#Gates50States

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) – a surreal experience not to be duplicated anywhere in the United States or even abroad. Do you family a favor and visit this place!! Prepare to be awed by the landscape, humbled by the geological power and entranced by the quantity and quality of wildlife.

We only had 3 days – not nearly enough time for the sheer vastness of the world’s first National Park. Although Yellowstone was officially made a national park in 1872 under Ulysses S. Grant, adequate funding and real protection took several decades to put into place. The first rangers weren’t posted to YNP until 1916, allowing years of poaching and land mismanagement without a true governing presence and finances to actually enforce the laws on paper. Thankfully, Congress got their act together and today Yellowstone’s magnificent flora and fauna are now protected.

Coming from Grand Teton National Park, the south entrance to YNP is only about and hour’s drive from Moose, WY. The real slow down occurs once you enter the park and for good reason. Wildlife could be on the road just about anywhere. Observing the speed limits and keeping a sharp lookout is essential to protecting wildlife… and your car. You’re not going anywhere fast within the park, so make sure to budget time accordingly.

We chose a central location, Canyon Junction,  as our home base within the park. Stopping at Grant Village on the way in allowed a bit of a stretch and gave us the opportunity to check out another accommodation area. Although the rates are pretty reasonable, most of the really amazing wildlife viewing is just too far from this location. It does sit on the picturesque West Thumb portion of Yellowstone Lake however, so this could be a good option for water activities.

Instead of heading on the more direct northeast route of the Grand Loop Road to Canyon Junction, we chose to explore the various geyser basins, including Old Faithful, northwest of Grant Village. The geothermal features of Yellowstone are truly unique and otherworldly. Even the most jaded teenager will be in awe watching one of the larger geysers erupting. Although it gets crowded, Old Faithful really shouldn’t be missed. Earlier viewing (before lunchtime) seemed to benefit from smaller crowds. Don’t forget to eat lunch in the cafeteria and snag a table by the window to watch it erupt again. The cafeteria was almost completely empty as the geyser was gearing up to blow again, so take advantage of shorter lines to maximize sightseeing time.

Old Faithful isn’t the only attraction in the Upper Geyser basin. There’s a beautiful boardwalk extending several miles giving access to many more geysers large and small, erratic and constant. Keep a close eye on the little ones though, as many areas don’t have railings. Watch where you’re walking -one step off the boardwalk could be serious!

Although a week could easily be spent exploring the geyser basins alone, the next stop on our whirlwind tour was Grand Prismatic Spring. We chose the traditional approach through the park-constructed boardwalk area. Parking was a nightmare!! The main parking lot was completely full by mid-afternoon and cars were parked crazy lining both side of the already narrow road. Once again, keep a hand on your kids for this whole excursion stop. Not only was it dangerous crossing the road and getting to the boardwalk, but walking around the spring with intense crowds was pretty intimidating, too. It can be extremely windy so make sure to secure any hats. We saw at least 8 hats strewn about the area. Trust me, you’re not going off the path to retrieve anything here either.

Although Grand Prismatic was one of the most unbelievable sights, pushy tour bus travelers made the experience less than it should have been. Note to all tourists – selfies can be fine but not when you’re pushing kids nearly off the boardwalk into dangerous areas and smacking other people with the abhorrent selfie stick for yet another picture five feet from the last one. Slow down and appreciate the awesomeness of the area! Rant over.

To get away from the crowds and still be wowed, try heading north to Firehole Lake Drive. Very few cars turn here since it’s off the main road. Well worth it! Tons of geysers, tiny but impressive Firehole Lake and even some bubbling mud pots. You’ll enter the main road again right before Fountain Paint Pots. This area was starkly beautiful and gives the first real taste of the larger boiling mud pots. We didn’t end up stopping at Artist Paint Pots further down the road, however it looked to be a bit less crowded when we went by on the way to Canyon Junction. Could be it was later in the day, but I’d give it a try if we went back.

The southwest corner of the park was definitely captivating, but the real star of the show for the kids was the wildlife. Much more abundant in the summer around the Hayden and Lamar valleys located along the eastern loop roads, wildlife such as elk, bison, deer and antelope were amazingly easy to spot. We had an easier time spotting bears along the northeast loop between Dunraven Pass and Tower. A tough but rewarding trail if you’re up for it is Mt. Washburn. One of the more popular trails, this 6.4 mi out and back trip leads to one of the best lookouts in the park.

The main trail head is north of Dunraven pass however if you want a shorter route, then keep driving to reach the steep, narrow gravel road, Chittenden, connecting to a higher elevation parking lot. The wind is fierce and snow storms are possible even in the summer so come prepared.

We did several hikes with and without the kids, since the grandparents were there to hang out with them for a bit. The South Rim and Uncle Tom trails both offered great views of the Upper Falls in Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and weren’t too taxing for the kids. Beware of the Uncle Tom trail however if stairs aren’t your thing. We’re all pretty fit but our thighs were burning by the top. 🙂 We also hiked the Cascade Lake Trail in the hopes of seeing moose. No luck for us but we’re pretty convinced moose don’t actually exist anyway considering we’ve never gotten a look at one! Great trail for kids, though, with minimal elevation gain. As with all trails in the park though, make sure to keep the bear spray handy and make some noise.

One of the highlights of Yellowstone for RG and me was the sunrise experience in the Hayden Valley and early morning hiking through the Lamar Valley. Nothing could compare to frost-covered bison emerging from the fog with weak sun rays peeking behind them. Truly incredible! We’re so thankful to have experienced that and so much more on that adventure.

A quick word regarding lodging: location, location, location. Being centrally located within such a vast park allowed us to experience so much more in a short time than we would have otherwise been able. Canyon Lodge provided nice accommodations with a bit of a higher price tag, but that’s what you pay for convenient access to the park. We stayed in one of the newer buildings in a Superior 2Q room. Although a fridge was not included in the amenities listed, our room did have one, which came in handy for storing snacks, breakfast items and drinks. The grandparents room in the next building over was also new but lacked the refrigerator and even a coffee maker. That’s considered a bit extreme for our coffee-loving family. The food in the cafeteria left much to be desired in the way of options and cost. Still though, I wouldn’t change where we stayed. I would suggest bringing groceries in from outside the park, especially if you have a fridge. Grocery prices were outrageous but there’s no other option within an hour’s drive.

Book early to have choices. We booked 11 months in advance and there wasn’t any availability for several properties in the high season. If activities such as the cowboy cook out up at Roosevelt interest you, then book those as soon as you book lodging. There wasn’t anything left when we tried to book upon arrival. In hindsight, I don’t know that spending 2 hrs on a mock stagecoach eating the dust from the coach in front of us would have been super fun, but maybe the kids would have enjoyed it.

My last words of advice – Do not get too close to the wildlife! We saw so many people who clearly didn’t think anything bad could possibly happen on vacation. These are wild animals! Yes, they are used to the presence of humans but not in a “come take a selfie with me” kind of way. Read the news regarding happenings around YNP and you’ll see multiple incidents every year of people either being maimed or killed by bison because they just couldn’t keep their distance.

Lastly, stay on the paths through the thermals. One wrong step and you could literally dissolve in one of the pools that looked so harmless from the boardwalk. Yellowstone is a wild and wonderful area. Be smart so you can take home fabulous memories.

Follow the Gates Clan as we left the inspiring beauty of Wyoming behind and headed north toward Baab, Montana, and Glacier National Park (coming soon!).