Tips For Visiting Yellowstone

Lucy, her family, our mom, The Hardworking Husband and I are currently in Yellowstone. Yellowstone has been in the news in the last few days. Last week Steamboat Geyser went off for the first time since 2005. We wished we had been there to see it. We will be visiting that area hoping to see some minor eruptions from that geyser.

As you know, the HH and I visit Yellowstone often. We have learned a few things during our visits. I thought I would share some of those tips.

Mammoth Hot Springs

First, if you can take your own food. Food in Yellowstone is EXPENSIVE and not always the tastiest. If you are unable to bring your own food, there are grocery stores in the surrounding towns that are less expensive than buying food in the park. The following is our menu for our three days in Yellowstone: 

Sunday Dinner: Hamburgers & Potatoes
Monday Breakfast: Kolaches
Lunch: Hotdogs & Chips
Dinner: Tacos
Tuesday Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls
Lunch: Sandwiches & Chips
Dinner: we will either be home or in an area that is less expensive to eat out. 

We take a small table top propane grill. We use it at the cabins we are staying in and in the park in a picnic area. We also take a towel to wrap around the grill in case it hasn't cooled completely before we put it in back in the car. We also make sure we stay in a place that has a kitchen. The rooms with kitchens aren't that much more expensive, and it saves you much more than you would pay for eating out. 

My second tip is to take a lot of water or beverages that don't have caffeine. Most people going to Yellowstone aren't used to the elevation. It is easy to get altitude sickness (main symptom is terrible headache). Altitude sickness is actually similar to a hangover. The main cause of it is dehydration. You will be walking a lot in Yellowstone, and the sun is rather intense because of the high elevation. So drink lots of water. You need to feel like you are tired of drinking water. I often will make decaf tea to drink because I'm not a big fan of water. It gives me flavor and hydration without the caffeine. 

The temperature changes greatly during the day in Yellowstone. It is cool in the mornings and evenings but gets warm during the day. And as I said before, the sun gets very intense because there is less atmosphere between you and the sun. So I have two tips to go along with this. First, sunscreen and lots of it! You can burned a lot faster at higher elevation. I am part Swedish and burn pretty easily, so I reapply sunscreen about every 1, if I'm in the car some, and about every 45 minutes if I'm out walking. I also try to stand in the shade. Wearing a hat would be helpful too. My second tip is to dress in layers. You probably will want shorts by mid day, but you will be chilly in the morning and evening. So a jacket and maybe long sleeves are a good idea. The forecast while we are there is highs of mid 70's and lows of mid 30's. And remember standing in direct sunlight at that elevation in the mid 70's feels much hotter!

I could go on and on about tips but I will end with this last one. Some of the surrounding towns are quite a drive from the park. So we pick a town to stay in that is just minutes from the park gates. While Jackson, WY is close to the gate to Grand Teton National Park, it quite a ways to get into Yellowstone. Cody, WY is similar to Jackson in that its bit of a drive to get into the park. Gardner and West Yellowstone are close to the gates. We have always stayed in West Yellowstone because we live closer to it.

Oh, I must add one more tip. Every time I'm in Yellowstone, I see someone WAY too close to an animal. These animals are wild. Please stay away from them. Yellowstone Park Rangers recommend to stay 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from all other animals. I say it should be even farther. 

Check out the YNP website when planning your trip. There is so much information over there.
And if you're bringing kids with you to Yellowstone, check out Lucy's 8 Tips for Visiting Yellowstone with Kids.

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