How to see Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in a long weekend
Grand Tetons National Park
Like everyone else, our travel plans changed a lot this year due to the Covid Pandemic, but we were still able to travel when it was safe. Since we live in Arizona, we have LONG HOT summer. And since 2020 has proved to be the worst year ever, August weather in Arizona was the hottest summer ever recorded. If you live here, you know that by August, we are losing our sanity.
When September rolls around, you are definitely ready for fall weather, but you won't find it in Phoenix. We planned a last-minute long weekend to see Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Tetons to get out of the heat!
Day 1
Yellowstone Bison
You will not be able to see everything that Yellowstone and Grand Tetons offers in two days but you will see the top sights. On day one we drove into the park early to get a glimpse of the wildlife. Next, we stopped at Old Faithful. We walked around the hotel and waited for the geyser to go off! We also grabbed lunch and souvenirs here.
Old Faithful, Yellowstone
We continued our drive and headed towards the Grand Tetons. We were determined to get to Jenny Lake for the boat ride before closing. It closes at 4pm in the fall season. Along the way we stopped at several scenic sites, and Lewis falls overlook.
Lewis Falls
Late September proved to be a great time for seeing fall colors in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The drive to the Tetons was gorgeous.
Drive from Yellowstone to Tetons (late September)
After a few more scenic stops along the way, we made it to Jenny Lake just before 3pm. You can take the boat ride across the lake and hike to Hidden Falls. The kids loved the boat ride and the hike was easy for kids. We were cutting it close on time but made it back for the last boat ride. If you miss the boat ride, then you have to walk 2 miles back around the lake.
Jenny Lake, Grand Tetons
We drove to Jackson Hole for dinner and to explore the town. Then we started our long drive back to the hotel.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Day 2
On day two, we woke up to snow! The kids loved seeing it snow. We headed back to Yellowstone to see all the sights we missed on Day one.
Our first stop was the Grand Prismatic Geyser.
Grand Prismatic Geyser
We walked around here for a bit exploring the different geysers. After seeing it from the ground, we took the next turn off to do a short hike to see the Grand Prismatic from above. The hike is about a 1.6 mile easy roundtrip walk and well worth the hike to see the view from above.
Grand Prismatic Geyser from above
We then started our journey to East Yellowstone to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Mammoth Springs, and Norris Geyser Basin. We managed to squeeze all of those stops in and spent time at each. We even saw a bear on the drive to Norris Geyser Basin! The kids loved seeing all of the wildlife!
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Mammoth Springs
That concluded our time at Yellowstone and Tetons. For us, two days was plenty to explore and see the top rated sights. If you plan well, then it definitely can be done.
Have you taken your kids to Yellowstone? What is your favorite National Park? If you have any questions, let me know in the comments!
