We intended to skip Yellowstone.  We had heard stories of how over-crowded it is, and standing around waiting for Old Faithful didn’t seem that exciting. We thought we might just go straight to Grand Teton. When we mentioned this to folks we met along the way, there was unanimous agreement that Yellowstone Is A Must See.  So we went, and ended up staying there five nights; our longest stay in any one place. What was so great about it?

Wildlife

Here is a list of what we saw there; not counting numerous birds that we couldn’t identify.                                                                                                                                             Elk                                                                                                                                                   Deer                                                                                                                                                 Black bears                                                                                                                                   Grizzly bear (with cub)                                                                                                     Pronghorns                                                                                                                             Bison                                                                                                                                             Big horn sheep                                                                                                                 Mountain goats                                                                                                                           Wolves (white, with cubs) The wolves are of great interest to wildlife watchers and photographers.  They were too far away to photograph unless you had crazy special gear.  Fortunately, there were generous people who let us look through their big eyes.                                                                                                                                       Canada geese                                                                                                                         Mallards                                                                                                                                         Osprey                                                                                                                                 Groundhogs                                                                                                                       Chipmunks                                                                                                                                   Robins                                                                                                                                   Ravens                                                                                                                                         Magpies                                                                                                                                 Trumpeter swans                                                                                                             Coopers hawks                                                                                                                         Squirrels (different varieties than the ones we see in the east)                                           Loggerhead shrike                                                                                                               Mountain bluebirds

We were so charmed by the herds of bison we saw; hundreds of them across the Lemar Valley in the Northeast part of the park.  We were less enamored on the day we left, though.  We got behind a herd going down the road and got stuck for two hours!

Geothermal features

There are thousands of hot springs, geysers, mud pots and fumaroles in this park. Many of them have miles of boardwalks for hiking around and over these landscapes.

It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen or imagined.  We went to see Old Faithful erupt; it seemed somewhat obligatory, but this was the least interesting of all the features we saw.

I know these photos don’t look real, but I promise we really saw this!!

 

Diversity

Canyons, mountains, valleys, meadows, waterfalls, a very large lake, and of course, the geothermal features.

Campgrounds

Yellowstone has several campgrounds and some are located in villages with stores, restaurants, and other facilities.  There are more primitive camping options, too.  We stayed at Mammoth Campground.  They allow RV’s, but the sites were not too close together, and overall it was fine.

We noticed this trail going up a hill in the campground and thought we’d trot up there to check out the view.  Halfway up we realized we were on some kind of animal trail (mountain goat, I think).  It was so steep I was walking almost parallel with the ground by the time we got to the top.  The view was pretty good, though!

For all these reasons, I would put Yellowstone in the top five list of parks I would most like to see again.  We came at a great time of the year; most of the park was open and although there were a lot of people in the villages, it was not too crowded. Summer would not be a good time here, though.  I can just imagine the traffic jams and fleets of tour buses.  So glad we listened to trail wisdom and didn’t skip this incredibly rich and beautiful place!