Grand Tetons vs. Yellowstone: Which is Better?
Grand Tetons vs. Yellowstone: this is the big question you’ll have to ask while planning a Wyoming national parks trip!
While both parks are incredible, each has its own unique offerings to families looking for outdoor adventures.
The Grand Tetons offer up incredible hikes around pristine lakes and through awe-inspiring mountains, while Yellowstone offers one-of-a-kind thermal features, sweeping valleys filled with wildlife, and a history that spans more than 150 years.
My family loves both of these parks—and I think you should visit both, if possible.
But, if time is limited and you can only do one, you’ll be able to learn more about each park below to find the best fit for your family.
Left: overlook at Grand Teton National Park, right: hydrothermal pool at Yellowstone National Park
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Highlights in Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is worth a visit thanks to the beautiful mountain chain at the heart of the park.
But there’s so much more here than just the mountains.
>> Learn how to explore Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with this 5 day itinerary! <<
Outdoor Adventures Everywhere!
The Camping Kiddos and I at Signal Mountain in Grand Teton National Park
You can explore the Snake River via a river rafting tour for a unique view of the majestic Grand Tetons.
You can go on a horseback riding tour from Jackson Lake Lodge.
You can rent a boat to explore Jenny Lake, Colter Bay, or Jackson Lake.
You can explore the barns and homes on Mormon Row.
And, of course, there are so many easy hikes in Grand Teton National Park to get the entire family out on the trail!
There’s wildlife at Grand Teton National Park that you won’t see as often as Yellowstone, particularly moose.
Both of the moose we saw in this area of Wyoming were both in Grand Teton.
After visiting both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, I can confidently say that Grand Teton has a “wow factor” thanks to the incredible mountain backdrops that you’ll have in all of your photos.
You really cannot take a bad photo in this national park as literally every turnoff and vista is stunning.
>> Here’s the perfect 2 day itinerary in Grand Teton National Park! <<
Exploring the Park
The Grand Tetons from our rafting tour on the Snake River
The physical bounds of Grand Teton National Park are smaller, which means that an overview of this park can be done reasonably well in just a day or two.
Driving both Teton Loop Road and John D. Rockefeller Highway will allow you to see much of the park from your car in a 45-mile loop.
Compare that to the Grand Loop Road in Yellowstone National Park, which, if driven continuously through, would take you about 5.5. hours to do.
Grand Teton National Park has a wide variety of accommodations from luxury lodges to rustic campgrounds. We loved our stay at the Colter Bay cabins in Colter Bay Village!
Plus, Grand Teton has the only commercial airport inside a national park, so you’re close to adventure from the moment you step off of the plane at Jackson Hole Airport.
From the park, you’re also less than 40 minutes by rental car to the adorable (but expensive) Jackson, Wyoming, where you can get groceries and stock up on camping supplies.
Overall, Grand Teton National Park felt more manageable for a first time visitor to this part of Wyoming.
The most perfect morning at Grand Tetons!
Kids in Grand Teton National Park
PIN ME!
While both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park have incredible learning opportunities, Grand Teton felt a bit less risky than Yellowstone.
Part of this has to do with the fact that Yellowstone is on top of an active supervolcano, and there are fascinating—but harmful—boiling pools of water underneath thin crusts, bubbling mud volcanos, and spurting geysers everywhere in the park.
While I didn’t hesitate to take my 6- and 10-year olds to either of these parks, I would likely feel more comfortable doing Grand Teton National Park over Yellowstone if I had very small kids (like toddler and preschool aged).
If you’re traveling with kids who’d like to complete the Junior Ranger program at Grand Teton National Park, the ranger booklet has shorter requirements that the one over at Yellowstone.
We also went on a Snake River float within Grand Teton, but my kids loved.
We also felt that the food options for kids were better in Grand Teton National Park, with excellent restaurants serving up pizza, pasta, burgers, wraps, mac and cheese, and more.
>> Read more about visiting with a family in my guide to Grand Teton National Park with kids. <<
While visiting Yellowstone National Park and/or Grand Teton National Park, I highly recommend using the GuideAlong app to make your journey more interesting and insightful.
The GuideAlong app tours are GPS based, meaning they don’t need Wifi after the initial download, and the tour starts and stops automatically as you get to each point of interest.
We used the GuideAlong tours for both of these parks, and we were blown away by the content, which helped give us much needed context for what we were seeing.
You’ll get commentary on each park’s history, geology, trailheads, overlooks, and more. It was like having a live tour guide in the car with us!
You can get the parks separately:
Or, you can save about 30% by buying the bundle:
NOTE: I purchased both of the recommended tours on my own, and I do not work for GuideAlong. The above links are affiliate links, which means I will get a small commission if you book a tour through the links. I only recommend items that I stand by and believe will truly enrich your family experiences.
Highlights in Yellowstone National Park
The oldest national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park is a can’t-miss, once-in-a-lifetime family vacation.
You’ll see things here that you can’t see anywhere else in the world, and, for all of the park’s infrastructure, it still feels very wild.
Unique hydrothermal features
My son at the Grand Prismatic Pool Overlook
The park is best known for its many, many, MANY hydrothermal features—about 12,000 at last count!
These hydrothermal features come in 4 varieties:
Hot springs,
Fumeroles (or steam vents),
Mud pots, and
Geysers.
While you can find hot springs of different varieties elsewhere in the US, the other types are far less common.
You’ll be treated to the timely and grandiose gush of Old Faithful, one of the park’s most famous icons.
There’s also the gorgeous Grand Prismatic Spring, Artists Paint Pots, and Dragon’s Mouth, which were our favorite features in the park.
All of the park’s best hydrothermal features can be found along our favorite easy hikes in Yellowstone National Park.
Exploring the park
In Yellowstone, we were stunned by the vastness of the land and the variety of activities.
The park covers more then 2 million areas and spans parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, so you really have to have a touring plan in place before you start your vacation.
As you drive around the Grand Loop Road, the landscape changes from lodgepole pine forests near Madison to rolling hills in Lamar Valley to view of Lake Yellowstone near Grant.
The park is so large that Yellowstone has 5 distinct entrances, each with its own lodging, hiking, activities, and food options.
Rarely have I seen such dramatic changes in such a relatively short driving time—the only other experience I’ve had like this was when we did the Denver to Grand Canyon road trip and went from the Rockies to the desert in less than 200 miles.
Those geographical changes and vast area of the park means you can experience many different things in one trip.
Unlike the Grand Tetons, which offers up variations on mountain, river, and lake, Yellowstone has something new around just about every turn.
Check out my 2 days in Yellowstone itinerary!
Yellowstone also had rivers, lakes, and mountain passes, but it also had a canyon, waterfalls, valleys, and those hydrothermal features.
We found that the wildlife in Yellowstone was much more prevalent than in Grand Teton, seeing elk, bison, coyotes, pronghorn, ravens, swans, and more in our first few days.
Pleasant Valley, the home of the Old West Dinner Cookout
Yellowstone also has horseback tours, but it offered up a twist on this cowboy experience with the Old West Dinner Cookout. That trail ride and dinner ended up being one of my family’s favorite parts of our trip!
Another benefit to Yellowstone is the easy addition of a day trip to drive the Beartooth Highway, one of the prettiest roads in the United States. You can access this drive through Yellowstone’s northeastern entrance via Cooke City.
Beartooth Highway has some beautiful overlooks, accessible trails, and several lakes. One of our favorite stops along the way is Island Lake, which has a boat ramp, hiking trails, and campground.
Full Island Lake Campground review here.
Kids in Yellowstone National Park
If you have a budding scientist or biologist, there’s no better place to visit than Yellowstone.
The Camping Kiddos and me at Old Faithful!
All of the steaming, bubbling, and boiling features are fascinating for kids (and kids at heart!), and they start so many great conversations about volcanos, tectonic plates, and more.
The variety of wildlife was another high point for my kids, who got to see bison right next to our car on several occasions.
The Junior Ranger program is one of the most in-depth that I’ve seen since we started doing these programs. While the program did take longer to complete than most, I appreciated how much my kids learned from completing their booklets.
The number and quality of the ranger walks here is excellent!
We went on several ranger walks, and the ranger guides always made sure to include our kids in the discussions. Plus, these talks are always free, which is helpful on any budget.
Due to the drive times between activities and the types of things you’ll see along the way, I think this park is best for kids in first grade and up.
My 6-year-old enjoyed the science here immensely.
>> Explore more with my complete Yellowstone Family Vacation guide! <<
Which Wyoming National Park is better for kids?
I think that Grand Teton National Park is excellent for all ages, as there are many family friendly activities for outdoor adventurers young and old.
It’s an excellent mountain destination with easy access to restaurants, lodging, an airport, and Jackson, Wyoming.
The park feels more rugged thanks to the beautiful peaks that run the length of the park, and it is great for hiking families.
On the other hand, I think that Yellowstone National Park is best appreciated by kids in elementary school and up, who will be able to grasp the incredible natural features present there.
The wildlife and vast options for activities ensures that every day of a Yellowstone National Park vacation will be different!
For a truly incredible vacation, split your time between these parks so you can get the best of both experiences.
