Wednesday · August 19, 2026
Your Yellowstone day
A private clockwise guide from Jackson—paced for two people, honest about the drive, and ready when service disappears.
Yellowstone NPS alerts
StaleLast checked Never · 0 alerts
No saved alert check yet. The trip guide remains available with or without the live NPS feed.
Live trip clock
Ready in Jackson
Tap only when both travelers are buckled in and the car is ready to leave.
Projected
1:32 AM (next day)
Pacing
Baseline
Stops
21
Pacing mode
Modes change which optional stops are considered. Required stops stay in every plan.
Old Faithful
Add a ranger prediction
Use the posted prediction when you reach an information board or have service.
All times are America/Denver (Mountain Time), regardless of the phone’s current time zone.
First leg
Yellowstone South Entrance
The Yellowstone sign, entrance booths, and physical road board mark the checkpoint.
Day-of checklist
- Both phones show the offline pack as airplane-mode ready.
- Current Yellowstone and Grand Teton road pages are open or screenshotted.
- Biscuit Basin and Firehole Lake Drive closure status has been rechecked.
- Old Faithful's latest prediction is entered from the NPS app or visitor-center board.
4 more trip checks
- Both park-pass requirements are resolved and photo identification is reachable.
- Fuel is full; water, food, warm layers, sunscreen, and bear spray are in the car.
- The driver knows the Leeks Marina–Lizard Creek delay is 1 hour before 6:00 AM and after 9:00 PM.
- The passenger owns navigation, schedule taps, and wildlife scanning while the car is moving.
Park passes and 2026 fees
Yellowstone and Grand Teton each list a $35 private-vehicle pass valid for 7 days and charge separately. In 2026, an America the Beautiful annual pass is $80 for eligible U.S. residents and $250 for nonresidents; non-U.S. visitors without a qualifying pass may also owe a per-person nonresident fee. Verify the official fee pages for the travelers before departure.
The honest plan
Anchor stops
Up next
West Thumb Geyser Basin
A compact boardwalk places geyser pools at the edge of Yellowstone Lake and opens the geology of the day.
high value
Lake Yellowstone Hotel
A porch-and-shore pause connects Yellowstone's largest lake with the architecture of early park tourism.
high value
Mud Volcano
Acid, clay, steam, and a resonant cave make this Yellowstone's most theatrical short thermal stop.
Checked Jul 26, 2026
Road realities
Firehole Lake Drive closed to vehicles
Do not attempt this stop. NPS says the road is open only to pedestrians and bicycles and has no dedicated parking.
Checked Jul 26, 2026
Biscuit Basin closed until further notice
The closure related to the July 2024 hydrothermal explosion remains in place because hydrothermal activity is unpredictable. Pass the area; do not seek an alternate entrance.
Checked Jul 26, 2026
The day is intentionally triaged
Driving alone takes most of the daylight. The guide protects the essential experiences first and offers choices when the road starts taking time back.