Teton dawn, Yellowstone by noon: Mormon Row to the Old Faithful Inn

Moose, Moran, Yellowstone National Park

1. 4:45 am1

   Mormon Row: the T.A. Moulton barn at sunriseMoose

   Off Antelope Flats Road, and you want to be standing on the north side of the barn before 05:15 in July — the tripods are three deep by sunrise at 05:55. The barn catches light a good ten minutes before the Tetons behind it do, so shoot twice. Bison walk this road; do not get out and approach them for a photo. Cost is the $35 seven-day Grand Teton vehicle pass, which does not cover Yellowstone.

2. 6:30 am2

   Oxbow Bend while the water is still glassMoran

   Mount Moran reflected in the slack water — only before about 08:00, when the valley wind starts and the mirror is gone for the day. Moose feed in the willows on the near bank and otters work the far side; glass it for five minutes before deciding nothing is there.

3. 7:30 am3

   Breakfast at the Pioneer GrillMoran

   A 1950s soda-fountain counter, quick, and it is directly on the drive north. Walk up to the lodge's picture windows with your coffee first — the Willow Flats view is free and it is the best thing in the building.

4. 8:30 am4

   Drive north through the South Entrance to West ThumbYellowstone National Park

   About 90 minutes from Jackson Lake Lodge to West Thumb if nothing stops you, which something always does — construction on the South Entrance road and a bison jam are both routine, so leave slack. Yellowstone is a separate $35 vehicle fee; your Teton pass does not work here and the annual pass covers both. Non-US visitors 16+ now pay the $100 surcharge at each of these parks.

5. 10:30 am5

   West Thumb Geyser Basin boardwalkYellowstone National Park

   Half a mile of boardwalk with hot springs draining straight into Yellowstone Lake — the most underrated basin in the park because everyone drives past it to Old Faithful. Twenty minutes if you rush, an hour if you take the lower loop.

6. 12 pm6

   Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin, lunch at the InnYellowstone National Park

   Get the eruption predictions at the visitor center desk or in the NPS app the moment you arrive — they post Castle, Grand, Daisy and Riverside too, and any one of those beats Old Faithful. Do not spend an hour on the bench: walk the boardwalk loop past Morning Glory and time your return to the prediction window. Eat at the Bear Paw deli in the Inn rather than the dining room, which you are booked into tonight.

7. 2:30 pm7

   Grand Prismatic Overlook from the Fairy Falls trailheadYellowstone National Park

   This is why the day runs south to north. In the morning the spring is under its own steam and you see nothing; by early afternoon it has thinned and the sun is high enough behind the overlook to bring the rings out. Park at the Fairy Falls lot a mile south of the Midway boardwalk — the overlook spur is 1.2 miles with one short climb, and a polariser cuts the glare. The Midway boardwalk itself is worth doing after, at ground level.

8. 6:30 pm8

   Dinner and the night at the Old Faithful InnYellowstone National Park

   The 1904 log lobby is worth the price on its own, and staying inside the park means you watch the 21:00 eruption in the dark with almost nobody there. Rooms release 13 months ahead through Yellowstone National Park Lodges and the old-house rooms with shared baths are both cheaper and more interesting. Dining room dinner needs a reservation, and there is no cell service — arrange the morning plan tonight. About $420 for the room and $130 for two at dinner.