National parks in Wyoming + how to make it a Wyoming national parks road trip ⛰ Wyoming travel blog

Hi there!

So, are there national parks in Wyoming?

YES! There are national parks in Wyoming.

 

 

Here’s what’s below!

First, a bit about the 2 best national parks in Wyoming. (Okay, they are the only 2 national parks in Wyoming! But they are both pretty great.)

After that, a bit about the cost to go to Wyoming national parks.

And then, some further reading so you can plan a national parks road trip to Wyoming… and beyond!

 

 

National parks in the U.S.

As of 2024, there are a total of 63 national parks in the United States operated by the National Park Service (NPS).

In addition to the 63 U.S. national parks, there are many more national monuments, national historical parks, national historic sites, national memorials, national preserves, national lakeshores, and more nationally designated sites also operated by the National Park Service.

For reference, here is the list of ALL national park sites in the United States. This includes the National Park Service’s “related areas” as well.

The Wyoming national parks list below only includes the “official” national parks. 2 out of the 63 national parks are located in Wyoming. So the focus below is on those 2 national parks.

 

 

So…

Where are the national parks in Wyoming?

 

There are 2 official national parks in Wyoming.

The 2 national parks in Wyoming are Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

Both of these national parks are located in western Wyoming.

These Wyoming national parks are also connected by an easy drive.

So it’s easy to go from Yellowstone to Grand Teton or from Grand Teton to Yellowstone!

It’s also makes it convenient to plan a Wyoming national parks road trip.

 

Is it worth visiting the national parks in Wyoming?!

YES!! Well, I think so anyway. 😉

 

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Wyoming national park #1: Yellowstone National Park

 

 

What’s great about Yellowstone National Park?

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most famous national parks in the United States.

Wyoming is home to a supervolcano: the Yellowstone supervolcano.

As a result there are a ton of thermal features to explore in Wyoming.

 

One day in the Wyoming national park of Yellowstone

Make it a Wyoming road trip to Yellowstone National Park to see the famous geyser eruption and the famous colorful hot spring!

You can make these 2 sites your priorities in Yellowstone National Park as the absolute best things to do in Yellowstone, and then there are also a bunch of other smaller geysers, hot springs, and more thermal features to explore.

I wasn’t all that interested in a jam-packed day, so my “big” day in Yellowstone was a mostly easy-going one day in Yellowstone National Park.

The theme of the day was the thermal features that Yellowstone is known for! I saw tons of thermal features including geysers, hot springs, bubbling mudpots, and steam vents (aka fumaroles).

The most famous geyser eruption in Yellowstone is the Old Faithful geyser.

 

 

You have a very good chance of seeing this geyser erupt because its eruptions are predictable and the National Park Service will even tell you when the next geyser eruption is predicted. It usually erupts every 1.5 hours.

When you arrive, you can go to the Old Faithful visitor center and there will be a time listed for the next Old Faithful geyser eruption.

By exploring some of the smaller thermal basins, you can also see some small geysers erupting, like the Clepsydra Geyser in the Lower Geyser Basin along the Fountain Paint Pot Trail.

 

 

And as it goes in Yellowstone, your timing will be off and you will likely pass by a bunch of geysers and maybe even wait around hoping that they will erupt when you’re there… and they don’t erupt. 😜

The most famous hot spring in Yellowstone is the Grand Prismatic Spring.

 

 

And once again, by exploring some of the smaller thermal basins, you can also see some small smaller colorful hot springs, like the Black Pool along Yellowstone Lake in the West Thumb Geyser Basin.

 

 

And then another thermal feature you might not want to miss is the bubbling mudpots!

Yes it looks like a pot of mud is bubbling! For example you can see the Fountain Paint Pots.

 

 

Yellowstone National Park is also known for buffalo.

I didn’t go to the areas of Yellowstone that are best known for buffalo sightings. (That is Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley.)

But I still did see buffalo several times in different areas of the park, including right in front of an erupting geyser!

 

 

But if you want to increase your chances of seeing buffalo, you’ll want to head to the places that are best known for wildlife sightings!

Also to note, while the vast majority of Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, there is a small part that is located in Montana and Idaho.

 

Yellowstone National Park: See more about planning a trip to this Wyoming national park

• How to spend an easy-going one day in Yellowstone National Park
• How to see the famous Yellowstone geyser erupt
• How to see the famous Yellowstone hot spring from the overlook

 

 

Wyoming national park #2: Grand Teton National Park

 

 

What’s great about Grand Teton National Park?

Wyoming is also home to tons of mountain ranges.

The most famous mountain range in Wyoming that’s in a national park is the Teton Range.

Make it a Wyoming road trip to Grand Teton National Park to do the scenic loop drive for tons of mountain views!

 

One day in the Wyoming national park of Grand Teton

If you only want to spend 1-2 hours in Grand Teton National Park, that can be reasonable.

All you need to do is drive part or all of the Grand Teton scenic loop drive and you it will be an amazing drive with mountain views! The best things to do in Grand Teton National Park can be found along the road.

You will want to be sure not to miss a drive along Teton Park Road and Jenny Lake Scenic Drive.

 

👆 Wyoming national park drive along the Teton Park Road on the Grand Teton Scenic Loop Drive.

 

 

👆 Wyoming national park drive along the Jenny Lake Scenic Drive.

 

 

If you want to spend a full day in Grand Teton National Park, then in addition to part of the scenic drive, you can also add in hiking in this Wyoming national park.

Another way to immerse yourself in the Wyoming mountains in Grand Teton National Park is by doing one of the many hikes in the mountains.

There are shorter hikes you can do, or you can make it a big hiking day in a Wyoming national park.

 

👆 Wyoming national park hiking to Taggart Lake.

 

👆 Wyoming national park hiking to Surprise Lake.

 

👆 Wyoming national park hiking to Amphitheater Lake.

 

👆 Wyoming national park hiking to Delta Lake.

 

Grand Teton National Park: See more about planning a trip to this Wyoming national park

• How to spend one day in Grand Teton National Park
• 42 mile Grand Teton scenic loop drive
• Jenny Lake scenic drive

 

 

Cost of visiting Wyoming national parks

In 2021, the cost for the Yellowstone National Park entry was $35 per car, and you would get a 7-day Yellowstone national park pass.

Similarly, the cost of the Grand Teton National Park entry was also $35 per car, and you would get a 7-day Grand Teton national park pass.

There is no one-day pass. The minimum national park pass is 7 days.

So if you go to both of these Wyoming national parks, it would cost $70.

There is also an annual national park pass that will cover national park entry for almost all national parks in the US, including the Wyoming national parks.

If you know that you will be visiting at least one more national park that has a paid entry, in addition to the Wyoming national parks, then the annual national park pass will be worth it.

 

 

How much time do you need in Wyoming national parks?

So you can make it one day in Yellowstone National Park and one day in Grand Teton National Park, and you could have a perfect 2 days in Wyoming national parks.

But just to give yourself a little bit of flexibility and breathing room, 3 days in the Wyoming national parks can be good too.

This way in addition to having the one full day in Yellowstone and one full day in Grand Teton, you have an extra day for an extra thing or 2 in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton!

And it is possible to spend longer in either of the parks to do even more.

Some people spend 1 week in Yellowstone National Park for example.

So if you want to make it that kind of Wyoming national parks vacation, then you’ll find much to do to fill your days.

See more about planning a trip to Wyoming national parks: 3 days in Grand Teton and Yellowstone itinerary

 

 

Can you do Yellowstone and Grand Teton in one day?!

Well, it’s not ideal to do Yellowstone and Grand Teton in one day, but if that’s all the time that you’re giving yourself, then yes, you can make it work.

These are the things I would prioritize:

• Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone
• Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone
• Driving the Teton Park Road (potholes turnout for example) and Jenny Lake Scenic Drive (these are a part of the Grand Teton Scenic Drive)

And then depending on how you’re progressing along in the day, you can probably add some smaller thermal basins in Yellowstone too, like the West Thumb Geyser Basin, which is where you can go for a walk along Yellowstone Lake.

 

 

So that’s a bit about the 2 national parks in Wyoming!

 

Make it into an extended national parks road trip to the Wyoming national parks and beyond!

• Best places to visit in Wyoming
• One day in Yellowstone National Park
• One day in Grand Teton National Park
• Things to do in Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming)
• Drive from Mount Rushmore National Memorial to Yellowstone (South Dakota into Wyoming)
• Yellowstone to Craters of the Moon National Monument (Wyoming to Idaho)
• Things to do in Craters of the Moon (lava fields and caves)
• Things to do in Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
• Camping in Badlands National Park
• Cave tours in Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
• Adventure cave tour in Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota)
• Things to do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
• Best places to visit in South Dakota with VIEWS! (2 national parks)
• South Dakota camping trip

 

HAPPY DRIVING TO WYOMING NATIONAL PARKS!