If you haven’t already heard, Yellowstone National Park is one of the most amazing places on this whole entire planet! It has so many beautiful nooks and crannies that that are unknown and yet, shared by many!

One of these beautiful hidden treasures in Yellowstone National Park is the Boiling River; a perfect cold winter day activity!

The other day, my friends and I decided that we were going to take a day trip to the Boiling River. On Sunday we all met up, ate breakfast, and caravaned to Gardiner, Montana. The drive through Paradise Valley is downright gorgeous. The scenery is something from a movie.

The entrance to the boiling river isn’t far from the park entrance.

If you get to mammoth, you’ve definitely gone too far. There is a parking lot on the left and overflow parking on the right. Just don’t park on the main road. Yellowstone National Park frowns on that and it’s important to follow their rules for the safety of people and especially the wild animals!

It’s a short, easy hike to the river from the parking lot, all super well marked.

Please only enter the river at the designated entrance area. If you do that, you are helping prevent erosion of the river and you are particularly helping it stay open! If people don’t obey these wildlife/nature protecting rules, places like these will be closed. Now that I’m off my environmental soap box let’s continue on with the adventure!

To read more about the concept of Leave No Trace, Click HERE!

The river entrance is very obviously marked by steam rising from the river and a sign that you can’t miss.

At the river entrance there is a log bench and fence that you can rest your stuff on. I wouldn’t take anything super valuable to the river. I’ve never been robbed there but every now and then a turd shows up and ruins the fun.

If I were you, I would definitely bring chacos, or your favorite water shoe/sandal brand. But not flip flops! I saw a ladies flip flop make a break for it the other day.

As you walk down the river you will feel extremely hot water and extremely cold water rushing past your feet and legs. It’s a fun game as you wade your way through the temperature and current changes. The objective? Find that sweet spot.

Sweet spots are not hard to find. And when you do, it’s like sitting in a piece of heaven. Every now and then, the water will change currents and you will get blasted with different temperatures. But again, that’s part of the fun!

We soaked in the river for hours!

Enjoying the winter wonderland of Yellowstone National Park around us and talking about random things in our lives.

Eventually, our hands and feet were as pruny as, well, a prune! And we left. It sucked leaving the river but we all went to a local bar in Gardiner to eat burgers, and fries.

Happy Travels Travelers!

And as always, please leave questions, comments, and ideas below 🙂

If you need more ideas of what to do in Yellowstone National Park in the winter, click HERE! You won’t regret it!