Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone With Kids

Yellowstone with kids Of all the places we were traveling to during our summer road trip to South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, Yellowstone was one of the parks I was anticipating most. I talked to everyone I knew who had been there, read every online trip report I could find and also bought several books to help plan our itinerary. (Some of my favorites were Moon Yellowstone & Grand Teton: Including Jackson HoleNational Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United Statesand Fodor’s The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the WestI especially like the second two because I have used them on several other trips to National Parks, so much so that my copies are worn and dog eared.

Because Yellowstone is a huge park and there is a ton to do and see, it is easy to get overwhelmed when planning a visit.  These books were invaluable in helping me narrow down what we would focus during our 4 days in the park. Since we were traveling to Yellowstone with kids, I also utilized National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.: The Most Amazing Sights, Scenes, and Cool Activities from Coast to Coast! to plan things to do that would be especially interesting to them. To get the kids even more excited, I packed goodie bags for the road trip with children’s books about the park including Yellowstone National Park, “Hey Ranger!” Kids Ask Questions About Yellowstone National Park and Who Pooped in the Park? Yellowstone National Park: Scat and Tracks for Kids. These were great books at their level and really helped to prepare them for our visit. I also read to them the stories from It Happened In Yellowstone each night on our way there. Whew!  With all that research, we were ready!

Yellowstone with kids: Dragon's Mouth

Yellowstone with kids: Caldera Region in Yellowstone

Yellowstone with kids: Dragon's Cauldron in Yellowstone

Yellowstone with kids

Yellowstone With Kids-

Cody Night Rodeo

It is impossible to not be amazed at the diversity of both the landscape and wildlife in Yellowstone.  While parts of the park are unbelievably beautiful, parts of it are so unusual and so unlike any place I have ever been that it feels like you may actually be wandering around Mars. The kids and I arrived in mid June after driving across the country from Cincinnati with several stops along the way to break up the long journey, including Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, and Grand Teton National Park.  Because Dave couldn’t take so much time off from work in a row, he flew into Cody, Wyoming a couple of days into our trip to meet up with us while we were in Yellowstone. We’ve taken several trips like this so that Dave’s work schedule can be accommodated, and it works for us, but I was really looking forward to seeing him and also glad to be able to tag team parent once again!

Yellowstone with kids: Cody Night Rodeo

Yellowstone with kids: Cody Night Rodeo

Yellowstone with kids: Cody Night Rodeo

Canyon Campground-

When planning our trip, we chose to stay in the bustling Canyon Campground mainly for its proximity to Cody, where Dave was flying in and where we saw the Cody Night Rodeo the evening of his flight.  It’s a wonderful campground and we were happy with our choice.  Close to the beautiful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, it also had daily Ranger Programs, shower and laundry facilities, bathrooms with running water and was close to stores, restaurants and a Visitor Center which was perfect for our visit to Yellowstone with kids. It is a huge park and many of the must see attractions are spread out and far away from each other so I was glad to minimize the driving by having things conveniently located near our campsite. The campground is beautiful with large and flat wooded sites spaced nicely away from neighbors. Each site had parking and a bear box to store our food and while the campground was pretty full, it never seemed crowded. There are several campgrounds to choose from inside the park and over 2000 front country campsites so even though Yellowstone is heavily visited, with advance planning you should be able to get a spot.  Visit the NPS site to find campground information and to make reservations.

Yellowstone with kids: Canyon Campground

Yellowstone with kids: Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Yellowstone with kids: Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone with Kids: Safety-

One of the concerns I had about visiting Yellowstone with kids was keeping us all safe. Before our visit I read a fantastic book by Lee Whittlesey Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park. While it may sound morbid, the book is fascinating and it actually reassured me quite a bit.  It is much easier to keep your family safe when you are aware of the dangers!  Because there were so many accounts of children hurt or killed in the park from falling in and even jumping in the boiling waters of the caldera region, I made sure to impress upon the kids the importance of staying on the walkways on these hikes.  I may have gone a little too far since Garrett flat out refused to go on the first walk we wanted to take at Mud Volcano. After reassuring him he would be safe if he followed the park rules, he calmed down and enjoyed our hike.  I wanted the kids to have a healthy fear of the park and it worked!  It really is a great book. To keep us safe in the event of a bear encounter, I carried Counter Assault Bear Deterrent Pepper Spray on every hike and I made sure to have it handy and not stuffed in my backpack. I also made sure to keep food stored in the campsite bear boxes and away from our tents.  We also attended a Ranger Program at the campground about staying safe in bear country that was really informative. Sadly, we didn’t see any bears while in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone with Kids: An Unforgettable Experience-

With beautiful hiking, abundant wildlife, geysers, crystal clear lakes and awe inspiring mountains, Yellowstone has something for everyone! You could spend weeks here and never run out of new things to experience, and our four days passed too quickly. I really can’t wait to go back for an extended visit.

Yellowstone with kids: Safety in Yellowstone

Yellowstone with kids:

If You Go:

1.  Pack clothes for all weather– It can be cold at any time of year so plan accordingly!  During our visit in June we spent some days in shorts and tanks and some days in winter coats so make sure you are prepared for any weather.

2. Be prepared for a lot of driving– Yellowstone is a huge park and as a first time visitor we had many things on our list of must see attractions- Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley and Yellowstone Lake to name a few.  It takes time to travel to all of these places so account for this in your trip planning.  Even with 4 days in the park we felt like we spent too much time driving from place to place and our next visit would be much longer so that we could spend a day or two in each area to reduce the rushing around.

3. Expect Crowds– Yellowstone is heavily visited and it gets crowded during school vacation times.  Our visit took place in early summer and restaurants, Visitor Centers, stores and hiking trails were quite crowded.  Traveling at times other than school breaks would be ideal but if you do arrive during the middle of summer be prepared to deal with crowded roads and attractions and allow for extra time.

4. Respect the wilderness– With the crowds, people seem to forget that Yellowstone is a wild area and treat it like a theme park.  I can not tell you how many people I saw walking up to Bison to pose for pictures or stepping over fences into thermal areas to get a better camera angle.  The animals are not props and the terrain is not a set.  Follow the rules that are made to protect you and the park!

5. Do the Junior Ranger ProgramYellowstone’s Junior Ranger Program was great!  The kids learned a ton from completing their booklets and attending several Ranger led programs.  National Park Rangers have a wealth of information and are a great resource for a successful visit to Yellowstone so take advantage of them.

Yellowstone with kids: Old Faithful

Yellowstone with kids: Old Faithful

Yellowstone with kids: Old Faithful

Yellowstone National Park is a fantastic park for kids and I can’t wait until we can go back!

You can see our 4,000 mile road trip itinerary which we did over the month of June by clicking here.

Have you gone to Yellowstone with Kids?  What was your favorite part?

Happy Travels!

More from Tricia
Jumbo Rocks Campground at Joshua Tree National Park
One of the coolest National Park campgrounds we have ever camped at...
Read More
12 replies on “Yellowstone With Kids”
  1. says: Ken

    I LOVE Yellowstone, I just was discussing though how serious the build up is underneath it. Do you guys realize that basically under Yellowstone, there’s just a huge active supervolcano which could seriously erupt at nearly any time? It’s actually overdue for eruption! I just talked about it a few weeks ago in great detail: survivingtheaftermath .com I would love to have your opinion on some of this, please come and check it out, let me know what you think. You seem to really know the area…I have only been there a few times…but I am under the impression you may even live there… It may be interesting to hear what you have to say, please, comment and let us know your thoughts?

  2. says: Kerri

    I am glad there’s another mom out there who researches the dangers. My family thought I was crazy for googling “deaths on Mist Trail in Yosemite.” 🙂 I kept telling them that our national parks are quite different from Disney World.

    I’m planning a trip to Yellowstone for next summer and have enjoyed reading your blog.

  3. says: Nancy

    Great information. We too are planning a trip to Yellowstone from Cincinnati. We’re curious about places to stay along the way, places to see and what to eat. This info is very useful. Thanks!

  4. says: Kim

    Reading your blog….
    We live in Louisville and are heading to Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone this summer.
    We have a 11 & 15 year old….anything we absolutely have to do on our trip?
    Thanks to your recommendations I can add a couple of stops along the way.
    Where did you stay when you went to Mt. Rushmore?
    Thanks.
    Kim

    1. You are going to have an awesome time!! We stayed at the KOA Mt.Rushmore which was a destination in itself! We tent camped, but they also have cabin rentals. I would stay there again when we go back. As far as must do–have your kids look at Fodor’s National Parks of the West and pick some of the hikes they most want to do. There is so much diversity in Yellowstone, you could spend a lifetime! Have a great trip! Let me know how it goes–I would love to hear about it. Happy Travels!

  5. says: Caroline Ogburn

    Really enjoying your website & blog about your National Park adventures. I, too, have 4 kids (12, 10, 9 & 7) , live just north of Cincinnati, and am heading west next week by car to Yellowstone & Grand Teton. Stops hopefully at Badlands, Mt. Rushmore & Devil’s Tower. We are meeting another family with 3 children of similar ages. Cannot wait! We are staying just outside the west entrance of the park in West Yellowstone. did you get there on your journey? curious if you have any recommended places to eat/visit. Also – any recommended trails in Yellowstone that would be good for younger kids? My son is a scout and fairly experienced for his age but the other kids – new to it all. Thanks again for your posts – plan to visit frequently as we adventure to many national parks.

    1. Welcome Caroline! You are going to have so much fun on your trip! Our trip from Cincinnati followed a similar path. We stopped at Sioux Falls, Corn Palace and Wall Drug and that really helped break up the drive. We never did make it to West Yellowstone so I can’t recommend anything in that area but enjoyed meals at the cafeteria at Old Faithful Inn as well as the Canyon Lodge Cafeteria. Both had good food at reasonable prices. There are a ton of wonderful short walks in the park- we liked Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron as well as the trail around the West Thumb Geyser Basin. How about trying one of these short ones and seeing how everyone does? If everyone is enjoying spending time on the trails you could try the 5 mile round trip uncrowded hike to Lone Star Geyser which we really enjoyed. Have a great trip…I hope you will come back and let me know how it went!

  6. says: Sugar Aunts

    Found you on the Monday Mingle blog hop. What a great blog!! I love Yellowstone! We are your newest followers on bloglovin’ and Twitter. Looking forward to more posts from you!
    Colleen at Sugar Aunts

Comments are closed.