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Yellowstone National Park

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Old Faithful Erupting on Schedule Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Yellowstone National Park was created as our first US National Park by Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. Today it receives more than two million visitors annually, with July being the busiest month. Like many other National Park Service (NPS) designated parks, Yellowstone offers a plethora of tourist convenience services including hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and lots tour activities. With five entrances into the park and nine visitor center throughout, there are a lot of opportunities to meet with rangers and learn about the park's diverse features and attractions.Perhaps most famous are the geothermal areas that include geysers, boiling pots and hot springs. Old Faithful is the most well...Read More

Yellowstone National Park was created as our first US National Park by Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. Today it receives more than two million visitors annually, with July being the busiest month. Like many other National Park Service (NPS) designated parks, Yellowstone offers a plethora of tourist convenience services including hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and lots tour activities. With five entrances into the park and nine visitor center throughout, there are a lot of opportunities to meet with rangers and learn about the park's diverse features and attractions.

Perhaps most famous are the geothermal areas that include geysers, boiling pots and hot springs. Old Faithful is the most well known of these, particularly because of the predictive nature of its eruptions. There are several other lesser known predicted geysers, to include the largest and most spectacular Great Fountain Geyser.

Some of the geysers go off very frequently (I saw the White Cone erupt several times over the course of a couple of hours) while others are rare and haven't been seen in years. Although Steamboat Geyser hasn't had a true eruption skyward in years, a brief visit to it will provide an opportunity to watch it spurt and gurgle continuously.

Several of the hot springs and boiling pots have a high sulfur content, so if you are susceptible to the fumes as I am, you are best advised to avoid them or make sure you visit is very limited in areas where your breathing may be adversely affected.

Many people travel to Yellowstone due to the diversity in fauna and flora. The wildlife and beautiful flowers are worth the time to observe and photograph. It has been said that Yellowstone is the Serengeti of the United States. If we were to have a designated "big five" I would guess it would be 1) bison, 2) elk, 3) bears (black and/or brown/grizzly, 4) pronghorn and 5) wolves. I was fortunate to see all but the wolves. I heard about sightings during my time in the park; I just wasn't in the right place at the right time in spite of my best efforts.

Perhaps the moose and coyote are in the big five? I did read that the bighorn sheep are in the "winter big five" so I guess I really don't know if there is an official list or not. I was fortunate to see many of the species known to reside in the park, I was very happy with the photos I was able to capture.

As for the flora, the wildflowers were in bloom throughout the park providing a beautiful splash of color throughout. One area where I saw the most diversity was up along the Blacktail Plateau loop road between Roosevelt & Mammoth. I've included several photos from that drive with this review.

One cannot visit the park and not notice the affects of wildfires in the park. Being a particularly hot and dry summer already, the park and surrounding areas were on high danger alert for fire. Restrictions were in place as they pertained to the use of campfires. Some fires, are however started by nature in the form of lightning strikes. When that occurs, the fires are permitted to burn their own natural course, as long as people and property (like the villages and lodges) are not at risk.

The cycle of fire is a natural occurrence and through it new forest and trees are seeded. The worst fire in park history was in 1988 when several fires burned for nearly a month, destroying nearly 800,000 acres (approximately 1,300 square miles) within the park. While there is always concern for the loss of wildlife during fire, it was reported that in 1988 very few animals died. Today's fire management practices are largely based on what was learned during the fires of 1988.

Visitors to Yellowstone National Park have a wealth of recreational opportunities. Fishing and horseback riding are very popular, as are rafting, kayaking and boating. Hiking is probably the number one activity, with trails and back country options found throughout the park.

There are tours available through the park's official concessionaire Xanterra as well as other outside operators. I passed by the large yellow buses several times during my visit. I also saw the horse drawn wagons taking guests out for a real western cookout near Roosevelt Lodge.

I had a great time during my five days inside the park and got to see and experience a lot of what is available to visitors. That said, it is impossible to see everything, so I am already looking forward to my next trip to Yellowstone National Park! Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 23, 2012

Yellowstone National Park
Headwaters of the Yellowstone River
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190
(307) 344-7381

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Camping in Yellowstone Nat'l Park

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Camping in Yellowstone Nat'l Park Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Yellowstone is the premier US destination for those interested in camping, whether in a mega RV or the simplest of tents or something in between. Even those who like to camp via van or station wagon can find comfort in knowing just how easy it can be to camp and commune with nature.Yellowstone National Park has a number of campgrounds (CG) that accept advance reservations. These are generally located at the "village" areas throughout the park and have spaces that can accommodate cars, tents and many RVs. They are currently priced at $25 (plus tax). In addition to knowing where you will be sleeping on any given night, these CGs feature flush toilets and complimentary showers to those wh...Read More

Yellowstone is the premier US destination for those interested in camping, whether in a mega RV or the simplest of tents or something in between. Even those who like to camp via van or station wagon can find comfort in knowing just how easy it can be to camp and commune with nature.

Yellowstone National Park has a number of campgrounds (CG) that accept advance reservations. These are generally located at the "village" areas throughout the park and have spaces that can accommodate cars, tents and many RVs. They are currently priced at $25 (plus tax). In addition to knowing where you will be sleeping on any given night, these CGs feature flush toilets and complimentary showers to those who stay there. Laundry facilities are also available at the buildings where the showers are located.

For those with larger rigs, the Fishing Bridge RV Park may be your best option, as they provide hookups that many require to "rough it" in the woods. Expect to pay a hefty $45 to set up at this very popular CG.

There are also a number of "first come - first served" CGs throughout the park that are offered at the reasonable price of just $12 to $14/night. While they all have vault toilet facilities, they do not offer have showers.

All campgrounds provide a picnic table and fire pit. Many of them are well shaded and provide flat surfaces for vehicles and/or tents.

For my time in Yellowstone, I had reservations at Grant CG, Canyon CG and the Roosevelt Roughriders Cabins. OK, while a "cabin" may not generally qualify as camping, the fact that they are smaller dry cabins with shared bathrooms and showers makes it pretty close to camping in my book. I thoroughly enjoyed my two nights in the cabin I shared with my friend Nancy.

The cabin we had was able to house six people and was a reasonable $69 (plus tax) for two people. Additional people could be added to the maximum occupancy of six for $11/person. In my opinion, this is the best housing option available in the park. The next time I go, I will definitely stay there for some amount of my time especially given its location in close proximity to some of the best wildlife viewing areas including Lamar Valley.

Reservations for camping (and lodging) inside the park is handled exclusively by Xanterra. They have a very efficient online reservation system. Many CGs and lodges are booked up months in advance. They do have a very generous cancellation policy, whereby if your plans change and you cancel at least 48 hours before check-in you are not charged any fee.

This is especially important to know as you may find your desired location booked only to learn it has opened up closer to the time of your visit due to cancellations. That is what happened in the case of my Roughriders Cabin reservation, allowing me to upgrade from a single bed cabin to one with three beds . . . and then days later, to add a second subsequent night in the same cabin. I found Xanterra to be very friendly and helpful when I had to call them directly to make additional changes to my reservations!

If you are planning to get a campsite upon arrival to Yellowstone, most of the park entrances have a board indicating which ones have openings and which are full. I've been told that many will be full by noontime, so having a plan and getting a site as early as possible in the day is important especially if you are hoping to stay in a central area of the park. Read Less

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Dining Options in Yellowstone Nat'l Park

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My Breakfast View Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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While visiting Yellowstone Nat'l Park, guests have many options regarding food. While you will find lots of people doing as I did, picnicking across the park from point to point, there are others who view vacation as a time to be pampered and not camp. Personally speaking, I find camp cooking to be more work and effort than cooking at home, so I avoid that at all costs!For those willing to pack and keep a cooler filled with ice, it is easy to take perishable foods for your visit even if you are planning to camp during your stay. Most big rig RVs are equipped with wonderful refrigerators, which removes the hassle of ice. For my trip, I opted to avoid the ice challenge packing only dry, ...Read More

While visiting Yellowstone Nat'l Park, guests have many options regarding food. While you will find lots of people doing as I did, picnicking across the park from point to point, there are others who view vacation as a time to be pampered and not camp. Personally speaking, I find camp cooking to be more work and effort than cooking at home, so I avoid that at all costs!

For those willing to pack and keep a cooler filled with ice, it is easy to take perishable foods for your visit even if you are planning to camp during your stay. Most big rig RVs are equipped with wonderful refrigerators, which removes the hassle of ice. For my trip, I opted to avoid the ice challenge packing only dry, nonperishable items. Peanut butter and jelly (using the small room service sized jelly jars) made for decent meals along with beef jerky, trail mix, fresh fruit and lunchbox sized fruit cups. I took a case of .5 liter bottles of water as well as a 12 pack of diet cokes on the chance that I did come across convenient ice along my travels. (At Roosevelt's Roughriders Cabins, each shower house had an ice machine which provided registered guests with unlimited free ice!) There are a lot of choices throughout the park in terms of picnic areas and turnouts with tranquil overlooks.

Even with my game plan for meals, I did indulge in a couple of meals inside the park. As with most other US National Parks, they have outsourced most of their lodging and food services to an outside vendor. Xanterra is the vendor in Yellowstone and seemingly does a good job.

Each of of the "village" areas within Yellowstone has a variety of dining options including cafeterias, restaurants, cafes and soda fountains. At the nice restaurants, like those found at Old Faithful and Lake Lodge, dinner reservations are required and are considered to be a premium as you must make plans well in advance of your visit. Even an impromptu stop for lunch as someplace like the Roosevelt Lodge restaurant may require a wait. My friend Nancy had an hour wait for a table late on a Friday afternoon for just a salad. She did say it was delicious and worth the wait.

During my visit, I dined in the park on two occasions . . . the first was for a late dinner at the Canyon Soda Fountain where I had a burger and fries . . . and the second was breakfast on my last morning in the park at the Lake Lodge Cafeteria. Both meals were very good and a surprising value considering where I was. I paid $8.05 for the burger & fries and $10.50 for my cafeteria style ala carte breakfast.

For those who may want to expand beyond the park, there are border towns at three of the entrance areas: West Yellowstone, Gardiner and Silver Gate all in Montana. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning escape to the Tumbleweed Bookstore & Cafe in Gardiner which was a multipurpose trip planned in advance for "cheap" gas and free WiFi. It was equally nice to see that area of the park that extends out to the North Entrance.

Whatever you do, be respectful and use appropriate trash facilities found throughout the park to include recycling receptacles. Be "bear aware" and properly store your food especially if you are camping. And no feeding your scraps to the wildlife! Read Less

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Yellowstone - Day 1 (part 1)

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My First Sunrise in Yellowstone Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Wednesday July 11thI went to bed last night shortly after 9:00pm and woke up cold a couple of times during the night. The first time, I put on warmer clothes and the second time, I broke out the "zero degree" sleeping bag and used it as a comforter. I woke up for the day at 5:50am to 48F outside.Since I had a shower to start the day Tuesday, I opted to by-pass using my shower pass at Grant Village in order to head out and get a early start on wildlife viewing and my planned drive around the lower loop of the Yellowstone Park Road. For those who are not familiar with Yellowstone, you can drive the entire park road in your personal vehicle. There are limitations o...Read More

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Yellowstone - Day 1 (part 2)

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Firehole Spring Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Wednesday July 11th (con't)Heading out of the Norris Junction area I found a small picnic area along the Gibbon River where I fixed a sandwich and enjoyed my lunch. There were children playing in the water and a fly fisherman upstream who looked to only be in ankle deep. Several minutes later, a large bull elk was seen grazing.Mobs of people stopped and went river-side to photograph the beautiful animal. As with the other elk I had seen in the park, he appeared to be healthy.Back on the loop still heading counterclockwise, my next diversion was the Firehole Lake Drive, home to what is touted as one of the most spectacular geysers in the park - The Great Fountain ...Read More

Wednesday July 11th (con't)

Heading out of the Norris Junction area I found a small picnic area along the Gibbon River where I fixed a sandwich and enjoyed my lunch. There were children playing in the water and a fly fisherman upstream who looked to only be in ankle deep. Several minutes later, a large bull elk was seen grazing.

Mobs of people stopped and went river-side to photograph the beautiful animal. As with the other elk I had seen in the park, he appeared to be healthy.

Back on the loop still heading counterclockwise, my next diversion was the Firehole Lake Drive, home to what is touted as one of the most spectacular geysers in the park - The Great Fountain Geyser. Unfortunately for me, while the posted eruption schedule had it down as a 10:30am to 2:50pm prediction, I arrived at around 1:00pm and waited with many others (some who had been there since noon) . . . only to learn when the ranger came through at 3:00pm that it had already gone off around 11:30 that morning. Being on an approximate 12 hour cycle, it would not be expected until sometime around midnight, give or take two hours.

While in the area, however, I did get to see (and photograph) the White Dome Geyser which seemed to be a regular twice an hour sort of event, with its brief (under three minute) eruptions that blasted around 20 or 30 feet in the air. I also stopped at the Firehole Spring which could be seen bubbling continuously. A note about the Firehole Lake Drive, RVs and vehicles towing are not permitted as the road is narrow and one-way, with lots of congestion especially around the Great Fountain Geyser and the Firehole Lake.

There is another one-way side road trip in this area worth mentioning - the Firehole Canyon Drive. The short (less than 30 minute) ride meanders along the river with a nice lookout below the Firehole Falls. Again, no RVs or towed vehicles.

My last stop along this major stretch of geyser locations was the world famous Old Faithful area. Having been more than 15 years since I was last here, I was surprised at the amount of development and traffic. The visitor center and adjacent parking lots all appeared to be built since my last visit back in 1996. My timing was such that I did get to take a bench seat and wait for Old Faithful's scheduled 4:19pm blast. Pretty much right on schedule, she blew and blew and blew. The children sitting in front of me kept encouraging it to go higher and faster.

After the eruption of Old Faithful, many left the area heading for their cars. I took the time to call home since this was a known area of decent cell phone reception. Even with my crummy SPRINT service, I was able to have a nice phone conversation with David. The traffic jam out of the area was reminiscent of leaving Disney World at closing time. It was miserable!

Heading back towards Canyon Village, it still seemed too early to go into my campground so I continued up towards the Tower area which had been a known black bear sighting area. I once again got caught in a bison jam in Hayden Valley; spent some time watching one large bull cross the river. The water was so deep, at one point all I could see was the top of his head and two horns. Once on shore, he shook the water off, much like a dog would after a swim.

Before reaching Tower, I did come to a small bear jam of cars with people out trying to get a glimpse of the momma bear and her cub. The cub could be seen high up in a tree, but the sow was up on the hillside really out of sight for most of the time. One car stopped and the driver asked what we were looking at. He proceeded to get out of the car and climb up the small hillside to get a look for himself. He scrambled down quickly, reporting that "she was right there!" Dumb @$$! Because it was nearing dusk and the forest was dense, the lighting was not conducive to taking photos . . . not that they were really close or visible enough to get a clear, in focus photo.

After the excitement of seeing my first bears, I figured it was about time to head back to camp. When I got to Canyon Village, I realized I had not eaten since around noontime and I was pretty hungry. With darkness coming, I didn't much feel like fumbling around to make a sandwich so I stopped in at the Canyon Soda Fountain for a burger. I have to say, it was not bad. Actually it was very good and reasonably priced ($8.05 for a burger & fries). Where they would get you, however, was on the $4.95 (16oz) milk shake. I kept it cheap with just the burger. I was lucky that I arrived right at 8:30pm, their last seating time at the counter.

Feeling full, I headed on over to my campsite as it started to rain. I spent the next 30 minutes off-loading photos from my three cameras and taking a glimpse at what I had captured from my day. With a quick run to the restrooms, I was ready for bed by 10:15pm. Read Less

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Yellowstone - Day 2 (part 1)

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Walking the Balance Beam Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Thursday July 12thToday was a great "bear day" with lots of sightings throughout the park!It started at 5:50am with a frigid wake-up of just 36F after overnight thunder-boomers that rocked my van between 10:00pm and roughly midnight. The entire Canyon Village area was socked in with dense fog; even the bison around the junction were difficult to see.My plan for the day was to do the upper loop, again heading counterclockwise, with an added detour out the North Entrance to Gardiner, MT. Gardiner was on the agenda for two purposes: 1) to have breakfast at the Tumbleweed Bookstore and Cafe, and 2) to buy "cheap" gas outside of the park.This part of the p...Read More

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Yellowstone - Day 2 (part 2)

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Cubs Following Mom Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Thursday July 12th (con't)From the Norris Junction, I head back towards Canyon Village so as to continue my counterclockwise loop that would eventually land me back at Roosevelt Lodge and my cabin for the night. When I arrived in the area, it was really too early to check-in and go to the cabin so I figured I'd head up towards to NE Entrance at Silver Gate. Since the Lamar Valley is one of the better known wildlife viewing areas and there had been a black bear with two cubs seen in the area, it seemed like a decent way to spend a couple of hours.I wasn't five miles from the Roosevelt Junction when I came upon a large back-up of cars complete with a couple of park ranger vehic...Read More

Thursday July 12th (con't)

From the Norris Junction, I head back towards Canyon Village so as to continue my counterclockwise loop that would eventually land me back at Roosevelt Lodge and my cabin for the night. When I arrived in the area, it was really too early to check-in and go to the cabin so I figured I'd head up towards to NE Entrance at Silver Gate. Since the Lamar Valley is one of the better known wildlife viewing areas and there had been a black bear with two cubs seen in the area, it seemed like a decent way to spend a couple of hours.

I wasn't five miles from the Roosevelt Junction when I came upon a large back-up of cars complete with a couple of park ranger vehicles. I knew immediately the black bear momma and cubs were in the area. Unfortunately, it was next to impossible to find a safe pullout spot especially since the rangers were strictly enforcing the "100 yards" rule for being near bears. I continued further down the road and found a second turnout with space enough to pull in. I was far enough away from the action, however, that watching the bears munch on the sagebrush required the binoculars. The good news was that they were moving in my direction. The bad news would be that once within the 100 yards, I would be chased out of the turnout.

They continued to feed, often in areas not visible due to the thick brush or large rocks. At one point, it appeared as though they would be making a turn back away from where I was parked but then she stopped and reversed again. She did come within the distance that the rangers were concerned about those of us in the turnout, so they came down and had us move. Ironically, by having me move out, it required that I drive towards the bear activity. Better yet, it seemed momma wanted to cross the road, requiring that all traffic stop to give her right away.

Once she was across the road, her two cubs followed her, between the cars and everything. It was amazing that none of the bear family seemed too concerned with the throng of vehicles and people surrounding them. I was fortunate in that I had a great vantage point to snap several photos during their movement across the road. It was very exciting, especially since the first year cubs were still pretty small.

After all of that excitement I continued on up to the NE Entrance Area. I did see a small group of pronghorn just before getting to Lamar Valley. I stopped in the large parking area overlooking the valley, but didn't see much. Even the wolf watchers reported not seeing anything through their scopes.

I continued on stopping at a small turnout alongside a rushing creek to fix a sandwich. In this area, the bugs (mosquitoes and biting flies) were pretty bad so for the first time I had to spray OFF on my exposed legs and arms to avoid them.

The drive on up to Silver Creek was uneventful so once through the gates I continued into the small town and turned around. At the park entrance I asked about bear sightings that day and he said there had been a grizzly seen in the area but no further reports for several hours. I kept my eyes open, scanning for the illusive grizzly, but to no avail.

The time from the NE Entrance back to Roosevelt Junction was about 75 minutes. Since it was close to 6:00pm I figured I may as well check-in. In the parking lot, I was met by my TA friend and roommate for the next two nights. I've "known" Nanc from the Alaska Forums on Trip Advisor, so meeting her in person and spending some time with her in Yellowstone was especially exciting!

Once settled into our Roughriders Cabin, I took a shower. At 6:30pm we decided to head back out to Lamar in hopes of seeing more wildlife, especially the resident wolf pack. Nanc had camped the night before at Pebble Creek CG and said that there had been a grizzly bear on the hillside just outside of the camp. She drove first to that area and sure enough, there he was! It was my first grizzly viewing (and photo). It was a great experience, even if it was too far away to get a really good photo. I saw him with my own two eyes and did get this photo, which has been zoomed and cropped in order to see him.

Other than a bison jam and more pronghorn, there was not much else happening in the Lamar Valley, so we headed back to our cabin and called it a night. It had been a long day, and I was ready for sleep! The cabin was comfortable as we had a triple bed room and was just across from the bathroom and showers. There was also an ice machine with free ice, so I got my little cooler and put some diet cokes on ice overnight. I think we said our good nights and went to sleep around 9:00pm. Read Less

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Yellowstone - Day 3

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Here They Come! Photo - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Friday July 13th"Unlucky Friday the 13th" . . . HA! What another great day to be in Yellowstone National Park, enjoying nature and the beauty that surrounded me.Overnight we had quite the thunderstorm in the northern area of Yellowstone NP. At one point the crack of thunder was so loud it woke both Nanc and I up, startling us in our unfamiliar surroundings and beds. It was around 3:00am so plenty more sleep to be had. I know I rolled over and fell back asleep pretty easily. Next thing I knew, it was 5:30am and time to get moving.Nanc again offered to drive for our morning wildlife viewing and since the front seat area of my van was filled with stuff, I gladly ...Read More

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Yellowstone & Grand Teton (part 1)

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Saturday July 14thI woke up early (5:30am) and was ready to hit the road after my good-byes with Nanc. She was actually up before me and ready to get moving first, so it worked out just about perfectly. As I did my last check of our cabin, I pondered what I would do with my day. Originally, my plan was to stay in the parks through the weekend and head home Monday in order to be home Tuesday night.I felt as though I had already had several great days of wildlife viewing, even if I had not seen the illusive wolves in either Hayden or Lamar. I had also not yet seen a moose, but I had what I thought was a good lead on locating them, down in Grand Teton NP which was my initial p...Read More

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Yellowstone & Grand Teton (part 2)

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Saturday July 14th (con't)Earlier in the week, I met a couple from Portage, Wisconsin. In talking about the wildlife we'd seen, I was envious that he had seen moose. He told me that he had been told of a marsh area just beyond Colter Bay down the Pilgrim Creek Road. Sure enough, when I made the left-hand turn, I could see a number of cars pulled to the shoulder, and several people out walking into the willows. There was also a tour company with guests watching. Their driver/guide was explaining to folks about the moose habitat and that the bull moose in this area were getting ready for rut season next month.From the vantage point that I had, I could barely see the moose th...Read More

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America's First National Park - Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park

Camping in Yellowstone Nat'l Park

Dining Options in Yellowstone Nat'l Park

Yellowstone - Day 1 (part 1)

Yellowstone - Day 1 (part 2)

Yellowstone - Day 2 (part 1)

Yellowstone - Day 2 (part 2)

Yellowstone - Day 3

Yellowstone & Grand Teton (part 1)

Yellowstone & Grand Teton (part 2)

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