USA 2023. Yellowstone

Yellowstone is a well known, popular park, with very unique features. It’s been on my list for a while. That being said, I struggled to fully enjoy it. I think part of the problem was I had just come from Moab, which was more my style, and the peak of the trip.

I arrived in the Yellowstone area after a long day of driving from Moab. It was great to leave the heat of the desert behind…even if cooler was still 29 degrees Celsius. I had learned my lesson from previous parks and didn’t even attempt to camp in the park. Instead I got a site just outside. It was a nice change of scenery.

I had to drive through a bit of Yellowstone to get to the campground, and already I saw some wildlife. I saw a herd of elk(didn’t get good pictures), and a few more elk along the road. Yellowstone is known for its wildlife, and I captured a few of them on camera. Considering I don’t often see wildlife, I think its reputation rings true.

Yellowstone is a massive park. That makes it tough on the exploring, as there was a lot of driving…not all scenic. I think that was a large part of my struggle…it felt like I was putting in a lot of time driving and less time seeing things. It’s also crowded. I have gotten more used to the crowds through this trip, but the parking situation can be a bit frustrating at times.

The main feature of the park is the geothermal activity. Things like hot springs, geysers, and various forms of heat being released from volcanic activity below. They were quite interesting, as were the exhibits in the visitor center. They aren’t super photogenic, so I can’t say I’m pleased with the photos. I also missed a few of the more popular ones because it was just so busy they were turning people away from the parking lots. I meant to go back, but with the long distances between things, it never happened.

The next major feature is the Yellowstone Canyon. It’s known especially for its waterfalls, but also for the colors of the canyon walls, which is due to the geothermal activity. It was a truly awesome sight.

There are also mountain meadows(where I saw most of the wildlife), and a massive lake. There are supposed to be a lot of Grizzlies in the area near the lake, and I just missed seeing one…

The last thing I saw was the Old Faithful Geyser. Called faithful because it erupts more or less on a rigid schedule…and has for 100+ years. Other geysers are more sporadic.

So at this point my time in Yellowstone was near its end, and I hadn’t really been wowed. The canyon views had come close, but overall I felt like Yellowstone hadn’t quite lived up to the hype, whether due to long drives or tiredness.

Right next to Old Faithful was the Old Faithful Inn. I had heard of this building before, and had to see it. It’s a large hotel, built from logs. It was built in 1904 and may be the largest log building in the world. It’s had run ins with forest fires and earthquakes, but it’s still standing and still being used as a hotel. The grand lobby is incredible and tourists are allowed to wander around. It feels airy, like there’s not enough wood holding it up. The details are amazing, with so many spindly and curved pieces of wood being used for non-structural decoration.

As I sat on the 3rd story balcony taking it all in, I felt satisfied. Yellowstone was worth the trouble…somehow it was a building that I enjoyed most.

The next day ended up being a miserable rain day that I spent in my traditional end-of-trip cabin. So this trip is coming to an end as I prepare to briefly visit family in Alberta, then make the drive back to Ontario. I plan to write one more blog entry with some overall thoughts. This trip has really been a series of experiments, and has been largely successful. Stay tuned!