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Hayden Valley

Hayden Valley

Hayden Valley
4.5
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  • MikeJennyQ
    Onalaska, Wisconsin962 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Get out your telephoto sense and take this in
    Great place for the long lenses. Bear activity was high late in summer fall and near the hot springs along the road a =n active grizzly revisiting a carcass for a week. Safe distance from the road and across the river. A lot of photographers but even amateurs could see and get a photo.. Buffalo and elk with bugling. Wolves are seen though we missed them
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 December 2023
  • Rehoboth5
    Helena, Montana508 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Slow down, obey the law, be respectful of wildlife and other visitors
    We're Montanans, and try to visit Yellowstone every year or so. This June, we got out early (left Roosevelt Lodge about 7) and drove through the Hayden Valley. Traffic was not yet heavy, but the views were out of this world. The streams, the meadows, the wildflowers, and the bison (we think there were probably a total of 300, in various herds). To enjoy this experience, slow down and show respect not only for the wildlife, but for other visitors. Obey park regulations: don't stop in the middle of the road. Instead, find an official pullout and park there. Don't get close to bison!!!! Stay at least 25 yards away from them. Use your binoculars or telephoto lens to get a good look. Relax and soak up the natural scene.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 June 2024
  • D L
    Casa Grande, Arizona340 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Go Early for Best Chances
    Second trip to park; our primary purpose was wildlife observation. Used binoculars and spotting scope. We saw the Wapiti Wolfpack here at about 3/4 mioff. Spotting scope was the ticket, or long camera lense. You need to put the spotting scope on a tripod, IMHO. Bison herd in same valley. Wolves are on a far side (West) ridge. Also saw a pronghorn sheep in the valley. We also saw two grizzlies and two black bear on the hills to and from this valley. We got lucky, but we also left the campsite to get there early.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 July 2024
  • malenurse2
    9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Yellowstone is more than I ever thought
    When you hear the word national park, you think of a place to go with an area to go to. But when you get to Yellowstone, you don’t realize that it’s not aWhen you hear the word national park, you think of a place to go with an area to go to. But when you get to Yellowstone, you don’t realize that it’s not a national park but it is a substantial piece of land with 100 mile circle inside it.. Instead of spending a day or two, you could spend weeks there and never see everything
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 17 August 2024
  • Stephanie C
    Mundelein, Illinois2,537 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bison Everywhere!!
    Hayden Valley is where we saw a large amount of Bison roaming around. It’s mostly flat but just beautiful. The Yellowstone river runs along side of the valley in some spots. We ran into what’s called a buffalo jam for two reasons the Bison are crossing the road and the vehicles are all lined up to get a great view of all the wildlife.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,150 reviews
Excellent
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bcasey1
Plant City, FL1,675 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
Loved the diversity of the scenery at Yellowstone! We expected mountains, geothermal sights, woods, and lakes the valley was like a bonus sight that was equally lovely. We saw bison there, too. So fun!
Written 27 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

db7477
Carlsbad, CA3,471 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
The drive from the Canyon area through the Hayden Valley to Yellowstone Lake is absolutely gorgeous. There are numerous turnouts to stop and soak in the view of the valley, Yellowstone River and native wildlife. When God made heaven he used the Hayden Valley for reference.
Written 5 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mary Butcher
Belpre, OH12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
We toured Yellowstone through YellowstoneVacations.com. The travel guide, Chris Burke, noticed that my husband could not take all the photos he wanted during the first day.. So he arranged for us to have our own van on the second day. Our second travel guide was Jason Kladiva, who we called "Gypsy." He took us to where we wanted to go. My husband was able to take lots of photos of bison that day. These guides are awesome!
Written 4 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stephen M
Boston, MA88 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
The sun is up at 5AM and the action here over by 7AM. Best viewing is about 6 miles south of Canyon and 10 miles north of Lake/Fishing Bridge.

The early bird is rewarded with spectacular nature viewing. We came out 3 different mornings and saw something different each morning.
Written 29 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Daniela N
Houston, TX747 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
We went here to see animal twice but did not see much animals but a few bisons and tons of ducks and flowers. We went in late June 2020 but it was very cold and wet, snowing a little too. Not far from Canyon Lodge and eateries.
I personally like Lamar Valley better although it was a far drive. YS was so scenic so I did not mind the drive.
Surprisingly, at some part of Hayden valley, I found some good cell phone signals for emails , phone calls, loading maps etc.
Written 4 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PandaHouston
Houston, TX6,119 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
After visiting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, we drove through Hayden Valley at around 11:30 am on a Friday (9/4). Unfortunately, probably due to the time of day, we did not see any animals. The Valley looked very pretty though!

We stayed near the West Yellowstone entrance and every morning on our drive to Madison Junction, we would see bison on that stretch of the road. We actually saw more wildlife there than anywhere else.
Written 16 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

malenurse2
lagrange illinois9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
When you hear the word national park, you think of a place to go with an area to go to. But when you get to Yellowstone, you don’t realize that it’s not aWhen you hear the word national park, you think of a place to go with an area to go to. But when you get to Yellowstone, you don’t realize that it’s not a national park but it is a substantial piece of land with 100 mile circle inside it.. Instead of spending a day or two, you could spend weeks there and never see everything
Written 17 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JenniferandAlan
Easton, PA908 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Couples
We usually visit Yellowstone in August and if we haven't seen a buffalo somewhere in the park we drive to Hayden Valley and are pretty sure to see some, even herds. We also see people bird watching there but we come for the buffalo. We try to get there at dusk when the herds are settling down for the night. We've seen baby buffalo frolicking while mom watches. The herds could swim across the river to the other side sometimes causing "buffalo jams" on the road. If you get there early, there is plenty of parking. You can see the buffalo close up as they cross the road but stay in your car and don't get close to them as they are wild. If you don't see any in Hayden Valley, try Lamar Valley a little farther north. Happy viewing.
Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Loca_Lisa
Meridian, ID1,668 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Couples
This is the most active spot in Yellowstone park to view all types of wildlife. In the 30 minutes we stayed in the area we saw about 50 elk, a 100 bison, several species of birds and even the rare black bear at the base of the hills. One of the highlights of driving around Yellowstone for sure. Be sure to bring your binoculars!!!!!!!!!!!
Written 17 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mynameisD
Portland, OR922 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022
What a beautiful valley. So photographic. We were lucky to see Bison every day for 5 days in a row. One day we decided to park the Van and have lunch while watching the Bison. It was the best. Soon the Bison decided to cross over the road creating a Wildlife Road block.

In the mornings there was quite a bit of fog and you couldn't see anything. But as it lifts it is lovely to see the sun come up.

Highly recommended to hang out here, there are many pull outs.
Written 8 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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HAYDEN VALLEY: All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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