Last Day in Yellowstone
We checked out of our condo in W Yellowstone this morning and went to the grocery store for lunch supplies knowing that we might be in the Park all day with no food . . . not good for teenage kids.
Our plan for the day was to see the Yellowstone Canyon area and drive down by the lake and then on to Jackson Hole through the south exit of the Park. The first part of the drive was back tracking roads that we had driven on our way into W Yellowstone. We did stop at Gibbons Falls which we had passed by on the way in.
At the Canyon area, we veered south. It was a crowded day in the park, and after watching many cars in front of us turn on North Rim Rd, we just kept driving hoping to get a better glimpse on the other side. We soon came to another waterfall area on the Yellowstone River. We had seen a lot of waterfalls in the last few days, but this one was spectacular:
We soon came to the South Rim Rd and turned left, but very shortly came to stand still traffic which meant we would be waiting a ridiculous amount of time simply to get to a good vantage point and would then likely have no place to park. We opted to turn around and skip the canyon - we had already seen some spectacular scenery the last few days.
We soon found ourselves driving through some lush valleys intersected by the Yellowstone River and surrounded by mountains. We stopped at an overlook for a better view.
We then came to an area with mud geysers. This area reeked of sulfur, and the girls couldn't stomach it. Little Runcie and I walked/jogged the rather lengthy loop up over and around a hill. We were unable to escape the smell on the entire trek. What was interesting was all of the buffalo footprints around these mud caldrons - not sure what they enjoyment derived from it. e actually saw a buffalo right next to the smelly steamy geyser at the beginning of the loop.
After a few more miles we came to Lake Yellowstone - it is massive. We pulled into the village area and parked at the old lodge and walked on a narrow trail shared by foot traffic and other animals down to the lake for a picnic.
I hiked some nearby trails and saw evidence of animal life
buffalo?
Bear?
Wolf?
Buffalo rubbing?
Bear clawing?
View from rocking chair on front porch of old lodge
After lunch we came to West Thumb . . . more geysers
This one is 3rd deepest in entire Park - 53 feet
Girls all sitting in car together . . . makes me happy
We finally left Yellowstone and drove toward Grand Tetons NP. The Tetons are spectacular
Our plan for the day was to see the Yellowstone Canyon area and drive down by the lake and then on to Jackson Hole through the south exit of the Park. The first part of the drive was back tracking roads that we had driven on our way into W Yellowstone. We did stop at Gibbons Falls which we had passed by on the way in.
At the Canyon area, we veered south. It was a crowded day in the park, and after watching many cars in front of us turn on North Rim Rd, we just kept driving hoping to get a better glimpse on the other side. We soon came to another waterfall area on the Yellowstone River. We had seen a lot of waterfalls in the last few days, but this one was spectacular:
We soon came to the South Rim Rd and turned left, but very shortly came to stand still traffic which meant we would be waiting a ridiculous amount of time simply to get to a good vantage point and would then likely have no place to park. We opted to turn around and skip the canyon - we had already seen some spectacular scenery the last few days.
We soon found ourselves driving through some lush valleys intersected by the Yellowstone River and surrounded by mountains. We stopped at an overlook for a better view.
After a few more miles we came to Lake Yellowstone - it is massive. We pulled into the village area and parked at the old lodge and walked on a narrow trail shared by foot traffic and other animals down to the lake for a picnic.
I hiked some nearby trails and saw evidence of animal life
buffalo?
Bear?
Wolf?
Buffalo rubbing?
Bear clawing?
View from rocking chair on front porch of old lodge
After lunch we came to West Thumb . . . more geysers
This one is 3rd deepest in entire Park - 53 feet
Girls all sitting in car together . . . makes me happy
We finally left Yellowstone and drove toward Grand Tetons NP. The Tetons are spectacular
Comments
Post a Comment