Yellowstone August 2025

[Old_Salty]

My wife and I are planning to visit Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this coming August. Our campground reservations are made and confirmed.

What are the must see's and don't waste your time items? Tours to take, places to eat and places not to eat, tips and such?

Thanks in advance, Mike

 

[twindman]

Just for the experience, you should eat at the Old Faithful Inn. It has been a couple of years, but last visit they had a dinner that is sort of buffet. You can order one of a couple or three main courses. Must have reservations well in advance.
I think maybe breakfast or lunch may not need reservations but would guess it would be a long line.

 

[scottz]

Where are you staying? Plan a day for the geyser basin (West Thumb, Old Faithful, etc), a day for the canyon area, a day for the Mammoth area, a day to do nothing but relax and walk around, and a day or two for other stuff that you find. You will find ranger led seminars at several places; they are usually pretty good. Make sure you spend an hour or so in the Old Faithful Inn; wonderful old building. The Yellowstone Hotel on the lake is also worth visiting. There is also interesting stuff around Cody. We love Grand Teton so spend a little time there.

Food: Nothing special that I can remember. It is almost all typical national park, expensive, cafeteria style food; nothing special, but you are not going there for the food. We have eaten at the Old Faithful Inn restaurant; it was good.

Above all, be ready for the crowds. Double the amount of time you think you will need to travel and see things. Many times traffic will be bumper to bumper 20 mph or less; sometimes behind a bison road block; just sit back and relax. Despite the summer crowds, Yellowstone is a must see and well worth it. We have been there many times; my next trip will be in the winter.

 

[LeftOverParts]

If you’re both up to it, I would recommend taking the hike to the Prismatic Spring overlook. 1.2 miles and gradual elevation gain about 100 ft. It’s worth the view from a higher vantage point. Take your camera, water and hat. If the hike doesn’t sound good, the boardwalk around the spring is another option.

There are horseback riding outfits just outside Jackson Hole. I don’t recall the outfit’s name but we went with one that had great views of the Tetons including the Grand. You might check Trip Advisor for names and reviews.

Safe travels!

 

[Daryles]

Tetons: Jackson Hole antler arch. Jackson Hole Aerial Tram and Gondola Rides. Jenny lake hike. Jackson lake.

Yellowstone: all of it

 

[BeckCass]

I’m going to follow this as we’re heading out there in September following the MOC rally.

 

[Dgeisser]

My wife and I are planning to visit Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this coming August. Our campground reservations are made and confirmed.

What are the must see's and don't waste your time items? Tours to take, places to eat and places not to eat, tips and such?

Thanks in advance, Mike

I like the town in Cody , the museum is worth the trip . Camped right in town .

 

[cwalker-MOC]

Get the audio your from Guide Along. You play it through your car speakers and when you get close to a place the "guide" will start telling you about what's next and if it's worth a stop or not. We bought the package for the whole country.

 

[mlh]

What should you see in Yellowstone? That’s easy EVERYTHING. Take your time and see it all. Take every road go slow enjoy.
Out of Yellowstone the Cody Museum is a must see. The first time I was there two friends who live in Wyoming said I should see the Cody Museum so I thought I would take 15 minutes to see this little museum. It took 2 days and I could have stayed longer. It’s fabulous. There are actually five museums there under one roof modern art, western are, a Native American museum, Buffalo Bill museum, gun museum.
Lynwood

 

[imolaed]

Yellowstone is very special.
Focus on seeing as much as you are able.
Goto the visitor centers. Describe your desires. Follow the plan.
Food is only important to allow you to see more of the park.
Inside the "Inn" is worth seeing just like the 100's of other sights.
I could have spent 3 days in the Cody museum

 

[CajunMaduro]

I would suggest having a nice spotting scope. We had a great time just picnicking at overlooks and using our scope to watch wildlife. There will almost always be other spotters there which makes for great conversation.

 

[Old_Salty]

Thanks all! We appreciate all the suggestions and we have added the ones we didn't have on our list. We do visit the Visitor Centers and experience the local customs and cuisine. We are fortunate as our country is huge and diverse with so much to see and do!

This is part of a much larger trip and part of the wife's and my goal to visit all 50 states together. After this trip, we will have 6 more states to visit. After next summer, we will have visited them all!

 

[BeckCass]

We, too, are trying to camp in all 50 states. We’ll add 4 more this fall. And, Lord willing, the last 5 stateside in the Spring of 2026. In 2028, we’ll celebrate our 50th anniversary and hope to go to Hawaii. We’ll rent an RV so we can say we’ve camped in all 50 states. Good luck to you and safe travels.

 

[ehovencamp]

Grand canyon of Yellowstone