Yellowstone 3-day itinerary

Begin at Old Faithful Visitor Education Centre for eruption predictions, then watch the geyser blow. Walk the full Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk — a 5km loop past Morning Glory Pool, Riverside Geyser, Grotto Geyser, and the stunning sapphire-blue Crested Pool. This basin contains more geysers than anywhere else on earth. The steam rising through morning light is ethereal and the colours in the thermal pools defy belief.

Drive to Midway Geyser Basin for Grand Prismatic Spring — the massive rainbow hot spring that defines Yellowstone. Walk the boardwalk around the spring, then hike the overlook trail from Fairy Falls trailhead for the aerial perspective. Continue to Biscuit Basin for a quieter thermal area with Sapphire Pool and jewel-like springs. Lunch at Old Faithful Snow Lodge dining room ($12–22) or pack sandwiches from a West Yellowstone grocery store.

Cool off with a swim in the Firehole River at the Firehole Swimming Area — a section warmed by geothermal runoff where the water is a comfortable 25°C even in summer. The swimming hole is free and surrounded by forest. After dark, Yellowstone has some of the darkest skies in the lower 48 states — drive to a pullout away from lodges and look up. The Milky Way is extraordinary on clear nights.

Drive to Canyon Village and hike to Artist Point for the iconic view of the 93-metre Lower Falls thundering into the yellow-walled canyon. Walk the South Rim Trail for more viewpoints, then cross to the North Rim for Lookout Point and the switchback trail down to the Brink of the Lower Falls — where you stand at the edge as thousands of litres per second plunge into the mist below. The canyon colours are vivid yellows and oranges.

Drive northeast through Tower-Roosevelt toward Lamar Valley — known as the Serengeti of North America. Stop at Tower Fall for a quick overlook of the 40-metre waterfall. Continue into Lamar Valley where vast grasslands support herds of bison, pronghorn antelope, and — if you are lucky — wolves. Pull over at turnouts and scan the hillsides with binoculars. The valley is enormous and the sense of wilderness is total.

Stay in Lamar Valley through golden hour — this is when predators become active and bison herds move to water. Watch for wolf packs emerging from the treeline and grizzlies foraging on hillsides. The sunset over Lamar's open grasslands is one of the most beautiful scenes in the American West. Drive carefully back — bison regularly block the road and wildlife crossings are common after dark. Dinner at Roosevelt Lodge ($14–25) or campfire cooking.

Drive to Mammoth Hot Springs at the park's northern entrance — terraced limestone formations built by mineral-laden hot water flowing over thousands of years. Walk the boardwalk through the Upper and Lower Terraces — Palette Spring and Canary Spring are particularly colourful. Elk graze on the lawns around Mammoth village, completely habituated to people. The Albright Visitor Centre has excellent exhibits on park history and wildlife.

Drive south to Norris Geyser Basin — the hottest and most dynamic thermal area in Yellowstone. Walk the Porcelain Basin boardwalk past hissing fumaroles, boiling pools, and Steamboat Geyser — the world's tallest active geyser (eruptions are rare but spectacular). The Back Basin trail passes Echinus Geyser and Emerald Spring. Lunch at the Canyon Lodge eatery ($10–18) or a packed lunch. The smell of sulphur is strong but you stop noticing.

End your Yellowstone trip with a final drive through Hayden Valley at dusk. The Yellowstone River curves through meadows where bison herds number in the hundreds and elk wade through the shallows. Mud Volcano area along the way offers a short boardwalk past Dragon's Mouth Spring — a steam vent roaring from a cave like a sleeping dragon. Stop at Fishing Bridge for a last look at Yellowstone Lake stretching to the horizon.