Yellowstone National Park is huge! It spans over 2.2 million acres in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. I’d recommend spending two or three days here if you can, but if you only have one (long) day, it is possible to see the highlights!

The Grand Loop Road is a 142-mile figure-eight shaped road that connects most of the park’s major attractions. 

Where you will enter the loop depends on which of the five entrances you come through. On this visit, we were staying north of Gardiner, so we entered through the North Entrance. 

Drive time from north entrance to first stop: 1 hour 15 minutes

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

From the north entrance you’ll drive about an hour and 15 minutes south to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Park at the North Rim parking lot and do the short hike down to the Brink of the Lower Falls, which is steep but mostly paved. The viewpoint is great – you stand near the top of the falls, looking down at it and the canyon. Very pretty!

From there, you can drive down to the next parking lot to see the view from Lookout Point, which doesn’t require a hike, just a short walk from your car. 

Hayden Valley for Wildlife

Drive another 30 minutes south to Yellowstone Lake, the largest and highest altitude lake in North America. You’ll drive through Hayden Valley, which is famous for its wildlife. This would be a great area to spend dawn or dusk if you can time it right, since wildlife is more active around these times. 

Drive time to next stop: 30 minutes

Yellowstone Lake 

Stop at the picnic area near Lake General Store and eat a packed lunch with a beautiful background view. This is the largest high-elevation lake in North America. It is huge!

Drive time to next stop: 1 hour

Old Faithful

Driving for one more hour will bring you to Old Faithful, one of the most popular parts of the park. Accurately named, the geyser erupts on a consistent schedule, about every 90 minutes on average. You can plan around it and almost guarantee seeing an eruption while you’re here. The National Park Service app shows the next predicted eruption time, so you’ll know when to plan your stop (as long as you have service!).

This area is also a good spot to get a meal or snacks if you’re hungry. We went to the Old Faithful General Store for ice cream and to hunt for souvenirs. The Old Faithful Visitor Education Center is located near the geyser as well. Here, you can talk to rangers, learn more about the park, and get your national park passport stamped.

Drive time to next stop: 5 minutes

Grand Prismatic Spring

Continue on to Grand Prismatic Spring, only a few minutes up the road. This is the largest hot spring in the United States and third-largest in the world. It is one of the most photographed features in Yellowstone. Its vivid colors really make it special! The park has a boardwalk that allows visitors to see it up close. There are no railings, so be sure to keep an eye on little ones. Falling off the boardwalk can be very dangerous!

If you’re interested in seeing the geyser from above, you can take the 1.6-mile round trip Fairy Falls Trail to a great lookout point. We didn’t have time on this trip, so we stuck to the boardwalk. 

Drive time to next stop: 5 minutes

Fountain Paint Pots

Fountain Paint Pots is another geothermal area known for its bubbling mud pots. There‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌short‌, ‌accessible boardwalk‌ ‌trail‌ ‌that‌ ‌goes‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌small‌ ‌geyser.‌ ‌This‌ ‌is an ‌amazing‌ ‌sunset spot!‌

Drive time to next stop: 40 minutes

Roaring Mountain

Roaring Mountain has multiple steam vents that constantly emit steam and gases. The noise from the vents sounds like roaring, which is how the mountain was named. This is a nice quick stop right by the parking lot. 

Drive time to next stop: 1 hour

Mammoth Hot Springs

The last stop‌ of the day ‌is‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌northwestern‌ ‌edge‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌park.‌ ‌Mammoth‌ ‌Hot‌ ‌Springs‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌complex‌ ‌of‌ ‌hot‌ ‌springs‌ ‌that‌ ‌are‌ ‌flowing‌ ‌down‌ ‌a‌ ‌hill.‌ ‌

Overall, this will be a long day, with a little under five hours of driving time. Make sure to start early!

You may also be interested in:

Two-Day Yellowstone Itinerary: Must-See Stops In and Around the Park
One Day in Yellowstone National Park
Three Days in Grand Teton National Park
How to Spend a Day in Jackson, WY