Yellowstone National Park, is the most famous Park, in the United States. That's because the Park has Geysers where the steam suddenly rises in front of your eyes.
The Park is on the Yellowstone Plateau, where the Sheepeater Tribe, (an offshoot of the Shoshone), lived in peace, along the banks of the Yellowstone River. The white Man arrived, (in the 1800's), and ended all of that.
Yellowstone is in the States of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The largest part of the Park is in Wyoming. The United States established this Park in 1872.
The Park spans over two million of acres of Mountains and Forests. The Rivers and Lakes are ice cold. Around every corner you'll discover one of the 100 or so, Waterfalls.
Getting There
We always drove, because no Airlines fly between Alberta and Montana, Idaho or Wyoming.
The closest Airport is West Yellowstone Regional Airport, in Montana. Delta Airlines will get you there. It is 1 ½ km. to drive to the Park.
One way or another, you will have to rent a Car. Rental prices vary, so I suggest you have a Travel Agent, find the best price.
Entrance Fees
At the Park Gate you will be charge $40.00 per Car. This lets you use the Park all Year. I found this troublesome, because in Canada, we pay per day. After all, long distance travellers aren't going to come back to this Park, within a Year.
Wild Life
The Park is home to 58 mammals and 290 different types of Birds. The largest mammal is the Bison, (Buffalo), and the largest bird is the bald Eagle. If you like to see nature at it's best, Yellowstone is a must!
The Attractions We Saw
Between each Attractions you will have to drive for about ½ hour.
The one attraction that is a must-see are the Geysers. Old Faithful is the most popular. I found a webcam photo for you to check out:
https://nps.gov/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm
Watch for a few seconds and the web cam will update the view.
The Geyser erupts every hour, so you might have to wait a while to see it. Believe me it's worth it! What you see is a tower of steam being sent into the sky.
Geysers are thermal eruptions, that come from very hot pools below the crust of the Earth. There are more than 250 in the Park, so if you can get to Old Faithful, your sure to see a few.
The Yellowstone Lake has a wonderful Fish Hatchery. The Lake is almost 8000 feet about sea level. We went fly fishing here for Rainbow Trout. When we caught 2, (enough for a fresh Trout Breakfast), we went to the stone Grilles, near Crescent Beach, to pan fry them, in Lemon Juice, not butter.
We walked along the Beach, (I wouldn't advise you swim here, because the water is ice cold), until we found the Horse Back Riding Ranch. We rented our Horses, and let them take us further down the Beach. This is the lazy way to see the Beach.
The Lower Falls are on the Yellowstone River on the edge of the western part of the Grand Canyon. As Falls go, they aren't very wide, but they quite high, (over 300 feet). When we were on the under-the-Falls Cruise, a Rainbow appeared as we came out from the Falls. It went from the top to the bottom and was the strangest Rainbow I have seen.
Mammoth Hot Springs were formed when limestone deposits rose through the lava of Volcanos that once happened here. This made Terraces that are spectacular to see. We stood at the bottom of the Terrace and watched the hot water drip over the edges. I was told that in the Winter, the water freezes, and the water looks like icicles.
The best place to take a Tour is at the Norris Museum at the Norris Geyser Basin. The Museum's exhibits will orient you to the Geo-thermal Attractions, within the Park.
We then walked along 4 km. of trails. We saw Rainbow Colours, (it smelled so bad, I drenched my handkerchief in perfume, and held it to my nose), The Black, (is a Forrest), & Porcelain Basins, (is open limestone/white land) and the hottest steam eruption, (100 deg. Cel), called the Black Growler Steam Vent. In this case, the steam held minerals as well as hot water.
The water at the Congress Pool was a pastel blue colour, when we arrived, and suddenly filled with mud. I never saw this ever happen anywhere else in the World.
The Whirligig Geyser has yellow, white and orange water. When it erupted it reminded me of the Dancing Water Show at West Edmonton Mall. The colours dance together as the twist and turn until the dance is over.
The Whales Mouth Geyser. Imagine a Whales Mouth opening to swallow Jonah, and that's what the edge of the Geyser looks like. It wasn't steaming, so we were able to look down into it. The stones were bright blue.
Our Guide showed us the green and orange bacteria, that is found living in the hot water. I wonder if the X-Files Producers knew about this.
I started laughing when we reached Craking Lake. The sound from the Lake sounded like Rice Crispy's Cereal, when you pour Milk into it. Snap, Crackle and Pop! Our Guide told us the noise happens when the hot water, from the Springs meets the cool air.
Emerald Springs forms an emerald green Pool. As soon as we reached the Pool I smelled the Sulfur, and began to itch, (I'm allergic to Sulphur). I had to leave the Tour then. I hate when that happens, but you always have to take care of your health first.
The Hayden Valley is the best place to see the Antelope play. There are also Bison, Elk, Black & Grisly ,(they range in colour from blonde to black), Bears. Please remember the Park is not a Zoo, so don't go near the Animals. The best time to see them is in the early morning or just before sun set, when they come down to get a drink of water.
While we were there two white Pelicans appeared. They flew over the water and when they came back they had a fish tail sticking out of their beaks.
The Buffalo Bill Historical Museum, is in Cody. The Museum has a collection that includes, the Remington Gun Collection and a lot of Historical Artifacts. Make time to stop and watch the Western Musicians and Singers.
Warning
If you are entering the Park from Montana, please slow down. There is no speed limit in Montana, but there is in the Park.
There are often Forrest fires, so if you are visiting here I suggest you phone ahead, to see if the Park is open.
Wild animals have the right of way on all Highways and Streets.
In the Park, you will also have to stop for People.
It may take a while for the Animals to cross, so I suggest you have some drinks and snacks in your Car.
Please don't feed any Animal or Birds, it ruins their digestive system. Some may not be able to distinguish the difference between the food or your hand! ^^
I Suggest
To learn more about Yellowstone, the link is:
https://nps.gov/yell/home.htm
Suggested Reading
Hiking Yellowstone National Park,( written by John Soares & Marc Soares),and Fodor's Guide for Yellowstone National Park.
My Thoughts
Would I go back to Yellowstone? I would love to stay at the Flagg Ranch the next time. If you are in the area I hope you will mousy in to get a gander at this remarkable place.
Thanks for reading my opinion, and if you have time please leave me a smile. :)
©LL2003
