Definitely in the top 5 things to see in Yellowstone. We went there at sunset and it was awesome as there weren't any crowds and the setting sun made some spectacular silhouettes of the steam rising from the spring, along with the reflection off the water. If you have time, hiking up the hill to see the spring from above is well worth it. Also consider tagging along with one of the tour ranger-led tour groups, as they have some interesting information.
This encompasses a huge portion of Yellowstone National Park, so chances are you'll spend time in it whether you like it or not. And you should like it - it makes for some very impressive features indeed - huge geysers, colourful steaming hot springs, fumaroles, steam caves, mud pots, basically anything geothermal is a result of the caldera.
The West Thumb Geyser Basin is a good warm up for the mayhem of Old Faithful and the associated geothermal activity around that area. Spend an hour or two strolling along the boardwalks, marvelling at the complex colours of the various hot springs and enjoy the unique vista of fumaroles in the lake, with the sweeping mountains in the background.
We did the walk down to the top of the Lower Falls, and it was well worth the effort - it's a big elevation change, but the views when you get to the falls are amazing. Check out the falls from this vantage, then walk around the canyon rim to the north and view the falls from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone viewpoints. Very impressive and a must-visit while in Yellowstone!
If you're entering Yellowstone from the northern entrance, this is a great first stopoff, as you can wander through the cool old buildings that surround the visitor centre, check out what areas of the park you want to explore in the interactive displays downstairs in the visitor centre, grab a delicious ice cream from the general store then stroll over to the hot springs and enjoy their awesomness! There's typically elk wandering around, which adds to the splendor of the springs. If you visit in summer, bring a hat or suncreen and water as there's no shade and it gets toasty.
Avoid this place if you can. We stayed here for 3 nights with out 24 foot RV, and didn't enjoy the experience considering it was close to $60/night. Facilities are very basic, sites are TINY, you get two shower "coupons" per day per site (i.e. one per person if theres two of you), and there's only 3 showers servicing the entire park! I'm talking well over 300 sites. So needless to say the lines for the showers are epic - we chose not to shower at all, rather than wait.
Exceeded expectations! One of the best waterfall vistas I've seen in North America so far. Great setting, with the super deep canyon and yellow-hued canyon walls. Check it out by first walking down to the lower falls, then walking along the canyon rim to the lookout so you can see the falls from afar.
We've been, and didn't have a great experience. Mostly on account of the fact that we drove for a VERY long time on some super rough, windy, speed-bump infested roads, and had a hard time locating the reserve entrance. Drive east from Ocampo and you should start to see signs for the reserve, then drive for a whole lot longer, along super bumpy roads. Then after driving up a whole lot of hills and through some tiny villages, you'll see a parking lot and you then walk another 15-20 minutes to the visitor centre. From there, it's another 40 minutes of walking up the mountain to the area where the butterflies are supposed to be (only in October and November, I believe). We did all this and didn't see any. And that was at the time they were supposed to have migrated there by. But perhaps it was just poor timing. If nothing else, the reserve is quite picturesque and it's nice walking amongst the trees.
Definitely within the top 5 things to do in Jasper NP. Drive up to the 5th bridge then work your way down to the first - the pathways are well maintained, and at each bridge you can walk out and observe how the canyon changes. Spectacular views and a nice walk. Once reaching the lower bridge, you can take a different route up the hill and walk through some pristine forest with excellent panoramic views of the Jasper Valley.
A gruelling climb but a must-do while exploring Jasper. We have a 24-foot RV which we were warned not to take drive up the mountain to the parking lot, but it actually wasn't that bad, aside from the road being quite narrow at some points!
If you do the walk, you should make it your mission to walk right to the summit - the views are breathtaking and you can have a picnic perched on the rocks while taking in the splendor of the adjacent Mt Edith Cavell! If you do push to the top, take a light sweater or windbreaker jacket as it gets quite windy up there, and ensure you wear sturdy, grippy footwear as the ground becomes quite unconsolidated in the last leg of the climb.