Aah, Yellowstone, Yellowstone… what is there to say about Yellowstone

Sunset settles over Yellowstone Lake

Most of America, I’d hazard a guess, has visited America’s first National Park which is this year celebrating it’s 150th anniversary. I may have been around for the 100th but I was definitely not on the guest list back in 1872. Yellowstone then and Yellowstone now bear some resemblance to each other if you can ignore the buffalo jams, the elk jams, the bear jams, the chipmunk jams - well, you get the idea - where each passing vehicle thinks its perfectly okay to stop and take their picture while a line of cars stacks up sometimes for a mile or more waiting for their chance to do the same. 

This year, at least for the last two weeks, bears - black, grizzly, teddy - were in notably short supply at least as seen from the roadways but the majestic buffalo more than made up for that lack of ursine attendance. The buffalo herds were large so when the bears do come down from the Yellowstone high country (which is where the rangers tell us they currently are beating the heat in the alpine timber) they’ll have a virtual bison smorgasbord to choose from as they eat their way through a hyperphasia haze in anticipation of the coming months of silent slumber under the snows of another Yellowstone winter. Given the number of bison we saw along and on the roads there will likely be some very plump bears heading into the dens once the first serious storms roll across the Yellowstone plateau.

Is it a bear? A Buffalo? A Chipmunk?

Most of our wildlife viewing took place in the Hayden Valley just north of the Fishing Bridge area where we camped for a week after moseying over from the hustle and bustle of the little town of West Yellowstone, Montana. The Hayden Valley is known as one of the premier wildlife viewing areas within the park and lived up to its reputation except for nary a bear to be seen. We saw the aforementioned buffalo, lots of elk complete with the sound of their bugling, river otters, a beautiful owl, eagles, and five representatives of the Wapiti wolf pack who single-handedly brought the Hayden Valley to a standstill (AKA- parking lot) as they roamed about the hillside just east of the Trout Creek turnouts. Having conveniently forgotten our binoculars and spotting scopes at home, I had the wisdom to hand over my wallet at one of the Yellowstone General Stores for a new pair of binocs so the wolves actually looked like wolves instead of tiny black dots on the distant hillside. It’s been years since I’ve taken out a mortgage to buy a fine pair of viewing optics so was pleasantly surprised that the technology has actually improved making the exorbitant price a little more palatable. I bought a pair of 12X50 “Permafocus” binoculars that live up to their claim of always being in focus so when I get home one of my older pairs will be finding its way into our next garage sale. 

For more than an hour the wolves wandered over hill and dale getting surprisingly close to the roadway at times. I’d guess for every wolf that made an appearance there were hundreds of star-struck tourists (yes, including me) gawking at these wonderful creatures. My home State of Colorado is currently trying to figure out how to reintroduce wolves after voters mandated their return to the ecosystem from which they had been exterminated a century before. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be able to catch a glimpse or hear their distinctive howl closer to home but for now seeing the wolves doing their wolf thing in Hayden Valley was a highlight of the trip. 

I’ve been coming to Yellowstone since the seventies (as in nineteen, not eighteen) and have always had a love-hate mindset regarding the park. The thermal features, wildlife, and scenic vistas continue to draw me back time and time again but if you’ve been to Yellowstone (and you probably have) you know there is a price to be paid for the Park’s popularity. Though visitation this year is down  approximately 40% due to the Spring floods, the Park at times still seemed very crowded. Prices at the stores within the Park are exorbitant ( a pack of three not-overly-large chocolate cookies - a particular weakness of mine - could be had for $6.99; a pre-packaged salad was $12, and if you wanted to sample a bison burger you’d pony up $18) though clothing prices still seemed relatively reasonable. Gas in the Park during our visit was $4.79/gallon which isn’t bad considering the price of cookies, but in Cody, where I am writing this from, petrol is as little as $3.99. Pulling a camper I get about 10 miles to the gallon so regardless, moving on down the road sure eats up that discretionary income faster than one would like, that’s for sure. Still, Old Faithful remains as timely and impressive as ever, Yellowstone Lake is as vast and deep blue as I had

Yellowstone Falls from Artists Point

remembered, the view from Artists Point of the falls is as gorgeous as ever, and the sunsets rival those of any I’ve seen anywhere. Oh, and the temps were in the 70’s during the daytime dipping into the low 30’s at night, cold enough that Fishing Bridge would have ice on it every morning at the crack of dawn as we dutifully headed out for the early shift of pre-sunrise critter viewing. 

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the many helpful and patient Rangers who answered our questions for, like, the ten thousandth time this summer. Their wealth of knowledge was greatly appreciated and some of it actually managed to sink into my rather thick skull. 

I haven’t decided whether to combine the Tetons and Yellowstone into one or split them into separate videos so we’ll see once I get home to Colorado. Either way, lots of fun shots to share (some of the animals were remarkably cooperative in having their pictures taken, which is not always the case), and certainly enough good memories that I can’t wait to head back out on the road that beckons. 

Dawn along the Yellowstone river