Yellowstone National Park 5 Day Adventure

Yellowstone National Park 5 Day Adventure

One of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring adventure trips I’ve ever been on happened pre-covid, in the summer of 2019, in West Yellowstone, Montana.

I had the amazing opportunity to go glamping at Under Canvas Yellowstone, and explore the entire area by land, water, and sky.

We did so many epic things in a 5 day span that I couldn’t possibly recap it all at once in one place, so in addition to this post, I’m making each day’s activity into a watchable mini episode, which you can view on my YouTube beginning on Jan. 19, 2021!

But since you’re already here, let’s dive in from the beginning!

Now, you probably already know what Yellowstone National Park is famous for: Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, wild bison, and acres of land that hold many geographically unique features. What you probably don’t know is this: there are SO many other adventure opportunities just outside the park!

Here you’ll find our full 5-day itinerary.
Don’t forget to pin this post for reference later!

arrival

Our group flew into Bozeman, Montana and from there, drove 2 hours to the Under Canvas Yellowstone campus. Located in West Yellowstone, Montana, it offers a peaceful escape that makes you feel as if you were dropped in the middle of the Montana wilderness.

We arrived in time for dinner, which was served in a communal log cabin dining hall. After checking into our tents (and geeking out over how cool they were), we spent the rest of the evening by the fire pit – playing music and roasting s’mores while getting to know our fellow travelers.

NOTE: Don’t be fooled, it IS still camping… just without all the gear. There is NO air conditioning or heat… unless you make it yourself! Each tent is equipped with a wood burning oven, but it takes work. Luckily, Carson assumed the manly roll of tending to the fire every few hours and I got to stay nice and cozy in bed 🙂

day 1: Bus Tour through Yellowstone National Park

On our first full day we woke up early and boarded a bus for a guided tour of the park. Our tour guide’s name was Amy and she added tons of extra information, fun facts, and humor to our experience.

I’d never done a tour of any kind before at a national park, but I absolutely loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

It’s a great way to make sure you see the most important places, while learning about the history and geological features on the way (just make sure you don’t get left behind trying to take that perfect photo!).

day 2: eagle ridge ranch

The next day, we headed over to Idaho to spend the day at Eagle Ridge Ranch, an authentic old western cattle ranch offering every outdoor activity you could ever want.

In just one afternoon we went horseback riding in the mountains, fishing on the lake, did archery, and had a cowboy cookout dinner.

It’s a great place to come spend time with your family or group of friends. With so many options, everyone is guaranteed to have a great time!

day 3: White Water Rafting

Our third day in Montana took us to the (freezing cold) water as we went white water rafting on the Gallatin River. This river is considered one of the best in the country for rafting and it did not disappoint! As a first time rafter, it was a little scary, but fun-scary. Not I’m-going-to-die scary. The tour guides were super nice and made me feel safe and secured the whole time.

Personally, this activity was a little too cold for me (we were there in July). It was a fun experience though, and great for team bonding.

day 4: Helicopter Tour over Yellowstone

This experience was my absolute FAVORITE, and I feel so grateful to be able to share it with you. Flying directly over Yellowstone is not something that’s usually open to the public, but we happened to get super lucky. We were there at a time when National Geographic was filming, which meant that our pilot had clearance to fly over the park!

It was beyond incredible to be able to see the park from above. It really gives you a sense of vastness and understanding of just how many different geological features and animals are being preserved here. We saw areas that had been destroyed by fires, elk and bison roaming on the tops of plateaus and mountains, gigantic forests, snowy peaks… wow I’m getting chills just writing about it!

(Video footage of this comes out on 2/16/21. Make sure you subscribe on YouTube so you don’t miss it!)

day 5: animals & atvs

Our last day of this epic trip was spent exploring the little town of West Yellowstone, Montana.

We ventured into the 1×1 mile (literally) center of town and stumbled upon the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, an educational rescue center for local wildlife. It was really interesting to me because I’d never seen a real grizzly bear up close before. Here at the GWDC, we had the chance to learn about these particular bear’s stories, why they couldn’t be re-released into the wild, and how to help.

You can read more about the GWDC in my dedicated blog post, A Day at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.

No vacation is complete without a little spontaneous adventure, so when we ended up stuck in West Yellowstone with no ride back to camp, we rented an ATV and took the backroads up into the mountains. And wouldn’t you know it, we stumbled upon an incredible view that made it all worth it.

So what do you think?

Have you been inspired to start planning a trip to Yellowstone?!

Let me know by leaving a comment below! If you have any questions about this trip or the area in general, you can always reach me via the contact form on my blog, email, or instagram.

Happy adventuring!

Until Next Time,

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julanadizon

January 15, 2021