Yellowstone National Park- Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs is a wonderful destination in itself as well as an excellent place to stay to enjoy the Northern end of the park.

If you are following my Yellowstone Overview recommendations, then you will be staying 2-3 nights here, hopefully 3 nights if you are arriving later in the day on night 1.

The Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge is a great place to stay with excellent food (though reservations needed for dinner). There are various types of accommodations- lodge rooms with bathrooms or without and cabins. There is a lovely communal room with games to play and books to read. However, I wouldn't spend too much time here because in Yellowstone the action is outside.

The Hot Springs themselves have hiking paths surrounding them and are definitely worth pursuing for an hour or two. There is a 5 mile hike called "Beaver Ponds" that takes off right from the lodge which makes it very convenient if you have young nappers and only part of your party wants to stay. It's nice, but not a must do if it doesn't otherwise fit into your plans. The visitors center is fantastic and worth a visit. If you do have an inclement weather you can spend extra time here.

Mammoth usually is home to elk herds especially in the morning and evening and watching their antics can be an activity. I was going to say "especially for kids", but I love it too:)

Lamar Valley

Mammoth should be your jumping off point to Lamar Valley. The Valleys of Yellowstone (Lamar and Hayden) are spectacularly full of wildlife- bison, elk, pronghorns, wolves, coyotes, occasionally bears- there's excitement at every turn. I highly recommend driving through Lamar Valley for the sake of driving through Lamar Valley. You will not be disappointed. There are many, many hikes you can choose from along the way. Here are a couple that are easily accessible for small kids but get a hiking book and see what makes sense for you.

Wraith Falls is a short 1 mile round trip hike to a nice waterfall. Small kids can walk the entire route which is super rewarding for them. The trailhead is just 5 miles from Mammoth so is a great add on/last stop at the end of the day. Definitely recommend esp as a chance for the kids to do the whole thing.

Trout Lake Hike

Trout Lake is a short 1.2 mile hike around a lake. There are opportunities to walk on legs and explore a little, though not a ton. If you need to stretch your legs at this point, this is a fair hike, but nothing spectacular about it.










I highly recommend finding a hike that is in the valley out in the open so you can see the animals herds around you (from a safe distance). My family had a total fail - we could never quite find the trailhead of the intended hike- but ended up playing in a creek bed with bison all around on the banks so while not a hike was a pleasant experience for the 3 year old.







Canyon

Depending on your itinerary and which way you'd like to drive when you head down to Old Faithful, the Canyon region could be a nice day trip from Mammoth as well.