My Yellowstone Packing List
My Yellowstone Packing List will give you all the important things to need to bring to have an epic trip.
Clothes
One word: LAYERS
- Hiking boots or good walking shoes. Not having good shoes ruins trips – make sure you have good shoes
- T-shirts
- Long sleeve shirts
- Sweaters/sweatshirts
- Pants. I like these from prAna. Hiking in jeans is not for me, even for a short time, so I always opt for some more lightweight and breathable bottoms
- Warm jacket
- Rain jacket
- Socks
- Underwear
- Hat – ideally 2: one for sun and one for cold
- If you get cold easily, I would also bring a scarf and mittens. It can be really cold in the morning, I wore mittens in September when we went looking for wildlife in the early morning
Gear
- Binoculars! Check out my post on the best binoculars to improve your wildlife viewing experience
- Camera
- Sunglasses
- Hiking poles
- Compostable silverware
- Snacks
- Backpack or other day-pack
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen
Gear – if you are driving from home
On our second visit to Yellowstone, we drove from our home in Seattle the second time, and brought a couple clutch items that made our food & meal experience a lot more enjoyable. In Bozeman, we bought food for our time in Yellowstone. We had a kitchen at the place we were staying, but food options in the park (and even in gateway towns like West Yellowstone) are limited. We would make breakfast and dinner at the cabin, and take lunch with us in the car – hence the need for the cooler and Tupperware!
- Cooler
- Tupperware or other food storage containers
- Spices or other pantry staples for any of your meals (olive oil, hot sauce, etc.)
Camping
Everyone’s camping set-up is so different, and many people visiting Yellowstone may not camp at all, so I’m leaving this section to my trusty friends at REI
Have fun out there!
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