Fun Things to Do in Yellowstone National Park for Families

Yellowstone National Park is huge, covering more than two million acres across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.  It was not only the first national park in the United States but also the first national park in the world.  Without Yellowstone and the precedent it created, beautiful wilderness areas like Yosemite may have become a luxury development and, without the example our first national park set, many of the world’s protected lands may have otherwise been exploited.

If Yellowstone is on your vacation to-do list, take a look at 10 things to do for family fun at Yellowstone National Park.

Stay in the park or as close as you can to the park entrance

There are 9 in-park lodging facilities as well as campsites.  If you aren’t planning to stay inside the park, stay very close to the entrance.  Yellowstone is very popular (more than 4 million visitors a year) so not only do you want to stay nearby, you want to get there early (before 10 AM) or you’ll end up in a back-up of cars.

Yellowstone has 5 entrances to the park.  The entrances to the park and the towns closest to those entrances are:

North Entrance – Gardner, MT (the only park entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year.  Closest airline service is Bozeman, MT.)

Northeast Entrance – Cooke City, MT (closest airline service is Billings, MT.)

East Entrance – Cody, WY (closest airline service is Cody, WY.)

South Entrance – Jackson, WY (closest airline service is Jackson, WY.)

West Entrance – West Yellowstone, MT (closest airline service is West Yellowstone, MT, Bozeman, MT, Idaho Falls, ID, and Salt Lake City, UT.)

We usually stay in West Yellowstone.  If you plan on visiting for only a few days and want to experience some of the main attractions then West Yellowstone would be a good base.  Lodging and hotels are plentiful near this entrance.  You have your pick of hotels, motels, inns, guest ranches, dude ranches, cabins and lodges.  The West Yellowstone entrance is only a 15-minute drive.

Attend a ranger-led program 

Many of Yellowstone’s free ranger-led programs are geared specifically for kids.  Activities might include wildlife talks, games, hikes, and science programs.  A good program to start with is the Explore Yellowstone program presented each morning at 9 AM at the West Yellowstone Visitors Center.  The 30-minute talk will give you lots of ideas on what to see and do in the park as well as let you know where wildlife is most likely to be spotted that day.

There are other ranger programs on bear safety, geology, history and native animals.  There are also ranger-led hikes and campfire programs.  You can find a schedule of the programs in the park newspaper or you can go online  to check out the schedule for the time you’ll be at the park.

Get to the park early for animal watching

Yellowstone is well-known for its wildlife, including elk, moose, bison and bald eagles.  The big mammals of the park are particularly thrilling for kids.  You may see grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, bison, and elk in the open meadows or forests.  Look for park volunteers with spotting scopes—they’ll let you take a peek at whatever they’ve seen.

Arrive at the park early when the animals are most active.  Bring along binoculars for some prime wildlife viewing and your safety.  The wildlife is, well, wild.  Give them some distance and never approach them.   Each year, park visitors are killed or injured by wildlife when approaching too closely.

 

Watch Old Faithful Erupt

This is a must see for first-time visitors.  You can park at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and check inside for the day’s predicted eruption times.  Old Faithful erupts every 35 to 120 minutes.  Be sure to also check out the Old Faithful Inn, a lovely, old mountain inn in the Old Faithful Historic District.  The hotel offers a large deck with plenty of seating that faces Old Faithful.  This is a great place to sit, relax, and enjoy the eruption (even if you’re not staying at the hotel.)

Become a Junior Ranger 

Kids love earning badges and patches at various national parks through the Junior Ranger program.  You can pick up an activity booklet at any visitors center inside the park (booklets are free at most national parks, but there is a $3 each charge at Yellowstone.  When the child completes a certain number of activities depending on their age they earn a patch.

Become a Young Scientist

Students ages 5 and up can become a Young Scientist when you visit Yellowstone National Park!  Purchase the self-guiding booklet for $5 at the Canyon Visitor Education Center or Old Faithful Visitor Center.  At the Old Faithful Visitor Center, kids can check out a Young Scientist Toolkit for use in the Upper Geyser Basin.  The kit includes a thermometer, stopwatch and more.  Kids complete an activity booklet to earn a Young Scientist patch or key chain.

Stamp Your Passport 

First, buy a Passport to Your National Parks.  You can buy one online or at the park visitors’ center or bookstore.  Keep your eyes open for cancellation stamps and stickers.  The passport is great to have for all the parks you visit.

Explore Upper Geyser Basin

Yellowstone is Earth’s largest active geyser field.  The park delivers big when it comes to providing visitors with views of these strange, mysterious, odd-smelling steaming vents and spouting features.  From Old Faithful, walk along the one-mile boardwalk through Upper Geyser Basin to check out a variety of hot springs and geysers, including Morning Glory Pool.  Take one of the short hiking trails that branch off the boardwalk to explore the geysers from a new vantage point.

In total, there are over 10,000 hot springs and geysers here.  Some geysers erupt 300 times yearly.  Many erupt faithfully, while others we don’t recommend you wait around for.

Bike to Morning Glory Pool

Bikes are allowed on the paved path between the Old Faithful Lodge and Morning Glory Pool.  Take this short (2 mi. round-trip) paved path and make three stops.  Bikes are not allowed on the boardwalks, but there are several racks where you can park your bike while you explore.  This route becomes busy with people walking so the best bicycling is early in the morning and in the evening.  Bikes can be rented at Old Faithful Snow Lodge in the heart of Yellowstone’s geyser country.

Sing Songs, Roast Marshmallows, and Stargaze

Even if you’re not camping in the park you can still have a good old-fashioned cookout and campfire.  There are 52 picnic areas throughout the park.  Signs are posted along the roadways that indicate each picnic area.

Camping stoves and self-contained charcoal grills may be used to prepare food at any picnic area.  Wood campfires are allowed only in picnic areas with designated fire grates.  After the weenie roast and campfire hootenanny, search the night sky for constellations, the Milky Way, and craters on the moon.

 

Yellowstone National Park is a perfect family-friendly vacation destination.  Kids will love exploring Yellowstone’s trails and lake shores, spotting wild animals, and marveling at the geysers and hot springs in the park, while Mom and Dad delight in capturing memories that will last forever.

Another great park for families is Yosemite National Park in California.  Check out our post Things to Do with Kids in Yosemite National Park.