A five-day Island Park family trip

This is a working itinerary for a family of four to eight with kids aged roughly 6–16, based out of a Grandview cabin. It covers the highlights without overscheduling, keeps drive times reasonable, and accounts for the mid-day energy crash that hits families on day three or four.

Adjust pace for your family. Active kids and adults can compress this into 3–4 days. Younger kids or larger groups will use the full five days plus an unstructured rest day.

Day-by-day plan

Day 1 — Arrival and settle

Fly into Idaho Falls (IDA) by lunch. Drive to Island Park (1h 21m) with a Broulim’s grocery stop in St. Anthony or Albertsons in Rexburg. Arrive cabin mid-afternoon. Walk to Big Springs (5 minutes from the Riverfront Wildlife Lodge or 15 minutes from most cabins) for the boardwalk, the spring, and Johnny Sack’s Cabin. Dinner at the cabin or Pond’s Lodge. Early bed.

Day 2 — Yellowstone full day

Leave 7:00 AM. Through west entrance by 7:30. Drive to Old Faithful (~55 min). Watch the eruption, walk the Upper Geyser Basin loop. Lunch at Geyser Grill or Old Faithful Inn dining room. Afternoon to Grand Prismatic via Fairy Falls overlook (half-mile uphill walk for the canonical photo). Drive back through Madison Junction at sunset. Bison guaranteed. Dinner in West Yellowstone or back at the cabin. Long day — older kids handle it; under 6 may want an early return.

Day 3 — Recovery + Henry’s Fork float

Sleep in. Late breakfast. Mid-morning float from Big Springs to Mack’s Inn (5 miles, 2–3 hours, no whitewater). Rentals at Mack’s Inn River Adventures — tubes, kayaks, canoes, SUPs. Take-out at the inn. Lunch at The Parlor (wood-fired pizza). Afternoon: easy hike at Big Springs trail, Buffalo River loop, or swimming at Henry’s Lake (warmer water than the river). Dinner at the cabin.

Day 4 — Mesa Falls + scenic drive

Drive the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. Upper Mesa Falls (114 feet) with the boardwalk to the brink and the Big Falls Inn interpretive center. Lower Mesa Falls at the Grandview overlook. Continue down to Ashton for lunch (Trail Side restaurant or similar). Back to Island Park late afternoon. Dinner at TroutHunter. If kids are still up for it, evening trip up Sawtelle Peak for sunset (13 miles up a gravel road; doable in any car with reasonable clearance).

Day 5 — Pick the highlight, then go

Morning: pick the one thing your family liked best and do it again, or pick the one thing you skipped and do it now. Common picks: a second Yellowstone day for Norris and Canyon (longer drive, less crowded geysers); a fishing morning with a Henry’s Fork guide; horseback ride; or a Yellowstone wildlife morning at Madison Junction at dawn. Afternoon: pack up. Drive back to Idaho Falls. Late afternoon flight out, or overnight in Idaho Falls for an early-morning flight.

Adjustments for different families

With young kids (under 6)

Skip the full Yellowstone loop on Day 2 — do just Old Faithful and Lower Geyser Basin, return early. Add an extra day of cabin/playground time. The float and Big Springs are perfect for this age. Avoid Sawtelle Peak (long drive, exposed summit).

With teens

Add an evening fly-fishing lesson on the Henry’s Fork (the local guides take teens). The full Sawtelle drive at sunset is a hit. A horseback ride is generally a hit even with reluctant teens.

With a multi-generation group (grandparents, kids, adults)

Split into two crews. One does the active itinerary (long Yellowstone day, Mesa Falls drive). One does the slower pace (cabin, short walks at Big Springs, Harriman State Park interpretive tour). Reconverge for dinner. The larger Grandview cabins (Teton View, Riverfront) have the kitchen capacity for group meals.

Rainy day backup

Lower Geyser Basin paint pots (covered viewing areas), Old Faithful Inn (massive lobby worth seeing for the architecture alone), the Big Falls Inn interpretive center at Mesa Falls, or stay in — most cabins have game rooms, decks, hot tubs.

Budget framing for a 5-day Island Park trip

Rough cost framework for a family of four to six on the itinerary above. 2026 dollars, summer rates.

Lodging

Grandview cabin rates vary by property and season. For a 4-night stay in peak summer in a Grandview cabin sized for the group: roughly $400– depending on capacity and specific property. Confirm at the collection page or by phone.

Yellowstone entry

$35 for the 7-day vehicle pass (covers everyone in the vehicle). $80 for the America the Beautiful Annual Pass if you’ll visit any other national park within the year — usually the right call for Grand Teton.

Float trip

Tubes are roughly $20–$30 per person. Kayaks and canoes higher. Mack’s Inn includes the shuttle. Plan $100–$200 for a family float depending on watercraft.

Groceries

Roughly $40–$60 per person per day if cooking most meals at the cabin. Plan a Broulim’s or Albertsons stop on the drive in to stock up.

Dining out

Pond’s Lodge, TroutHunter, The Parlor at Mack’s Inn run $20–$45 per person for dinner. Lunch options inside Yellowstone (Old Faithful Inn dining room, Canyon Lodge) similar.

Total framework

For a family of four in a mid-size Grandview cabin, the all-in 5-day cost typically lands in the $2,000–$4,000 range depending on lodging choice, meal mix, and add-on activities (guided fishing, horseback rides, etc.).

What to skip with kids

Not every Island Park attraction works for every family. With young kids in particular, three things are commonly oversold:

Sources & further reading