2 Days in Yellowstone: What to Do, See, and Eat
If you’re only spending 2 days in Yellowstone National Park, you’ll want to hit the highlights of what to do, see, and eat in the park.
Since the park is so big, you’ll need to focus on the highlights of this area as well as maximizing your time for the most exciting trip possible.
Below, you’ll find a detailed 2-day itinerary for this incredible national park, including our suggestions on the best places to stay, great hikes to do, and where to see wildlife, perfect for first-time visitors.
As with all of the content on my website, I’ve included options that are great for the entire family. We hope you love your time in Yellowstone as much as we did!
The beautiful Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park, which you’ll visit on this itinerary!
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2 Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary for Families
If this is your first trip to a national park, you’ll want to read through my comprehensive guide to the U.S. National Parks for beginners, which explains in detail everything from how the Junior Rangers program works to how to nab accommodations in the parks.
Where is Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone National Park is located mostly in Wyoming, but extends into both Montana and Idaho.
What’s the closest airport to Yellowstone National Park?
PIN ME!
There are several airports within relatively close driving distance to one of Yellowstone’s 5 entrances, including those in Bozeman, Montana, and Jackson, Wyoming.
Based on the recommended activities for this short trip, the airport at Jackson, Wyoming, puts you closest to the southern entrance so you will spend less time driving and more time actually in the park.
Which park entrance and exit should I use for this trip?
Since we’re concentrating our efforts on the southern half of the park, you’ll want to enter through the southern entrance, which is closest to both Grand Teton National Park and Jackson, Wyoming.
This itinerary puts you in a great location at the end to extend your time in this area by exploring Jackson and Grand Teton National Park by going back through the southern entrance.
Alternatively, you could end your time in Yellowstone by going through the eastern entrance to visit Cody, Wyoming.
For more details on each of the Yellowstone entrances, including information on the hiking, dining, activity, and lodging options at each, check out my guide to the 5 Yellowstone National Park entrances.
Will I need a rental car for my stay in Yellowstone?
Yes, you will need a rental car for your time in Yellowstone National Park.
There isn’t any public transportation in the park, and the area that you’ll cover even on a shorter itinerary like this one is vast.
Pick up a rental car at the Jackson Hole Airport, where you’ll find Avis, Budget, Alamo, National, and Enterprise.
Do I need reservations for Yellowstone National Park?
No, Yellowstone National Park currently does not require reservations to enter the park.
You will have to pay an entrance fee ($15 per car) that is good for up to 7 days.
If you have an interagency pass, you can enter for free.
Self-guided Tour Suggestion
Since you’ll only be in Yellowstone for a few days, you might be tempted to drive around and hope for the best.
However, you will be missing out on SO many of the amazing features of this park.
To maximize your understanding of the park’s history, geology, and wildlife, I highly recommend purchasing the GuideAlong tour for Yellowstone National Park.
This affordable app was one of the highlights of our time in Yellowstone—and we also purchased the self-guided tour for nearby Grand Teton National Park, too.
The GuideAlong tour doesn’t need wifi once the tour is downloaded to your phone, and the narration starts and stops automatically as you get to each point of interest.
It was better (and much cheaper!) than having a real guide in the car since we could replay sections for clarification, or skip over sections if we were bypassing one area of the tour.
2 Day Yellowstone Itinerary Overview
Since the park is so big, you’re not going to be able to do everything in 2 short days.
Instead, we’re highlighting some of the must-do activities in the park and interspersing them with lesser known (but still incredible) stops.
This approach will give you a great taste of what Yellowstone has to offer—and will hopefully entice you to come back to explore even more of the park!
Only about 2% of Yellowstone National Park is accessible by road—and you can drive for hours and hours through the park’s various ecosystems.
There are 2 main roads within the park, which roughly make a figure 8.
Since we’ve got limited time on this trip, but we still want to do as much as possible, we’re going to focus our journey on the lower circle of this figure 8.
Essentially, we’ll work clockwise around that lower loop, starting at the bottom center, heading over to the Old Faithful area, climbing up towards Artist’s Paint Pot, then exploring the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Itinerary Day 1
Welcome to Yellowstone National Park!
The world’s first national park, Yellowstone has been wowing visitors since it was first established as a protected area in 1872.
This itinerary assumes that you’re staying in or near the park the night before, so you can be sure to start your day in the park early.
The best place to stay for an early start on Day 1 would be Grant Village, which is the first visitor area within the park from the southern entrance.
The interior of a hotel room inside Bear Lodge at Grant Village
While Grant Village isn’t the most glamorous of places in the park (and it certainly isn’t nearly as fun, historic, or interesting as our favorite Roosevelt Cabins elsewhere in Yellowstone), it is quiet, safe, and comfortable.
West Thumb Geyser Basin
In any case, you’ll want to start your day just north of Grant Village in the incredible West Thumb Geyser Basin.
We’re not rushing off to Old Faithful—yet—because this often-overlooked area is well worth an early morning visit.
The West Thumb Geyser Basin has a large parking lot next to the boardwalk.
This area is one of our favorite easy hikes in Yellowstone, and it’s perfect for everyone in your family thanks to the beautiful scenery and manageable length.
There are more than a dozen major hydrothermal features here with dozens of smaller ones throughout.
You’ll even find a steam vent in the parking lot!
Along the boardwalk, you’ll find brilliantly colored hot springs, the famous Fishing Cone feature, and stunning views of Lake Yellowstone.
Take your time exploring the sights along the boardwalk, and plan to spend about an hour or so slowly walking around this area.
Old Faithful Area
When you’re ready to move on, head back to the car and continue clockwise on the lower loop road towards Old Faithful.
(If you’re listening to the GuideAlong tour for this park, the narrator will help you with directions!)
At the Old Faithful exit, head all the way down to the last parking lot, which is by the Old Faithful Lodge and diagonal to the Visitors Center.
This puts you in easy walking distance of the Visitors Center, Old Faithful, and the trailhead to dozens of other geysers.
If you plan on renting bear spray, you’ll also find a pick-up tent for Bear Aware here.
If you’re not sure if you want to rent or buy bear spray at Yellowstone, I have an entire guide breaking down the costs, pros and cons, and usage.
Geyser Schedule
Of course, you can’t get to this point in the park without seeing Old Faithful!
The Camping Kiddos and me at Old Faithful
The world’s most famous geyser is worth stopping and waiting for. You can find an estimated time of the next eruption in the NPS app, so you’ll know if you need to hurry and find a spot on the boardwalk or leisurely explore this area.
Don’t stop there: this area has many more geysers along a paved walking and bike path. Some—like the Beehive geyser—might erupt erratically and at any time, while others have a more consistent timing.
Check the board in the visitors center for estimated times. The rangers will also make an announcement in the center when those erratic geysers are erupting.
Visitors Center
You could easily spend an hour or more in this beautiful visitors center.
There’s a great overview movie in the theatre with comfortable chairs.
You can also walk through the interpretive displays, talk with a ranger about your plans, get maps for your journey, or pick up your Yellowstone Junior Ranger booklets.
The Yellowstone Forever store is also located here. It has books, posters, sweatshirts, backpacks, stuffed animals, backpack patches, and more.
Lunch at Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria
Head over to the Old Faithful Lodge located along the boardwalk behind Old Faithful.
Confusingly, there are 2 other hotels in this same area: the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Old Faithful Inn.
We’re aiming for the huge log cabin-style hotel that’s to the left of the visitors center if your back is to the Old Faithful geyser.
Just off of the main lobby area in the Old Faithful Lodge is a cafeteria with a wide array of options ranging from burgers and burritos to salads and Asian noodle bowls.
While it isn’t the best restaurant at Yellowstone, my family appreciated the wide variety of food options available here.
Even my notoriously picky 6-year-old found something he was willing to eat (a hot dog and chocolate milk).
Grand Prismatic Springs
Next up on our itinerary is one of my family’s favorite stops in the entire park: Grand Prismatic Springs.
You can choose to experience the colorful springs in 2 different ways.
By hiking the Grand Prismatic Overlook portion of the Fairy Falls Trail, or
By using the boardwalk directly over and through the springs.
While I encourage you to do both if you have the time and interest, I’ve found that the colors of the pool can be seen much more clearly from the overlook hike, where you’re looking directly down onto the entire pool area.
The boardwalk hike gets you down next to the Grand Prismatic springs and several other, smaller hot springs, but you can’t see the color gradients as brilliantly.
NOTE: parking here can be abysmal, particularly mid-day in the peak of summer. Be patient and wait in the line of cars to get a spot in the parking lot. Alternatively, you can grab a spot on the side of the road, but we didn’t feel comfortable walking down the narrow shoulder with young kids.
Artist’s Paint Pots
The Camping Kiddos on the Artist’s Paint Pot boardwalk
If you have the energy for one more hike, I recommend stopping at Artist’s Paint Pots, which is located between Madison and Canyon Village on the lower loop road.
This short hike takes you through lodge pole pines into a hidden collection of gloopy mud pots, iron-red hot springs, and stunning views of Mount Holmes in the distance.
There are a couple of flights of stairs at various points on this hike, but most people should be able to handle them without much issue.
Check out our complete trail guide to the Artists Paint Pots hike here.
Overnight: Day 1
After our time at Artist’s Paint Pots, you’re likely ready for a rest and some food.
Let’s head onto our location for our overnight stay: Canyon Village Lodge.
This newer collection of large hotels is at the heart of Canyon Village, an area of the park that also offers a campground, grocery store, multiple restaurants, shopping, and a visitors center.
My parents and my kids walking back to the lodges after dinner in Canyon Village
We’ve stayed in 2 different areas of this lodge: the Rhyolite lodge and Washburn lodge. Both had large, clean rooms, easy elevator access, and comfortable beds.
Once you’ve checked into your room, walk over to the main Canyon Village area for dinner.
There is a large cafeteria here with several options, including an Asian noodle bar, a lounge with heavy appetizers, and an American cuisine area with roast chicken and sides.
We found that the prices here were higher than the quality of foods called for, but that was the case throughout the park.
Of everything we ate in Canyon Village, the M66 appetizers platter from the lounge was the tastiest and the best value. For just under $20, we had a loaded plate of chicken wings, fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, egg rolls, and multiple dipping sauces.
After dinner, you can see what evening programs are being held at the visitors center, play chess back at Washburn Lodge, or sit by the fireplace in the Eatery section of the dining hall.
The Camping Kiddos practicing chess in Washburn Lodge
Itinerary Day 2
Hopefully, you wake up rested and refreshed for another action packed day in one of the world’s most beautiful national parks!
Today, we’re exploring the second half of that lower loop, and, in the process, we’ll experience some very different ecosystems than we saw on Day 1.
Have a quick breakfast in your room if you’ve stocked up on groceries, or grab something hot back over in the dining hall.
If you go the latter route, you’ll find everything from cold cereal to oatmeal bowls to bacon, egg, and hashbrown platters.
Hayden Valley
I recommend an early start for today because that’s when we’ll have the best chance to seeing wildlife like moose, bison, elk, and bears move around.
You can see wildlife at any time and in any area of the park, but the best wildlife viewing is either in Hayden Valley or Lamar Valley.
Since we don’t have time to do both, we’re heading south through Hayden Valley this morning.
The rolling hills of Hayden Valley
Although the drive through Hayden Valley normally only takes around 30 minutes, don’t rush here.
You’ll likely see cars slowing down to get better views of the animals moving about.
If you’d like a good picture, or if an animal approaches the roadway, the best course of action is to pull over on the wide, paved shoulder.
Don’t get out of your car if the wildlife is moving towards you. Those bison might look unwieldy, but they can move surprisingly quickly if they feel provoked.
Lake Yellowstone Boat Tour
Another reason we’re heading through Hayden Valley today is to get to our ranger-led boat tour of Lake Yellowstone.
This tour is one of our recommended things to do in the park with kids as it provides a unique perspective of one of the most important features of this area—and kids generally love boats.
>> For more recommendations on what to do with your kids, see my Ultimate Yellowstone Family Vacation Guide. <<
This reasonable priced, 1 hour long tour leaves from the docks at Bay Bridge Marina.
The wreck of the E.C. Waters, a sightseeing boat from Yellowstone’s earliest days as a park
As a reminder that wildlife could be anywhere, we found a large bison grazing right next to the docks while we waited to board our boat!
Your tour will take you along the northwestern corner of Lake Yellowstone, where you’ll learn about the hydrothermal features under the lake, see the remains of an early visitor touring boat, and learn a few ghost stories about the Lake Yellowstone Hotel.
Our guide, Ranger Jim, was full of fun facts and silly jokes which kept my kids focused during the tour. He also passed around laminated photos, maps, and charts as visual aids for each of his talking points.
Overall, this tour is a must-do on your Yellowstone trip since it is so different than anything else available in the park.
Lunch at Fishing Bridge
After your tour is over, head over to the Fishing Bridge area on your way back towards Canyon Village.
In the Fishing Bridge store is a little soda shop and grill which served up some of the best food we had in Yellowstone.
We loved the black bean burger with spicy salsa, and cheeseburgers with fries. My kids adored the grilled chicken fingers, and have eaten them multiple times in the park.
It’s also more reasonably priced than other restaurants in the park.
Plus, there’s a fun, retro vibe to the place.
End your meal with a scoop of Wilcoxson’s ice cream. The huckleberry is sharp but sweet, but I preferred the Buffalo Chip flavor with chocolate ice cream, caramel swirl, and Snickers pieces.
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
The view of the Yellowstone River and the falls from Artist’s Point
To help us burn off some of that yummy lunch, we’re headed to the south rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
This geological feature isn’t discussed nearly as much as the Grand Prismatic Springs or Old Faithful, but we found it to be every bit as awe-inspiring.
If you’d like to simply view the waterfalls that bookend the canyon, you can stop at 2 places:
The Upper Falls Viewpoint on South Rim Drive, and
Artists Point at the end of South Rim Drive.
However, I’m all about getting out of the car whenever possible, so I’d recommend doing the 2 mile roundtrip hike from the Upper Falls Viewpoint to Artists Point and back.
While the trail itself is fairly flat with hard packed dirt, there are several sections where there are no guiderails and a nearly sheer drop down the walls of the canyon.
We took our 6 year old this trail, and it gave my heart more than a few scares. We ended up holding his hand and walking on the far side of the trail, but beware of that before you take really little kids on the trail.
Artists Point has a perfect view of the Lower Falls. See if you can spot the hot springs bubbling along the edges of the Yellowstone River below!
Other activities in the Canyon Village Area
If you’d like to see even more of the Canyon, drive over to the north rim.
You can tackle the steep hike to the Brink of the Lower Falls, which drops 600 feet in elevation over about a quarter-mile.
Or, you can walk around Inspiration Point for less crowded views of the yellow, gold, white, and red canyon walls.
If you’re ready for a hiking break, head over to the interpretive center at Canyon Village, where you can learn more about the geology of this area. There are some great interactive exhibits that teach visitors about earthquakes, the park’s formation, and more.
Overnight: Day 2
Your 2 days in Yellowstone is already over, but you’ve seen and done some amazing things.
I recommend another night in Canyon Village as you’re likely going to need a rest before heading out for more adventures elsewhere in Wyoming and beyond.
The Camping Kiddos and I at an overlook at Artist’s Paint Pot
Looking for a longer trip to Yellowstone National Park? Check out my 10 day Yellowstone itinerary!
Need some inspiration on where to head next?
Grand Teton National Park is less than an hour away from the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park, and offers up stunning views of mountains, rivers, wildlife, and more.
