While I wrote a post about our families’ experience renting an RV and driving through Grand Teton and Yellowstone, I wanted a chance to also write about the incredible vacation we had in the parks themselves. I think they are two of America’s greatest treasures and if possible, something everyone should see.
We started off our vacation by flying from the east coast to Salt Lake City, which was a great option because our flights were very reasonable and the drive from Salt Lake to Jackson was beautiful. The first night we headed out of Salt Lake, had a fun pizza dinner in Park City at Main Street Pizza and then drove up and spent the night at Bear Lake. If we weren’t headed to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, we could have spent our vacation at Bear Lake. Bear Lake is stunning and is often called the “Caribbean of the Rockies” for its bright blue water.
We then headed to the charming town of Jackson, WY. Highway 89 is one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. The first stop along the way there was the Snake River. My oldest asked, “Why is the river named that?” I answered, “It was, of course, named the Snake because of the way it winds.” We then saw not one, not two, but THREE snakes sunning themselves!
The first day we spent at Jackson Lake, we went on several hikes, listened to ranger talks and then rented a 16 foot skiff and did a little fishing. My kids were dying to swim in the lake, which was in the low 70s! There was no one out on the lake and the views of the Tetons were spectacular.
The second night we were celebrating an anniversary and had dinner in the Mural room at Jackson Lake Lodge. The food was fabulous and the view unrivaled as we looked out on one of the most photographed mountain ranges in the world. After dinner we walked out in front of the lodge to the willow flats and spotted a cow moose and her calf about 200 yards out. My husband was the first to see the calf and was quite proud to point it out to others. A great set of binoculars is a must for this trip.
Knowing that it can get very crowded, we headed out bright and early to drive into Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. Having the RV was great, the kids stayed asleep until we were almost there. When we arrived we were almost by ourselves, we spent a few hours walking along the geyser trail and visiting the Old Faithful Inn. When we left at noon the park ranger said they were expecting 7000-9000 people to view the next Old Faithful eruption!
We then headed to the Madison campsite and stopped at every turnout along the way and saw amazing geothermal displays. Madison turned out to be our favorite campsite, we spent the afternoon where the Madison and Firehole Rivers merge. The Firehole has many thermal areas along the bank that warm the river nicely and the Madison is one of the top trout streams in the country.
Quick story, my husband waded across the Madison River and went for a short hike. From across the river, he held up a recently eaten elk leg to show the kids and I (gross!). We had a good laugh. A man fishing came over to me and pointed up at the ridgeline and explained that there was probably a cougar up there guarding the rest of her kill she couldn’t finish. I waved my husband down from across the river, held my two hands up like claws, grabbed myself around the neck and pointed up to the ridge line. He quickly came back (amazing after 17 years of marriage, he instantly knew what I meant) and the kids will now tell you how their dad almost got killed by a cougar for trying to steal her food.
As we left the next morning we stopped at the Artist Paintpots and then at the Obsidian Cliffs roadside exhibit, both were well worth the stop. The town of Mammoth Falls was really charming. It was very nice and orderly in a park service kind of way.
Neither of us had ever been to Montana and so we went into the town of Gardiner for lunch and a quick look around. It was a true wild western town on the edge of the park right at the Roosevelt Arch. The Arch is the only entrance to the park open year round. After a great lunch at the Sawtooth Deli, we happened upon the Wagon Wheel Trading Post. My kids loved the store. It was full of all things from the”Wild West”, including pelts, fossils, leather goods, and Native American Craft items. Where else can you buy a bison jaw and get a picture of your littlest holding her doll with a coyote pelt hat on?
That night we stayed at the Mammoth Campground. The view was amazing and we hiked down to Lava Creek, which may be one of the coolest (actually warmest) things from the trip. Lava Creek flows above ground for only 100 feet through a crack in a rock. The massive flow goes into the Gardiner River right below the Mammoth Campground. The 140-degree water flows in the river making it one of the only inviting rivers to swim in. The area open to the public has a crude rock wall surrounding the warm water and keeping the ice-cold water at bay. The parking lot for the short flat hike is right on the WY/MT state line.
The next morning we went back to Gardiner to go whitewater rafting on the Yellowstone River. It was a great experience with a wonderful river guide named Sam. I think some days my husband might abandon us all to trade lives with Sam. He lives his life with his dog as a guide in the summer and running cattle over the winter. He was the epitome of the Marlboro man.
The last night of our trip we went to Hayden Valley and passed hundreds of bison on the way to the overlook. The night before a pack of wolves were spotted hunting elk in the Hayden Valley. At the overlook, there were probably 50 people looking for elk and wolves. Some of them had massive spotting scopes and binoculars to reach out over the 1-2 mile vistas searching for game. Everyone was very kind about showing each other and especially children what they were seeing. We were so sorry we did not see the famed Yellowstone wolves, but we did see many elk and either a beaver or an otter. The “roadside experts” agreed that it was likely a beaver. I only wish we would have had night vision goggles at Yellowstone.
This was a trip of a lifetime for our family. I knew when I planned it that it might be. I was only seven when I went as a kid and remember the trip clearly. Where else can you watch things explode out of the ground in an amazing assortment of colors, stand on a mega volcano, enjoy a natural hot tub, see hundreds of elk and bison and possibly see a bear, cougar, wolf, bald eagle, or (my favorite) wolverine?
