(323)657-3496 Email Us Travel Agents

Top 10 Most Beautiful Attractions in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most iconic parks in the world, and for good reason. This geothermal wonder offers a wide range of activities for anyone and everyone. Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie or simply want to drive through the park and see the viewpoints, Yellowstone will be an adventure you won’t soon forget. Filled with unbelievable geothermal attractions and a wide array of wildlife—including wolves and grizzly bears!—it’s no wonder that people flock to this park from all corners of the planet. If you’re only visiting the park for a day or two, here are the top 10 most beautiful attractions you won’t want to miss. 

1. Old Faithful Geyser 

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-old-faithful.jpg

Old Faithful is one of the star attractions of Yellowstone National Park, and people will wait here for hours to see it erupt. Originally named due to its regularity of eruptions, the intervals between eruptions are not as predictable as they once were. Nowadays, you may be waiting for anywhere between 35 minutes and two hours, with an average of about an hour and a half wait time. This wait is worth it, however, as soon as you see the geyser shoot huge columns of water up into the air! Eruptions last from 1.5-5 minutes long, and Old Faithful is easily accessible via paved pathways. 

2. Upper Geyser Basin

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-sapphire-pool.jpg

Old Faithful is located within an area of Yellowstone known as the Upper Geyser Basin. This basin has the highest concentration of geysers in the entire world! The boardwalk path through this basin will take approximately two hours to walk, and will lead you past stunning geysers and rainbow-colored pools. Don’t miss the Beehive Geyser, the Giantess Geyser, and the majestic Morning Glory and Sapphire pools. 

3. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-grand-canyon.jpg

This jaw-dropping canyon has been carved out of the earth by the Yellowstone River over thousands of years. The two most popular attractions here are the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. The impressive Lower Falls drops approximately 300 feet, while the Upper Falls drops slightly over 100 feet. This picturesque area of Yellowstone is filled with alpine trees, hot springs, and steam vents. 

4. Grand Prismatic Spring

If you’ve ever looked through images of Yellowstone National Park, you’ve seen photos of the unbelievable Grand Prismatic Spring. This rainbow pool, located in the Midway Geyser Basin, is one of the largest and most impressive hot springs in the park. With stunning blue, green, red, orange, and yellow hues, photographers from all over the globe travel to Yellowstone to photograph this beauty. 

5. Yellowstone Lake

Did you know that Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-altitude freshwater lake in North America? From the surface it looks like any other lake, yet underneath this calm surface lies geysers, hot springs, and canyons up to nearly 400 feet deep! Fishing and boating are two very popular activities here, and you could spend an entire afternoon out on this lake. 

6. Hayden Valley

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-hayden-valley.jpg

Hayden Valley is one of the most popular spots in Yellowstone for wildlife viewing. Large herds of bison can often be seen here, and if you’re lucky, you may even get a sighting of pronghorns, elk, or bears. Hayden Valley is easily accessible by car, and there are plenty of turnouts for those who want to stop for a photo op. You can hike on one of a few trails in this valley as well, but tread cautiously as bears are often seen here!

7. Norris Geyser Basin

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-geothermal.jpg

The Norris Geyser Basin is the oldest and hottest basin in all of Yellowstone. One of the most interesting attractions in this basin is the Steamboat Geyser—the tallest geyser in the entire world! Water can be seen shooting out of this geyser up to 400 feet in the air. While it used to have regular eruptions, nowadays the eruptions are becoming rarer. Echinus Geyser, also located in this basin, is a rare acidic geyser with a pH of 3.5. 

8. Mammoth Hot Springs

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-mammoth-hot-springs.jpg

Mammoth Hot Springs is accessible by two terrace boardwalks—upper and lower. Both are easily accessible by a nearby parking lot. The Minerva Terrace is the most well-recognized attraction in this area, made popular by its colorful travertine terraces that are constantly changing. Although the Minerva Terrace is the most photographed spot here, the Mammoth Hot Springs area includes over 50 hot springs. 

9. Lamar Valley

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-bison.jpg

Lamar Valley is another popular spot in Yellowstone for wildlife viewing and is one of the only areas of the park where visitors have a higher chance of seeing wolves in the wild. Herds of bison can also be seen here, as well as coyotes, pronghorns, elk, and bears. For the best chance of viewing wildlife, drive through the Lamar Valley in the early morning or late evening. This valley is easily accessible by car and has many different turnouts for those who’d like to stop for photos. 

10. West Thumb Geyser Basin

top-10-yellowstone-national-park-west-thumb-geyser-basin.jpg

The West Thumb Geyser Basin is one of the smallest basins in Yellowstone, yet is home to the park’s deepest pool. The Abyss Pool is 53 feet deep and is well worth the visit to this area. The pathway that winds through this basin is easily accessible to all and takes about a half-hour to walk the 0.6 miles. Located on the western side of Yellowstone Lake, this basin also offers incredible views of the water. 

Are you ready to explore Yellowstone?

Do you want to join us on our next Yellowstone National Park expedition? Stay tuned—we’ll be announcing our U.S. National Park trips this next week! While you’re waiting, check out our Arches and Canyonlands expedition, as well as our Capitol Reef, Zion, and Bryce Canyon adventure. If you have any questions, email us at expeditions@acanela.com and we’ll be happy to help!

This post was written by Kiri Rowan
Check out more of her adventures on Instagram
@kirirowan