Five days is a great amount of time in which to visit Yellowstone National Park. You’ll have plenty of time to visit the major attractions, including Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, and the Lamar and Hayden Valleys. Plus, you’ll even have a little legroom to fit in some optional extras!
You can check out our Yellowstone 5 day itinerary that will help guide you through the National Park and ensure you get the most out of your trip.
Your Yellowstone 5 Day Itinerary – What You Need To See
Accommodation
We’ve planned the following itinerary so that you’re visiting destinations that are located close to each other before moving on to other areas of the park. It makes sense to stay in central accommodation near Canyon Village, such as the Canyon Lodge and Cabins, for the entire five days.
Alternatively, you can change accommodations during your trip to reduce your traveling time between destinations.
If you’d like to change accommodation halfway through, we recommend staying on the western side of the park for the first two days before moving to more central accommodation for the last three days of the trip.
Highly rated options in the park’s west include Old Faithful Lodge & Cabins and Old Faithful Inn.
Our itinerary is designed to be flexible, so you can also swap around the days to suit your accommodation choices.
Day 1
Morning: Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin
Old Faithful is the best place to start your five-day itinerary of Yellowstone, whether you’re staying in the heart of the park or on the western side.
Old Faithful is a famous geyser located in the Upper Geyser Basin, where you’ll also find 150 other geothermal attractions. The best part about visiting Old Faithful (and the inspiration behind its name) is that it always erupts at the same time: on average, every 79 minutes (check a video explaining the timing here).
Viewing an Old Faithful eruption is a Yellowstone experience you don’t want to miss. There are a few key places to watch the jet, the most popular being the boardwalk in front of the geyser, where seating is available.
However, keep in mind that Old Faithful is one of the most popular destinations in the park and it always attracts large crowds.
Your best chance of getting a seat on the boardwalk is arriving early in the morning, which is why we’ve listed Old Faithful as first on the itinerary. Once you arrive in the area, head straight to the boardwalk and secure a seat or a standing spot if this is where you’d like to watch the eruption.
Alternatively, you can watch the eruption from the designated observation point, which is around a 45-minute hike away. The views from the elevated observation point may be clearer, but you might also lose the impact of seeing the eruption up close.
Another place to view the Old Faithful eruption is the Old Faithful Inn, which has a special viewing dec