The Best 2 Day Yellowstone National Park Itinerary

Are you planning a trip to America’s first National Park? This Yellowstone National Park Itinerary will cover many of the popular and unique sights in Yellowstone. If you only have 2 days to spend at Yellowstone and want to see as much of the park as possible this itinerary is for you!

Yellowstone is a huge park, it covers 2.2 million acres as is bigger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. The park is also located in 3 different states with the majority (96%) of it located in Wyoming.

A visit to Yellowstone National Park will treat you to so many unique sights. From its volcanic and hydrothermal features to forests, grasslands, mountain views, water, a Grand Canyon and wildlife sightings you will have one amazing experience after another.

You will need to purchase a park pass for entrance into Yellowstone National Park. If you are planning on visiting more than one National Park the America the Beautiful Pass is usually a better value than purchasing individual entrance passes for each park. Information on park passes can be found here.

Most of the park does not have cell service. I would recommend downloading the National Park Service app onto your phone and then downloading information for Yellowstone that is available when you are offline.

In order to follow this Yellowstone National Park itinerary you will need a car. There is no public transportation within the park. If you do not have your own transportation then you will likely need to rely on guided tours.

The main road through the park is called Grand Loop Road and is a figure eight road. There are also five entry gates into the park. Due to traffic and potential for wildlife in the road (especially bison jams) factor in that it will likely take you longer than you think to get from one place to another.

I recommend trying to stay within the park if you can. This definitely gives you a leg up when starting off in the morning and being able to see popular sights before tour buses and people driving in from outside the park arrive.

We stayed at Madison Campground on our trip and it was a great starting point to explore from. Yellowstone park offers various types of lodging within the park including multiple campgrounds, cabins, lodges and hotels.

Two days is a short amount of time to spend in a park as large as Yellowstone. Understandably though many people who make this trip are combining it with other nearby National Parks which is why I created this 2 day Yellowstone National Park itinerary.

I recommend dedicating at least 2 full days to exploring Yellowstone. If you have the time I think you could ideally spend 4-5 days exploring and adventuring within the park. We spent 3 nights and 2 full days in Yellowstone and left feeling like we had seen a lot of the park.

Even if you are visiting in the Summer you will need some warmer clothes for the morning. When we were there in August the mornings would be cool in the 40’s and it would warm up in the afternoon to the 70’s. I recommend wearing lightweight layers.

Make sure you have downloaded maps of the park and any trails you might want to hike. There is no cell service in most of the park.

There is an abundance of wildlife at Yellowstone and it is recommended that you carry and know how to use bear spray.

Make sure to bring water, sunscreen, bug spray, a hat and a pair of binoculars.

Old Faithful – Start your day with a visit to Old Faithful, one of Yellowstone’s iconic geysers. You can look up estimated eruption times on the National Park Service App or National Park Service website.

Grand Prismatic Spring/Midway Geyser Basin – Your next stop will be to see Grand Prismatic Spring which is the largest spring in Yellowstone. You can walk on the boardwalks around the spring by parking at Midway Geyser Basin.

If you want to see the Spring from above you will need to park at the Fairy Falls Trailhead which is about a mile south of Midway Geyser Basin. You will then follow the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail about 0.6 miles (each way) to a view that overlooks the Grand Prismatic Spring.

Firehole Falls/Firehole Canyon Dr. – This is a quick 2 mile detour off the main road onto a scenic one-way road that is worth the few extra minutes.

Artists Paintpots– This stop is a 1 mile trail that features mud pots that sputter mud, hot springs and small geysers. If you are short on time this is not a must do stop.

LUNCH – I would recommend bringing a picnic lunch with you today and finding a spot with a nice view or stopping at a picnic area to enjoy your lunch.

Norris Geyser Basin – Your next stop is Norris Geyser Basin which is the hottest and most active geothermal area in Yellowstone. This basin is divided into two areas Porcelain Basin and Back Basin.

Roaring Mountain – Slightly North of Norris Geyser Basin you can make a quick stop at Roaring Mountain which is an example of fumaroles.

Mammoth – This area is in the northern section of the park and features travertine terraces. Make sure to do the Upper Terrace Drive and then visit the lower terrace area. Albright Visitor Center is a great stop as well. It is also common to see a lot of elk hanging out in this area.

This brings you to the end of the activities on this itinerary. At this point you are back in the vicinity of Old Faithful and if you have extra time can stop in the Visitor’s Center, see Old Faithful erupt again or enjoy another activity of your choice if you have time.

Yellowstone is such a fascinating place. It is also full of many dangers with the high temperature geothermal features and its abundance of wildlife. Be vigilant, follow signage, stay on the boardwalks and trails, keep the recommended distance or more from wildlife and do not be THAT person on the nightly news that tried to pet a bison!

Most of all have the best time and enjoy every moment of this spectacular park!