Last summer, I had the chance to make a US road trip with one of my best friends, and we decided to visit Wyoming! First stop was to visit Salt Lake City in Utah (if you’re curious about where to eat and what to do, just click here), and then we hit Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons (click here to read more). The next step on our itinerary was to visit Yellowstone and Cody, and let me tell you, we weren’t disappointed!

Second step: Wapiti, Wyoming

We drove from Jackson Hole all the way up to Wapiti, a really small town near Cody (the rodeo capital of Wyoming!). We chose Wapiti simply because we wanted to experience staying on a ranch, and it was the cheapest and closest option between Yellowstone and Cody. (Yes, staying on a ranch in the summer near Yellowstone can get really expensive, so book in advance!)

We stayed at Rand Creek Ranch, and the views and nature right outside our cabin were pretty amazing.

Rand Creek Ranch offers horseback rides (you can choose between 1-hour, 2-hour, or full-day rides), and the prices were really reasonable compared to other ranches. The only downside was that it’s quite far from Yellowstone. It’s about 30 minutes from the eastern entrance, and we didn’t realize how much driving you actually do inside the park—so don’t make the same mistake we did!

Another downside of staying in such a small town like Wapiti is that there aren’t many “healthy” or gluten-free food options, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind if, like me, you have food intolerances. That said, we were really glad to be relatively close to a huge Walmart in Cody, which definitely came in handy.

After setting in, we decided to visit Cody, which was about 30 minutes away from Wapiti. But we decided to visit this town (you won’t need more than a day to visit the whole town) and it was really cute! A few small gift shops, as well as some western clothing stores, were worth the visit. The star of the show there are both the rodeo and the Old Trail Town, which is a famous ghost town.

The next few days were some of the most magical and surreal of my life. We woke up before sunrise (the best time to spot wildlife 🦬) and drove into Yellowstone, trying to hit as many spots as we could.

But again, as I mentioned earlier, I highly recommend staying inside or close to the park, because you’ll be doing a lot of driving. Add a hike on top of that, and you’ll be exhausted by the end of the day! Since we weren’t ideally located, we decided to squeeze everything into two days (not our best idea, lol) instead of four. One thing that really helped us decide what to see each day was using Yellowstone maps online, where you can find all the main spots and landscapes marked out. Here are the places we visited:

Lamar & Hayden Valley

This is one of the best areas to spot wildlife (although you can see animals throughout the entire park!). As the name suggests, these are vast plains that are not only beautiful but also home to herds of bison roaming freely. We went there twice—once at sunrise and again at sunset—to maximize our chances of spotting bears, moose, and other wildlife. Seeing nature “wake up” and “wind down” was pretty magical.

Here are the species we spotted in those valleys and throughout the park:

Deers
Bisons
A black wolf (we got lucky!)
Coyotes
An elk
A grizzly bear

We unfortunately didn’t see any moose (which I was really disappointed about), but I’m glad we saw all those species!

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs honestly felt like stepping onto another planet. The terraces are made of limestone, and the flowing hot water creates these surreal white and orange formations that almost look frozen in time. It’s very different from the rest of Yellowstone, which makes it even more worth seeing. There are wooden boardwalks that take you all around the area, so you can explore at your own pace and take it all in. It’s one of those places that doesn’t even feel real in person.

Norris Geyser Basin

It’s the hottest and oldest geothermal area in Yellowstone, and you can really feel it—steam everywhere, bubbling pools, and that strong sulfur smell in the air. There are different trails you can take depending on how much time you have, and every corner looks completely different.

Old faithful

Old Faithful is probably one of the most iconic spots in Yellowstone—and honestly, I think it lives up to the hype. We actually got really lucky and arrived just about five minutes before an eruption, without planning it at all! Watching it go off was such a cool experience. Every 90 minutes or so, boiling water shoots high into the sky, and even though you know it’s coming, it still feels a bit surreal to witness in person. That being said, I’d definitely recommend checking the predicted eruption times ahead of your visit so you don’t miss it. It’s one of the most crowded areas in the park, so try to arrive at least 15 minutes before the eruption to find a place to sit!

And while you’re there, you can also check out the historic Old Faithful Inn. It’s a beautiful building with a lot of character, and you can grab a drink or a bite to eat inside. There are also gift shops if you want a little souvenir. It’s one of the more crowded areas in the park, so again, I’d recommend arriving early!

The Grand Prismatic (my personal favorite)

The Grand Prismatic Spring has honestly been a dream of mine for years—I still remember seeing pictures of it in my geography books back in school 🥹. Seeing it in real life did not disappoint! We didn’t do the hike ourselves, but you can take the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail for a quick climb, and it gives you the best view of the spring from above. Being on the hill really lets you appreciate the incredible colors and patterns, which I’m sure are even more stunning from that perspective! Of course, it’s still beautiful up close near the boardwalk, but that overlook adds a whole new level of “wow.”

Quick tips

Cody : spend an afternoon visiting the ghost town + downtown and end up the day with a rodeo
Yellowstone : use the online map with all the interesting spots within the park! My favorites
- Hayden & Lamar Valley (sunrise and sunset are the best time to spot some wildlife!)
- Mammoth hot springs
- Old faithful + Old faithful Inn
- The Grand Prismatic (+ Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail if you have time)
- We didn’t see it, but I heard the Grand Canyon was pretty cool too!

Yellowstone, Cody & Wapiti 🏇🏻