Can You Visit Yellowstone in One Day from Bozeman? An Awesome Itinerary

Yellowstone West Entrance

The West Entrance (the most popular entrance) near the touristy town of West Yellowstone is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Bozeman along scenic Highway 191.

This is a beautiful drive through the Gallatin Canyon following the Gallatin River during the first part of the trip.

If your goal is to see Old Faithful erupt and experience Yellowstone’s thermal basins, the West Entrance is best. You’ll also drive by Grand Prismatic Spring and Fountain Paint Pots, two worthy stops as well.

On the downside, you’ll experience wait times to enter at this entrance (it’s the most popular), and it’s more hit or miss for seeing wildlife in this section of the park during the heat of the summer.

If you haven’t seen Old Faithful erupt, I definitely think it is worth a trip and the crowds to see it. Seeing its grand and predictable eruption is simply an iconic Yellowstone experience.

Yellowstone North Entrance

The North Entrance near the town of Gardiner, MT is 1 hour and 20 minutes from Bozeman driving through Livingston (a great small town) and the scenic Paradise Valley. This too is an incredibly scenic drive to reach Yellowstone from Bozeman.

From Yellowstone’s North Entrance, it is convenient to visit Mammoth Hot Springs and view wildlife in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley. (See our guide to the Lamar Valley).

This side of the park is less crowded than the Old Faithful area, and it combines thermal features with wildlife viewing. But… it doesn’t have the iconic geyser- Old Faithful.

Having seen Old Faithful, we now frequent the Lamar Valley to see wildlife much more often than visiting Old Faithful.

Traffic

Keep in mind that the driving times listed above do not reflect the waiting time to enter the park (especially at the West Yellowstone entrance).

Summer season is busy in Yellowstone. It can be difficult to find parking at popular stops.

Overall, remember to be patient, drive the speed limit, and expect delays. Bison will walk directly on the road causing traffic to come to a complete stop, and cars will slow to a crawl when wildlife can be seen from the road.

It’s all part of the Yellowstone experience!

Before heading out, you can get current road conditions for Yellowstone National Park. FYI: Our cell service was spotty at best, so check before you go.

For a detailed description of each of Yellowstone’s entrances, see our Which Entrance To Yellowstone Is Best??

Before You Go

Get A Digital Park Pass

To save time at the entrance to Yellowstone, bring your America the Beautiful National Park Pass if you have one, or go online ahead of time to pay the $35 per vehicle daily entrance fee, good for 7 days.

Download the digital pass to your phone or print it out. Note that it’s $35 for the vehicle and all its occupants as long as the pass holder is present.

*Fuel up in Bozeman before you go. There are gas stations along the way but save your time and energy for exploring.

What To Bring

Remember to bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen! Most of the boardwalks around the geysers are fully exposed to the sun as are the pull-outs in Lamar Valley.

You’ll want binoculars for wildlife sightings and bear spray if you decide to go on any trails. You won’t need bear spray if only walking the boardwalks at the geyser basins.

Also be sure to pack snacks and drinks. You’ll spend quite a lot of time in the car, and good snacks make a good road trip!

Tip: Although we haven’t used it, GuideAlong’s Yellowstone audio tour ($24.99) provides interesting facts and stories about what you see as you drive by various points in Yellowstone National Park.

Day Trip From Bozeman To Yellowstone- Two Itineraries

You have a choice of two different itineraries for your day trip to Yellowstone from Bozeman. With just one day, you can’t see all of Yellowstone but you have a few great options.

I think one mistake a lot of visitors to Yellowstone make is spending way too much time in the car rather than walking the boardwalks, sitting quietly with binoculars, dropping into a Visitor Center to view the exhibits, or even just enjoying a roadside picnic.

These two itineraries each focus on a different area of Yellowstone, giving you plenty of time to explore in depth—one of the best ways to experience the park.

Note that these itineraries are best done during May-September when all the park roads are open.

OPTION 1- Visit Yellowstone’s Old Faithful thermal basin and see the famous geyser erupt. Take Instagram-worthy pics at Grand Prismatic. Most of our visitors opt for this itinerary if they’ve never been to Yellowstone.

OPTION 2- Visit Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley to see wildlife. Stop at Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalk on the way back.

I’ll break down each of these options for you below.

Option 1- Day Trip From Bozeman To Yellowstone’s Old Faithful

Driving Time From Bozeman to Old Faithful: About 2.5 hours

This is a great option if you want to cruise down to Yellowstone, watch Old Faithful erupt (bucket list- check!), have a picnic, see Grand Prismatic (if you can get parking), and skedaddle back to Bozeman.

Leave early — shoot for 6am. The sun is up at this time during the summer, so get going! It’s hard to get parking at Grand Prismatic Spring, so the earlier you get there the better.

Drive Highway 191 to Yellowstone’s West Entrance where you’ll likely have to wait in line for entry. It moves fairly quickly, especially if cars have their pass ready.

First Stop: Grand Prismatic Spring

Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. This is a super busy stop. If it looks like you can get a parking space go for it. Otherwise, you may have better luck on your way back after seeing Old Faithful.

Its vibrant bands of blues, greens, and yellows and its grand size at 300’ wide make it a sight to behold.

Located a few miles north of Old Faithful, you have two options to view Grand Prismatic.

One option is to park at the Midway Geyser parking area (get there early!) and walk the 0.8 mile boardwalk. This is a super popular attraction in Yellowstone and parking is very limited. Avoid the chaos and arrive as early as you possibly can.

I like walking the boardwalk to see the entire thermal area up close. Grand Prismatic is the star here, but there’s plenty more geysers and springs to see along the boardwalk.

Another option is to park at the Fairy Falls parking area (also super busy) and walk to the Grand Prismatic Overlook for a view that looks down upon the vivid colors of Grand Prismatic Spring and the Midway Geyser Basin.

The easy walk is 0.6 miles but can be super hot as the beginning is mostly open with no shade. Tip: You can continue another mile past the Observation Platform to reach Fairy Falls. Follow the signs.

We’ve done both the boardwalk and the Observation Platform and both are amazing. Your viewpoint will largely depend on your parking location, how long you are willing to wait for a parking space to open, and how far you want to walk.

Tip: If you have time and stamina for even more thermal features, you could add one more stop to check out Fountain Paint Pots. Plan on 30 minutes here to walk the 0.5 mile loop trail.

Second Stop: Old Faithful Geyser Basin

The parking area here is huge, so you typically won’t have a problem finding a place to park (unlike Grand Prismatic Spring).

Make sure to visit the Old Faithful Visitor Center. This is an excellent, modern Visitor Center with interactive exhibits about the world’s most active hydrothermal area. Plan for 30 minutes here.

Time to check off an item on your bucket list! Old Faithful is found in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone and erupts approximately every 60-90 minutes.

Although Old Faithful is the star, there is plenty to see here as the majority of the world’s active geysers are located here in this large thermal basin.  

From Old Faithful Geyser, you can walk all or part of the boardwalk to see additional thermal features. You could easily walk several miles on its boardwalk depending on which loops you follow.

I recommend getting a map at the Visitor Center and asking about a good route depending on how much time you want to spend here.

Morning Glory Pool, Grand Geyser (which also erupts), and Castle Geyser are our favorites to see here.

Old Faithful Eruption Forecasts

Find the forecasted time of Old Faithful’s next eruption and be sure to give yourself a 15 minute window of time so you don’t miss it!

You can find a digital listing of forecasted eruption times for all of the geysers behind the Information Desk in the Visitor Center.

It’s also often listed on a placard outside the Visitor Center. Or, download the Yellowstone App. 

The NPS has a website for predicted geyser eruptions as well.

Third Stop: Old Faithful Inn

If you have time before returning to Bozeman, stop at the Old Faithful Inn (an impressive historic landmark built in 1904) to take a peak at its beautiful massive lobby built from lodgepole pine.

Where To Eat Near Old Faithful

There are plenty of dining options in the Old Faithful area ranging from the Dining Room in Old Faithful Inn to delis and a bake shop.

No food to brag about here but it’s good enough and convenient. We ate at the Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria due to its proximity to Old Faithful Geyser and got ice cream at the General Store. 

Tip: Look for the Wilcoxon Ice Cream bars in the freezer in the back of the General Store. It’s the best deal in the house (less than $2 each), and they are not only delicious but made in the good state of Montana! (I like the huckleberry flavor.)

Option 2- Day Trip From Bozeman To Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley To Spot Wildlife

Driving Time From Bozeman to the Lamar Valley: About 2.5 hours

This day trip itinerary is a good bet if you want to combine one of Yellowstone’s thermal features at Mammoth Hot Springs with a chance to see wildlife in the Lamar Valley.

You’ll need to get up early to beat some of the crowds and to have the best chance of seeing wildlife in the Lamar Valley. The earlier you leave, the better.

I would leave by 6am at the latest from Bozeman to get you to the Lamar Valley by about 8:30am.

The drive from Bozeman to Gardiner, MT and Yellowstone’s North Entrance is a beautiful one. An added bonus for the North Entrance is the historic Roosevelt Arch, which marks the entrance to the park.

First Stop- Lamar Valley

You’ll encounter Mammoth Hot Springs first, but don’t stop here yet. Go straight to the Lamar Valley, about a one hour drive from Mammoth, so you can be there during the early morning hours (between 6am-10am) to have the best chance of seeing wildlife.

Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley is known as the “Serengeti of the U.S.” You are practically guaranteed to see wildlife here. If you’re lucky, you’ll see bears, wolves, bison, pronghorn, and eagles, so be sure to have your binoculars ready at all times!

Look for a pull-out along the road with cars already parked–it often indicates that the devoted wolf watchers are there and looking. Some of them will even share their spotting scope with you when they see something of interest.  

Good viewing areas begin roughly a mile east of Soda Butte Cone to the last turnout (Fishermans) before the Lamar Canyon.

The Slough Creek area is another good spot- from the Slough Creek Campground Road entrance to the Yellowstone Picnic area.  

We like to bring camp chairs, snacks and drinks, and just hang out with our binoculars for a while at one of the pullouts.

• PSA- Do not approach or feed any animal.
• Bison and elk have injured people.
• Stay 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves.
• Stay 25 yards (23 m) from all other animals.

There are also several short hikes nearby. Trout Lake, round trip 1.2 miles, is a good one for even the younger kiddos. It’s steep at first but it’s short and levels out once at the lake. The trail continues around the lake and you can see trout swimming in the clear water.

The Slough Creek Trail  is also a good one, especially for wildflowers. 4 miles round trip. Remember to bring bear spray!

Tip: Enjoy a late breakfast at the Log Cabin Cafe in Silver Gate, MT about 20 minutes east of Lamar Valley. So good! Or stop at the dining room at Roosevelt Lodge on the way back to Mammoth Hot Springs

Second Stop- Mammoth Hot Springs

On your way back from the Lamar Valley, your next stop is the Albright Visitor Center and Mammoth Hot Springs. A full hour is sufficient for these stops.

At the Albright Visitor Center, you’ll find various wildlife displays, park information, and scheduled educational ranger talks. It’s certainly worth a brief stop.

After visiting the Visitor Center, walk the interpretive Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalk trail to see the travertine terraces with over 50 hot springs.

You’ll find multiple access points to the Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalk from the parking area. The entire boardwalk is 1.75 miles.

You can walk part of the Lower Terrace boardwalk and then drive the Upper Terrace Drive. The boardwalks in the park generally have full sun exposure, so if it’s a hot, sunny day it can be tough.

Remember to bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen!

Note: If the weather is bad or the kiddos aren’t in the mood, you can skip the boardwalk and drive your car around the 1.5 mile, one-way Upper Terrace Loop. 

Where To Eat Near Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Springs area has a General Store with a variety of souvenirs as well as snack food and sandwiches. It’s another good place to find the yummy Wilcoxon ice cream bars.

In Gardiner, we like the Wonderland Cafe. But our favorite stop on the way back to Bozeman is Follow Yer Nose BBQ in Paradise Valley near Emigrant, MT. Fantastic outdoor patio and great vibe.

FYI- Driving The Lower Loop

P.S. I don’t recommend doing this because it can be a really long, exhausting day, but if you are a true road warrior and want to see as much of Yellowstone as you can in one day and still return to Bozeman, I recommend driving the Lower Loop.

Leave Bozeman and enter Yellowstone at the West Entrance.

Make stops at Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful, West Thumb Basin, Fisher Bridge Visitor Center (Yellowstone Lake), Mud Volcano, Hayden Valley (wildlife), Artist Point in Canyon, Norris Geyser Basin (optional), and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Exit at North Entrance in Gardiner and drive back to Bozeman.

To give you an idea of just the driving time without getting out of the car, this day trip from Bozeman would take you about 9 hours without traffic, stops, or delays. Some friends of ours did this. Again, not recommended but offering it up in full disclosure.