Yellowstone National Park is the only national park in Idaho (just barely!) and just a six hour drive from Boise. Korri and I visited the park for my birthday in September 2020 and September 2021 (by sheer luck and only because people were cancelling their reservations due to the pandemic; rooms in the park sell out WELL in advance), and now that I’ve been to Yellowstone twice in September, I’m here to tell you why you also need to visit Yellowstone in September!

Yellowstone is open year-round, but access is limited in the winter months because it gets a LOT of snow and you can’t drive vehicles in most areas of the park. (You have to book a guided snowmobile or snowcoach tour that starts in West Yellowstone, Montana.) Because of its high elevation, every season besides winter is short. I’ve visited Yellowstone in the summer and in the fall, and while the park is beautiful at any time of year, it absolutely shines in the fall!

READ NEXT: What to Expect When Visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone in the Fall

Yellowstone in September

In this post, I’m helping you plan a trip to Yellowstone in September! I shared how the park is in September, a list of things to do, what to wear, and where to stay. Let this guide convince you that visiting in the fall is a MUST!

ENTRY: The Yellowstone National Park entrance fee for one vehicle (good for 7 days in the park) is $35 and must be paid with a credit card. The motorcycle entrance fee is $30. Interagency annual passes, which I recommend (especially if you have plans for any other national park), are available for $80 and are good at any national park for a full year.

How is Yellowstone in September?

Yellowstone is BEAUTIFUL in September. Weather-wise, plan for anything. It’s warmer at the start of the month and cooler at the end. We’ve been when it’s warm and sunny one day and snowing the next. There could be thunderstorms. Don’t be surprised if it’s windy. Anything goes, especially if you’re visiting in late September like we did. Check the weather forecast before you go and pack layers!

If you want to leaf peep, early September is too soon to see color. Late September is when the trees at 7,000 feet elevation and higher start to change colors. October is the sweet spot for fall colors for trees below 7,000 feet, but by then more of the park might be closed due to the weather so late September might be your best bet for fall foliage.

As far as the crowds go, expect more people in Yellowstone at the start of the month (especially over Labor Day weekend) and fewer people at the end of the month. Late September is a great time to visit because you can hit the highlights without the large crowds. That said, it’s still busy at the popular spots, so I still recommend visiting those spots early or later in the day.

Accommodations in Yellowstone National Park are NOT cheap no matter when you stay, but they are generally less expensive than during high season. We stayed in cabins during both trips, and they are bare bones; there’s plumbing, electricity, and heat, but there are no TVs, no wifi, no air conditioning, no fridge or microwave, no free breakfast. Read my recommendations on where to stay in Yellowstone in September below!

Overall, I really enjoy visiting Yellowstone in September and highly recommend others experience it at least once. Because it’s the end of the season, roads, shops, restaurants, etc. start to close or have reduced hours in preparation for winter. Be sure to check the official NPS website frequently for any updates.

What to Do in Yellowstone in September

There are some of the best things to do in Yellowstone no matter when you visit, but it is easier to see the more popular spots in the fall!

1. Old Faithful

Unless you’re doing a quick drive through along the northwest or east side of the park, you can’t come to Yellowstone and not see Old Faithful! This is an extremely busy part of the park (the parking lot is HUGE, and seeing that is when you’ll realize how busy it can get ha). Thankfully, the crowds are not as dense in September and thin out more towards the end of the month. Stick around and visit the other geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin if you have time!

2. Midway Geyser Basin

Midway Geyser Basin is home to Grand Prismatic, the beautiful rainbow geothermal feature that you would instantly recognize if I showed you one of those professional photos of it. It’s extremely popular and also extremely difficult to visit because the parking lot is way too small. Prepare to spend some time circling around until a spot opens, even in September. We gave up in 2020 and hiked the Fairy Falls trail until the overlook, and then in 2021, we went at sunset when it was easier to get a spot. If you are staying in the park, it’s easier to hit the highlights at dawn or dusk when others are gone.

You can try to visit Grand Prismatic in the morning, but be aware that it might be foggy over the spring and difficult to see the rainbow colors. Those are most vibrant in the middle of the day (especially when the sun is out!), but that’s also when it’s crowded. Seeing it up close is cool, but if you want to see more of the color, head to the Fairy Falls trailhead and hike that (it’s easy) to the Grand Prismatic overlook.

3. Firehole Lake Drive

If you want to chill and see some geysers from the comfort of your car, do the Firehole Lake Drive just north of the Midway Geyser Basin. It’s a one-direction, single-lane road that takes you through multiple geysers and bubbling pots. It’s one of my favorite more relaxed areas of the park that isn’t as crowded. Plus, you don’t have to do any walking if you don’t want to.

4. Norris Geyser Basin

Norris Geyser Basin is another popular area (all of the large geyser basins are highly popular, for good reason!) but the parking lot is bigger so it’s easier to visit. Try to visit in the morning or late afternoon! This geyser basin is home to Steamboat Geyser, which erupted while we were there on September 26, 2020!!! I couldn’t believe our luck. It had just erupted 10 days before we got there and somehow on the exact day we visited Norris, it erupted again. I think we missed the biggest part of the eruption but it was still cool to see!

5. Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs is located just inside the North Entrance. It’s quite a drive from the southern end of the park, so plan accordingly! The road is also dicier in some spots than I had remembered as a kid (you drive along a cliff for part of it). The views are gorgeous, though. Once you get to Mammoth, check out the terraces. Then, walk down to a nearby gift shop and ice cream parlor for huckleberry ice cream!

6. West Thumb Geyser Basin

West Thumb Geyser Basin is another great collection of geysers on the west shore of Yellowstone Lake. In my experience, this geyser basin tends to be the least visited among all the geyser basins, and you can have it essentially to yourself in the evenings in September! Some of the most beautiful blue pools are located in this basin. (This is also the boardwalk where I tripped and literally face planted onto the wood planks like some kind of cartoon character so… be careful and don’t run, ha!)

7. Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake is a large high elevation lake located in the southeast corner of Yellowstone. You can access it easily coming from the South Entrance or East Entrance. You’ll get a good view of the lake from West Thumb, and I also recommend driving up to the Lake Yellowstone Lodge area (there’s a gift shop and store with treats) and over to Fishing Bridge and then Sedge Bay. There are a couple of places you can sit by the shore. It can get windy and the waves on the northeast side can get intense! Watch for buffalo and elk in the area.

8. Drive through the East Entrance to Cody, Wyoming

The first time we drove through the East Entrance was on our summer road trip to South Dakota quite a few years ago, and we realized just how beautiful that entrance is. It’s less exciting around the east side of the lake because that area is still recovering from wildfire, but once you are past the lake and out the gate, it’s stunning. Plus, you might spot a buffalo on the road like we did!

I definitely recommend driving through the East Entrance all the way to Cody, Wyoming, especially if you want to see fall colors! The geology is amazing on that drive, too. Cody is 52 miles east of the East Entrance.

9. Photographing buffalo in Hayden Valley

Hayden Valley follows the Yellowstone River from the lake north to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. This is an excellent area to see wildlife. You will probably get stopped by other people excitedly taking photos of the buffalo herd. It’s definitely worth a stop to capture some photos yourself, especially when the fall colors are out! Just don’t get close to the buffalo, even if they are on the road.

10. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

At Canyon Village is where you’ll find the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River before it heads into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It is here where you’ll realize where the name “Yellowstone” came from (though, the name has problematic origins like most national parks on native land). The Lower Falls is the more popular and majestic of the two.

There are overlooks off of the north side (Lookout Point, Grand View) and the south side (Artist Point) of the canyon. They all have a slightly different view of the Lower Falls and the canyon! You can also hike down to the “brink” of the falls which ends right at the top of the falls. It’s not an easy hike, though.

11. Drive through the Northeast Entrance over Beartooth Highway

The Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone is another beautiful entrance. I highly recommend driving over the Beartooth Highway in Montana (which leads to the NE Entrance) as long as it’s open; it closes for the winter around mid-October but might temporarily close early if a storm blows through. It’s a beautiful drive at very high elevation (over 10,000 feet at the highest point!). You drive through the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone where you can spot buffalo and other wildlife. Check out the photos from our drive through.

The road between Cooke City and Gardiner that runs through Yellowstone is the only road in the park that stays open to vehicle traffic year-round. (Oddly enough, I’m not sure that I’ve ever been on the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower-Roosevelt! Definitely need to drive it next time.)

What to Wear in Yellowstone in September

Like I mentioned at the start of this post, if you’re visiting Yellowstone in September, you need to be prepared for basically any weather besides extreme heat. It will likely be warmer in Yellowstone at the start of the month versus the end. Yellowstone is a high elevation park, so it’s probably going to be cooler than you expect, but you still need to wear sunscreen because you will burn faster at the higher elevation.

We visited Yellowstone the same weekend in late September 2020 and 2021 and had different weather each time! In 2020, we had a warm day followed by a cold front with thunderstorms, wind, cooler temperatures, and then overnight snow. In 2021, we had beautiful weather in the 60s to 70s the whole time.

I packed similarly for both of our September trips to Yellowstone. Below are the seven outfits I wore across the two trips. If you want more detail about exact items I packed and wore (including what I brought in the car) for our 2020 trip, read all about what to pack and wear to Yellowstone in the fall.

What to Wear to Yellowstone in September | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

For our first trip, I wore five different hiking outfits and stuck to a uniform of cardigan + top + leggings or wubby + top + leggings depending on the temperature that morning. I packed five pairs of leggings and wore all of them (since I got hot/sweaty/dirty hiking). I also brought enough “base layers” to not need to rewear any of them.

I wish I had packed shoes with better traction (like proper hiking shoes or boots, of which I now own both) and a pair of gloves for the cold!

Yellowstone in September Hiking Outfits | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Above are the two hiking outfits I wore on our 2021 trip to Yellowstone. I stuck to basically the same uniform (tank + top layer + leggings + baseball cap) except I didn’t dress as warm because I didn’t need to! The weather was nicer on our 2021 trip.

No matter what, remember these four things:

Pack (and wear) layers
Wear sneakers with tread or practical hiking shoes
Be prepared for any weather
Wear sunscreen (yes, even if it’s not hot out!)

All of my items are old, but you can shop similar items in the widget below along with a few exact matches to items I own (and would pack) today.

Where to Stay in Yellowstone in September

There are few places to stay within Yellowstone National Park, and they are expensive, bare bones, and sell out well in advance. I recommend checking the website frequently because that’s how you can catch an open room if a reservation has been cancelled (that’s how we got our cabins for both trips). This is the ONLY official booking site.

We stayed in two different areas during our September trips. For our first trip, we stayed in a cabin at Old Faithful, and for the second trip we stayed in a cabin at Yellowstone Lake.

Old Faithful Lodge Cabins

There are a few different places you can stay around Old Faithful. It’s a huge complex with fancy lodges, cabins, a cafeteria, and areas for the public to hang out inside (and obviously, outside near the geysers). We stayed in a Frontier Cabin that had one double bed, and we paid $385 for two nights in 2020.

Our cabin included a bathroom; make sure you know which cabin you are booking because some don’t have a bathroom (there’s a communal bathroom for those). Cooking is not allowed in or around the cabin area. You probably won’t be spending a ton of time in the cabin, but plan to bring a good book or two and a deck of cards or game to stay occupied!

Learn more about the Old Faithful Lodge Cabins.

Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins

For our 2021 trip, we stayed in a cabin near the lake. We liked that location close to the East Entrance and Wylie’s Canteen, which is one of the better places to eat in Yellowstone (I’m surprised by all the negative reviews, though food in Yellowstone is not that great overall). During our stay, there were TONS of elk around, and we could hear them bugling nearby every night! It was so cool.

Like the Old Faithful cabin, these cabins are the same bare bones. We booked a cabin with two double beds (one double is just too small for both of us ha) and spent $277 a night. The website requires a deposit when you book. We ate breakfast one morning in the Lake Yellowstone Lodge Dining Room; they had a buffet brunch set up and it was actually pretty nice! Breakfast is an extra cost.

Learn more about Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Cabins.

There is more lodging available just outside Yellowstone, which tends to be less expensive but also less convenient. Check the map below for places to stay in West Yellowstone, Montana (at the west entrance), Gardiner, Montana (at the north entrance), Cody, Wyoming (east of the east entrance), and Jackson, Wyoming (south entrance south of Grand Teton National Park). You can stay farther out if you’d like, but be prepared to spend a lot of your days driving into and out of Yellowstone. It’s a luxury to stay in the park itself and well worth it!