Yellowstone Women’s Hiking and Hot Springs Weekend

We’ve got 4 days, babe. So we’re kicking things off birdie-early! We’ll do intros, triple-check our daypacks, fill our water bottles, and set the trip vibe before departing for Yellowstone.

After a transfer in our Explorer Chick Private Shuttle, we’ll arrive at the park’s iconic Upper Geyser Basin. Here we’ll watch Old Faithful blow and roam trails surrounded by 25% of the WORLD’S geysers in ONE tiny square mile! Whoa, love that math for us.

Keep your peepers peeled for wildlife like bald eagles, osprey, bison, jackrabbits, and so many other curious critters. We’ll wander with plenty of stops to soak in the misty magic.

After we geek out over geysers, we’ll break for a trail lunch before hitting up Grand Prismatic Overlook. Your fellow Explorer Chick will catch your jaw as you take in that classic smokeshow view of Yellowstone’s largest rainbow hot spring. Don’t you DARE apologize for taking 300 photos. We will take you up the hill behind Grand Prismatic to view the spring from above. This is so much better than being at work!

With scenic drives and stops all day long, we’ll end today’s journey in West Yellowstone to check in, explore town, get our shop on, and dig into our welcome dinner. Rawr!

Distance: 4.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 400’
Hiking Time: 4 hours
Transport Time: 3 hours (broken up over the day)

Accommodation: Lodge West Yellowstone, shared
Meals: L-D

Today is full of surprises that will make you feel eight years old again. After breakfast at our lodge, we hop in the SHEnanigan Shuttle and head straight for Norris Basin, home of Porcelain Basin Overlook. These milky blue pools are the most otherworldly way to stretch your legs. Your Explorer Chick guide will happily nerd out about silica, iron minerals, acidic waters, and the tiny thermophiles that thrive in these wild temperatures.

After we cruise the boardwalk, we drive to the back entrance of Mammoth Hot Springs for a short climb and quiet approach. Along the way we pass the so-called Hoodoos, which is Yellowstone’s favorite plot twist. These formations only look like hoodoos. They are actually massive slabs of ancient travertine that broke off long-forgotten terraces and tumbled down the slope, slowly sculpted into strange shapes by time, water, and weather.

Mammoth Hot Springs greets us with steaming, ever-changing travertine terraces that look like living sculptures. What you see today will not be what anyone sees next year, and that is the magic of this place.

We will have plenty of time to wander, gawk, and snap photos before rolling into Gardiner for some exploring time and a well-earned dinner.

Distance: 5.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,010’
Hiking Time: 5 hours
Transport Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Accommodation: Hotel Gardiner, shared
Meals: B-L-D

It is an early start, Explorer Chicks, because we have fur, feathers, and fangs to find. Our hope today is to spot a grey wolf during our Lamar Valley wildlife tour, so start those manifestations. We will meet our wildlife guide and enjoy hot drinks as a group while we get briefed on the adventure ahead. Today is a NO fragrance day to stay stealthy and a PANTS day to protect your legs from bites and brush.

We will keep our eyes peeled for wolves, bison, bears, pronghorn, woodchucks, and maybe even a bald eagle or two. Yellowstone is home to nearly 300 species of birds and 67 species of mammals, and Lamar Valley is the best place to see them. Known as the Serengeti of North America, its wide open grasslands and long sight lines create some of the best wildlife viewing on the planet. If you flip when you see a red squirrel, you are going to need a clean pair of undies.

After our wildlife tour, we will head out for a gorgeous hike along the Yellowstone River. We will walk up to a ridge for a ridiculous osprey view and congratulate ourselves for being bad bitches.

Once we have filled up on fresh air and good food, we will make our way back to the hotel. We will soak in the nearby hot springs so we can reset those legs and get ready for tomorrow’s early start. It is the perfect way to end a big Yellowstone day.

Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 456’
Hiking Time: 2 hours
Transport Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Accommodation: Hotel Gardiner, shared
Meals: B-L-D

How is it already our last day? Save the tears because we still have one final adventure to share. We will meet in the morning and hop into our shuttle for a scenic ride to Artist Point. Coffee in hand, we will stroll along the canyon as the mist lifts and the Yellowstone River begins its daily roar. The trail winds from Upper Falls down toward Artist Point, offering some of the most iconic views in the entire park. It feels like the perfect finale to our four-day adventure, but we still have one more gem to enjoy.

After soaking in the canyon views, we will make our way to West Thumb, where colorful hot pools sit right along the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake. It is a peaceful and surreal mix of quiet water and bubbling geothermal activity that feels like Yellowstone waving goodbye.

We finish with a drive through the Tetons and a farewell toast and lunch in Jackson Hole. Then we hug it out and promise to do this all again someday. Pinky swear, okay?

Depart any time after 6 pm. Optional post-tour rooms will be available to book.

Distance: 3.7 miles 
Elevation Gain: 357′
Hiking Time: 2.5 hours
Transport Time: 3 hours 50 minutes

Meals: B-L