Day 5 Logistics — Relaxed on Purpose
Start: Grizzly RV Park, West Yellowstone · Depart: 9:00am (sleep in!) · Return: ~4:30pm
Route: West Entrance → Madison → Old Faithful → Kepler Cascades → Continental Divide/Isa Lake → Grant Village → West Thumb → Lake Village → Fishing Bridge → Hayden Valley → Norris → West Entrance
Food: Lake Yellowstone Hotel deli for lunch — grab something and eat in front of the registration desk looking out at the lake. The hotel is also worth considering for dinner on your last night.
Route: West Entrance → Madison → Old Faithful → Kepler Cascades → Continental Divide/Isa Lake → Grant Village → West Thumb → Lake Village → Fishing Bridge → Hayden Valley → Norris → West Entrance
Food: Lake Yellowstone Hotel deli for lunch — grab something and eat in front of the registration desk looking out at the lake. The hotel is also worth considering for dinner on your last night.
Charlie's Last Day in the Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin boardwalk is off-limits for Charlie — same rule as every thermal area. The lake shoreline at Lake Village has paved walking areas where Charlie can stretch his legs on a leash. The drive along the lake is long and scenic — great windows-down, nose-in-the-breeze driving. Hayden Valley bison viewing on the return is all from the car. Hot afternoon ahead — keep Charlie's water topped up and watch the car temperature at every stop.
Today's Easy Route
9:00am
Depart
Depart
Leave Grizzly RV Park — No Rush
Coffee in hand, no alarm-induced urgency. Head east through the West Entrance and south on the familiar Madison road. The morning light on the Madison River valley is beautiful at this hour — enjoy the drive.
10:00am
Old Faithful — Quick Stop
If the eruption timing works out, watch it again — it's different every time. If not, just pass through and continue south. You've earned the right to skip it today if the timing is off. Check the prediction board as you drive through the parking area.
10:30am
Kepler Cascades
A quick and easy stop just a few miles east of Old Faithful — a beautiful multi-tiered waterfall on the Firehole River dropping through a narrow gorge. A short paved walkway leads to an overlook above the falls. About 15 minutes and completely worth it.
10:50am
Continental Divide & Isa Lake
Just past Kepler Cascades, the road crests Craig Pass at the top of the summit — you're crossing the Continental Divide. Pull over and take it in. Right here sits Isa Lake, a small pond that drains to both the Pacific and the Atlantic depending on snowmelt — one of the few lakes in the world that straddles a continental divide. Simple, quiet, and genuinely cool.
11:15am
Grant Village Visitor Center
Collect your stamp and browse the exhibits on the 1988 Yellowstone fires — the most important ecological event in the park's modern history. The forest you've been driving through all week is the regenerating 1988 burn. Understanding the fire changes how you see the park.
11:45am
West Thumb Geyser Basin
One of the strangest places in the park — geysers and hot springs erupting directly into the cold water of Yellowstone Lake. The boardwalk circles a collection of vividly colored pools right at the lake's edge. Abyss Pool drops to 53 feet of vivid blue. Fishing Cone — the spot where early park visitors allegedly caught fish and cooked them in the hot spring without moving the line — is right at the water's edge. Allow 30–40 minutes. West Thumb has its own separate passport stamp — don't miss it inside the visitor station.
12:45pm
Lake Village — Lunch at Lake Yellowstone Hotel
The oldest operating hotel in any national park — a beautiful Colonial Revival building on the northern shore of the lake, opened in 1891. The dining room is dinner-only, but the hotel has a deli — grab something and find a spot in front of the registration desk and eat while looking out at Yellowstone Lake through those big windows. The view is worth it. The hotel is also a great option to come back for dinner on your last night if you're up for it. Afterward, walk along the lakeshore — Charlie can come on leash along the paved area.
2:00pm
Fishing Bridge Visitor Center
A short drive north from Lake Village. The visitor center has exhibits on Yellowstone Lake's aquatic ecosystem and the iconic bridge nearby (no fishing allowed since 1973 to protect native cutthroat trout). Get your final stamp of the Yellowstone trip here.
2:45pm
Hayden Valley — Bison on the Return
Head north from Fishing Bridge through Hayden Valley on the way back to Canyon and Norris. Late afternoon bison herds here are reliable — a fitting final wildlife moment of the trip. Pull over at the designated areas and watch for a few minutes before continuing. You may also see grizzlies working the meadow edges.
3:45pm
Head Home — Canyon → Norris → Madison
Back through Canyon and Norris to Madison Junction and out the West Entrance. You've now driven every major road in Yellowstone. Take it easy — no need to rush or squeeze in one more stop.
4:30pm
Back at Grizzly RV Park — Pack Up Tonight
Yellowstone is done. All five days. All six stamps. Tonight: pack the RV properly, do laundry if needed, top off the water, charge everything. Tomorrow is a 6-hour drive. The earlier you're packed and ready to roll, the easier the morning is.
✅ Today's Highlights
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Continental Divide & Isa Lake — one small pond draining to two oceans. A great story.
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West Thumb Geyser Basin — geysers erupting into the lake. Genuinely strange and beautiful. Grab the stamp!
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Lake Yellowstone Hotel deli lunch — eat in front of the registration desk and take in the lake view. Come back for dinner if you want.
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Hayden Valley bison on the return — your last wildlife moment of the trip. Savor it.
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Three stamps — West Thumb, Grant Village, and Fishing Bridge. Kat's passport is now very full.
🚐 Tomorrow — The Drive Home
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6 hours of driving — leave as early as feels right. The road back to Idaho Falls is familiar and straightforward.
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West Yellowstone breakfast — one last stop in town before hitting the highway. You've earned a sit-down breakfast.
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What an incredible week. Old Faithful, Mammoth, the Canyon, Lamar at sunrise, the lake — and six passport stamps to prove it.