A 3-Day Itinerary for a Family Vacation

Stay at the newly renovated Island Park Lodge. The restaurant on site provides hearty, filling breakfasts to start each day off.

Day One: Start the day off early by driving up to Yellowstone National Park. Stop in West Yellowstone for a picnic lunch to go. The park entrance can get quite crowded in the morning, so an early start will ease the wait. Start off driving through Firehole Canyon and then walk through some of the hot spring and geyser formations like Fountain Paint Pot. While Old Faithful is one of the most popular places to visit in Yellowstone, skip the crowds and traffic and enjoy some of the other smaller geysers. In the afternoon drive through Lamar Valley, also known as the “Serengeti” of Yellowstone. Enjoy watching the buffalo herds, elk, birds, foxes, and the occasional bear and wolf sighting. Stop for dinner in West Yellowstone on your way back to the Lodge.

Day Two: Book a fly fishing excursion for the whole family and try your hand at learning how to fly fish on the beautiful banks of the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. Stop for lunch at The Café at Island Park Lodge and then explore the continental divide in the afternoon. Drive over to Quake Lake and Hebgen Lake and stop by the road side tour stops to learn the history behind the formation of Quake Lake during the earthquake of 1959. End the day getting ice cream at Mack’s Inn Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor.

Day Three: Book a morning ATV tour for the whole family and explore the back country of Island Park. In the afternoon drive over to beautiful Mesa Falls and visit the Upper and Lower Falls. Drive out through Ashton and stop at one of the small town burger stops on your way back to Island Park.