is connected to an ancient volcano. The Mammoth Hot Springs are made up of limestone, a type of rock that is more soft than other types of rock. The water that comes out of the Mammoth Hot Springs is heated by a partially molten magma chamber deep underground, which radiates heat to the earth’s surface. A few springs in the Mammoth Hot Springs area are active. The Liberty Cap, a 37-foot-high cone that’s unique to the Mammoth Hot Springs, is a spectacular sight. And if you are going to visit Mammoth Hot Springs, make sure you stop by the Lower Terrace boardwalk. This trail connects a number of the most spectacular Mammoth Hot Springs, including New Highland Terrace, Prospect Terrace, Orange Spring Mound, Snow Pond, Bath Lake, White Elephant Back Terrace and Angel Terrace.
When you visit Yellowstone in spring, it’s a great time to see a lot of wildlife that’s ready to get out into the fresh air. And of course, no trip to Yellowstone is complete without watching a geyser erupt, and Old Faithful is one of the most popular ones. But there are plenty of other unique things to do in the park that will make your trip more memorable.
1. Go For A Quiet Walk
A quiet walk in Yellowstone is the perfect way to unwind and soak in the natural wonders of the park. The park’s trails are full of hidden gems from bubbling mud pots to exploding geysers and roaring waterfalls. A walk along a boardwalk loop is a great way to see the colorful hot springs in the park. But it can also be a bit crowded, especially in the summer. If you’re looking for a quieter alternative, consider the Beaver Ponds Trail. This 5-mile loop will take you through sagebrush, forest stands and beaver ponds.
2. The Scenic Drive
If you’re short on time, a scenic drive is the perfect option for seeing Yellowstone Park. It will give you a chance to see most of the major attractions in just one day. Probably the most famous landmark in Yellowstone is the Grand Prismatic Spring, which you can see in lots of postcards. While it’s impossible to see the same rainbow of colors in real life, you will still be blown away by the size and uniqueness of this famous landmark! It’s also one of the best places in the park to see wildlife. You’ll often see grizzly bears, gray wolves, bison, and elk.
3. Watch A Geyser
If you’re a nature buff, you’ll want to take some time to watch a geyser at Yellowstone Park. The area is home to hundreds of these hydrothermal features, a result of the huge volcano under the park’s surface. What makes geysers so interesting is that they erupt when water escaping from cracks in the Earth’s crust pools up with groundwater and super-heats, forcing it to spew out of a vent. That’s why they are a popular attraction for scientists. While Old Faithful is Yellowstone’s most famous geyser, there are many other hydrothermal features that you can see from the park’s boardwalks and paved trails. The park even predicts eruption times for some of these features, so be sure to keep an eye out for them!
4. Hiking
A great way to get some exercise and see some of the most impressive scenery in Yellowstone Park is by taking a hike. The park has hundreds of hiking trails, so you can find something for everyone. Spring is the best time of year to hike, as temperatures are still quite cool and there isn’t much snow on the ground. Fall is also a good time to hike, but be sure to check the weather forecast before heading out! For a scenic and relatively short hike, try the Storm Point Trail near Yellowstone Lake. It’s a popular trail that leads to an overlook of the Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser, which is one of the most-photographed thermal features in Yellowstone.
5. Visit A Hot Spring
Springtime is the best time to visit some of Yellowstone’s stunning hydrothermal features, such as geysers and hot springs. The fewer crowds mean that you’ll get an even closer look at these incredible natural wonders. The water that makes up these springs is heated by magma deep beneath the Earth’s surface, and it flows upward to the surface through cracks or faults in the ground. This creates underground pressure that forces the water to rise to the surface faster than it would normally. While visiting these hot springs, be sure to keep in mind that it’s illegal and dangerous to enter them. Some people don’t realize this, and they’ve accidentally stepped into a hot spring or geyser and suffered burns.
With over 900 miles of trails and 300 backcountry campsites, Yellowstone National Park is a hiker’s dream. But before you start your journey, it’s important to know what precautions you should take. Weather, elevation, wildlife encounters, and the physiological effects of the park’s terrain can make a difference between a comfortable hike and a dangerous one, so our Yellowstone tour guides are here to help.
Precautions
Yellowstone is a magical place that boasts a wealth of natural beauty and a host of wildlife to watch. However, it’s important to be aware of some safety precautions you need to take when hiking in this national park. One of the most common safety concerns for hikers is that of wildlife. While many of these animals are docile and calm, others can become aggressive if they feel threatened. Bears are perhaps the most dangerous animal to watch for when in the park, but other animals like bison can be equally unpredictable. If you encounter a bison, give it space and wait for it to move away from you. Moose are another animal that should be kept on the lookout for, especially during rut season. These strong animals with large antlers can be quite aggressive, so if you see a moose, don’t try to walk around it or approach it.
What To Bring
If you’re planning on a single-day hiking trip in Yellowstone, here are a few essentials that you’ll want to bring with you. They’ll help you stay comfortable and happy on your adventure! First of all, you’ll want a backpack or day pack to carry all your gear. Whether you’re staying in a campground or tenting, you’ll need a bag that can hold everything you need and is comfortable to wear throughout the day. You’ll also need a few things to keep you safe, like sunscreen and bear spray. Sunscreen is especially important if you’re going to be hiking around high altitudes, where the UV rays can be intense. You’ll also need a hat to protect your head from the sun and wind. You can opt for a baseball cap or a hat that can be crushed and packed down, so it won’t take up too much space in your pack. Keeping your hands warm is also important, so be sure to bring insulated gloves or mittens.
Staying Safe
Hiking in Yellowstone is an excellent way to get up close and personal with nature, but there are a few things to look out for before you go. For one, bears can be a big threat to visitors, so be sure to lock up any food or plates you’ll be carrying. Another thing to keep in mind is that hiking off the trail is frowned upon, so you’ll want to stay on the designated pathways as much as possible. Straying can lead to a variety of negative consequences, such as damaging the ecosystem or harming wildlife. You should also plan to spend at least 3 days in Yellowstone to really see and do it all! That way you can fit in all the must-sees and still have time to hike some extra trails, too. Contact us to start planning your next adventure now!
