Our Favorite ExperiencesWe hope you were able to read Yellowstone Part One, which set a foundation with fun facts about Yellowstone. Seeing these features in action, and in such huge abundance in a small area, is mind blowing, and truly some of the most beautiful and other worldly sights that our country has to offer. Compile that with once in a lifetime experiences and you have a perfect vacation! Artist's Point at Canyon Village
Midway and Lower Geyser BasinsIt was getting to be dinner time when we arrived at the trail to see the Grand Prismatic Spring. This is the one you see in all the Yellowstone advertisements, with vibrant colors of the rainbow ranging through the hot spring--deep blue in the center and spreading out to yellows, oranges, and reds on the edges. Arrival was a bit of a letdown. Not only was it so steamy that you couldn't see the colors, but being eye level with the huge spring was much less dramatic than the aerial views you see in photos. FOMO to the rescue! Dusty had read about a Prismatic Spring overlook you could hike to at the Fairy Falls trail head, the next stop on the loop map. We made sandwiches in the car and arrived to find the last parking spot in the lot--with a bison grazing just in front of the asphalt! By this time we had seen several male bison on the sides of roads and weren't too concerned about him. We parked, watched him graze two feet away from our front bumper while we ate dinner, and waited for him to move away so we could get out of the truck. Finally, he moved...right to the trail head, where he continued to munch on his dinner for another 20 minutes. By that time, two large groups of people were forming, waiting to enter and to leave the trail! The bison was not phased and continued his feast until he was ready to leave! Finally we were able to start our hike and got that good view of the vibrant hot springs from above! As we left the overlook trail, the sun was beginning to set. We arrived at the Lower Geyser basin to find an ambulance in the parking lot. Turns out another bison was moseying along the boardwalk and rangers had been called in for protection. Upon interviewing the rangers, they said they come mainly to monitor the people, not the bison. He escorted us and a small tour group to the boardwalk and it became increasingly clear why rangers are needed to monitor people. As the bison starred down the onlookers (clearly threatened), some old dude in a bright red sweatshirt turned his back to the bison and moved in closer for a photo op. SMH. Sometimes I just can't even begin to understand people. Eventually the ranger gave us the go ahead. This basin contained all four types of hydrothermal features, including mud pots, hot springs, fumaroles, and geysers, so we went forth! We were admiring how cool the Red Spouter fumarole was when suddenly the Fountain Geyser started going off. This geyser typically erupts every 4-7 hours, so being there when it went off was purely by chance. Even more amazingly, the bright orange ball of the setting sun lined up perfectly with the exploding water and steam so it looked almost like a roaring fire blazing out of the earth. The eruption continued for about twenty full minutes, and two other geysers, which must share the same plumbing system, danced along with the Fountain. Talk about a show! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to end our day! Two close encounters with two bison and a water works show just for us! Wow... The next morning, we left the house totally exhausted from the day before, but afraid we would miss out on any level of excitement if we didn't get up with the animals. As it turned out, all the animals were on vacation on Monday--all day-- so we didn't see anything except one bison on the side of the road early in the morning and a few more way out in a field later that day, as well as a few pronghorns. Sheepeater CliffAn hour and a half into our drive, we stopped for a short hike at Sheepeater Cliff. Basalt columns formed by slowly cooling lava flows created these cliffs millions of years ago. Clearly, the rocks were calling my family's name, so all three of my children decided they needed to conquer the cliff. I stood by at the bottom in case I needed to seek medical attention, but as it turned out, they all did great reaching the top, and making it down safely. Their Guardian Angels have their work cut out for them, but I'm so glad they are such steadfast protectors! Swimming at Firehole Canyon
Eating OutI can't finish this post without mentioning the food in West Yellowstone. There is a great new burger place called T.R.'s Burgers. The burgers were pretty o.k., but the fried cheese curds with huckleberry sauce was to die for. Not only that, but the restaurant is dedicated to Teddy Roosevelt, complete with a slideshow playing on a big screen with tons of fun facts and photographs about Teddy's life. The history nut in me was going ballistic! The Espresso and Ice Cream House has delicious ice cream AND bubble waffle cones that make for the best treat after a long day, and the staff is so sweet. Dusty highly recommends the huckleberry ice cream, a tradition for this area of the west! We also recommend Wild West Pizzeria and Saloon for delectable wood-fired pizza (the best I've had in a long time!) If you take your children, though, be prepared to explain why the bathroom doors are labeled "pistols" and "holsters." Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
This post is getting long, and to us, this just seems to be the tip of the iceberg for such a fun-packed two and a half days. Yellowstone is truly a wonderland and a place everyone should see if you can make it happen. Our advice: stay longer if you can. Take two days to really enjoy the lower loop. The upper loop isn't nearly as exciting, so if you only make it to Mammoth Hot Springs, that's ok. (Side note: the upper loop was fully open after the record breaking spring floods, however, the north entrance is closed and the road through the Lamar Valley was only partially open to a limited number of people who reserved tickets on recreation.gov. If you intend to go anytime soon, be sure to check the closure statuses.) Final advice: let your FOMO take control and get to Yellowstone!
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1 Comment
9/3/2022 10:34:37 am
I feel like I have been there. Even tired.Ugh. Normal for me. What anawesome experience. Don't forget to rest.
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