Yellowstone!

Sometimes only one word needs to be said. One word to set your pulse racing. One word to conjure up epic scenes in your mind. One word that is considered by many to be the best National Park in the United States. One word that is said with reverence when spoken. Yellowstone!

No matter what your reason is for visiting Yellowstone, you simply can not not be prepared for all that you will experience. How do you describe what it feels like watching a mama grizzly bear rear up on her hind legs in a snow storm?

…Or being able to watch some adolescent bears forage from such a close proximity?

… Or describing to someone a mountainside that appears to be on fire on the inside?

What words would you use when you see Old Faithful erupt with no one else around?

Ultimately, you can tell people about what you saw and experienced. However, they will never truly understand the awe and wonder you felt around every curve in the road or bend in the path. Yellowstone is one of those places you have to see for yourself. No one can truly depict what you will experience in this magical place. The best we can do is share a few pictures, and encourage everyone to go see Yellowstone for themselves.

These pictures really can not capture the magnitude of what you will feel in this park. Again, all we can say is go visit this place for yourself.

To close I will add a couple of hints that might help make your travels in and out of the park a little easier. 1) Go in May or September to avoid the crush of people. It really is quite a different experience when you can just sit and take it all in without being jostled by others or trying to navigate through traffic.

2) Buy a National Park pass. Use it often and save yourself a lot of money.

3) Go to the park early (before 7 am) or later in the day (after 4 pm). The long lines at the park gates are primarily because most people are creatures of habit. Most people will all go eat breakfast at the same time and they will all get to the gates at the same time. Likewise, they will also all leave in the late afternoon around the same time to go crowd into all the local restaurants around the perimeter of the park. Be different and use a different schedule. You won’t regret it.

4) Book a tour on your first day. Yeah, yeah… it seems like it would be boring, but it is nice to not have to drive around and worry about missing something. Plus the tour guides know the best spots to see wildlife, geysers, and hidden treasures. They are a wealth of information. After that, you will have a good idea of what to expect driving around the park and will probably know a few new places to go check out.

5) DON’T PET THE FLUFFY COWS!!!!!

6) SERIOUSLY: Don’t approach any wildlife to get a selfie or to get a better shot. It isn’t worth an injury. These are wild animals- and, after all, you don’t want people to make fun of you when video shows up of you being chased or thrown around by an animal because you were being stupid.

7) Stay on the paths when hiking. You are always walking over a massive magma chamber. You never know when the ground will crumble, or a geyser will go off. Plus your footprint destroys fragile ecosystems- respect the park and don’t be an entitled POS ok?

8) Be prepared for changing weather- we had sunny skies, snow, and rain all in a single day- make sure you are prepared.

9) Dogs are allowed inside of the park, but not outside your vehicle once inside the park (see #6 & #7 ) if possible, leave your furry baby at home.

10) Last, but not least, have fun and take your camera. You are going to take more pictures than you ever have before at any other park.