We visited Yellowstone National Park in May of 2025. We stayed at Fishing Bridge RV Park from May 16-21 before moving to the north side of Yellowstone and staying at Sun Outdoors Yellowstone in Gardiner, Montana from May 21-23. Both locations allowed us to explore most of the park without having to drive long distances. One thing we were very surprised about was the climate. We had four inches of snow when we left Fishing Bridge and arrived to 70s and sunny at Sun Outdoors!

We entered the park from the south side north of Grand Teton National Park. The road had just been opened for the summer season so our timing was perfect.

The scenery driving into the park was beautiful, with geysers along the West Yellowstone Lake.

Old Faithful

Of course we had to take an early morning drive to Old Faithful. We wanted to arrive early so that we could find parking, and we ended up with a front row seat to the amazing natural show that Old Faithful is known for. We learned that if you go to the visitors center they have a daily schedule of when the eruption will happen that is accurate to within 15 minutes.

We also took a free walking tour of Old Faithful Lodge where the very knowledgeable tour guide told us about the history of the lodge that dates back to 1904. While there we also dined at the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room which had a very tasty lunch buffet. Note: reservations are required for dinner.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

We drove the Grand Loop road toward Canyon Village and took the short hike to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This is a 20-mile canyon that is filled with amazing waterfalls. There are places where the canyon is 4,000 ft. wide and 1,200 ft. deep! There are several lookouts with spectacular views and many are easily accessible.

Lower Geyser Basin and Fountain Paint Pot

We drove into the parking lot for Fountain Paint Pot and were greeted by this beautiful beast. Needless to say, we kept driving and came back later. However, as we left we turned and saw him hitting the side of the small car that was in the parking lot!

It was worth the return because the hike around the geysers on the boardwalk was pretty terrific. We did keep a watchful eye out for wildlife, but they had moved on.

Grand Prismatic

Aside from Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic is the most popular site in Yellowstone. The spring is deeper than a 10-story building with scalding hot water. The vibrant colors come from the heat loving bacteria that living in the water. Unfortunately we got there early in the day and the steam rising from the hot water hitting the cold air obscured some of the colors. However, it was still worth the hike to get to the top of the overlook on the Fairy Falls Trail.

North Entrance

After we cleared 4 inches of snow from our site, we moved to the north side to explore more of the park. We stayed at Sun Outdoors Yellowstone North in Gardiner, Montana. We had great views of the north entrance and even found the sign for the North Pole (which we would be visiting later in the summer!)

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. With over 50 hot springs, many accessible by two boardwalks along the terraces, this area has a beauty all its own. It is definitely worth the drive to the north end of Yellowstone.

Conclusion

We loved our time at Yellowstone National Park. There is so much to see, lots of hiking in the area, and so much wildlife. We highly recommend it. And–it wasn’t nearly as crowded in May if you’re okay with colder weather.

We’re Mike & Jennifer Skinnell, and together we are The Rambling Quilter. We travel the country full-time in our 42 ft. fifth-wheel pulled by our F-350. Jennifer writes our blog, travel articles, contemporary romance, cozy mysteries, and “Don’t Wait – Our Full-Time Journey Through Breast Cancer”. Our blog is purely for information and entertainment purposes. However, if you’d like to support Jennifer’s writing career, her author link to her books is below.