3 Days in Yellowstone & 3 Days in Banff

Doing a road trip that includes 3 days at both parks. What are some landmarks within those parks I'm gonna want to hit?

I'm doing my own searching of course, just curious to hear some suggestions.

To begin, I don't think three days is enough for either park. What about Jasper, Grand Tetons, Glacier and Waterton Lakes. All of these deserve your attention as well, although I realize you may not have time for all on one trip.

There really is too much to just list things. There are some great web sites that identify specific attractions, using Google of course to find them. I also invite you to take a look at my gallery (link below) for ideas. It's organized by state/province, so these parks are easy to find.

However long you are there, and whatever you decide to do, both parks are fantastic and you will be sure to return for longer visits in the future. Have fun.

The time alloted is the time alloted. I'd love to spend forever everywhere but I can't. 3 days. Thus the point in asking for the can't miss items. I think a trip down to Grand Teton NP will be part of the 3 days at Yellowstone.

Three days in Yellowstone....Just drive through the park with your finger on the shutter button...LOL..

In all honesty, Just get a park map and hit the easy stuff. It's such a large area you'll be driving from place to place most of the time. I don't think it's possible to take a bad picture there.

OK, here goes.

In Yellowstone, Old Faithful and nearby geysers, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Allow a day for each and all the springs, rivers, waterfalls and mountains on the way to each. Maybe you can drive through Grand Tetons on the way out.

In Banff, one day around town, including Vermilion Lakes, Lale Minnewanka and others on the way there. Another day for Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Lake Herbert, Bow Lake and Glacier, Peyto Lake. (All of them are best at sunrise.) Final day going past Columbia Icefield, Tangle Falls, etc. Wildlife will slow you down.

Do you hike? Pretty much anything I would recommend in Banff would involve hiking. I would strongly suggest trying for a bus reservation for Lake O'Hara, but you are likely too late for that (it's three months in advance I believe).

Speaking of hiking, a short hike but one of the best is Johnston Canyon. Several beautiful waterfalls along the trail.

I suppose 3 days is better than no days! Banff is just as expansive as Yellow Stone, I went there a couple years ago and you'll surely need 3 weeks!

Are you going to be allowed to do your own thing once you get there??? If so I suggest taking up a couple of hiking trails in Banff here

Not enough time. Plus, you're driving past Glacier NP and tens of millions of acres of Montana national forest and wilderness which is wilder than the southern half of Alberta.

Skip Banff, IMHO and focus all six days on Yellowstone/Grand Teton. The Yellowstone ecosystem is 18 million acres and comprised of millions of acres of wilderness and unique mountain ranges that would take a lifetime to properly explore.

sparker1 wrote in post #12516408
In Yellowstone, Old Faithful and nearby geysers, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Allow a day for each and all the springs, rivers, waterfalls and mountains on the way to each. Maybe you can drive through Grand Tetons on the way out.

In Banff, one day around town, including Vermilion Lakes, Lake Minnewanka and others on the way there (Bow Falls, early morning). Another day for Lake Louise, Moraine Lake (perhaps pick one or the other), Lake Herbert, Bow Lake and Glacier, Peyto Lake. (All of them are best at sunrise. for me, they were good til mid-morning) Final day going past Columbia Icefield, Tangle Falls, etc. Wildlife and tourists will slow you down everywhere.

Some excellent choices herein. See my recommendations and addenda in red. Johnson Canyon is amazing but dark, and the parking lot was nearly full when we went. For me, Peyto Lake is a unique photo op, I would like to go back and spend an entire day there. If you can get a reservation at this place, try it, we love it: http://www.sntj.ca/
BTW, my Yelowstone trip was a complete loss, due to forest fires and smoke and haze. Drive carefully on your journey. I believe they had snow up in Alberta this week, hard to imagine here in Texas.

We are going to start at the Tetons and move up through Yellowstone as we're heading north to Banff.

3 days? these are big places. in Yellowstone try to see Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs. in Banf try and catch either Lake Louise or Moraine Lake.

Really guys... I really do appreciate the advice but the non-advice advice of "it's not enough time" is just playing Captain Obvious/Oblivious and making me reluctant to even bother sifting through for the well meant advice. No **** it's not enough time to see everything. That's not my goal. No **** they're very big places. I know there is lots to see and I will only see a small fraction of it. I also know the goals of my trip, one of which includes not hanging around in anyone spot too long. This is the time I've allotted. Think of this as a cruise. One day isn't enough to see all of St. Lucia or St. Kitts but I certainly enjoy the excursion I take there on that one afternoon before I gotta get back to the ship. The ship, my Tercel, is only stopping in a few ports of which I'm sure I'll enjoy the little slice I see. I'm not gonna enjoy it if I sit around moping about what I don't see. So, when I don't see it all I'll get over it. If I really like a place I will go back. Unless the Yellowstone volcano goes off it'll be there to see again another day right? And Banff ain't going anywhere fast either.

I've got roughly 14 days on the road and other stuff on the agenda that's just as important to me to see. Our first stop is the Road America Nascar race to watch Jacques Villeneuve kick ass, we're also stopping at the location of the gas bar from the show Corner Gas, Mt Rushmore and more. It's gonna be packed. It's gonna be great.

I had a seminar in Red Lodge MT that started on a Monday afternoon. All I had to do was pick up my wifes air and we had a mini vacation in Yellowstone that was WELL worth it.

We flew into Billings Sat AM, hit Cody for lunch and stayed just outside the East entrance to the park. Got an early jump, banged the right into Hayden Valley, hit some of the points at Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, then made the smaller loop from Canyon Village through Norris and South to Old Faithful. We were lucky enough to get a night at the Yellowstone Hotel in the park and enjoyed the string quartet and a meal in the dining room (all part of the experience in our minds). Should have gotten an earlier start the next morning, but still went thru Hayden Valley again and exited thru the Northeast corner. If that's an option (driving Beartooth pass) take it! Checked in for my seminar by 3 PM.

Yeah, only 2 partial days and one night in the park, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My biggest regret is not getting to Mammoth Hot Springs, which may have been possible with an earlier departure that Monday morning.

4 years or so later, we are finally getting around to planning a more relaxing trip to Yellowstone, combining the Tetons with it. You're correct in that sometimes you have to live with your limitations and make the best of a still good situation.

Another "must see" sight in Banff National Park is Peyto Lake. It's a "staple" of every single Canadian Rocky Mountain scenic calendar. You've probably seen dozens of images of it, but pictures just do not do it justice. It's one of those natural sights that you actually have to see to believe how beautiful it is.

Also if you drive up the Icefields Parkway from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper there are many vistas to view, and also a few waterfalls. Absolutely breathtaking.