Probably one of the best photo spots in Yellowstone - Grand Prismatic Spring!
Planning a trip to this glorious National Park and looking for the best photo spots in Yellowstone? Here’s an easy to follow guide with some of the most popular sites, plus tips for how and when to go see them to avoid the crowds!
Keep in mind that Yellowstone National Park is not only one of the most popular places in the U.S., but even more so right now that domestic travel is preferred for many! That means you need to book your stays early, and make sure you hade a solid game plan!
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Hotels.com, however all opinions are my own! Also, travel is at your own risk right now. Please be sure to take responsible safety measures like wearing a mask, washing your hands, and practicing social distancing!
One of the really cool things about Yellowstone is that there are several accommodation options INSIDE the park! That’s usually an ideal choice, because then you’re super close, and can be the first one at all of the best photo sites in Yellowstone National Park!
There’s a range of accommodation options, from hotels to cabins, and even camping! There’s also plenty of options outside of the park that are more budget friendly, if that’s what you’re aiming for!
Alright so this list is arranged both by my personal opinion of what the best photo spots in Yellowstone National Park are, and which are most popular!
This is my personal favorite of the best photo spots in Yellowstone. It reminds me of the same type of hot spring that I saw in New Zealand!
Located in the “Midway Geysir Basin”, the Grand Prismatic Spring is actually the largest hot spring in the U.S.! It measures 370 feet across and 121 feet deep! No, you cannot go swimming in it, as it is extremely HOT!
Wondering what makes the cool rainbow rings around the edge of it? The color actually comes from some fabulously coordinated thermophillic (heat-loving) bacteria that thrive on the rich minerals of the water!
*For the best view and photo of Grand Prismatic Springs, head up to the overview during midday when it’s sunny!
Similar to the Grand Prismatic Spring, there’s a smaller version called the Morning Glory Pool. It’s a much longer walk, located in the Upper Geysir Basin, but likely worth it as there will probably be much less people there!
For an epic photo, get your selfie stick out, lean over the rail that’s right next to the Morning Glory Pool, and get an epic shot from above!
Now onto one of my favorite things to see and photograph; waterfalls! Fairy Falls is Yellowstone’s tallest waterfalls, and you can easily get to it by continuing the hike from the Grand Prismatic Pool overlook hike!
Or you can attemps hiking in the Fairy Falls parking lot and do a 5.4 mile roundtrip hike to it. As with all of the parking lots in Yellowstone, they fill up FAST so you’re better off choosing one and hiking to the other sites!
Photo tip: Set your tripod, photo-helper, or selfie stick as low to the ground as possible in order to get the entire waterfall in the picture!
Since the main attraction of Old Faithful geyser is when it explodes, and that only happens every 1.5 hours or so, you can expect this site to be very packed at all times. If you want a from row seat, get to the main boardwalk 30 minutes before the next eruption.
For a birdseye view with the potential to crop out all of the crowds, hike up to the viewpoint! It’s a 1.1 mile roundtrip hike, and you will still need to get there a bit early!
My tips for capturing Old Faithful are; use a fast shutter speed on DSLR or Mirrorless cameras, use time lapse on 0.5 seconds on an action camera, use the Live feature on iPhones, or use Slow-Motion on any video!
Yellowstone has its own Grand Canyon, and it’s somewhat similar to the OG in Arizona! Well, except there’s more waterfalls involved.
Similar to the official Grand Canyon though, there’s a North and South rim. Both with differing levels of difficulty and things to see!
From the North Rim you can look down over the top of Lower Falls from a viewpoint that’s about a hafl mile walk from the parking lot. There are other viewpoints farther from the falls, but from there the waterfall looks a lot smaller.
On the South Rim you can find the viewpoint for Upper Falls, and also one of the most popular views of Yellowstone; Artist Point. Artist Point overlook is only a short walk from the parking lot, so perhaps that’s why this photo is so popular as well!
There are many other viewpoints and best photo spots in Yellowstone National Park, so if you have any input, please comment below!
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