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Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park

Firehole Falls and bison in the geyser basins in September 2026, the Milky Way over Grand Prismatic, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone on the drive north to Glacier.

Part of Yellowstone and Grand Teton, with its map and every photo from the region.

On the map
Photographs
12
Made
June 2024 – September 2026
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4 on the map
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12 photos

Bison and the Steam, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison and the SteamYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison on the Riverbank, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison on the RiverbankYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison Mid-Channel, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison Mid-ChannelYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole CanyonYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole Cascade, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole CascadeYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole FallsYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole Falls and the Canyon Wall, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Firehole Falls and the Canyon WallYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison along the Lamar River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Bison along the Lamar RiverYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Milky Way over Grand Prismatic, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Milky Way over Grand PrismaticYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Mountain Goat on the Scree, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Mountain Goat on the ScreeYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Grand Canyon of the YellowstoneYellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Lower Falls at Dawn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Lower Falls at DawnYellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Field notes

When to go

Our frames span three trips: late June 2024 (the Milky Way over Grand Prismatic, near midnight), late May 2025 (the canyon, on the drive north to Glacier), and mid-September 2026 (Firehole Falls and bison in a geyser basin, with the grass turning gold). Late spring is a great time for the canyon: snowmelt has the falls running hard, and the Yellowstone River peaks on average in early June. By late May most park roads are open; the higher Dunraven Pass, north of Canyon, opened May 22 in 2026.

Access and rules

The canyon frame is from the Brink of the Lower Falls, on North Rim Drive, a one-way road that starts just south of Canyon Junction and also links Lookout Point, Grand View and Inspiration Point. Grand Prismatic is at Midway Geyser Basin; in the thermal areas, stay on the boardwalks, day or night. As of 2026, entry is $35 per vehicle for seven days, and non-US residents 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person unless they hold an annual pass. Check the park's road status page for spring openings.

Entry and passes

Entry: $35 per vehicle, 7 days. The $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers it. Non-US residents 16 and over also pay $100 per person, unless they hold an annual pass. The Yellowstone annual pass is $70.

Passes and fees guideOfficial fees page (nps.gov)

Our story

The first frame here is the Milky Way over the runoff channels of Grand Prismatic Spring on a late-June night in 2024, stars caught in the water and steam rising across the basin.

The second was a stop on the way somewhere else: the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, seen from the rim on the drive north to Glacier in May 2025, rather than a trip built around the park itself.

In September 2026 we finally gave it a day of its own, from an Island Park weekend: a foggy morning at Harriman State Park, just over the line in Idaho, then Firehole Canyon, where the falls pour over dark rock under the lodgepoles, and a bison working the channel of a geyser basin, steam rising behind it.

Where the photos were made

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · terrain Mapterhorn

Nearest places

All places

As the crow flies, from the center of Yellowstone National Park to the center of each.

Island Park and Sawtell Peakabout 45 miles west · 22 photos
Grand Teton National Parkabout 55 miles south · 3 photos
Bozemanabout 80 miles north · 1 photo