Yellowstone National Park Travel Forum

Hey all! ok, i am an international student from Malaysia. well, i was born in malaysia but pretty much spent my entire life before coming to the states in Brunei. so here's the deal. family's coming over to the states for my graduation may next year and i really want to make their trip here a real special one. dad loves being outdoors and just enjoys natural beauty especially mountains. i have been reading about the park and the planning part but am at a complete lost as to which part of the park to visit. preferably a site with lots of breathtaking views of mountains and such. i know lots of them offer this but specifically which ones i have absolutely no idea. also i am pretty much new to hiking in the woods. saw a bunch of pictures from a friend's trip and just though that it would be an awesome idea to go on a trip like that. so yea, just about anything about the park, tips about hiking, just about anything related would be greatly appreciated. thanks all! enjoy the rest of your summers!!!

The best resource for the park is the park service - not sure if you have already found this site - just in case here it is.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/index.htm

Look under "things to do", then "Day hikes". There are updates on all the conditions in the park. Important to read a section titled something like "what to do to minimize problems when there is a bear encounter" - also read "what to know before coming". The Day Hikes section talks about all the areas of Yellowstone.

We visited a very long time ago, at which time I enjoyed the parts further north of the park.

All the best with your graduation - enjoy the park!

Nomad

anybody knows anything about eagle peak? can we hike to the top or anything like that?

www.yellowstone-natl-park.com

If there's anything about Yellowstone that you can't find on this site, then you don't need to know it. Here's the URL about hiking:

www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/hiking.htm

As for Eagle Peak in Yellowstone, neither my park map nor the book _Yellowstone Hiking Trails_ show any trails near that mountain.

Hello Andy,

You don't mention what time of the year you're intending on doing this. (graduation day I take it to be around late May)?
Be adviced of following:

Yellowstone is a wild (and can be) dangerous place.
There are many animals around which *may* and most likely include, Grizzly and Black bears, Moose, Elk and Bison.
Late Spring is prime calving and birthing time for most of the animals in the Greater Yellowstone region.
Experienced hikers/campers are best suited for off road treks.
As previous posters have mentioned, best to look through some of the parks information sites.

Having said that:
There are many short hikes and trails which you may take and which are heavily plodded by tourists. These make it no less enjoyable as Yellowsstone truly IS a magnificent place to experience. You will NOT be short for things and places to see.

Mountain views are a given throughout Yellowstone, especially around the falls and mammoth area of the park.

Additionally, if you drive south and get to Grand Teton National park (it would be a shame to be in the area and miss this (in my opinion) even more scenically beautiful park, there are many hiking trails through the mountains,including our favorite: Hidden Falls trail head which take you deep into Pine tree forests and glacial lakes/streams and mountain peaks.

Enjoy your trip out West.

Homer

There are a lot of lovely hikes in Yellowstone. A lot of them can be muddy, so I would recommend that you buy (and break in) a pair of hiking boots. I always spray waterproofing on my boots before I go there. Go to REI (or someplace like it) and buy a good daypack. Make sure you carry water. You can get moist towelettes with insect repellent on them - take some with you. Take sunscreen. Stay on the trails. If you're on a hiking trail (not the boardwalks), there probably won't be a lot of other hikers, so be sure that someone in your party can read a map and/or follow signs. There are a lot of boardwalks, if you want to opt for something safe and don't want to bother with boots. The area right around Old Faithful is good for this kind of easier walking - lots of trails that are well maintained and fairly easy, even some old fire roads. I like the Shoshone Lake trail - it's a hiking trail, but it's flat, so if you're not in great shape it would be easier than some of the others. If you don't mind hills, try Elephant Back by the Lake. It isn't too long and there's a great view at the top.
You should make reservations far in advance if you want to stay at a park lodges - like right now. My favorite places to stay are Old Faithful and the Lake Lodge. But you can't go wrong - the whole park is wonderful. When I go for more than a couple of days I always try to break up my stay and go to more than one lodge.
For breathtaking mountain views, have you considered Jackson Lake in the Grand Tetons? It's very close to Yellowstone - maybe you could go both places. No geysers, but the best mountain views I've ever seen.