Several weeks ago I posted a message asking for input on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. I got some good advice that I put to use in a trip there last week and wanted to share the experience here in case in might give someone ideas for their next trip.
I've posted a bunch of photos on flickr, so I'll just link to those instead of posting them in the thread here. (I really like the slideshow option on the B&W photos).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30048916@N05/
I flew into Jackson Hole on Tuesday, and toured the downtown area in the morning before venturing up to Grand Tetons NP that afternoon. Took the Moose-Wilson Road from Teton Village to Moose, WY (partially unpaved), and then drove on up to Jenny Lake that afternoon before returning to Teton Village for the night.
The next morning I was on the road early and saw several elk grazing in GTNP. Made it to Yellowstone later that morning and visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin. From there it was on to Old Faithful with stops for Kepler Cascades and Isa Lake, both scenic stops along the way. I thought Old Faithful would be a very underwhelming experience...I was wrong, it was pretty cool and within +/- 3 minutes of the predicted time. From there it was on to West Yellowstone, MT for the evening with stops along the way for several geyser areas (Fountain was one I think). Also spent a decent bit of time just soaking in the scenery of Fountain Flats and watching the Firehole River flow through it while a big herd of bison grazed in the distance. Also took the Firehole Canyon drive and saw the cascades (wannabe waterfall) along the way, gorgeous couple of miles...and it would be so easy to drive by and miss it. Along the way into West Yellowstone I stopped several times along the Madison River to watch some elk graze or just soak in the sunset on the river. The high temp that day was mid-50's if even that high with a strong wind...it was such a welcome change from the 100's.
West Yellowstone is a small tourist town with a bunch of souvenir shops and hotels and surprisingly few restaurants. I did manage to find some excellent bbq at Beartooth BBQ (actually ate there both nights I was in town).
Next day I toured the upper loop of Yellowstone. Made it to Mammoth by lunch. Stopped along the way at Tower Falls, very impressive. Drove through some gorgeous valley's along the way to Roosevelt Lodge. The side road to Sheepeater's Cliff is definitely worth it, if for nothing else than to find a quiet place to have lunch beside the river. Some of the mountain driving along the northern part of the loop made me a bit uncomfortable...not used to having such drop offs just feet from the road. Ended that day with a trip down to Hayden Valley before going back to Canyon to see the Upper and Lower Falls. Also went to the Brink of the Upper Falls almost by accident and was glad I did, it really gave some perspective into the power of the water as it rushes into the falls. After that it was back to West Y'stone for the evening. I did manage to see a bald eagle along the Madison River just outside of town. It was the second coolest thing I didn't get a picture of.
** I intended for this to be a quick recap, but that's obviously not going to be the case. I'll try to wrap up the last couple of days tomorrow. Needless to say, it was a very cool trip and one I'd highly recommend.
I've posted a bunch of photos on flickr, so I'll just link to those instead of posting them in the thread here. (I really like the slideshow option on the B&W photos).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30048916@N05/
I flew into Jackson Hole on Tuesday, and toured the downtown area in the morning before venturing up to Grand Tetons NP that afternoon. Took the Moose-Wilson Road from Teton Village to Moose, WY (partially unpaved), and then drove on up to Jenny Lake that afternoon before returning to Teton Village for the night.
The next morning I was on the road early and saw several elk grazing in GTNP. Made it to Yellowstone later that morning and visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin. From there it was on to Old Faithful with stops for Kepler Cascades and Isa Lake, both scenic stops along the way. I thought Old Faithful would be a very underwhelming experience...I was wrong, it was pretty cool and within +/- 3 minutes of the predicted time. From there it was on to West Yellowstone, MT for the evening with stops along the way for several geyser areas (Fountain was one I think). Also spent a decent bit of time just soaking in the scenery of Fountain Flats and watching the Firehole River flow through it while a big herd of bison grazed in the distance. Also took the Firehole Canyon drive and saw the cascades (wannabe waterfall) along the way, gorgeous couple of miles...and it would be so easy to drive by and miss it. Along the way into West Yellowstone I stopped several times along the Madison River to watch some elk graze or just soak in the sunset on the river. The high temp that day was mid-50's if even that high with a strong wind...it was such a welcome change from the 100's.
West Yellowstone is a small tourist town with a bunch of souvenir shops and hotels and surprisingly few restaurants. I did manage to find some excellent bbq at Beartooth BBQ (actually ate there both nights I was in town).
Next day I toured the upper loop of Yellowstone. Made it to Mammoth by lunch. Stopped along the way at Tower Falls, very impressive. Drove through some gorgeous valley's along the way to Roosevelt Lodge. The side road to Sheepeater's Cliff is definitely worth it, if for nothing else than to find a quiet place to have lunch beside the river. Some of the mountain driving along the northern part of the loop made me a bit uncomfortable...not used to having such drop offs just feet from the road. Ended that day with a trip down to Hayden Valley before going back to Canyon to see the Upper and Lower Falls. Also went to the Brink of the Upper Falls almost by accident and was glad I did, it really gave some perspective into the power of the water as it rushes into the falls. After that it was back to West Y'stone for the evening. I did manage to see a bald eagle along the Madison River just outside of town. It was the second coolest thing I didn't get a picture of.
** I intended for this to be a quick recap, but that's obviously not going to be the case. I'll try to wrap up the last couple of days tomorrow. Needless to say, it was a very cool trip and one I'd highly recommend.
