Yellowstone National Park
We had a memorable week in Yellowstone (August 2-8, 2023) with family, Andy & Erin, Jason & Lizzy and grandkids, Noah, Angus, Emmett, and Lily.
We began with a few days in the Mammoth Hot Springs Area and a trip into Gardiner, MT, then finished in the Geyser area, Lamar Valley and Grand Tetons. In addition to the spectacular wonders of Yellowstone, we especially loved when all the kids came to our campsite for campfires and play.
Yellowstone National Park is America’s first National Park, established in 1872. It’s located primarily in Wyoming and spans 2.222 million acres.
Yellowstone sits on top of a dormant volcano and is home to more geysers and hot springs than any other place on earth. Wondrous sites such as the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, geysers, waterfalls the wildlife abound. Approximately 50% of the world’s hydrothermal features are at Yellowstone National Park, creating an effect that makes the ground appear to be on fire. The most famous of all the geysers is Old Faithful.
Yellowstone National Park…Wildlife. We saw herds of Bison, Bald Eagles, Pronghorn antelope, Grizzly’s, Moose, Black Wolf, Black Bears, Mule Deer, Badger, Groundhog, Elk, Blacktail Deer, Whitetail Deer and Prairie Dogs. The only thing we unfortunately didn’t see was Bighorn Sheep.
Yellowstone National Park…Geological wonders. We saw over a hundred thermal features including Geysers, Hot Springs (including the Prismatic Spring), Bubbling Mud Pots, and Fumeroles. The most famous of course, is Old Faithful. We were super lucky to get a closeup view of Old Faithful erupting when we were hiking behind it.
Yellowstone National Park…Waterfalls, Rivers and Lakes. There are approximately 300 waterfalls in YNP. We saw more than a dozen including: the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls (more than twice the size of Niagara Falls in height alone), the Cascade Falls and the Tower Falls, We flyfished in the Yellowstone River, the Gardner River, Lamar River, Soda Butte, and Slough Creek and I’m happy that Cary and I can now say we caught fish in Yellowstone (Cutthroat trout which had to be released).
Yellowstone National Park…Historic Lodges. We had a fantastic dinner at the Old Faithful Inn, drinks at the Roosevelt Lodge, toured the historic Yellowstone Lake Hotel and Jackson Lodge in the Tetons.
Cary and I camped at the Indian Creek campground, Canyon campground, Grant campground and Slough Creek campground.
