with kids! 
We have done a lot of national parks; but, when it comes to wheelchair accessibility and family friendliness, Yellowstone National Park is our new favorite. Shenandoah, Glacier, and many of the other national parks we’ve been to are incredible for driving through, but they don’t offer a ton of wheelchair accessible options. We’ve always found at least one wheelchair accessible trail, and some parks like Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Banff offer special driving passes for views that would otherwise be impossible to reach.
We knew from the start that Yellowstone would be next-level accessible when we asked for an accessibility guide and they passed us a book. The book splits the park up by sections with maps showing accessible trails, restrooms, parking, and other facilities in each area. They even have a beach wheelchair to borrow for waterfront areas!
Accessible Parking
Even without the guide, you can tell from the very first pull-off when you enter the park that you’re going to have a good experience. Every major pull off has accessible parking and a paved path to whatever you’re pulling off to see. Even the tiny side pull offs were usually paved and had an open access area to the view.
Yellowstone’s visitor centers and major sights had sufficient sections of the lot set apart for accessible parking. I’m sure there are peak times when you may not be able to find a space, but we visited on a weekend in mid-August and never had an issue finding an open space. In fact, one piece of advice I would give is to brave the long lines even at the lots marked as “full,” because that doesn’t always include the handicap accessible spaces. The Norris Geyser Basin especially sticks out in my mind, because it’s a pretty long walk from the road: drive to the front, first.
Accessible Trails and Sights
This is where the biggest difference comes in. In many national parks, we can do a very small percentage of available trails. Because a lot of the ground at Yellowstone is boiling hot, there are smooth boardwalk paths installed over or through all the wonders. Don’t limit yourself to my list – there are endless pull offs with short accessible paths – but the following were our favorites.
Old Faithful
For some people, this is all they came to see. Others will say to skip it because of the crowds. I think both stances are ridiculous.
Old Faithful has a large parking lot with dedicated accessible parking and ramped access to the sidewalk path leading to the geyser. Once you reach the geyser area, there is a smooth boardwalk with several seating areas that loops around the geyser. You can find current geyser times here. There’s about an hour and 40 minutes between eruptions, so if you miss it you can grab an ice cream from the lodge and wait for the next round.
Our park ranger suggested avoiding mornings at Old Faithful because of the crowds. We did that, but because we saved it for the end of the day, and the park took much longer to drive than I’d anticipated, we only arrived after dark both days! On the “bright” side, there were no crowds! We were the only people watching the show at 10:00 PM – even on a summer weekend.
This is a good place to take advantage of accessible indoor restrooms. The shops and dining areas are also accessible, and the east lot has an accessible picnic table. You can borrow a wheelchair from the Old Faithful Medical Clinic, or rent a power chair for $15 per day.
Artist Point
With a name like Artist Point it should be clear it’s not to be missed. Artist Point takes you to a viewing area for Lower Falls, along the south rim. You’re not very close to the falls, but it’s a lovely panoramic view.
There are accessible parking areas and easy paved paths to both the Upper and Lower Falls. These are completely different water falls – not upper and lower views of the same falls. Both are worth a stop. The Upper Falls are just off the parking lot and the Lower Falls are less than a five minute hike on pavement.
If we went back, I would also like to see the view from Inspiration Point, on the North Rim. I read mixed reviews on accessibility, but the map shows an accessible parking area that looks like it should have a nice view.
Norris Geyser Basin
This is the one with limited parking, but likely to have an open accessible space. There are no curb cuts by the parking spaces, so we needed to roll through the parking lot to the path to the museum. This was the roughest part of the trails, here. The pavement is in need of repair.
We took the trail left from the visitor center and followed the boardwalk to Steamboat Geyser – the highest shooting geyser in the world. It doesn’t erupt often, or on a schedule, but it was doing enough spitting to keep us entertained. They also have scheduled ranger talks, here. We met two wheelchair users who had completed the entire loop and said we would be able to do it with a little effort and leaning back, but we were happy with what we had seen and we were getting hangry for lunch, so we did not complete the trail.
Artists Paint Pots are just under four miles south of here, and it’s only a .3 mile packed dirt trail, but, as I said, we were getting quite cranky for lunch, so we passed by.
Midway Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic
The rainbow views of the Grand Prismatic are only visible from the top of a steep gravel path, but we still enjoyed the eye-level view from the easily wheelchair accessible boardwalk path at Midway Geyser Basin. We also had the added perks of a waterfall and beautiful turquoise springs. This parking lot has two accessible parking spaces and accessible restrooms (national park style – vault toilets with no running water).
Mud Volcano
What’s better than erupting mud? How about an accessible path to see it, and a dragon cave along the way? This is another small lot with accessible parking and a boardwalk path. The dragon cave emits a hissing sound as small waves come out from an ominously steamy cave. It looked like it was straight from an adventure film!
Yellowstone Lake
There are multiple accessible views around the lake. If you can catch it at sunset it might just change your life.
LeHardys Rapids
There are two lots with short, accessible trails. The accessible viewing area was small, so we didn’t stay long. It’s a different type of view than other areas of the park, so still worth the quick stop.
Tower Falls
Full disclosure: we didn’t actually make it to this one. It was, however, highly recommended by our park ranger as one of the most beautiful accessible views in the park.
Drives and Wildlife
First, let me warn you that taking the shortest loop at the park is still 70 miles. No matter where you enter and where you head, you’re going to do some driving. That said, the drive is part of the fun! Look for bison and a plethora of other wildlife. Take as many pull-offs as you choose: there are geysers galore. The drive may just end up being your favorite part!
Firehole Canyon Drive
This is a short bypass heading south from Madison towards Old Faithful. On this short drive, we saw two coyote, three elk, and a red tailed hawk feeding her young. It’s definitely worth the short detour!
Northeast Entrance from Cooke City, East Entrance from Cody, and Chief Joseph Highway
All three of these are great early morning drives for spotting wildlife. They’re long drives, so try to find a sensible way to map them into your route. We ended up doing the northern end of Chief Joseph Highway on our way out from Cody to the Bozeman airport. We saw hundreds of bison on our morning ride in from the East Entrance.
Where to Stay
There are four entrances entrances to the park, and they’re all in cute western towns with cowboy shops and local dining. Cute and cowboy does not mean inaccessible! Most shops were zero entry with wide aisles. There were curb cuts at every intersection we crossed. Sidewalks were in good shape and the towns were easy to navigate.
Technically, there’s a fifth entrance through Grand Teton National Park, but that would be a serious drive.
We stayed in a beautiful HomeExchange in Cody. I loved the area, and it’s a must-visit during your stay, but I’m not sure the hour plus drive into the park each day was worth it.
West Yellowstone was absolutely charming and only a few minutes from the park entrance. While we didn’t stay here, the Explorer Cabins offer the rustic allure of cabin lodging along with the comforts of modern amenities and accessibility. We stayed in their partner lodge in Yosemite and enjoyed an exceptionally accessible stay, so I’m confident they won’t disappoint.
Getting There and Around
For optimal flexibility scheduling around your family’s needs, having a personal vehicle is ideal. We got a rental from the airport that worked out well.
Speaking of airports, you can actually fly right to the park at West Yellowstone Airport (WYS), or Yellowstone Regional Airport near Cody.
We travel on a tight budget, so we flew in through Bozeman (BZN). We found a Southwest deal for $59 per person, or about 6,000 points. We couldn’t resist! Bozeman is delightfully small, efficient, and accessible. They had the cheapest food of any airport we’ve been to and the entire airport is designed like a Montana cabin.
Just Go
There’s a reason we saw so many people from all around the world, here. It’s unlike anything else on the planet and everyone should see it once. The fact that Yellowstone is both family friendly and wheelchair accessible just makes it that much more inviting!
You can extend your trip with a drive through Grand Teton National Park, but remember that things take longer than it looks like they should. It took us almost six hours to get to the center of Grand Teton from Cody, going through Yellowstone.
Embrace your inner cowboy. Stay up late and look at the wilderness stars. Slow down and enjoy the unique culture of the west.
If you have any additional questions on park accessibility, you can contact the park’s accessibility coordinator directly at 307-344-2314.