What to Wear in Yellowstone: 8,000-Foot Morning Layers, Bear Spray, Binoculars & Hat Straps

Yellowstone's elevation catches nearly every summer visitor by surprise: the central plateau of the park, including Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake and Canyon Village, sits between 2,250 and 2,500 metres (7,400 to 8,200 feet) above sea level. At that altitude, it can snow briefly in any month, and even in July and August, dawn wildlife drives in Lamar Valley or sunrise walks at Old Faithful start at a frosty 1°C to 5°C (34°F to 41°F) before warming to a sunny 25°C (77°F) in the afternoon.

Five Non-Negotiable Packing Items for Yellowstone

1. The 3-Layer System (T-Shirt + Warm Fleece or Packable Puffer + Waterproof Wind Shell + Knit Beanie): never head out at dawn for Lamar Valley or Old Faithful without a warm fleece pullover or light down jacket, long trousers and a knit beanie hat. By late morning when the sun comes out, you will be walking the boardwalks in a short-sleeved shirt.
2. A Pair of 8x42 or 10x42 Binoculars: this is the top item travellers regret forgetting. While bison walk beside your bumper, grizzly bears, black bears and grey wolves in Lamar and Hayden Valleys are legally viewed from 100 to 500 metres away on open hillsides. Keeping binoculars in your glovebox, or hiring a Spotting Scope on a tripod mount in Gardiner or West Yellowstone, turns a distant speck on a ridge into a mother grizzly with cubs.

3. A Sunhat with a Chin Strap & Polarised Sunglasses: thermal gusts on the Grand Prismatic Spring and Norris boardwalks blow caps into boiling acid pools every week, where it is illegal and dangerous to step off the boardwalk. Meanwhile, polarised sunglasses cut surface glare so you can see straight down into the deep turquoise vents of Morning Glory Pool and West Thumb.
4. EPA-Approved Bear Spray: you cannot pack bear spray on a commercial flight. Buy a canister at an outdoor shop in Bozeman, Jackson or West Yellowstone, or hire a canister at the Bear Aware Kiosk at Canyon Village or Madison.
5. Cushioned Walking Trainers & Trail Shoes: walking the wooden boardwalk loops of the Upper Geyser Basin, Norris, Mammoth and West Thumb adds up to 12 to 16 kilometres of walking a day. Check seasonal weather.