Yellowstone National Park
August 18, 2024
Another sunny day as we left Livingston, Mt. At 10:45AM it was 77 degrees. We traveled 136 miles to West Yellowstone, MT via I-90 and South 191. We were definitely in Big Sky country as we passed through Bozeman and headed south along the Yellowstone River.
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Arriving in West Yellowstone, MT, we checked into the Grizzly RV Park for 4 nights. After settling into our campsite, we made the short drive to the Yellowstone National Park West entrance. We have the America the Beautiful National Park Pass (because we are old), so, our admission was free. We picked up our map and were on our way.
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Our First stop…Old Faithful. The Old Faithful Geyser is not quite as predictable as it used to be, but it still is the most regular of all the geysers. We arrived at 6:40 PM just in time for the approximate 7:10 PM eruption. Great Timing! We walked to the viewing area and the crowds were already filling the benches surrounding the geyser area. While we waited for Old Faithful, we (and everyone else) were surprised to view a very nice geyser further back in the Upper Geyser Basin. It was only a few minutes before Old Faithful began spurting and splashing. When the 130 foot waterspout erupted, the crowds were excited. Old Faithful did not disappoint us today.
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On this quick trip inside the park, we saw Bison and Elk…hoping to see more animals as we continue on this trip!
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August 19, 2024
No early entry to the park for us! We learned from past experiences that it is best to wait until later in the day to visit the popular places of interest. We had lunch at the Firehole BBQ…a restaurant we found on our last visit in 2021. As we entered the restaurant, we could see that it was still a very popular place! We both ordered the Brisket sandwich…it was soooo Tasty!
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After lunch we drove to Island Park, Idaho. The same natural forces that once made Yellowstone National Park so scenic also made Island Park similarly beautiful. Island Park sits in the world’s largest caldera, 23 miles in diameter, created from a volcano that collapsed in prehistoric times. Today, the area is covered in dense pine forests and is popular for hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
A few years ago we snowmobiled in Island Park and had the opportunity to see a different side of the area. It is astonishing how different a place can look with/without snow!
We took the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway to Mesa Falls. Mesa Falls is located in eastern Idaho, near the village of Ashton, not far from the Montana and Wyoming border. Mesa Falls Park has two beautiful waterfalls, in a very large canyon. The Upper and Lower Falls are stunners!
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August 20, 2024
Today, we spent almost a full day inside the park. The park is so vast, that most of our time was spent driving/riding.
We drove from the west entrance to Madison Junction passing by by one of the most popular sights: Lower Geyser Basin with the Grand Prismatic Spring. The traffic was backed up as visitors scrambled to find a parking spot along the road. The parking was ridiculous, so we did not stop! Oh, well, Maybe later!
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We passed Biscuit Basin that is closed for the remainder of the summer after following a hydrothermal explosion that launched debris hundreds of feet in the air and damaged the boardwalk and surrounding area. The damage was not visible to us from the road.
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Continuing on the road, we drove to West Thumb, Yellowstone Lake, and Fishing Bridge. In Fishing Bridge, we drove through the recently renovated RV Park. We might try it on our next visit! We stopped at the General Store in Fishing Bridge and browsed the souvenirs. We didn’t see anything new since our last visit, so it was a short stop.
The West Thumb Geyser Basin, lies in the shadows of the Absaroka Mountain Range and next to Yellowstone Lake. Here we were able to view geysers and Hot Pools in various shades of blue. Our favorite attraction was Fishing Cone. In the early 1900s, fishermen came to “hook and cook”: catch a trout from Yellowstone Lake, then cook it while still on the line by dangling it over the geyser. While this is no longer permitted, the setting is still pretty. In the past we have seen the cone submerged in water, but today it was well above the water line.
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It wouldn’t be a good drive through the park if we didn’t see bison crossing the Road!
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In the early afternoon, we began looking for a good picnic area and ended up driving to Mammoth Hot Springs(again). As we approached the area, we could see the white terraces made up of deposited travertine. We drove into the town of Mammoth and immediately saw the crowd surrounding the Elk herd that lives in town. The Elk attract many tourists to the area, and today was no excepton. We found a great parking spot next to the green grassy area where the Elk were grazing. Sometimes it pays off to wait for the perfect lunch spot!
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As we drove back towards the park exit, we encountered more traffic congestion. A very large Bison had traffic stopped both ways. He was several cars in front of our jeep and then he crossed the road in front of us. After he crossed, He ranger sounded his siren and made the bison run up the hillside. This was new for us…a park ranger scaring off the wildlife!
It was a long day but a great day in Yellowstone!
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