8 days road trip to yellowstone national park

• 8:00 am: Leave Salt Lake City on I-15 north, then US-89/91 from Brigham City to Logan.
• 9:30 am: Logan. Top up fuel and coffee before the canyon.
• 10:00 am: Logan Canyon Scenic Byway. Stop at Ricks Spring and the Bear Lake Overlook at the summit.
• 11:15 am: Garden City on Bear Lake. Get a raspberry shake and walk the shore.
• 12:45 pm: Lunch in Montpelier, Idaho. The National Oregon/California Trail Center is on the main corner.
• 2:30 pm: Afton, Wyoming. Photograph the elk antler arch over Main Street.
• 3:15 pm: Alpine Junction, then the Snake River Canyon road into Jackson.
• 4:15 pm: Check in at Jackson.
• 5:30 pm: Town Square and its four antler arches, then dinner. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on the square has saddles for bar stools.
• Before bed: buy picnic food and fill the tank. Groceries and fuel cost more inside the parks.

TASK LIST

• Full tank and tire check before leaving Salt Lake City

• Download offline maps for Wyoming, Idaho and both parks

• Confirm Jackson hotel reservation

• Buy picnic lunches, snacks and water for Days 2 to 4

• Buy or rent bear spray in Jackson

• Fill the tank in Jackson

• 6:15 am: Leave Jackson for Mormon Row on Antelope Flats Road. Sunrise is about 6:55 am and lights the Moulton barns with the Tetons behind.
• 8:00 am: Enter at Moose. Stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center for maps and trail conditions.
• 8:30 am: Jenny Lake. Take the shuttle boat across, then walk to Hidden Falls (1 mile round trip) and Inspiration Point (1.8 miles round trip).
• 12:00 pm: Picnic at String Lake, then the one-way Jenny Lake Scenic Drive back south.
• 2:00 pm: Signal Mountain Summit Road, a narrow 5-mile climb to a view over all of Jackson Hole.
• 3:00 pm: Jackson Lake Dam and the lakeshore pullouts.
• 3:30 pm: Check in at Jackson Lake Lodge. Walk the half-mile Lunch Tree Hill trail behind the lodge.
• 6:30 pm: Oxbow Bend, 4 miles east of the lodge, for sunset at about 7:35 pm. Watch Willow Flats for moose and elk.
• 8:00 pm: Dinner at the lodge, in the Mural Room or the Pioneer Grill.

TASK LIST

• Confirm Jackson Lake Lodge reservation

• Ask the lodge about a Mural Room dinner table when you book

• Check the 2027 Jenny Lake boat dates in spring

• Pack a headlamp and warm layers for the sunrise stop

• Carry bear spray on the Hidden Falls trail

• Show the park pass at the Moose Entrance Station

Day 3: Monday, September 13

• 9:00 am: Leave Jackson Lake Lodge and drive north on US-89/191/287.
• 9:35 am: Yellowstone South Entrance. Show your pass.
• 10:00 am: Lewis Falls, a roadside stop on the Lewis River.
• 10:45 am: West Thumb Geyser Basin. Walk the boardwalk loop along the edge of Yellowstone Lake.
• 12:00 pm: Picnic at West Thumb, or lunch and fuel at Grant Village 2 miles south.
• 1:00 pm: Cross the Continental Divide at Craig Pass. Stop at Kepler Cascades just before Old Faithful.
• 1:45 pm: Old Faithful Visitor Education Center. Note the posted eruption predictions, then watch Old Faithful.
• 3:00 pm: Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk past Geyser Hill, Castle and Grand geysers to Morning Glory Pool. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
• 6:30 pm: Dinner in the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room, using the reservation you made on July 15.
• After dinner: watch an evening eruption from the Inn's second-floor deck.

Day 4: Tuesday, September 14

• 8:00 am: Black Sand Basin, 1 mile from the Inn. Cold morning air makes the steam dramatic here.
• 9:00 am: Fountain Paint Pot boardwalk in the Lower Geyser Basin, 9 miles north.
• 10:00 am: Firehole Lake Drive, a 3-mile one-way loop past Great Fountain Geyser.
• 11:00 am: Midway Geyser Basin boardwalk beside Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser.
• 12:30 pm: Grand Prismatic Overlook from the Fairy Falls trailhead. It is a short uphill walk of under 2 miles round trip.
• 2:00 pm: Late picnic, then back to Old Faithful.
• 4:00 pm: Observation Point trail above Geyser Hill, timed to see an Old Faithful eruption from above.
• 6:30 pm: Casual dinner at Old Faithful Snow Lodge, which is first come, first served in summer.

Save Grand Prismatic for midday. On cold mornings steam hides the colors, and they show best in warm, sunny air.

Biscuit Basin is left out on purpose. It has been closed since a hydrothermal explosion in July 2024, and it had further small explosions in June 2026.

To Dos and Packing List

• Confirm Old Faithful Inn reservation and dinner booking

• Fuel at Jackson Lake Lodge, Grant Village or Old Faithful

• Install the NPS app and download Yellowstone for offline use

• Check eruption predictions at the visitor center each morning

• Stay on boardwalks in every thermal area

• Pack sun protection and a warm layer for the boardwalks

Day 5: Wednesday, September 15

• 8:30 am: Leave Old Faithful and drive east over Craig Pass to Yellowstone Lake.
• 10:00 am: Lake Village. Have coffee in the Lake Yellowstone Hotel sunroom and walk the shore.
• 11:00 am: Fishing Bridge, then north along the Yellowstone River.
• 11:30 am: Mud Volcano boardwalk, including Dragon's Mouth Spring.
• 12:30 pm: Hayden Valley. Picnic at a river pullout and scan for bison, elk and waterfowl.
• 2:00 pm: South Rim Drive. See Upper Falls View, then Artist Point for the classic view of the 308-foot Lower Falls.
• 3:30 pm: Check in at Canyon Lodge.
• 4:30 pm: North Rim Drive. Walk the steep Brink of the Lower Falls trail, then stop at Lookout Point, Grand View and Inspiration Point.
• 6:30 pm: Dinner at Canyon Lodge. Fill the tank at the Canyon station tonight.

Day 6: Thursday, September 16

• 5:45 am: Leave Canyon and drive north over Dunraven Pass to Tower Junction.
• 6:45 am: Lamar Valley at first light. Stop where people have spotting scopes set up, and look for wolves, bison, pronghorn and bears.
• 9:00 am: Turn around near Soda Butte. Eat a packed breakfast at a pullout.
• 10:00 am: Calcite Springs Overlook and Tower Fall.
• 11:00 am: Drive west to Mammoth Hot Springs, with a quick stop at Undine Falls.
• 12:00 pm: Lunch at Mammoth. Bull elk are in rut on the lawns in mid-September, so give them wide room.
• 1:30 pm: Mammoth Lower Terraces boardwalks, then the one-way Upper Terrace Drive.
• 3:30 pm: Drive south through Golden Gate and past Roaring Mountain to Norris, then east to Canyon.
• 5:15 pm: Back at Canyon Lodge. After dinner, drive 10 minutes to Hayden Valley for dusk wildlife.

The Brink of the Lower Falls trail drops about 600 feet in under half a mile, so the climb back is hard work. Uncle Tom's Trail on the South Rim is closed, and Artist Point gives the best view without stairs.

Expect one delay on Day 6. The Gardner River High Bridge, half a mile from Mammoth on the Tower road, is under repair until October 2027 with single-lane waits of up to 15 minutes.

Pack food for Day 6. Roosevelt Lodge at Tower closes for the season on September 6, 2027, so the next meals after Canyon are at Mammoth.

If early snow closes Dunraven Pass, reverse the loop. Drive Canyon to Norris to Mammoth to Lamar, and return the same way.

TASK LIST

• Confirm Canyon Lodge reservation

• Fill the tank at Canyon on the evening of Day 5

• Pack breakfast, lunch backup and a thermos for the Lamar morning

• Bring binoculars or a spotting scope

• Check the Dunraven Pass road status the night before

• Keep 100 yards from bears and wolves, 25 yards from all other wildlife

Day 7: Friday, September 17

• 7:00 am: Optional sunrise at Artist Point or Lookout Point before breakfast.
• 9:00 am: Check out of Canyon Lodge and drive 12 miles west to Norris.
• 9:30 am: Norris Geyser Basin. Walk the Porcelain Basin loop, then the Back Basin loop past Steamboat Geyser. Allow 2 hours.
• 11:45 am: Artists Paintpots, a 1-mile loop to bubbling mud pots south of Norris.
• 12:45 pm: Gibbon Falls and a picnic lunch.
• 1:45 pm: Firehole Canyon Drive, a 2-mile one-way side road just south of Madison Junction.
• 2:45 pm: Follow the Madison River to the West Entrance. Elk gather in the river meadows in September.
• 3:30 pm: Check in at West Yellowstone.
• 4:00 pm: Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, across the street from the Kelly Inn.
• 6:30 pm: Dinner and souvenir shopping in town.

Day 8: Saturday, September 18

• 8:00 am: Leave West Yellowstone on US-20 south over Targhee Pass into Idaho.
• 9:15 am: Turn onto the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway (Idaho 47). Walk the boardwalk at Upper Mesa Falls.
• 10:45 am: Rejoin US-20 at Ashton and continue to Idaho Falls.
• 12:00 pm: Lunch in Idaho Falls and a walk along the Snake River greenbelt.
• 1:15 pm: I-15 south.
• 4:30 pm: Arrive in Salt Lake City.

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center charges $17.50 for adults, $16.50 for seniors and $12.50 for children 5 to 12. It is open from 8:30 am, and tickets are good for two consecutive days. You can return on Saturday morning before leaving.

For a longer last day, Lava Hot Springs is 12 miles off I-15 at McCammon, Idaho. A soak there adds about 2 hours.

TASK LIST

• Confirm West Yellowstone hotel reservation

• Check out of Canyon Lodge by 11:00 am

• Buy Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center tickets at the door

• Fill the tank in West Yellowstone before Day 8

• Bring a few dollars for the Mesa Falls day-use fee

• Download or queue podcasts for the drive home