Yellowstone National Park
My husband, BJ had been to Yellowstone National Park prior to our trip together. When we decided we were going to do a Montana trip, I knew I had to see Yellowstone for myself! For weeks, the hubs tried to explain all the cool things I would see at Yellowstone. However, when he would describe the notorious landmarks, they were hard to picture in my mind. He would say “You just have to see it for yourself.” Well, that’s how I would sum up Yellowstone National Park; you just have to see it for yourself.
To really get a feel for Yellowstone I suggest staying in the park, especially after seeing the lodging options. However, we did a one day trip through Yellowstone, hitting up some of the famous landmarks there. We entered the park before sunrise to make the most of our day. Entering through the West Yellowstone entrance brought us to Old Faithful first.
Old Faithful Geyser is really neat considering its extremely faithful, like to the minute faithful! I think my favorite thing about the Old Faithful site was all the things at that stopping point. There’s lodging, restaurants and shopping. There’s also so much more to see than just the Old Faithful Geyser. Make sure you have your hiking boots or walking shoes on, and explore that area. You will see all kinds of other geysers and even bison roaming around.
Old Faithful - Things to Check Out
Old Faithful Basin Store // Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shop fine apparel, Pendleton products, art and other fine goods.
Next up, on our agenda was Yellowstone Lake. We drove all the way around Yellowstone Lake, and let me tell you, it’s a HUGE lake! We packed our lunch because we knew we would be in the car most of the day! Along the lake are tons of picnic tables, so you can have a quick lunch and be on to more sight seeing!
We spent a lot of time after lunch near Canyon Village. Hitting up Upper Falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River (one of the most famous spots in Yellowstone NP), and Lower Falls. There’s so many breathtaking waterfalls at these stops. While some of these falls you can see with a short walk from the parking lot, others require a hike! Nothing too major, and it’s nice to get out of the car and move around! So take advantage of exploring this beautiful part of Yellowstone!
At the beginning of our Yellowstone journey we came to Grand Prismatic Spring, but it was too foggy to see early in the morning. We circled back around later in the afternoon, and discovered my favorite sight of the day. The hot springs’ neon colors totally wowed me! This stop will definitely have you saying nature is cool!
Another one of my favorite Yellowstone stops of the day was the cute town that is Mammoth Hot Springs. While Mammoth Hot Springs itself is a notorious Yellowstone landmark, and very neat to see, you don’t want to miss exploring this cute town. Going in the General Store and walking around this historic site; you can’t help but feel like you’ve traveled back in time!
All day we wanted to spot elk, and we totally got our elk fix here! Elk wander all around Mammoth Hot Springs. It’s so cool to see these majestic animals close up!
Mammoth Hot Springs - Things to Check Out
Mammoth Hot Springs General Store // Grab a refreshing beverage here, and walk around to check out this cute town! I highly suggest buying some locally sourced huckleberry chocolates in here; they won’t disappoint!
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel // I’m already dying to go back to Yellowstone and explore new parts, and when I do, I’m staying at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. This hotel has such a cute vibe. Check it out for yourself, you’ll want to stay too!
On our way out of the park we spotted a herd of antelope, as well as a black bear! Throughout our day the hubs was able to spot other animals, like blue herrings and mule deer, not to mention more bison than we could count!
Yellowstone National Park has so much to offer! There’s no way we could have seen it all in our one-day adventure, but we seen and made so many memories on our excursion. Our next visit to Yellowstone, we would love to book an adventure inside the park. There’s so many different tours you can do inside Yellowstone. Broaden your horizons and plan an epic vacation with a Yellowstone adventure!
{Click here} >> to check out everything from winter adventures, to land adventures and water adventures; there’s even wild west adventures! I will definitely be doing horseback riding through Yellowstone when I come back for visit number two!
Exiting the park we witnessed this amazing sunset settling behind the mountains. It was one of those views you have to stop and stare at for a few minutes to believe its real. Yellowstone is like that though, full of awe and wander. It’s our country’s natural beauty in the purest form.
Taken from the inscription on the Yellowstone arch; I’ll leave you with this… “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people” and that it is my friends!
