Mi tsi a da zi as the Native American Minnetaree tribe called it, means “Rock Yellow River”. Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world. was brought into existence by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468 square miles, made up of lakes, canyons, rivers, mountain ranges and some of the most interesting geothermal features to be found anywhere.
SuzAnn and I, on a spur of the moment idea, decided to head up to Yellowstone over the Fourth of July weekend. We made a big loop, up through Idaho, all around the park and back down through Wyoming. Although I have visited the park on numerous occasions, I found it to be more beautiful than I had remembered. The trip was like one straight out of a National Geographic documentary. Full of fantastic scenic mountains, bubbling and steaming geothermals and wildlife.
The first day was spent making the drive north out of the Salt Lake area, up through Idaho. On the northern part of the drive, on US20, you begin to get views of the Teton Mountain range off in the distance to the east. I found this to be very interseting, as I have been to the Tetons many times, but had never viewed them from the west. They are every bit as dramatic as the eastern side! The hour was getting into the late afternoon, so we decided to take a spur road to find a place to camp for the night and check out some waterfalls that SuzAnn had located on the map. And were we ever glad we did! Upper and Lower Mesa Falls are quite a sight.
The following morning we up before dawn, in hopes of catching a sunrise nearby in Island Park. We did manage to find a spot down some dirt roads along side a quiet river to capture a number of images as the morning show started. We then made our way into the park via West Yellowstone. This too was a treat for me as I could not recall driving this stretch of road before.
Upon entering the park, you are graced with beautiful mountain scenery as the road follows the meandering Gibbon River. Passing hot sulpher springs that run down into the water creating this steamy otherworldly look the mountains. A bit farther down the road, we were fortunate enough to see a Bison herd grazing along the side the river. We even got the chance to witness two bulls sparring for the position of Alpha Male!
The next stop was at Gibbon Falls. A magnificent large cascade. Here I ventured out on to the edge of the cliff to capture some birds eye view shots down to the falls. Apparently you are not supposed to climb over the barricade, because I got in some trouble with a very stern ranger who said that they didn’t want to see me get hurt. Awww…now that’s no fun!
We then made the choice to secure a campsite and pitch the tent so that our nights home was ready and waiting whenever we got tired. After getting our home set, we made the big loop around the northern section of the park. Stopping at Twin Lakes to photograph the vibrant yellow flowers of the Lily Pads in bloom before exploring the formations at the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.
We finished our National Geographic loop adventure with wildlife sightings that include Pronghorn Antelope and a Black Bear! As we were headed back to our camp, an afternoon thunderstorm moved in and persistently rained well into the evening. So we retired to the tent to wait out the rain…
As the sunset hour approached, the storm began to break. Tired of the confines of the tent, we decided to go out for a walk down to the nearby Gibbon River and stretch our legs. And what a fine idea it was. The air was cool and fresh, and the moisture laden grasses still held the drops of rain that had recently fallen. There is nothing like a good sunset immediately following a breaking storm. Given the right conditions and drama of the clouds, you can end up with one beautiful sunset…and that is exactly what we ended up with. Hanging out in the wet grass by the riverside until every last bit of color fell from the sky…an experience that will be etched into our memory banks forever!
The following day was spent beginning our trip south. We explored the geothermal areas aroung the Geyser Basin and then made our way to Yellowstone Lake where we set up camp for the next night. We had a particularly enjoyable time in the evening as we hiked out to Gull Point for the magic hour light.
On the last day of the trip. we drove down the east side of the dramatic Teton Range, through Jackson, weaving our way back into Idaho past Bear Lake and south to our home in Utah…
