How To Get The Most Of A Brief Twin Falls To Yellowstone Trip
I recently returned from a brief stay at Yellowstone National Park. Although we didn't have a week to two weeks like most park trippers set aside, it was a very memorable trip, and one I hadn't taken in 10 years.
The drive home from Yellowstone National Park this past Sunday took us four-hours, forty-five minutes. We took the route out of West Yellowstone, instead of the scenic one that passes by parts of Grand Teton National Park. I couldn't fathom that a decade had gone by since I last visited, because it really is a trip you can pull off in a weekend if you plan well.
We spent a couple days camping at Grant Village, which had an incredibly friendly staff, bathrooms, showers (they were inaccessible due to COVID) , trash dumpsters, running water for dishes, picnic tables and firepits. I normally don't have this many amenities at my disposal when I camp, but I could get used to it. We arrived after nightfall on the first evening, set up camp, and spent a couple hours sitting around the fire with family and friends.
The first morning we awoke, had breakfast, and got on the road heading south, back toward the entrance we came in. We first stopped at Old Faithful, which was jam-packed with visitors from all across the world, most of whom were wearing masks. Our campsite was just a couple of miles from the famous geyser, and our second stop, Grand Prismatic, was just down the road a bit from that.
Day two included a drive northeast. We left at noon, and proceeded to stop at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, which didn't take long to get to, and is one of the most stunning park properties I've ever seen. We sat above the shore of the country's 41st largest lake, and the largest fresh water lake above 7,000 feet in the United States, Yellowstone Lake. It was spectacular.
We ended the day with stops at Hayden Valley, Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls (known as the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone") and Inspiration Point, covering a total of 50 miles. The last day we stopped for souvenirs, and took a 1.2 mile hike on Fairy Falls Trail, to the Grand Prismatic overlook.
We got on the road at 2:30 PM, and were back in Twin Falls shortly after 7 PM. It's a trip you can definitely fit into a weekend, and worth every minute.