Montana
On Day 5 we started the trek to Yellowstone National Park. YNP was probably the one thing that we had been looking most forward to. After a quick breakfast at our hotel, we jumped on the road to make the trek.
About 1/3 of the way into this trip, we made a stop at Little Bighorn National Battlefield. We didn't spend a lot of time here (maybe 45 minutes) but it was enough time for us to take in the history and be reflective of the significance of the sacred space. If you can work this into your itinerary, I definitely recommend visiting.
Along our drive, we had to make a stop at Wal-Mart. Our daughter didn't bring her inhalers as her asthma/allergies had been completely under control before we left home....but something got them flared up significantly. So, we got her prescriptions transferred and were able to stop in Billings to get them filled. This gave us time to restock some of our snacks/lunch items before heading into YNP where we knew food options would be limited.
After passing through Cody, WY we made our way into YNP through the East Entrance. After entering the gates we immediately in awe of the beauty, especially of Yellowstone Lake. Pictures do not do this place justice. We made our way around the shore of the lake before stopping at the Visitor Center at Fishing Bridge. This gave me a chance to get my NP Passport book stamped.
Our accommodations for the next 2 nights would be the the cabins at Lake Yellowstone so this was where we headed. On our way, we noticed many cars on the edge of the road and lots of folks with big cameras. To our amazement there was a huge elk with velvet antlers right off the edge of the road. We continued making our way.
Once we got to the Lake Hotel we checked in and were given keys to our cabin. One of the great things about these cabins is that you literally are parked right outside your door. This certainly made loading/unloading really easy. The cabins (nor do the rooms) have microwaves or mini-fridges. Usually one of my first activities when we get to our room is to unpack the cooler and place everything in the fridge. Without a fridge I made my way (a short walk) to the annex building where I filled up our backpack cooler (which we LOVE!!!) You might remember us raving about it a few trips ago. Order yours here!
Our initial impression of our cabin was "bleh". It was dated and could have benefitted from a deep cleaning. This was the most expensive "hotel" of our trip but certainly not the nicest or most luxurious. However, we did like having our own space and our car right outside our door.
To eat dinner at the hotel they say reservations are required, however when we acquired if they had any available, we were told that we could be put on the waitlist. We figured it would be best to go early so we made our way to the hotel at 5:00pm and were told we would have approximately a 20-30 minute wait. We were given an "old school" restaurant pager and then spent some time exploring the front of the hotel and hanging out in the beautiful lobby area.
After our short wait, we were seated. We had read some pretty negative reviews of the restaurant, so we were surprised when our food arrived. We shared scallops, charcuterie, and the tomato-burata salad. After dinner we walked back to our cabin to jump in the car to explore. We made our way to Grant Village making several stops along the way. A friend recommended the GuideAlong app so we started it up and tuned in. We REALLY enjoyed using this. (We purchased the YNP and GTNP combo for $20. It was priced well for the amount that we used it.) During this short trek we saw mudpots, fumaroles, geysers, and hot springs. One of our favorite things to see on this trip was the fishing cone-- rumor has it that people could "hook and cook".
We made our way back to our cabin and spent some time watching the bison and elk on the hillside and near the lake before turning in for bed. For breakfast we ate some things that we are brought along. There is a snack style cafe in the hotel, but the breakfast sandwiches are premade (not made to order) and they run out quickly. (So have a plan for breakfast!).
We made our way south on the lower loop road, stopping whenever we pleased, with Old Faithful on our must see list. When we arrived it was misting a bit so we were glad we had remembered our rain coats. We had no idea what time it would erupt, but there was a significant crowd around the geyser so we assumed it would be happening soon. The area is surrounded by a boardwalk and viewing benches, providing a safe and accessible vantage point for visitors. In less than 5 minutes we got to witness something that seemed a bit magical. Our timing was not perfect on this trip, but we certainly arrived at Old Faithful at the right time (rather than having to wait 90 minutes)..
Watching Old Faithful erupt is a blend of tranquility and excitement. The anticipation builds as you wait, creating a shared sense of wonder among the crowd.
We originally had dinner reservations at the Old Faithful Inn for 5pm but we didn't want to make our way all the way back to the area later in the day.....so we cancelled our reservations and made plans to jump in the lunch line when they opened at 11:30. We walked sand explored some of the board walks, off the board walk, Old Faithful Lodge, and Old Faithful Inn before getting in the lunch line. We arrived about 11:25 and there were at least 15-20 people in line ahead of us. They didn't start seating folks until around 11:33 and it took us a good 15 minutes to get a table. The restaurant serves a buffet but we decided to order from the menu. Our lunch was brought out pretty quickly and while it was good it wasn't considered a "wow" meal.
Our timing would continue to work well for us as while we were eating lunch a very strong rain shower came through. Luckily, it cleared up by the time our lunch was finished.
After leaving Old Faithful we made our way to the Grand Prismatic. We made a few stops along the way and even saw a gray wolf on our drive. The cool misty weather was not on our side while we walked the boardwalk to see the GP. The steam and the mist basically covered our view.....not to be defeated we went to the trailhead of the Grand Prismatic Overlook. Luckily our view from there was not obstructed.
We continued our day driving and stopping along our way. "The little man", the name we affectionately gave to the voice guiding our way, was very informative and helpful.
Another worthy stop is Artist Point. This is a breathtaking viewpoint that offers one of the most iconic and picturesque views of the park. Although it was somewhat crowded, it was very tranquil.
We continued making stops. We loved the mud pots. We made our way to Canyon Village and stopped at the visitor center. There was still 1 thing we needed to see in YNP. Our daughter asked the ranger where we could go to see grizzlies. He suggested Hayden Valley. Sure enough as we were driving we saw tons of cars, tons of cameras, and a few rangers. We pulled over and marveled at 2 huge grizzlies....they were hanging out and living their best life.
Another thing we had hoped to see was a beautiful sunset. We headed back to Fishing Bridge and parked along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. We had our cooler, snacks, and drinks with us so we enjoyed a picnic in the car (it was rather cool). We were there about 2 hours before sunset but after sitting there for over an hour we realized that the clouds would prevent us from getting that perfect view. We chose to head back and visit the hotel gift shop.
When we arrived back to our cabin and were treated to a few bison hanging out.
Overall it was a really great day. We all walked over 20,000 steps. Although we only got to explore the lower loop, we were really pleased with wildlife, the views, the trails.....everything. It was a really awesome day!!
If you missed previous posts, you can find them here!
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