TR: Sightseeing & Dayhiking in Yellowstone NP
Sept 4, 2015 11:50:48 GMT -5
Post by rpcv on Sept 4, 2015 11:50:48 GMT -5
After our backpacking trip in Grand Teton National Park, we headed north to Yellowstone. We did a lot of front country sightseeing, some hiking, and a professionally guided wildlife tour. We camped at Canyon Campground, which was pretty nice for a car campground. We managed to hit a few of the more popular spots early in the morning or late in the evening, so we got to see them without a lot of the crowds. Also, since we had our own food with us, we ate at several of the roadside picnic areas. These might be one of the best kept secrets of the park. All of them were nice, clean, pretty, and quiet.
The Lewis River at the south entrance to Yellowstone.
West Thumb Geyser Basin. Of all of the front country, developed thermal areas that we visited, I think this was my favorite. The pools are spectacularly colored and Yellowstone Lake makes a beautiful backdrop.
Black Pool in West Thumb Geyser Basin.
A bison bull in Hayden Valley
A bull elk. We saw this guy early in our wildlife tour. The stringy thing hanging from his antlers is the velvet that he had been working to scrape off.
A bison bull at sunrise in Hayden Valley.
Blacktail Plateau Road. We asked a ranger at Mammoth about the road. His response: "Eh..it is just another hill." Well, it turned out to be a really pretty hill.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We got up early on our second full day in the park and did a five mile loop, including a walk along the rim of the canyon, before lunch. This turned out to be my favorite hike. We were out before most of the crowds. We did Uncle Tom's trail, which is a series of stairs that leads partway down the lower falls. We had the trail basically to ourselves until we got to Artist Point. At Artist Point, the tour buses had arrived. We took a few photos and then headed into the Yellowstone backcountry. Twenty yards down the trail, we were alone again.
The loop passed through a small backcountry thermal area. It was pretty neat to walk through without boardwalks and signs (other than a few trail markings).
We did another five mile hike in the afternoon past Grand Prismatic Spring to Fairy Falls. Both the spring and the falls were pretty, but the hike in between was a bit like hiking through a pine plantation. The area burned badly in 1988, so all of the trees are about twelve feet tall or so.
After the obligatory stop at Old Faithful (my husband had never seen it) and dinner, we drove the Fire Hole Lake Road. Thunderstorms were moving through the area, so we stopped at one of the thermal features and tried to photograph the lightning. I got lucky with this one.
On our last day, we drove out of the park through the Lamar Valley. We spotted this bison bull taking a dust bath. It was pretty funny to see such a giant animal throw himself on the ground and roll around.
The Lewis River at the south entrance to Yellowstone.
West Thumb Geyser Basin. Of all of the front country, developed thermal areas that we visited, I think this was my favorite. The pools are spectacularly colored and Yellowstone Lake makes a beautiful backdrop.
Black Pool in West Thumb Geyser Basin.
A bison bull in Hayden Valley
A bull elk. We saw this guy early in our wildlife tour. The stringy thing hanging from his antlers is the velvet that he had been working to scrape off.
A bison bull at sunrise in Hayden Valley.
Blacktail Plateau Road. We asked a ranger at Mammoth about the road. His response: "Eh..it is just another hill." Well, it turned out to be a really pretty hill.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We got up early on our second full day in the park and did a five mile loop, including a walk along the rim of the canyon, before lunch. This turned out to be my favorite hike. We were out before most of the crowds. We did Uncle Tom's trail, which is a series of stairs that leads partway down the lower falls. We had the trail basically to ourselves until we got to Artist Point. At Artist Point, the tour buses had arrived. We took a few photos and then headed into the Yellowstone backcountry. Twenty yards down the trail, we were alone again.
The loop passed through a small backcountry thermal area. It was pretty neat to walk through without boardwalks and signs (other than a few trail markings).
We did another five mile hike in the afternoon past Grand Prismatic Spring to Fairy Falls. Both the spring and the falls were pretty, but the hike in between was a bit like hiking through a pine plantation. The area burned badly in 1988, so all of the trees are about twelve feet tall or so.
After the obligatory stop at Old Faithful (my husband had never seen it) and dinner, we drove the Fire Hole Lake Road. Thunderstorms were moving through the area, so we stopped at one of the thermal features and tried to photograph the lightning. I got lucky with this one.
On our last day, we drove out of the park through the Lamar Valley. We spotted this bison bull taking a dust bath. It was pretty funny to see such a giant animal throw himself on the ground and roll around.
