Yellowstone

There is no better way, clockwise or counter-clockwise are all excellent. It may be determined by which entrance you arrive through. If you have limited time, it can be nice to leave Old Faithful until later in the day so that you “build up” to this spectacular highlight. But allow enough time to spend at least a couple hours at Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin.

It’s quite exciting to see the many animals in Yellowstone – both big and small. They are wild, so you need to remember their movements are never guaranteed and you always need to respect the recommended safe distances, keep in your vehicle and never feed. 

You can rent spotting scopes, camera lens and binoculars to safety see animals up close.

Suggested areas to spot some of the 67 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, fish and amphibians you’ll find in Yellowstone include;

Bison – Hayden and Lamar Valleys

Bears – Grizzles in the Hayden and Lamar Valleys and Black Bears around Tower and Mammoth

Wolves – Lamar Valley

Pronghorn – Lamar Valley and Gardiner

Elk – Gardiner

Moose – Grant Teton

Yes, and there is bonus content on the road that connects the 2 Parks, the John D Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway.

The Yellowstone Grand Teton Combo tour is the best value choice if you plan to visit both Parks.

Unfortunately each park now collects its own entrance fees so you will need to purchase a separate pass each for Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Depending on the length of your stay it might be best value to purchase an America the Beautiful annual pass which gets you entry into any national park without any time restrictions.

While more visitors have died by drowning or suffered burns from hot springs than bear attacks, you are in bear country.  Anywhere from backcountry to the boardwalks around Old Faithful.

It’s good to prepare for bear encounters no matter where you go.  

Take some time to know what to do if you encounter a bear and how to use bear spray.

You can rent and recycle bear spray at hotels, stores, visitor centers, backcountry offices, and ranger stations, as well as area camping stores, and the Bozeman airport.