July 27, 2022 – August 2, 2022.

Day 1.     I LOVE Yellowstone!  It’s a whole new world.  This is my 4th time visiting and I have a list of  “FIRST time” as long as my “been there done that”.

We flew into Bozeman. this was a FIRST for me.  On previous trips I had been in an RV and driven in via either the East or South Entrances and stayed in park campgrounds. (If you click on the little magnifying glass you can search previous trips).  This time we’d be entering through the west entrance.

After picking up our rental … a mini van.  There were five of us and it was GREAT having more than enough room for us and our luggage.  Also, if we happened to be surrounded by a herd of bison I didn’t want to be  in an economy size car. This had happened on a previous trip, but luckily we were in an RV.

First Stop … Walmart … We had been forewarned that finding food in the park might be a problem.

We were lucky to even be getting into the park.  Just a month earlier, a once in hundred year flooding devastated many areas of the park.  Like all adventurers,  it’s all about making the best of any situation.  The north entrance was closed, as most of the facilities in the northern area of the park.  Our reservations at Mammouth Hot Springs had been cancelled, but we were able to get a last minute reservation at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel. It added time and travel within the park to our itinerary, but we easily adapted. This is my first time in the park mid summer.  Seasons mean a LOT in Yellowstone, as does “mating season” for different animals.  I had boasted to my 4 travel companions, who had never been to Yellowstone, about the herds of bison and antelope that we would see.  We did see bison, but we had to go looking for them.  We only saw one lone antelope.

Another FIRST for me was seeing Bear and Elk.  The Elk were everywhere. The bear were spotted on our way to Steamboat Point for sunset.

First Stop … Norris Geyser Basin … (2 loops Porcelain Basin .6 mi.  and Back Basin 1.5 mi.) Slightly  hilly. Home of, Steamboat Geyser, which is the tallest active geyser in the world, eruption time is unpredictable. We didn’t get to see it erupt, but it’s quite impressive just “simmering.”

Our homes for the next two nights are cabins at Canyon Lodge and Cabins.  All lodging in the park is pricey,  but it’s well worth it.  These cabins had full “indoor plumbing”, but are very rustic.

Day 2

Another FIRST … we had 9:45 a.m. reservations for a 2 hour back country horseback ride.  Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!  We had great views and our first sightings of Elk, up close and personal.  We also had a coyote running parallel to us for a portion of the ride.  I wish I’d done this on previous trips.  I’ve put it on my list of do agains  when I come back.

We put on our hiking shoes and headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  The options here are limitless.  You can hike for days and not see it all.  Trails range from handicapped accessible, to easy, moderate and difficult.  Views of the falls and canyon are breathtaking!   My favorite hike is the Brink of the Lower Falls.  It’s only .7 miles, but it’s switchbacks down a steep decline, comparable to an 8 story building.  Going down was easy! Coming back up was challenging! 

Day 3

We head out of the park, via the south entrance, enroute to Idaho Falls where my son was running in his 40th state marathon.
We stopped to see the very majestic views of the Grand Tetons,  had lunch and did some “tourist” shopping in Jackson Hole and took the Teton Pass (HWY 22), another FIRST, to Idaho Falls.  For all the hype on how treacherous it was, maybe during a snowstorm or if you were driving a Tractor Trailer Truck, but for the mini van it was a piece of cake. View wise the pass was a disappointment, Until we saw a MOOSE!  No photo, I was too excited!

We stayed one night at the Candlewood Suites 665 Pancheri Drive  Idaho Falls

Day 4.    It was HOT and dry here.  After being the #1 spectators and cheering on my son, who finished the 26.2 miles in just under 4 hours, we had planned to spend some time on the Riverwalk along the Snake River,  but instead we chose  to go to a very “cool” special exhibit on Genghis Khan at the Museum of Idaho.

We returned to Yellowstone via the west entrance, less scenic, but much quicker.   Our reservation for that night is at the Old Faithful Lodge and Cabins.  This was “roughing it”.  Our cabin had a sink, no other “facilities”.  But, It was AWESOME!  There was a stream behind the cabins with beaver dams and an Otter sighting!  Maybe the dams were otter dams!   It was an easy walk to Old Faithful!  Seeing Old Faithful erupt at night was on my list of “must dos”.  I not only saw her erupt at night, but more thrilling was seeing it at dawn.

The Mammoth Hot Springs area took a big hit during the flooding, but fortunately the Terraces were open.

We checked out the Fountain Paint Pot area on our way back from Mammoth.

There is no way to fully describe the AMAZING geothermal features of the park.  Walking and if you are able, hiking is the best way to appreciate the uniqueness of Yellowstone. It is possible to drive and get a good flavor of the park.  We walked and HIKED.  Two of my favorite Hikes were to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook (2 miles out and back).

and the Natural Bridge (2 miles one way).

Our last two nights we stayed at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel.  We went from “roughing it” to   not quite luxury, but very nice.
We had reservations for a one hour boat ride on the lake. It was the last one of the day and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from on the water.  A bonus was watching an Elk swimming across the mouth of the inlet at the boat launch.

The park is divided into eight main sections.  Norris Geyser Basin,  Canyon Area,  Old Faithful,  Fountain Paint Pot,  Mammoth Hot Springs,  Mud Volcano and West Thumb.  We were able to spend a little time at each and a lot of time at some.  The Northeast Entrance was closed due to the flooding, but we were able to drive the entire “figure eight” loops of the park.  The drive through Hayden Valley was a treat!  The bison were migrating to there mating grounds.

Another FIRST for me was seeing the Petrified Tree!  Come to find out it is the remains of a giant redwood.

Must see’s at West Thumb are the Abyss Pool which made the news recently after a foot was found floating in it.

and Fishing Cone … where legend has it, fisherman would catch a fish on one side of the boat and put it in the cone on the other side and cook it.

Interesting! Unusual! Unique! Definitely one of a kind!  Yellowstone is truly an amazing place to visit over and over and over again!  I can’t wait to go back!