Yellowstone National Park
Established in 1872 Yellowstone was the first National Park in the United States, and widely regarded as the first national park in the world. Located mostly in Wyoming but also stretches into parts of Montana and Idaho.
Yellowstone is home to the legendary Old Faithful Geyser, a product of the park being located on the Yellowstone Caldera. The largest volcanic region in North America. Yellowstone also boast multiple other geysers that are equally impressive, my favorite being the Grand Prismatic Spring that you will see below.
As you would expect Yellowstone is also home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles, some of which unfortunately are endangered. However, the Yellowstone Bison heard is the oldest and largest in the United States.
Yellowstone was the 5th most visited park in 2018
We camped at Grand Teton National Park the night before we headed to Yellowstone. As usual, we were up at first light taking pictures, before making the two hour drive north. The scenery changed from craggy and jagged mountains to dense forest and mountains with more of a roll to them.
A river flowed along the highway for the majority of the drive and provided for a scenic approach to the park entrance. I had began to really look forward to seeing the entrance signs at each park and their uniqueness. Some are much better than others though.
We were in the park by 9:30. Not as early as I would have liked but thats still considered early by park standards. From my experience lunch time was the most crowded time to be exploring a park.
As we drove deeper into Yellowstone the scenery got more drastic. The valleys sharply dropped off and the river became hardly visible. Unless you got out and walked to the edge!
Time for Old Faithful!
We decided to make our way around to Old Faithful by following the road signs to the west. Not that you could miss the massive parking lot surrounding the main visitor center and lodge. There were also a few restaurants and a general store. Kind of surprising, I hadn’t seen any other parks with infrastructure like Yellowstone. Still indifferent about it. I prefer the more remote feeling some of the other parks offer, like Death Valley or Glacier.
As we approached Old Faithful it became clear why the park road didn’t seem very crowded. Everyone was here, encircling old faithful waiting for the next eruption. Strangely the geyser is pretty predictable, online it claims to erupt every 35 to 120 minutes. Although, when I visited they had the estimated time down to the minute and they were spot on with their prediction. To the point, I jokingly questioned whether there was a park employee hiding in the bushing turning a valve every 35 minutes.
If you look closely you’ll see the top of a bald head at the bottom of the picture! There were people everywhere!!
It might not look like much but I think it’s a sight that every American should see with their own eyes if presented with the opportunity. Despite the hoards of people surrounding old faithful; I tried to put myself in the shoes of the native tribe or explorer who first laid eyes upon this geological wonder.
Look! A Yellowstone Bison!
After the crowd dispersed we headed into the visitor center so I could buy a magnet, my second favorite form of souvenir. The first being those machines that crush a penny into an oval displaying the sight/attraction. The visitor center had an informative walk-through detailing many features of the park and its history, I would recommend taking a look.
We didn’t make it down the road very far before traffic halted to a stop. Giving me the feeling that I was back in Houston, just a more scenic version. It quickly picked back up but I pulled off to the side of the road when I saw what the hold up was. A huge bison laying just off to the side of the road.
We quickly jumped out to see how photogenic the bison would be. As soon as we got to the edge of the road he decided to stand up and display his true size.
What else does Yellowstone National Park have to offer?
As we continued through the park we noticed a ton of cars lining the edge of the road up ahead. Naturally we pulled over to see what the new commotion was all about. After walking passed hundreds of cars we noticed a walking path up and around the hill above.
We continued on, unsure of what laid ahead. Then my jaw nearly hit the ground when the Grand Prismatic Spring finally became visible. It was the most colorful natural sight I had ever seen. I instantly reverted back to being in the shoes of the first people who saw the geyser. This would have been ten times harder to explain to someone compared to old faithful. Especially without having a picture to show, which they wouldn’t have had.
I noticed a trail leading up the ridge above us with an outlook covered with people (if you look carefully you can spot the people on the right 2/3 of the frame). Im sure their view was equally incredible but we didn’t have time to make the walk. I also didn’t feel like we needed to considering we were standing next to it and they were 400 yards off in the distance. If you have been to the overlook id love to see a few pictures from the higher vantage point.
If you prefer quieter hiking trails without the crowds I would recommend hiking the Mount Washburn trail, which will give you panoramic views of the park. Or if waterfalls are more your style be sure to check out the Mystic Falls trails, you wont regret it! The Lower Yellowstone Falls are also an impressive sight to see if you have plenty of time to spend in the park.
Overall,
To be honest Yellowstone really caught me off guard. I expected it to be beautiful, but what national park isn’t beautiful? The extreme geographical diversity, amount of wildlife and the rapidly changing scenery all proved to be a pleasant surprise for us.
Pictures will never do Yellowstone justice. The grand scale of the natural wonders cant be captured on camera. Nor would I want it to be. If I had my wish every inner city kid would be able to experience this kind of nature in its rawest and purest form. I am thankful that we have a National Park Service that is so incredibly dedicated to protecting and preserving our countries most pristine sights for future generations to enjoy.
Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? Share your experience in the comments below!
As always if you have any questions about planning your visit and would like to learn more please feel free to contact us here!
Be sure to check out the rest of our National Parks!
To check Yellowstone road conditions and campground availability visit the parks website.
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