Self-Launched Best of Yellowstone & Grand Teton

Fly into Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) or drive in. Jackson is a lively gateway town with good hostel and budget hotel options. Pick up your rental car today — this is essential for getting around both parks independently. Spend the evening exploring Jackson's famous Town Square, grab a bison burger at a local diner, and get an early night ahead of a big week.

🚌Fly into Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) or Salt Lake City (SLC) and drive ~5hrs. Rental car from Jackson airport.

🛏Elk Country Inn or Anvil Hotel (budget rooms from ~£90/night) or Bunkhouse Hostel Jackson (~£35-45/dorm)

• →Pick up rental car (book in advance via Hertz, Budget or Enterprise — allow ~£60-80/day)
• →Explore Jackson Town Square and elk antler arches
• →Stock up on supplies at a local grocery store (Albertsons or Smith's) to save on meals in the parks
• →Optional: visit the National Museum of Wildlife Art (~£10)

Purchase your America the Beautiful Annual Pass (~£65) at the park entrance — it covers both Grand Teton and Yellowstone and pays for itself immediately. Spend the day driving the iconic Teton Park Road, stopping at Schwabacher Landing for mirror-perfect mountain reflections, Snake River Overlook (Ansel Adams' famous viewpoint), and Mormon Row historic barns. Visit the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center at Moose for park maps and wildlife spotting tips.

🚌Self-drive rental car, ~20 mins from Jackson to park south entrance

🛏Colter Bay Village Tent Cabins or Signal Mountain Lodge (book months in advance via recreation.gov, ~£80-120/night) or return to Jackson accommodation

• →Buy America the Beautiful Annual Pass at park entrance (~£65 — covers both parks)
• →Stop at Schwabacher Landing for sunrise reflections of the Tetons
• →Visit Snake River Overlook — Ansel Adams' famous photography spot
• →Photograph Mormon Row historic barns with Teton backdrop
• →Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center at Moose — free entry with pass
• →Wildlife spotting: bison, pronghorn, and moose are common along Antelope Flats Road

This is the crown jewel day of Grand Teton. Take the Jenny Lake Shuttle Boat across the lake to the west shore trailhead (self-bookable, ~£10 return). Hike to Hidden Falls (0.5 miles from boat dock) and continue up the switchbacks to Inspiration Point for panoramic views of the whole Jackson Hole valley. For the ambitious, continue deeper into Cascade Canyon — a stunning glacially-carved valley. Total hike with boat: 4-9 miles depending on how far you go. Start early to beat crowds.

🚌Self-drive to Jenny Lake trailhead (~35 mins from Jackson). Jenny Lake Shuttle Boat (~£10 return).

🛏Colter Bay Village Tent Cabins or Signal Mountain Lodge (~£80-120/night) or return to Jackson

• →Jenny Lake Shuttle Boat — west shore return ticket (~£10, book at Jenny Lake Boating dock or online)
• →Hike to Hidden Falls — 1 mile round trip from west shore dock
• →Continue to Inspiration Point — additional 0.5 miles, 420ft elevation gain, spectacular views
• →Optional: hike deeper into Cascade Canyon (another 4 miles return into the canyon)
• →Swim or paddle at String Lake (free, just north of Jenny Lake) in the afternoon
• →Visit Jenny Lake Visitor Center for geology and wildlife displays

Head north through Grand Teton, stopping at Colter Bay Visitor Center for a final panoramic Teton view across Jackson Lake — one of the best free viewpoints in the park. Enter Yellowstone via the South Entrance and begin exploring. Stop at West Thumb Geyser Basin, a remarkable collection of hot springs right on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, and drive the southern loop. Check in to your Yellowstone accommodation — book as far in advance as possible, as park lodges sell out many months ahead.

🚌Self-drive from Grand Teton to Yellowstone South Entrance, ~1hr. All sights on self-drive loops.

🛏Lake Lodge Cabins or Grant Village Lodge (~£90-130/night, book via Yellowstone National Park Lodges at yellowstonenationalparklodges.com) or Old Faithful Inn if available

• →Stop at Colter Bay Visitor Center — panoramic Jackson Lake and Teton views (free with park pass)
• →Enter Yellowstone via South Entrance — America the Beautiful Pass covers entry
• →West Thumb Geyser Basin — free boardwalk trail along Yellowstone Lake shoreline, stunning hot springs
• →Drive Yellowstone Lake scenic pull-offs — largest high-elevation lake in North America
• →Optional: Grant Village Visitor Center for Yellowstone fire ecology exhibits
• →Evening wildlife watch in Hayden Valley — bison herds, wolves, and bears at dusk

Drive the northern loop today — one of Yellowstone's most geologically dramatic routes. Mammoth Hot Springs features extraordinary travertine terraces that look like something from another planet; the Upper and Lower Terraces boardwalk is completely free and unmissable. Continue to Artist Paintpots, a bubbling mudpot field, before heading to Norris Geyser Basin — the hottest and most dynamic geothermal area in the park, with wooden boardwalks winding through neon pools and steam vents. Keep eyes open for bison jams on the road.

🚌Self-drive northern loop, approximately 100 miles of driving across the day.

🛏Canyon Lodge & Cabins or Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (~£90-130/night via yellowstonenationalparklodges.com)

• →Mammoth Hot Springs — Upper and Lower Terraces boardwalk (free with park pass, ~1-2hrs)
• →Albright Visitor Center at Mammoth — park history and wolf reintroduction exhibits
• →Artist Paintpots trail — bubbling mud pots and colourful hot springs (~0.5 mile loop, free)
• →Norris Geyser Basin — Back Basin and Porcelain Basin boardwalks (~3 miles, free)
• →Watch for Steamboat Geyser — world's tallest active geyser, eruptions unpredictable
• →Wildlife spotting en route: bison, elk, and pronghorn common throughout northern loop

Today focuses on two of Yellowstone's most spectacular sights. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone features the famous Upper and Lower Falls — the Lower Falls are twice the height of Niagara. Walk the South Rim Trail to Artist Point for the classic postcard view, then the North Rim to get close to the Upper Falls. Afterwards, drive through Hayden Valley in the afternoon — the best time for wildlife viewing. Bison herds often block the road entirely. End the evening at Old Faithful for a geyser eruption (erupts roughly every 90 minutes, predicted times posted at the Visitor Center).

🚌Self-drive, all sights along main Yellowstone Grand Loop Road.

🛏Old Faithful Inn, Snow Lodge, or Canyon Lodge (~£90-150/night via yellowstonenationalparklodges.com)

• →Grand Canyon of Yellowstone — South Rim Trail to Artist Point (classic Lower Falls view, free)
• →Uncle Tom's Trail — steep metal stairway descending 328 steps toward the Lower Falls base
• →North Rim Drive — Brink of the Upper Falls overlook
• →Hayden Valley wildlife drive — afternoon is prime time for bison, bears, wolves, and birds
• →Old Faithful Geyser — check eruption predictions at Old Faithful Visitor Education Center (free)
• →Old Faithful Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk loop — 1.6 miles through multiple active geysers

Enjoy a final early morning in Yellowstone — dawn is the best time for wildlife and the park feels completely different in the golden light. If you haven't caught a wolf sighting, Lamar Valley in the northeast is your best bet (it's a longer drive but legendary for wolf watching). Otherwise, spend a final peaceful hour at Old Faithful or along the Firehole River before driving south through Grand Teton back to Jackson. Return your rental car and head to the airport or onward travel.

🚌Self-drive from Yellowstone south entrance back to Jackson (~1.5hrs). Return rental car at Jackson Hole Airport (JAC).

🛏N/A — tour ends in Jackson

• →Optional: early morning drive to Lamar Valley — the 'Serengeti of North America' for wolf and bear spotting
• →Final sunrise walk at Old Faithful or Firehole River canyon
• →Drive south through Grand Teton National Park — one last look at the peaks
• →Browse Jackson's galleries and independent shops before departure
• →Optional: celebrate the trip at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on Jackson Town Square