Top Wow Spots of Yellowstone National Park

The largest hot spring in the U.S. (and the most famous one in the West) looks almost other-worldly in its rainbow-like brilliance. It's one you must see in Yellowstone. The Hayden Expedition in 1871 named this spring because of its beautiful coloration, and the fluorescent intensity depicted in artist Thomas Moran's water-color sketches. Swimming is strictly off-limits, but it's a beauty to gaze upon.

Downstream on the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone's 24-mile-long and thousand-foot-deep Grand Canyon is every bit as breathtaking as the one in Arizona (for reasons all its own), offering a supreme vantage point of several Yellowstone landmarks including the Upper and Lower Falls, Artist Point, Point Sublime, and Silver Cord Cascade. Both rims of the canyon offer spectacular views, but the north side is the most popular. On the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Artists' Point commands a 700-foot vista down to the river.

Just east of Tower-Roosevelt, Lamar Valley, a must-see in Yellowstone, provides one of the most plentiful opportunities to catch a glimpse of Yellowstone's exotic wildlife such as elk, bison, osprey, bald eagles, antelope, moose, black bears and grizzlies, as well as bears and wolves. Early morning and late evening are the times of day where you're most likely to have the best luck to see epic wildlife in the park.

In the northwestern part of the park, in Montana, Grand Loop Road wraps  around Golden Gate Canyon connecting Mammoth Hot Springs with the southern part of Yellowstone. When the cement viaduct was first built in the early 1900s, it was considered one of the greatest feats of engineering of the time. Today, it remains a spectacularly scenic drive with the Gardiner River rushing below and the rugged canyon towering above.

Drive along Beartooth Highway to see a sea of wildflowers from June to July around Beartooth Pass and all along this scenic drive that stretches from Red Lodge, MT, to Cody, WY. You can start at the northeast entrance of the park, and drive up to the 1,100-foot elevation pass. Along the way, you'll see alpine lakes, razor-sharp pointy peaks, and maybe even skiers (yes, there's sometimes enough snow up here for summer skiing).

Yellowstone has many must-see attractions, and the Mammoth Hot Springs hydrothermal area is one you absolutely can't miss. Several key ingredients combine to make the springs' terraces: heat, water, limestone, and a rock fracture system through which hot water can reach the earth's surface. The Canary Springs terraces (pictured) get its name from the yellow color, which comes from sulfur-eating bacteria and creates a creamy looking surface.

Don’t miss a trip to the park’s own Grand Canyon, whose walls, in certain light, shine the color of spun gold. The canyon also has not one but two magnificently cascading waterfalls.

The Yellowstone River is something you must see in Yellowstone. It's the force that created the canyon and the falls. It begins on the slopes of Yount Peak, south of the park, and travels more than 600 miles to its terminus in North Dakota where it empties into the Missouri River. It is the longest undammed river in the continental United States. The best fly fishing happens on the Montana side if you fancy a catch.

One of the oldest hydrothermal features in the park, Castle Geyser's eruptions are a sensational experience in sight and sound―with a cone reaching up to 90 feet, it sounds like an oncoming steam train. And since the park is open 24 hours, you can see the show with the stars overhead.

There's no guarantee you'll see wolves on a trip to Yellowstone, but they're by far one of the best sights to catch in the park. Wolves are out from September to June and are mostly spotted in the Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, and geyser areas like Artist Paint Pots (pictured). Hedge your bets by visiting in the snowy months, when their grey fur pops against the snow. Or, even better: travel with a wolf-watching tour pro.

Long a favored destination for park visitors, Morning Glory Pool was named in the 1880s for its remarkable likeness to its namesake flower. One of the best things to do in Yellowstone is to see this pool on the Old Faithful area tour. Through the years Morning Glory's appearance has changed as its temperature dropped. Orange and yellow bacteria that formerly colored only the periphery of the spring now spread toward its center.

Electric Peak and Sepulcher Mountain dominate the view from the northern gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The peaks are most impressive from Highway 89, just north (downhill) from Gardiner. To see them from the trails, take that same road to one of the best hikes in the park: Bunsen Peak Trail. It's just four miles to the summit, and the trail climbs quickly placing you high above with views of Glen Creek Canyon, the Hoodoos, and of course Electric and Sepulcher (pictured).