Short Stories: Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series - 2023 (Part 4.3 – Yellowstone National Park)
This is what we came for! The apex of our trip was several days spent in Yellowstone National Park with a basecamp south of Yellowstone (Headwaters) for some of the trip and another basecamp in Gardiner, MT (Yellowstone RV Park) to explore the northern sights of the park. Our maiden voyage into Yellowstone was the destination of West Thumb Geyser Basin, which is about a mile loop around some impressive natural wonders along the shores of Yellowstone Lake. Our favorite hydrothermal feature was Black Pool hot spring. The name is not at all fitting for the brilliant blue water. There were plenty of close seconds though in the basin, it was all impressive. To witness pools of water boiling is pretty much mindboggling! The crowds were not bad at this attraction during our visit in the early evening.
Our next stop in the vast park was the “main attraction.” We attended Mass at the Old Faithful lodge, and we actually heard the geyser erupt from inside. After the service, we checked the estimated time of the next eruption and since there was plenty of time, we walked the loop. There is a lot of geological wonders going on around Old Faithful. There were many brilliantly colored pools of boiling water, steam blowing everywhere, and streams of hot water running into the cool mountain water of the stream that flows around the area. It was crowded but we didn’t feel overwhelmed by all the people. Old Faithful put on a great show for us, well worth the wait. We were also impressed with the Inn on the property, it is a wonder of craftmanship built in 1904.
Just down the road, and next on our itinerary, was the Biscuit Basin geysers. The highlight of this loop was seeing Jewel Geyser erupt twice. And our final sight for the day was the one I had been greatly anticipating: Grand Prismatic. As good fortune would have it, we turned in too early and parked at the overlook trailhead and not the main parking lot. We didn’t get to see any of the other hot springs since we hiked up behind Prismatic, but I’m sure they would have paled in comparison anyways. From the ground level, you can see a multitude of colors hovering in the steam above the giant hot spring. But the true beauty of this marvel is seen from above. We took the half mile trail up over a hundred feet to peer into the glorious turquoise blue waters of the largest hot spring in the United States. This sight is truly remarkable and a must-see, which means it is always packed!
Because I’m a waterfall enthusiast, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was high on my priority list. This stop can be described as the definition of natural beauty. We started on the South Rim, driving to Artist Point, which displays the distant Lower Falls on one side and a gorgeous canyon on the other. This point is possibly the most beautiful place my eyes have ever seen, pictures do not come close to capturing its glory. We then proceeded to the Upper Falls, another beautiful waterfall. Our itinerary then moved to the North Rim to Upper Falls brink, an up-close view of the power and wonderment of the falls. There is also a brink view for the Lower Falls, but we missed that one. I already long for the day that I can return to Canyon to hike the entire breathtaking area!
After moving our camp to Gardiner, MT, we took in the sights of Mammoth Hot Springs. This is an incredibly unique area of Yellowstone with upper and lower terrace boardwalks of geothermal features to explore. Now, I am no scientist, so I won’t pretend to be knowledgeable in why this formation is white, but it is extraordinary. As we walked up to the Palette Springs I half expected to see penguins waddling around, it looked like a winter wonderland.
Our last adventure in Yellowstone was to drive US-212 at the northern edge of the park to the northeast entrance and beyond to Beartooth Highway. We made a stop at Undine Falls, because I just can’t get enough of these Yellowstone waterfalls, before heading into the wildlife epicenter of the park. We saw pronghorns, elk, like a thousand bison, and a grizzly bear (albeit from quite a distance, but a bear nonetheless!) The countryside was beautiful, but traffic was rather slow going after an entire herd of bison decided to cross the road. I wish we had been closer, but we still saw plenty of bison at close range.
My reflections on one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country:
Go!! Yellowstone really is a marvel of nature. We spent five days exploring the national park and didn’t even come close to seeing it all. In my not-at-all expert opinion, the must-sees are Grand Prismatic (via overlook trail), Canyon (every inch of it!), Old Faithful, and Mammoth.
Next Stop: Because Daddy declared that his birthday wish this year was to not go home, we extended our adventures by making a trip to Glacier National Park (added bonus: with his brother!).
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