Are you planning on visiting Yellowstone with kids? This informational post will help set your family up for success in America’s first national park. Learn what to teach kids about Yellowstone, how to prep before you go, things to pack, tips to know, and a Yellowstone itinerary for families.
- What is it like visiting Yellowstone with kids?
- A few facts about our trip to Yellowstone
- A must Learn about Yellowstone before the trip
- Four topics to cover before visiting Yellowstone
- Quick FAQ about visiting Yellowstone
- Two don’t miss activities with kids
- A Brief Itinerary for Yellowstone with Kids
- A few random things to pack for the park
- Enjoy visiting Yellowstone with your family
What is it like visiting Yellowstone with kids?
In a word: magical.
Visiting Yellowstone is an iconic trip to take – especially as a family. Like all National Parks, Yellowstone is fantastic choice for a family vacation and has so much to offer.
Yellowstone appeals to all ages, varying mobility levels, nature-lovers to nature-hesitant travelers (this isn’t a camping-only destination). Yellowstone has something for everyone, and plenty of sights you’ve probably never experienced before (I’m looking at you, mud pots).
A few facts about our trip to Yellowstone
We visited Yellowstone in mid-June. This is the very beginning of the summer season and a more off-peak time to travel. The park wasn’t empty, but it also wasn’t wildly busy with visitors. It was a fantastic time to visit.
It was 70-80 degrees F for our three-night stay, but lows dropped to the 30s. We had some light rain and a thunderstorm the very first day in the park, but the weather didn’t impact us at all. The other days were sunny and wonderful. Yellowstone is great in all weather.
We stayed in the Western Cabins at Lake Lodge which is located on the north end of Yellowstone Lake. These cabins were fantastic, a total 10/10, although they only sleep 4 guests.
One final note: We took this vacation with my parents, who have visited Yellowstone almost ten times. This is their happy place so we were along for the ride. It also gave us flexibility with lodging since Yellowstone cabins are built for groups of 4.
A must: Learn about Yellowstone before the trip
On the surface, it makes sense why most folks just pack up and head for Yellowstone. It’s a National Park, there are informational signs, it’s rivers, animals, and some geysers – but please don’t do this.
Please don’t show up to Yellowstone without background knowledge for your children. If ever there was a vacation to learn about the location beforehand, this is it. Understanding Yellowstone, learning about it’s formation, taking deep dives into geothermal features, and uncovering information about the ecosystem will only enhance your family’s visit (for the kids AND you).
Before we left, we spent about 20 minutes each evening after dinner learning about Yellowstone. We checked out books from the library and watched YouTube videos to understand more about Yellowstone. This isn’t a “typical” National park.
The following ideas are for the 5+ crowd. For under age 5, I would lean into YouTube videos that show the geographic features of Yellowstone, so they are excited to see things, like Old Faithful, in real life.
Four topics to cover before visiting Yellowstone
- Location of the park and the park’s history.
- Understanding a hotspot and the super volcano.
- Learning the types of geothermal activity.
- Find out about the animals (specifically the wolves).
I’m not going to leave you to research these topics on your own. I’ve got you. Here are specific topics, activities, books, and YouTube videos that helped all of us learn about Yellowstone.
Create a Map of Yellowstone
This was an ongoing activity as we learned about Yellowstone. We started with blank maps of Yellowstone that I drew. We then added to our maps different landmarks, landforms, and locations we knew we would be stopping at as we learned about them.
I’ve included a picture of my 10-year-old’s completed map.
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Topic 1: Location of the park and the park’s history
- Locate the park on a map (we used a road map Atlas that we own and love). Finding Yellowstone on Google maps is great too. We looked at the states Yellowstone is in, where that is in relation to our house, and other important features (like where we would enter the park at).
- Read a little about the history of the park. I checked out a lot of books from the library. One stand out was Where is Yellowstone? We read this book in pieces and sometimes out of order to capture what we wanted to know about the park.
- Watch a short introduction video on Yellowstone’s history. We watched this short video on the history of Yellowstone (from indigenous tribes to the discovery of gold), which also starts to give children context for what they’ll see at the park.
- Watch a short introduction to the park in general. We love these travel videos by Expedia for helping our kids get a quick overview of a location.
Topic 2: Understanding a hotspot and the super volcano
Yellowstone sits on a hotspot and is a super volcano. These are really important to cover – it’s easiest to watch videos from YouTube if these are new concepts to you (they were to me!). Here are a few videos we liked:
- Yellowstone Super Volcano by SciShow
- The Power of a Supervolcano by Neural Academy
- Why the Yellowstone Supervolcano Could be Huge by Smithsonian Channel
Here are some books we liked:
Make sure you cover what a hotspot is: The magma that should be far down in the Earth is really close to the surface at Yellowstone. This has bulged the land into a plateau and creates the geothermal activity Yellowstone is famous for.
Demonstrating a Hotspot
To understand how the hot magma in the Earth could push up a plateau, we did a demonstration. In foil square pans, we poured in oobleck (2 cups cornstarch mixed with 1 cup water). We set the pans on cooling racks and placed a lit tea candle under the pan.
In just a few minutes, our “hotspot” had created a plateau. This is also how the Hawaiian islands formed.
On your map, add in where the Yellowstone caldera is – the evidence of the past eruptions. There are signs for this throughout the park and you’ll be able to track the location as you drive.
Topic 3: Learning the types of geothermal activity
It is so much more fun to go to Yellowstone with kids who know the different types of geothermal activity than with those who don’t. My parents are the field test for this having taken me as a child with no background knowledge vs. my kids who were on the hunt for geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles.
Best videos for learning about these features:
- 5 Different Types of Geothermal Features by AdventureWell
- Geysers and Hot Springs for Kids by Learn Bright
Books we enjoyed (in addition to others I’ve mentioned):
Both photos taken from my car window – the bison got so close, but we stayed safe in our vehicle and never approached them.
Topic 4: Discuss the animals (especially the wolves)
Did you know wolves left Yellowstone in the 1920s? The loss of this key part of the ecosystem had devastating impacts. In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and balance to the ecosystem was restored. We watched the video “Wolves Saved Yellowstone National Park.”
I would definitely recommend finding a book about the wolves in Yellowstone, either from the library or a YouTube read aloud. Our favorite was The Wolves are Back which points out the impact of the wolves on different parts of the park.
I also would strongly recommend the book “Who Pooped in the Park?” It is hilarious, but full of great information and shockingly helpful.
Quick FAQ about visiting Yellowstone
Now that everyone is sufficiently psyched, energized, and ready to see all the things in Yellowstone, let’s talk about what to know inside the park. Let’s make sure everyone is having fun, learning, fed, and able to see all the sights they want to see.
These three questions came up the most when I was sharing our trip to Yellowstone on my Instagram account.
Where to stay in Yellowstone?
This was my third trip to Yellowstone, and I’ve stayed in the park each time. I can’t imagine doing Yellowstone any other way. This cuts down on travel time each day (it’s a huge park), waiting in lines at park entrances, and lets you maximize daylight.
You do not have to camp to stay in the park. The park has great non-camping accommodations. We stayed in the Lake Lodge Western cabins for this trip.
Any lodging in the park that works for your family (cabins, lodge, camping) is ideal. Try to make your park reservations 9-12 months in advance.
Where do you eat in Yellowstone?
The main villages/lodges in Yellowstone all have dining options. We made reservations for some of them when we booked our cabins. The food was shockingly good and less expensive than I had been worried about, given that you are “trapped” with limited options.
We took a road trip to drive from Seattle to Yellowstone so we were able to drive in with coolers. We ate out of our coolers for breakfast and lunch, but did a restaurant meal for dinners.
What about the crowds?
Yellowstone can be a very crowded place, but like most everywhere, there are ways to mitigate this.
If you can, go before or after the traditional summer vacation calendar. We went in mid-June and it was great. September is also an awesome time.
If you go during “busy season,” get up early and get moving. Crowds are biggest in the middle of the day (about 10 am to 4 pm). If you can leave your lodging by 8 am to begin exploring the park and do some exploring in the late afternoon/after dinner hours, you’ll find it way less crowded.
Two don’t miss activities with kids
There are TWO big activities I need to make sure you don’t skip when you head to Yellowstone with kids.
- Junior Ranger Program
- Young Scientist Pack
Junior Ranger Program
The Junior Ranger program is park of all National Parks in the US. Head to ANY visitor center or ranger station to pick up a Junior Ranger packet for your child. These packets are a treasure trove of information, games, and entertainment.
I think the booklets are geared especially at the 7-12 year old demographic, but late preschoolers to first graders would have a blast doing many of the pages. Plus, it’s full of great information for adults.
When your child has completed a certain number of pages in the booklet (this is determined by age), they can return to any ranger station to share their work and be sworn in as Junior Rangers. This is adorable and they get a badge specific to the park.
It’s a 10/10. Please make it part of your visit.
Young Scientist Pack
I didn’t know about this kit until we arrived in Yellowstone and I was tipped off by another family. I’m spreading the message here.
The Young Scientist backpack is available ONLY at the main visitor’s center at Old Faithful. Your family can check this out for 3 hours. In the backpack is another fantastic workbook, a thermo gun to check temperatures of hot springs (wish we had one all trip), a stop watch to time eruptions, rock samples, books, and games.
The rangers only have 5 kits to lend out at a time – and they said the backpacks are rarely being used. This broke my heart because so many families are missing out on this learning opportunity.
We used the pack to explore the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful. With the great kid-friendly maps, my 12-year-old was able to lead the expedition. We had so much fun with this pack, we bought a temperature gun when we got home for our future hikes (and for day-to-day entertainment). We will never go back to Yellowstone without one (solid LOL, but it’s true).
A Brief Itinerary for Yellowstone with Kids
We had such a magical time in Yellowstone. My Dad led the expedition, planned our route, and we toured so many amazing sites. Below is our rough itinerary for the almost 3 days of sight seeing we had.
Note: We did not get to explore the Lamar valley. This is where the wolves primarily roam. If we had another half a day, we could have added this. But that’s okay. A place as large as Yellowstone means making some choices for what’s important to your family.
Day 1: Enter Park at Roosevelt Arch around 11 am
- Drove from 1h30 minutes from Bozeman, Montana to Yellowstone
- Entered the park through Gardener and took photos at the Roosevelt Arch
- Visited the Mammoth Hot Springs
- Drove to the Upper Terrace Overlook (to see the Travertine terraces) and trailhead
- Drove to Sheepeater picnic area for lunch
- Toured Norris Geyser Basin (we parked on the street to avoid getting stuck in the parking lot – this was a great pro tip from my dad)
- Drove to the Gibbon Falls overlook
- Drove through the Firehole Falls canyon
- Saw Old Faithful erupt, and toured the lodge and visitor center (great museum)
- Dinner at Old Faithful Lodge (reservation recommended)
- Drove to the Midway Geyser Basin to see Grand Prismatic Spring
- Drove to Lake Lodge cabins
Day 2: Upper Falls, Lower Falls, & Mud Volcano
- Left cabins at 8:15 am and drove toward the Upper Falls
- Parked at Upper Falls parking lot & walked to the viewpoint
- Walked to view Crystal Falls from the same parking lot
- Drove to Brink of the Lower Falls Trailhead (this is an intense switchback to see the lower falls – it’s totally doable with kids and awesome, but not with a stroller).
- Lunch at Glacial Boulder Trailhead
- Drove to Inspiration Point
- Drove to Canyon Village for the visitor center, shops, and ice cream
- Drove to the Mud volcano (this is a full on sulfur-filled area – be warned of smells. I threw up here when I was 8 years old).
- Fishing Bridge visitor center and beach play on Yellowstone Lake (fantastic visitor center with taxidermy animals)
- Drove to Duck Lake Trailhead at the West Thumb Geyser Basin – super easy 1 mile out and back to get to a secluded beach for more play
- Dinner at Grant Village (reservation recommended)
- Drover back the West Thumb Geyser Basin
- Back to Lake Lodge for bed
Day 3: Upper Geyser Basin, Nez Perce Creek, Confluence
- Left cabins about 8 am to drive the 1 hour back to Old Faithful
- Checked out the Young Scientist backpack from the visitor center (3 hours)
- Walked the Upper Geyser Basin (3 mile loop)
- Lunch at Nez Perce picnic area – best location for creek play for kids
- Foudn the Madison Information Station to see the confluence of the Firehole, Gibbon, and Madison rivers
- Parked at Madison campground to play in the confluence
- Drove to Ice Lake Trailhead (1 mile out and back for secluded lake play)
- Dinner at Lake Lodge (no reservation needed)
- Played at Yellowstone Lake until sunset
A few random things to pack for the park
Obviously, you need your general “outdoor gear” – things that will make you comfortable spending all day outside. Whether you stay in the park or out, you probably won’t go back to your lodging until the end of the day. Make sure you have all your gear before you set out in the morning.
Here are a few extra things we packed to Yellowstone that made a big difference for our family.
Walkie Talkies
If you will be caravanning in Yellowstone, walkie talkies are a must. There is limited to no cell service. You will not have a reliable way to communicate between cars unless you pack walkie talkies. We have had these for years. The range is supposedly 35 miles – although we haven’t attempted that.
These came in handy when cars got separated, saw wildlife, needed to make a last minute change, or trying to decide where to meet up.
Binoculars
No question here. Make sure to pack binoculars – if possible, one per child. These are so important for spotting wildlife across the park. Don’t forget to toss them in with your usual outdoor gear.
Travel Toys for Big Kids
You will be in your car a lot in Yellowstone. It’s a big park. Our cabins at Lake Lodge to Old Faithful was an hour drive each way. We packed a few books and fidgets for the kids each day in the car. Sometimes, we kept the fidgets with us our hikes.
Travel Toys for Little Kids
Same as above – the car time can be brutal. So can hiking and waiting at a restaurant for food. Set your kids (and yourself) up for a more relaxing time by having some things for them to do. Remember, cell service is limited so you need screen free options.
Enjoy visiting Yellowstone with your family
Yellowstone is great place for a family vacation – and one that will fill you with awe. The variety of features, the unbelievable scenery… Yellowstone is as magical as any amusement park or fast-paced city. Maybe more.
If you visit Yellowstone with your kids (or already have), leave a comment below to help other families have a smooth, memorable vacation.
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