Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Beautiful limestone formations make this hot spring unique.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Mammoth Hot Springs
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
4 within 5 kms
Attractions
25 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- jehenson81Washington DC, District of Columbia25,942 contributionsLower TerracesI opted to stop at the lower terraces of the Mammoth Hot Springs since it seemed to be less crowded. You have to climb stairs to get up to see the terraces. The first one was the Minerva Spring and Terrace. It was kind of cool, white in color and you get to be up close and personal with them. The next terrace up was gorgeous, the Jupiter & Mound Terraces. The colors were reds, oranges and yellows and made me think of a sunset. Other people said the next terrace up wasn’t worth the walk, so after the first two, I headed back down. Still very impressive.Visited April 2024Travelled soloWritten 22 April 2024
- Julie60 contributionsBucket list trip exceeded our expectationsMammoth Hot Springs is a must-see in Yellowstone! Norris Geyser Basin was also amazing!!! Actually our entire trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons ranks up there as one of the best vacations we've ever had. Would do it all again in a heartbeat đź’“Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 12 May 2024
- SwonQonDoiBoston, Massachusetts405 contributionsMammoth Hot Springs @ Yellowstone National ParkThe beauty of nature is pure and endless. We've witnessed it with our own eyes and felt it with our own bodies. Our journey led us to Mammoth Hot Springs, one of the most iconic and fascinating geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to witness the power and beauty of geothermal activity. With its stunning terraces, vibrant colors, and fascinating geological formations, Palette Spring, in particular, showcases a range of hues, including brilliant whites, yellows, oranges, and browns, creating a visually stunning spectacle. There was a series of boardwalks and viewing platforms that allowed visitors to explore the terraces up close. Mammoth Hot Springs, like all areas of Yellowstone National Park, is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is subject to strict conservation measures. Visitors are reminded to stay on designated trails and boardwalks to protect the fragile thermal features and to ensure their safety. We spent hours enjoying the beauty of Mammoth Hot Springs and left with hearts full of wonderful experiences.Visited July 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 16 May 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
2,219 reviews
Excellent
1,294
Very good
613
Average
244
Poor
60
Terrible
8
eobert
Columbus, OH1,431 contributions
July 2020 • Business
This property is amazing. The staff needs much training. I really liked the cowboy guy he is a great operator and I liked the whole cowboy thing he had going on. Our room was amazing. The decor is so cool. The property is well maintained. They had so many things closed due to the pandemic that they really should just close completely. I was sent no less than four emails with info regarding wearing a mask due to the pandemic but said nothing about all the stuff closed or not available to guests. If I had known about the lack of amenities like no coffee maker in the room or offered at nearby restaurant next door due to water being turned off at 10am and check is at 11am. No ice machines operating I would have booked another hotel. Xterra who manages this property is one of the largest but worst companies in the hospitality business. I would never stay at this property again.
Written 30 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bubs
Rocester, UK42 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
The actual hot springs and geothermal features are excellent and well worth the trip however be warned - it is much much larger and with a much more Steep incline than it looks in photos.
HOWEVER The visitor centre and currently closed hotel at the bottom are not able to cater for the VAST numbers of cars going down and there is no cafe open or any where to get proper food. There’s a general store selling very expensive snack food , if they haven’t sold out. I don’t know how this area copes when the road to the north is actually opened up as it was very over peopled.
HOWEVER The visitor centre and currently closed hotel at the bottom are not able to cater for the VAST numbers of cars going down and there is no cafe open or any where to get proper food. There’s a general store selling very expensive snack food , if they haven’t sold out. I don’t know how this area copes when the road to the north is actually opened up as it was very over peopled.
Written 13 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WednesdayNightGirl
McKinney, TX1,358 contributions
Sept 2021 • Friends
This is a really beautiful spot. It’s also very crowded - we had a little trouble finding a parking spot.
Especially if you go during the summer, I’d recommend being there early or, if you’re staying inside the park or close by, waiting until the day trippers are starting to leave.
There are nice bathrooms here, too!
Especially if you go during the summer, I’d recommend being there early or, if you’re staying inside the park or close by, waiting until the day trippers are starting to leave.
There are nice bathrooms here, too!
Written 16 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenn
Kingwood, TX303 contributions
June 2020
The Mammoth Hot Springs site is located inside Yellowstone off a one lane highway with pullouts for slower traffic. When you get there, there is an actual little town, but all the hotels are closed because of COVID. There is a tiny grocery store.
We were VERY disappointed because the Mammoth site was DRIED UP. We went in June 2020 & could not believe our eyes. There are so many prettier places in the park
to visit than this. Go find Inspiration Point, or the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone but you can miss this hot mess.
Oh, and there is a gas station there but they Hot Springs were OUT OF GAS!
We were VERY disappointed because the Mammoth site was DRIED UP. We went in June 2020 & could not believe our eyes. There are so many prettier places in the park
to visit than this. Go find Inspiration Point, or the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone but you can miss this hot mess.
Oh, and there is a gas station there but they Hot Springs were OUT OF GAS!
Written 12 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tommy599
Two Rivers, WI883 contributions
Sept 2020
At Madison (23 miles into the park) we turned north onto HWY 89 along the Gibbon River for the first 14 miles to Norris, and then 34 miles up to Mammoth Hot Springs. All along the way we stopped at every steaming femoral until we got to the wonderful sights of Mammoth Springs.
Tom had visited this point 15 years ago but the tour bus only stopped at the bottom of the lower terrace area. --- Well we first pulled off at the upper terrace (no buses allowed) area to look at the top of the terrace within a grand 1/4 mile boardwalk view. We then went on a 1.5 mile long one way road tour with CLEO of the surrounding features above the terrace.
We then went down to the highway and viewed the bottom of the terrace (that is what most tourists stop to see). The color of the terraces are just fantastic both above and below. For those that have never seen the terraces, they are a layered cascading steps tones of colorful deposits built up from underground heated water and minerals.
Turned around in downtown Mammoth springs, as it is mainly only a massive resort and a few shops and restaurants were closed. Decided it was not worth the trip to go the extra 5 miles north to the park's North entrance to look at the old gate (only large enough for one way traffic way back when the park was first open.
Tom had visited this point 15 years ago but the tour bus only stopped at the bottom of the lower terrace area. --- Well we first pulled off at the upper terrace (no buses allowed) area to look at the top of the terrace within a grand 1/4 mile boardwalk view. We then went on a 1.5 mile long one way road tour with CLEO of the surrounding features above the terrace.
We then went down to the highway and viewed the bottom of the terrace (that is what most tourists stop to see). The color of the terraces are just fantastic both above and below. For those that have never seen the terraces, they are a layered cascading steps tones of colorful deposits built up from underground heated water and minerals.
Turned around in downtown Mammoth springs, as it is mainly only a massive resort and a few shops and restaurants were closed. Decided it was not worth the trip to go the extra 5 miles north to the park's North entrance to look at the old gate (only large enough for one way traffic way back when the park was first open.
Written 1 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HuskerTraveler2
Lincoln, NE1,227 contributions
Aug 2020
Less visited. Much of the terraces are no longer fed by the hot springs, so it is decaying to a bright white limestone. This is much different from my visit 40 years ago. Gardiner, MT is only 5 miles away where you can actually eat inside at tables.
Written 25 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jehenson81
Washington DC, DC25,942 contributions
Apr 2024 • Solo
I opted to stop at the lower terraces of the Mammoth Hot Springs since it seemed to be less crowded. You have to climb stairs to get up to see the terraces. The first one was the Minerva Spring and Terrace. It was kind of cool, white in color and you get to be up close and personal with them. The next terrace up was gorgeous, the Jupiter & Mound Terraces. The colors were reds, oranges and yellows and made me think of a sunset. Other people said the next terrace up wasn’t worth the walk, so after the first two, I headed back down. Still very impressive.
Written 22 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
moecat2020
12 contributions
July 2020
This honestly wasn't the our favorite spot in Yellowstone. The boardwalks are nice, but there are tons of stairs and zero shade, making it tough for little kids. Definitely take your sunscreen. The best thing is that just up the road are bathrooms, a gas station, and a cafe that does take-out during the pandemic. There are tons of elk in the area.
Written 2 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
db7477
Carlsbad, CA3,473 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Mammoth Hot Springs is an absolute Yellowstone MUST! We planned to enter at the north entrance just to visit MHS enroute to Canyon Village and we were not disappointed. It takes about two (2) hours to walk about the boardwalks and see the many springs, pools and travertine formations.
We parked about 1/4 mile away in front of the Ranger station and enjoyed a takeout lunch from the restaurant beside the hotel. I’d give the Bison Bratwurst 🌠4 stars!
We parked about 1/4 mile away in front of the Ranger station and enjoyed a takeout lunch from the restaurant beside the hotel. I’d give the Bison Bratwurst 🌠4 stars!
Written 2 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DannyWasserman
Virginia Beach, VA4,586 contributions
June 2021
Mammoth Springs are Surreal !! Very busy tourist stop, so try to get there early. There are alot of walking paths that take you around the Springs. The shapes of the rocks and smooth formations of the rocks and steam coming from the springs are really amazing. This is a spectacular place to take in. Take lots of photos and videos while you are there.
Written 20 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How is the drive from west entrance to the north gardiner entrance. I hate heights. Thanks
Written 1 April 2021
Are the hot springs open for
people to sit in?
Written 30 August 2020
Absolutely not! 🙏 Great question; these are direct venting for the largest caldera in the world, & are VERY HOT & dangerous for a variety of reasons, including toxins in the water, etc. Walking the boardwalks & photographing them is very enjoyable, though, especially as the summer heat cools down.
A young man from outside the U.S. a year or two ago somehow did not read any available info, nor did he heed any warning signs posted: He jumped into a spring & was scalded to death within seconds—as his sister desperately tried to pull him out...Gruesome & senseless death.
However, the “Boiling River” down the road from Mammoth Hot Springs (heading towards the North Gate at Gardiner, MT), is a fantastic experience & is like sitting in a natural hot tub—right in the river current!
Unfortunately, because of Covid-19 restrictions this year, it’s not open to the public this year...(Neither are the stables at Roosevelt Lodge, etc.) Keep the Boiling River area in mind for the future, though—it’s memorable & FUN!
Written 31 August 2020
Hi boaster. Did you happen to visit Mammoth Hot Springs later in the day? We were wondering what the crowds look like then.
Written 19 June 2019
We were there early afternoon and crowd was just fine, however it was early June.
Written 18 October 2019
Hey Paula, Just wanted to share because of your comment. The terraces were used in an older Star Trek movie as the planet Vulcan, Dr. Spock's home. I was a kid working in YNP at the time and it was quite exciting. You can see why they picked the location!
Written 11 June 2019
That is awesome to know, wow!👏🥰
Written 25 July 2020
will there be sign on the boardwalk showing that it's a point of attraction, so that we know to stop and take picture and know what the name of that attraction is? normally, how long should be spend on walking through all the points of interest in the Lower terrace? one hour is enough or not? thanks
Written 5 July 2018
I mean one hour for Lower Terrace, is it enough? I will spend one more hour on Upper Terrace by car.
Written 5 July 2018
if we visit in July, would it be very crowded if driving through the loop in the upper Terraces? and will there be place available for pullouts to take pictures? and how long it takes if visit both the lower and upper terraces? 1 hr or 1.5 hr or 2 hrs? thanks.
Written 22 May 2018
July is crowded in general but large vehicles including buses and RVs are not allowed to drive the loop so I’m optimistic you will be able to drive it in your family car or van. There parking turnouts that aren’t very big, but some aren’t near the best attractions so if you can’t park by orange mound spring, for example, drive until the next one, it isn’t far, and walk back or go around again, it’s only 1.5 miles, and park short of it and walk up to it.
Written 22 May 2018
We will be in Bozeman March 8-10 and would like to spend a day sightseeing in Mammoth Hot Springs/Lamar Valley area. Worried about snow & ice. Is this route possible in a rental car? Assuming we dress appropriate is this a good time to visit or just too snow covered?
Written 24 January 2018
There will likely be snow yet the Park dies a really nice job of keeping the main roads plowed and salted. Watch for signs regarding possible road closures or inquire at the gate as you enter the park. The Park Ranger Manning the gate can advise you regarding road closures.
Regarding dress... layer up and be sure to wear boots with good traction. Bring a hat and gloves in case of freezing or below freezing temperatures.
Enjoy your trip!
Written 25 January 2018
We will be at Old Faithful Lodge the last full week of May. Will the roads be opened from there to Mammoth at that time?
Written 21 March 2017
Contact the Park Service or visit their website for Yellowstone for the latest information on the roads.
Written 11 May 2017
What's the best way to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs? Do I just park at the hotel and walk in from there? Or will there be road side parking areas that I'll need to go to access sights?
Written 19 February 2017
Either will work, but finding parking can be pretty hit-or-miss. There is parking along the route, but it was full when we were there. We ended up driving past it and went to the loop above the hot springs, then ventured down on foot from there. The steps back were a pain, but if you start on the bottom, you need to do most of them anyway.
Written 20 February 2017
Showing results 1-10 of 15
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing