This summer, my family and I planned a summer trip to the OG of national parks: Yellowstone. Established in 1872 as the first national park in both the US and the entire world, it’s safe to say that the park—with its scenic geysers, hot springs, and canyons—has never been more popular. We visited in mid-June, a busy time, so our approach was to either start our days very early or very late to sidestep the crowds (spoiler alert: It sort of worked).

I traveled with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law, making our party five adults in total. We were there to explore the park and see geysers and wildlife, but our main priority was just to spend quality time together. We all live in different parts of the world and don’t see each other as often as we’d like. With a shared passion for the outdoors, we’ve found that national parks make ideal locations for our multi-generational family trips, and Yellowstone was no exception. However, while entry to US national parks is affordable, it’s well-known that lodging and food in areas near national parks can be high, so I was a little unsure what to expect regarding budgeting.

However, looking back on the trip, I can say that Yellowstone is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. Between that and the family time, my visit was absolutely worth the cost.

About the traveler

Job: Freelance writer and digital marketer
Annual salary: $71,000-90,000 per year
Location of residence: Sydney, Australia
Age: 41

About the vacation

Where: Yellowstone National Park
How long: Six days of a two-week trip
Planned budget: $3,000

Upfront costs

Flights: $1,724. I’m an American living in Australia, which means every trip back home is an epic journey. Let’s just say I’ve gotten pretty good at sleeping in economy. To fly from Sydney, Australia to Bozeman, Montana, I paid a gut-wrenching $1,724. But this is a special family trip, and quality time with family is priceless, right? (I reminded myself of this as I entered my debit card details to pay for my Qantas flights and watched my checking account balance shrink.)

Rental car and accommodation: $903. For $461, my family rented an SUV to get around Montana and Wyoming for five days. We also stayed in vacation rentals in both Bozeman and West Yellowstone, which came out to $1,223 in total. However, my parents very kindly paid the lion’s share of both the rental car and the vacation rentals. My portion of these costs was $500. My sister and I had also planned a special one-night stay in Yellowstone’s Lake Lodge Cabins as a birthday present for my dad. We rented two cabins at $403 per cabin, and my sister and I split the cost.

Day by day