I was determined to make our Yellowstone National Park memorable and so researched and planned our time in the park carefully. At the half-way mark of our visit, I asked my oldest son how he liked our vacation so far. He told me, “I like the doing-things more than the looking-things.”
This completely made sense to me. Yellowstone is a HUGE park with so many “sights” (and “sites”) to see, but little boys are little boys (and need to move, touch, and actively engage with their world). Here are the highlights of our “seeing things” time in the park. I’ll cover the “doing things” in another post.
This completely made sense to me. Yellowstone is a HUGE park with so many “sights” (and “sites”) to see, but little boys are little boys (and need to move, touch, and actively engage with their world). Here are the highlights of our “seeing things” time in the park. I’ll cover the “doing things” in another post.
DRIVING: The main road through the park is designed in a large figure eight. This road is two lanes with no (or extremely limited) shoulder area. The speed limit is approximately 45 mph. That said, there are frequent pull-outs, small side roads,
and the occasional traffic jam (when a bison or two decide
to claim an entire lane for themselves). My advice: Give
yourself plenty of time to travel from point A to B and understand that you are just visiting. This wild land belongs to the wildlife.
Different sections of the park offer different landscapes. The NE corner is high mountains and low valleys, the NW corner is dramatic rock fields, canyons, and cliffs; the Canyon Area reminds me of Oregon, and the Hayden Valley offers the large grassland/meadows where bison herds often roam. We drove the full figure-eight and I enjoyed the change of scenery.
LODGING: I’ve heard that many folks stay outside the park and enter during the day for activities. However, cabins in the very center of the park were very reasonably priced. The trick here is making reservations early. (Rooms go fast - even months ahead of time- but with a great cancellation policy you have plenty of flexibility in case your plans change.)
Our Frontier Cabin at Canyon Lodge was described as “rustic.” I took this to mean we had a 50/50 chance that it would be “scary.” However, we found our two double beds/private bath space both clean and comfortable. Since we were out in the
Our Frontier Cabin at Canyon Lodge was described as “rustic.” I took this to mean we had a 50/50 chance that it would be “scary.” However, we found our two double beds/private bath space both clean and comfortable. Since we were out in the
park from early morning to late at night, we didn’t need much indoor space and the resort’s guest service was always very helpful. Ice (for our cooler filled with breakfast, lunch and snack items) was readily available and fresh towels magically appeared when needed. Sadly, on our last day in the cabin a gentleman in the room next door experienced a medical emergency. I was glad to see EMTs with an ambulance on the scene in less than five minutes. Overall, I was very pleased with the parks accommodations would recommend them to other traveling families.
SEEING THINGS: It seems wrong to travel to Yellowstone and NOT see Old Faithful, so we made sure to set aside one full day to see the famous geyser.The area around Old Faithful is fully developed and offers the Inn, the Lodge, a Visitor’s Center, a General Store, Gas Station, Ranger Station, and Medical Clinic. There are miles of trails that lead to many smaller geysers and pools, with little shade and usually a big crowd. This isn’t walking on the wild side – but it does make for a lovely lunch on the shaded porch of the Yellowstone Lodge, a fascinating look at a seven story log cabin, and a quick stop at a quality children’s museum.
SEEING THINGS: It seems wrong to travel to Yellowstone and NOT see Old Faithful, so we made sure to set aside one full day to see the famous geyser.The area around Old Faithful is fully developed and offers the Inn, the Lodge, a Visitor’s Center, a General Store, Gas Station, Ranger Station, and Medical Clinic. There are miles of trails that lead to many smaller geysers and pools, with little shade and usually a big crowd. This isn’t walking on the wild side – but it does make for a lovely lunch on the shaded porch of the Yellowstone Lodge, a fascinating look at a seven story log cabin, and a quick stop at a quality children’s museum.
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Our other sightseeing stops around the park included the Mammoth Hot Springs (which vary widely based on season – ask others if the hike up the stairs is worth it before you take little-ones); the Fountain Paint Pots (a short, easy walk that offers visitors the chance to see all four geo-thermal features active in Yellowstone Park), the Norris Geyser Basin (with its magnificent view of a geyser/hot spring field); the West Thumb Geyser Basin (a very short boardwalk with a great view of Yellowstone Lake); and the Sheepeater Cliffs (visible from the parking lot and a great spot to see marmots).
With something interesting to see at every turn, I chose just two locations a day as “must see.” This allowed us to stop and discover unknown treasures – some which we preferred to the big-name sites – along the way. By the end of the trip, each family member had a geothermal favorite.
Here’s the final tally:
With something interesting to see at every turn, I chose just two locations a day as “must see.” This allowed us to stop and discover unknown treasures – some which we preferred to the big-name sites – along the way. By the end of the trip, each family member had a geothermal favorite.
Here’s the final tally:
This Dragon's Mouth ROARS!
Mom –
Mud Volcano Mudpot
(“I love the glub, blub, gurgle, pop.”)
Dad –
Dragon’s Mouth Spring
(“A great combination of sights and sounds!”)
Oldest Boy –
Fountain Geyser in the Fountain Paint Pot Area (“It was unexpected.”)
Youngest Boy –
Old Faithful Geyser
(“I liked it because it went so high and looked so powerful.”)
Mud Volcano Mudpot
(“I love the glub, blub, gurgle, pop.”)
Dad –
Dragon’s Mouth Spring
(“A great combination of sights and sounds!”)
Oldest Boy –
Fountain Geyser in the Fountain Paint Pot Area (“It was unexpected.”)
Youngest Boy –
Old Faithful Geyser
(“I liked it because it went so high and looked so powerful.”)
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