Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Yellowstone and Grand Teton

As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route(s) to match your interests and schedule. Or you can use our trip planners for our suggestions on half, full or multi day itineraries. Some of the many highlights are listed below;

As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route(s) to match your interests and schedule. Or you can use our trip planners for our suggestions on half, full or multi day itineraries. Some of the many highlights are listed below;

If you want to see all four types of thermal features in one spot, then make sure to stop in at Fountain Paint Pot. Here you get to see hot springs, geysers, mud pots and fumaroles. A larger carpark and easy 0.6 mile boardwalk loop make it very accessible for all.

This wide, broad valley is a mecca for serious wildlife watchers. Bison, elk, bears, wolves, antelopes and otters are just a few of the species you might spot in this rich wildlife habitat.

There are approximately 50 hot springs at Mammoth Hot Springs, divided into two terraces, Upper and Lower. The springs are constantly changing and have built an impressive variety of travertine terraces, cascading pools, and sometimes colorful mounds. There are boardwalks that allow you to get close, with excellent photo locations on the Lower Terrace. And there is a short driving loop to follow along through the Upper Terrace. Liberty Cap is the most striking formation that stands like a guard for the area. It's a tall, slender mound that is no longer connected to a hot water source. Mammoth is also the location of many visitor services and the Visitor Center and Museum for this corner of the Park.

For just a short unpaved trail and boardwalk loop of just over 1 mile with 125 feet of elevation, Artist Paintpots sure packs a punch, with numerous hot springs, geysers, a fumarole and of course mudpots. Through the steam, notice the mudpots stained with iron oxide, creating a pretty pastel palette of colors any artist would be happy to work with. As you follow the trail it slowly climbs to the top of the loop, which provides a great view back out over the thermal area.

Where other parts of the Park are visually impressive, Mud Volcano might engage other senses, smell and hearing. While fumaroles are steam vents that hiss steam and gases as they escape at the surface, mudpots mesmerize with their stinky, bubbling gooeyness. The Mud Volcano Trail is a 0.7 mile loop with slight elevation of 114 feet. It is located between Canyon Village and Fishing Bridge. Also along the trail you will find other features with fantastic names like Dragon's Mouth Spring, Grizzly Fumerole, Churning Cauldron and Sizzling Basin. Take care crossing the road on this awkward corner, and catch great views down into the Sulphur Cauldron.

Old Faithful is without a doubt the most famous geyser in the entire Park - and with good reason. Since we have been watching it, it's erupted spectacularly every 60 - 90 minutes or so. So not quite on the hour as the myth suggests, but as the most predictable geyser in the Park, it is still close to being "nature's time piece".

The largest and most concentrated of the geyser basins located in Yellowstone and home to Old Faithful, but there are another 150 geysers to visit in this basin too. Check in at the visitor center for prediction times for multiple geysers, and plan your route exploring the basin to try and time your visit to see a variety of eruptions. Explore the 2 mile round trip paved path from Old Faithful Lodge to Morning Glory Pool, stopping at Castle Geyser, Daisy Geyser and Riverside Geyser along the way.

Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone. It's colorful microbial mats of red, orange, yellow and green around the edges of the pool contrast the deep blue center center of the pool. There's an extensive boardwalk that allows you to see the colors up close, but there can often be steam blowing off the spring that might cloud any photos. See it from above on the the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail, just south of Midway Geyser Basin. Enter the small Fairy Falls Parking lot and walk the .6 mile with slight elevation of 100 feet to the overlook. Midway Geyser Basin / Grand Prismatic Spring is only a short 7 mile drive from Old Faithful, so it's a natural segway for your day. It's also one of the most photographed, and busy, spots in the National Park, so arrive early or late to avoid the crowds.

Incredible forces have carved a 20 mile, up to 1200 foot deep canyon along the path of the Yellowstone River. The carving action of the Yellowstone River has also created 2 magnificent waterfalls inside the canyon. There are 2 aspects to see both the Upper and Lower Falls from, with multiple viewpoints for each. You will want to take in as many of these different views as your time allows.

The Tower Fall viewpoint is just a short walk from the car park. The falls are slender, dropping 132 feet from Tower Creek into the Yellowstone River. What makes them special is that the top of the falls is scattered with volcanic spires. This scene was captured in a painting and submitted as a part of the initial pitch to have Yellowstone declared a National Park. There is a steep trail that continues past the viewpoint. NPS recommends not accessing this trail at times and if the sign is in place, the trail is not recommended. In fact, the best view is the one from the top viewpoint.

At its peak in the early 1900's the many fumaroles that cover Roaring Mountain could be heard for miles. But just as impressive to this day are the many noisy steam vents - fumaroles - that force out of the mountain. In the right conditions it can sound like a jet engine. Also along the same section of road, unique conditions created Obsidian Cliffs where veins of volcanic glass formed. Tools created by Native Americans, with glass taken from this site, have been found as far away as Canada and Ohio.

A small log chapel originally built to provide service to the staff and visitors of nearby ranches. Spiritual inspiration is easily provided by the window behind the altar perfectly framing the Teton Mountain Range. The chapel still operates as an Episcopal (Anglican Communion) Church.

Jackson Lake is one of the best outdoor recreation areas to visit during the summer months. Interesting to note the dramatic contrast in style architect Gilbert Stanley employed when designing the Jackson Lake Lodge. This new modern international style, using mass produced materials like concrete and glass had not been seen previously in a National Park, which had developed a reputation for building lodges in what was described as a rustic arts and crafts styling.

Boiling River is one of only two areas where you can soak in Yellowstone. It is closed in Spring/early Summer due to the fast current and dangerous high water. There is no lifeguard and some microorganisms live the warm water, so be sure and check current conditions before you go. Please note you can only soak in the river and not in the hot spring.

A view to be envious of, but maybe not the tough lifestyle for those who lived inside. This was home to settlers John and Margaret Cunningham of the Bar Flying U Ranch. As one of the few original structures still standing and with this stunning backdrop, it makes for one of the iconic photo opportunities in Grand Teton.

Menors Ferry was a cable ferry operated by its namesake William Menor, and for a quarter century starting in the late 1800s, was the only way to get across the Snake River without traveling for miles in either direction. A working replica of the ferry has been rebuilt along with the general store he operated. It's filled with artifacts and memorabilia from the time. A fun short stop.

Drive slowly along the road connecting the town of Moose and Teton Village, the accommodation base for the Jackson Hole Ski Area. Keep your eyes peeled for both black and grizzly bears, moose and deer through the trees and marshy habitats. The Laurance S Rockefeller Preserve facility is also found along this road. This road is closed to RVs and longer trailers (23 feet+).

Mormons were among the earliest settlers in the valley of Jackson Hole and they worked cooperatively, at one stage 27 homesteads clustered together. To this day water drains through the irrigation ditches dug by hand. The two most photogenic structures that remain are barns that belonged to two Moulton brothers on neighboring properties. The perfect photo lines up the barns, with the Grand Teton peaks in the background.

It's just a short 5 mile drive from Teton Park Road to the top of Signal Mountain. This is the easiest way to access an elevated viewpoint inside the valley that is Jackson Hole. There are two excellent viewpoints at the summit that provide perspective of how vast the valley is, and how it appears to be completely ringed by mountain ranges. RVs and trailers are prohibited on this road.

The Snake River Overlook has to be the most famous view in the Park. In 1942 Ansel Adams captured this stunning image of the Snake River, the Teton Range and a moody sunset. The image was used as a marketing piece to attract visitors to the Grand Tetons.

Jenny Lake is the most popular and busiest part of the park. The lake was formed as a depression caused by giant glaciers that once sat above it. Take a ride across Jenny Lake by boat (tickets available at the dock) and then enjoy the short walk to Hidden Falls.

Located on the shores of Yellowstone Lake, the West Thumb Geyser Basin can be less congested that other areas of the Park and offers some unique thermal features including Fishing Cone Hot Spring. While tiny, it was a landmark for years after a famous incident, that happened while expedition member Walter Trumbum was reeling a fish onshore. With the final swing, the fish unhooked and fell right into the spring. "For a moment it darted about with wonderful rapidity, as if seeking an outlet. Then it came to the top, dead, and literally boiled." It became quite the attraction until some were badly burned trying to replicate and eventually prohibited as an unhealthy and dangerous practice. Another of the highlights along the trail is Abyss Pool, noted for its depth of 53 feet which you can imagine continuing forever along its sloped walls through a dazzling shade of blue. Large wildlife, like elk, are often seen wandering between the hot pools and geysers at West Thumb.