I arrived in Yellowstone National Park after spending a coulpe days in the nearby Grand Teton National Park. I was really excited to get here, but I didn’t really know what to expect. Old Faithful, the parks most famous geyser, and the Grand Prismatic Spring, a beautifully colored hot spring, were the only places that I knew I wanted to see. These two sight are probably the park’s most photagraphed and widely publicized features. I didn’t really know what else the park had to offer.

We drove through the south entrance in the early afternoon and headed straight to Old Faithful after a pit stop at the Grant Village visitor center. We saw a note on a white board there that said the next predicted eruption of the the geyser would be in about 40 minutes. Everyone was leaving as we walked up to the Old Faithful viewing are. We had just missed it! I wasn’t sure how often the geyser spouts up, but after asking around I found it was every 45 to 90 minutes. We had to wait it out.

 

After watching Old Faithful do its thing, we headed up the road to the Midway Geyser Basin. This area is quite active and contains several incredible pools. The sun was setting when we arrived and steam had begun to intensify as the temperature dropped.

 

I exited the park through the west entrance for the night. We slept in the car in a hotel parking lot near McDonalds to recharge our batteries. The following morning we headed back to the Midway Geyser Basin for a better look at the Grand Prismatic Spring. After that, I drove out the north entrance of the park to sign us up for a whitewater rafting tour of the Yellowstone River. We spent about 3.5 hours on the river and hit a few good rapids. To finish of the day, we went back into the park to see Tower Fall, Lower Falls, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. What a day!

I had to drop my nephew off at the airport in Bozeman the following morning. I hung out at the Starbucks there for a full day after flying him back to California so I could get my website started. I uploaded a few posts, edited some videos, and then headed back into the park alone to revisit some of my favorite spots. I did another loop through the park and exited through the east entrance to see some more of the country.

 

 

 

Notable wildlife I saw while in the park: bighorn sheep, bison, coyote, elk, fox, grizzly, and osprey.

Tips For Your Trip

It is best to make your campground reservations months in advance, but there are several first-come, first-served campgrounds within the park. You must show up early in the morning if you want a site though. Check out is 11am, but the park gets so busy during the summer that you must show up hours before that to ensure you get a site. They fill up fast. If you are unable to get a campsite within the park, Bakers Hole Campground is a good backup option. It is a first-come, first-served campground located just a few miles out of Yellowstone’s west entrance. It is really nice and relatively cheap.

As with anywhere you go that attracts a lot of tourists, early in the morning is the best time to see the sights. It is much better to experience the wonders of the park before the crowds show up. Also, if you get the opportunity to enter/exit through the east entrance, go for it. The landscape is incredible. I have been through four of the parks entrances and the east is by far my favorite.