Road-closed signs blocked us four springs ago, but this year Eli and I finished the full loop. We caught sunrise at Lake Yellowstone, watched moose, bison, and a coyote along Grand Loop Road, photographed Upper Falls from both rims, reached Old Faithful in time for its 8 a.m. eruption, and waited out Castle Geyser’s bigger blast. Everything below is practical and to the point: exact times, distances, road names, cell-signal notes, and gear tips.

What started as a scenic March drive nearly turned into a snowed-in situation in Farmington. But once the skies cleared, the journey south to Santa Fe unveiled some of New Mexico’s most striking winter landscapes — the kind that inspired artists like Georgia O’Keeffe.