Yellowstone…WOW

At this point in the trip we’ve seen a lot of National Parks.  They are all amazing in their own little ways.  The rocks of the Utah parks were jaw dropping.  Seeing black bears in Great Smoky Mountain NP was a thrill.  The Leahman Caves in Great Basin were so unique.  The list goes on and on.  We apparently saved one of the best for last, however, as Yellowstone brings so much together in one place.  Amazing scenery.  Incredible wildlife.  Jaw-dropping thermal features.  The park is so big and our two days of exploring only scratched the surface.  We all agreed that if we could go back to one park for a week, we’d go back to Yellowstone.

We arrived in the evening of August 21st after a super fun stop for lunch in Cody, WY.  The girls got a kick out of us ordering 12 soda shooters at Annie’s Soda Saloon (Butterbeer was the favorite).

That evening we were lucky enough to catch an Old Faithful eruption (they can predict the time +/- 10 minutes), we had dinner at the historic Old Faithful Inn, and stayed the night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.

The next morning we beat the crowds out to the geysers and had an awesome walk around Upper Geyer Basin.  So many different thermal features to see.  After taking in a Junior Ranger talk and some lunch, we headed off into the park to go see the Grand Prismatic thermal pool, a huge valley where the Buffalo truly roamed, and we hiked a trail to the Mud Volcano (very stinky sulfur smell).

We stayed that night at the Canyon Lodge where we had the rare treat of being back in our room and ready for bed early.  For the first time all trip we sat around and played family card games.  We realized how busy we’ve been!

The following morning we beat the crowds again and headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  WOW.  We had no idea such an amazing canyon and waterfalls were just a mile from our lodge.  Being out there early was extra special as we had many of the popular spots to ourselves.  We took in the views from the overlooks such as Artist’s Point and closer in by taking trails down to the brinks of the falls.  Did I mention Yellowstone was diverse?

We took in some more wildlife on the way out, had lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs, and headed out to make our drive to Missoula, MT.  We’ll be back Yellowstone!

Thermal Features

Unfortunately we had some cloudy and smoky skies so many of the geysers don’t “pop” in the pictures.

(click the first picture in the gallery to enlarge)

Wildlife

The buffalo certainly didn’t disappoint.  There were everywhere in the valleys and caused their fair share of buffalo jams.  We were fortunate to see an amazing elk and even a little fox ran across our path.  Everyone wanted to see a grizzly (from a distance) but we never did.  On the last day, however, the girls got to borrow a telescope and observe a pack of wolves.

(click the first picture in the gallery to enlarge)

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

These yellow walls are where Yellowstone got its name!

(click the first picture in the gallery to enlarge)

The Old Faithful Inn

Built in 1904, this inn is gorgeous.  It is the largest log hotel in the US and possibly the largest log building in the world.  It was a joy to have dinner and explore.