Yellowstone and Grand Teton

While living in New Mexico, we set ourselves to visit as much of the USA as we possibly could. Being nature lovers, we focused mostly on the numerous national parks and monuments. In the West, this is indeed a challenging task. But, we were on a schedule, so we set off to yet another epic road trip. This time we decided to explore the very famous Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. We drove from Santa Fe along the eastern side of the Rockies. We made a brief stop in Estes Park, CO to see the Rocky Mountain National Park, described in another article about Colorado. On the way back, we drove on the western side through Utah, stopping by and visiting our friends in Salt Lake City in Utah. We also stayed around Moab and visited some nice spots there. My impressions from that part of the trip are written up in an article about Utah. Hidden in the remote wilderness of the deserted state of Wyoming, this natural gem is indeed a must see spot. Unfortunately, many many tourists think so too. As we discovered, it is possible to beat the crowds and enjoy these wonderful places in a deep connection alone with the nature. Sometimes getting up early is the key, often finding the less well known spots or strenuous hikes gets you there. This article is a brief description of this trip we took from the deep south to Wyoming to greet the bisons and geysers.

Yellowstone NP

At first driving through Wyoming planes on the east was very boring, almost scary. I had never seen such an empty place, there was no one! Not even New Mexico could prepare me for this. This is the first time where I saw a sign warning that there were no services for over 150 miles! And when they came, it was just a parking lot with a toilet. It was indeed very unusual experience for us. It was also very flat and a little ugly. After about 10 hours of flat nothing, we finally saw some hills. The mountains started growing in size very rapidly. We also saw more settlements, holiday cottages and small towns. It was starting to look very beautiful and very green. We were approaching Yellowstone ... we were becoming very excited and awaited a great adventure. Then we made it past the signs welcoming us to the park and crossed the Continental divide. The evening was approaching and we just made it to our campsite.

We camped on this trip. Both parks have some excellent opportunities to put down a tent. One needs to book a spot in advance, because Yellowstone is indeed very popular. We stayed at the Madison campground, which was located nicely right in the middle of the park with an easy and quick access to both driving loops through the park. Despite being very crowded, the camping experience was pleasant as these camping grounds are well designed and surrounded by forest. It was not possible to book a camping spot in Grand Teton. We really wanted to camp close to the Jenny Lake, so we set off very early and got lucky. We found a great spot very close to the water, so we could hang out by the lake beaches at sunsets. That was indeed very nice. Again, this campground was very nicely divided up into well separated spots, so we were not too bothered by too many neighbors.

Camping in Yellowstone was very pleasant, Madison Campground.

We had very limited time so we woke up early to explore the southern driving loop in Yellowstone first. We stopped by the Artists Paintpots, which is a lovely area full of smaller hot pools and gazers with very rich colors. These are indeed very colorful and look the best in early morning or evening sun. That day we continued exploring the sites along the road: the Firehole Falls, the Lower Geyser Basin, where we saw some of the most spectacular gazer eruptions, and the Midway Geyser Basin, which offered the most spectacular colors in the whole park. Especially the Grand Prismatic Spring at the Midway Geyser Basin was spectacular on that bright sunny day. The vivid colors in the spring are the result of microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The mats produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature gradient in the runoff. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile, thus clear blue on a sunny day, due to extreme heat.

Artists Paintpots, Yellowstone NP

Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

After the fantastic morning filled with vivid colors and fiery geysers we got to the most popular destination of the park, the Old Faithful. This was a true letdown. The geyser explosion was nice and reliable, but the crowds were unbearable. This is the place with the highest concentration of tourists, often those who do not do any hiking and have no experience in nature, tour buses, flip-flops, silly hats, all that stuff. It was not fun. The natural beauty was totally spoiled with tasteless shops and endless parking lots. We even got stuck in a traffic jam for good 40 minutes! I guess, we would have better avoided this place altogether. I believe that this basin could be nice to visit off peak hours or strange times, but I am not even sure if the crowds disappear in the winter.

Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

The Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

After the unpleasant experience of visiting the Old Faithful we calmed down by a little nature hike. We ventured towards the Lone Star Geyser. It was not a long hike, but it was calming and the trail was very nice. And we met almost no people, just at the geyser we finally saw a group of backpackers. This is a popular part of the park for backpacking. Hiking in the park is very limited due to high danger of unstable ground. This is a top of an active super volcano, so anything can really happen, a new geyser or a steam vent can suddenly appear in a middle of a path or even a paved road, which we saw too. Yet, there is a network of maintained trails. If you wish to backpack in the park, you need to obtain a special permit from the National Park Service. Some of these trails are also open in the winter for cross-country skiing. Some of our friends went to ski and snowshoe in the park during the winter months and they like to say that this was indeed some of the coolest experiences they ever had. 

Hiking to the Lone Star Geyser, Yellowstone NP

After this calming hike we visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin. This was a very cool area as it was very varied, you can see lots of very cool muddy pools and mud geysers, there are also plenty of colorful hot pools, but you also get to the shore of the Yellowstone Lake. There you get not only spectacular lake views, but this is where you can peak at the plentiful geysers that dwell below the water, some of which make their way up to the shore. If you are short on time, this spot should not be missed. This was quite enough exploring for one day so we went back to the campground to make some grilled dinner and rest our exhausted bodies. We actually came back to the West Thumb Geyser Basin later, but this time from the water side, as this is the area where you can kayak to see the water geysers.

West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

Water geysers at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP

The next morning we started by driving on the north loop through the. First, we stopped by the Norris Geyser basin. This is a very long loop and there is a lot to explore in this basin. Lots of great colorful views and different types of geysers are scattered all over the place and they are connected by a maze of safe boardwalks. Some of the best parts of this spot were the great views of the distant mountains and endless forest. After this spot, we continued towards the Sheepeater Cliff. This spot was not much about the geysers, but the cliff itself is a spectacular evidence of past volcanic activity. You can see very clear basalt hexagonal crystal columns. This area also offers a fine little nature hike and stunning river views.

Norris Geyser basin, Yellowstone NP

Norris Geyser basin, Yellowstone NP

Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone NP

Driving north provided some more picturesque views of cliffs and mountains. Eventually, we made it to the northern tip of the park, the Mammoth Hot Springs. This was a good lunch spot and place with some infrastructure to take a proper break in the middle of the day. After gaining some energy, we explored the cascades of hot springs at Mammoth that created some of the most phenomenal terrace structures on the edge of a cliffs. Hot spring water rich in minerals created a whole series of pools of various colors as it was depositing sediments along the way. This loop also provided some fantastic mountain views. This really is a must see spot in Yellowstone. Strangely enough, it was not so crowded here. After this top we hopped into Montana to dip in the Booling river, this is the only spot where you can swim in a hot spring in Yellowstone. Most hot springs are way too hot for humans to bare, in fact it would be pretty dangerous to try to dip in those, but here is one spot where a relatively harmless hot spring joints with a river filled with glacier cold water and creates a rather pleasant temperature for dipping. Sometimes, you can feel pretty serious temperature contrasts as cold water from the river mixes with the hot spring. Before returning to the campsite, we also stopped by the Petrified tree (yes, just like those in Arizona!), where we walked a little hiking trail end the day with some pretty nature views.

Driving towards the Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone NP

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone NP

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone NP

Boiling River, Yellowstone NP

Petrified tree, Yellowstone NP

We started the third day with possibly the best thing we did in Yellowstone altogether, kayaking tour of the Yellowstone lake. Here we returned to the West Thumb bay to see the underwater geysers. These views were indeed very special. It was a perfect day and we had so much fun exploring the part in this way. I would recommend to anyone visiting this park to book this tour, it is very very worth it! 

Lake Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP

Kayaking in the West Thumb bay, Lake Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP

Kayaking in the West Thumb bay, Lake Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP

Kayaking in the West Thumb bay, Lake Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP

We continued the day by finishing the southern drive loop heading towards the Mud Volcano basin. Well, this was something special! A lake full of battery acid! Well, it indeed had about the same content as a typical car battery. Yellowstone is indeed full of lakes with dangerously high levels of acidity. It was here, where we also saw the true strength of the natural forces dwelling below this national park. We parked right next to a hole in the pavement that was punctured through it by a newly forming geyser/steam vent. It was crazy! We were also amused by a bison warming its belly right beside this hostile acidic lake. Apparently, they like to come to warm up to many of these springs in the middle of the coldest winter months. I guess I cannot blame them, they are pretty warm. In fact, bison were all over. We kept on meeting them on the side of the road, randomly in the fields, alone or in huge groups. This part is very special as it is huge and wildlife is very well protected here. We even saw a grizzly bear, running away from us towards a forest in a very safe distance, fortunately :)

Lake full of battery acid, Mud Volcano, Yellowstone NP

Lake full of battery acid, Mud Volcano, Yellowstone NP

A random bison, Mud Volcano, Yellowstone NP

A random bison on the side of the road, Yellowstone NP

A random bison in a field, Yellowstone NP

Bison everywhere ... Yellowstone NP

Geysers are making their way even through the paved roads! Yellowstone NP

We ended out Yellowstone exploration with the visit to the Grand Canyon. It was nat the big red one in Arizona, Yellowstone has its own. And it is pretty Grand. It provides a pretty decent hike and lots of climbing. There is a whole series of stunning and pretty huge waterfalls. The wild Yellowstone river has carved a pretty impressive canyon into the landscape in this area. The naked cliffs spotted with multiple colors of volcanic sedimental ash decorate many of these stunning views. It really is worth it to explore all the different views and go on the longer walks too, every view is different and all are breathtaking. Some of the climbs on the stairs down into the canyon can be a bit scary sometimes.

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone NP

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone NP

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone NP

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone NP

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone NP

Grand Canyon, Yellowstone NP

When you visit Yellowstone, you must also go to Grand Teton. I would say that this was my more favorite part of the trip. This park offers some of the most breathtaking mountain and lake views in in the West. It is the contrast of the lakes with the rigged mountain peaks covered with glaciers that really mesmerized me. We hurried from the Madison campground to make it to Jenny lake early to take a good camping spot, which we managed. But we could not resist to stop on the way several times to take pictures of the mountain views opening in front of us. After putting up the tent we went on some relaxing lake walks and took in the dramatic mountain scenery with an incoming storm. It was a huge contrast to the previous sunny days in colorful, but rather flat Yellowstone. This was another world.

Grand Teton NP

Grand Teton NP

Grand Teton NP

Grand Teton NP

Grand Teton NP

The highlight of our Grand Teton visit was again kayaking. This time we went on the Jenny Lake. Storm was coming in and that made the mountain views from the water even more stunning. Here, you do not need to take any guided tours like we did in Yellowstone. Instead, you can plot your own way and spend as much time on the lake as you want. The rental place was very easy and not busy at all, so no advance bookings were required. It was a real contrast to Yellowstone to see so few people in this park.

Grand Teton NP

Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

Kayaking on the Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

Kayaking on the Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

A huge advantage to camping right next to the lake were indeed the incredible sunsets ...

Jenny Lake Campground, Grand Teton NP

Sunset over the Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

Sunset over the Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

Sunset over the Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

Grand Teton is a real hikers paradise. Unlike Yellowstone there are very few restrictions. There is a great network of trails ideal for backpacking. One can really get lost in the mountains for days and enjoy them alone away from the crowds of the Old Faithful. The next day and the final day of our stay in Wyoming, we decided to go on a proper hike. We picked the trail taking us up through the Cascade Canyon towards Lake Solitude. It was a very well maintained, yet rocky trail gently sloping up through the steep mountain canyon. The climb was very gradual, but the hike was pretty challenging. We were hoping to make it all the way to the lake and back in a day, but we were overrun by huge swarms of insects near the junction heading towards the likes. Thats where we turned back. There were some people, but the trail got quieter as we were getting further away from the lake. On the way back we met up with a jolly fella from England, Ben, and chatted with him during our descend back towards the trailhead. We also greeted some moose having a lunch in the Cascade Creek. As we got back to Jenny Lake, we heard about a bear attack on one of the lake trails, which served us as a scary reminder that we are in a real wilderness, not a theme park.

Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton NP

Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton NP

Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton NP

Moose in the Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton NP

Glaciers, Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton NP

This was a physically very exhausting trip, but it did wonders for our brain cells. Such an overload of stunning nature and real wonders that are so unusual that one really begins to question their reality leaves a huge mark on ones creativity and mindset. If you ever decide to come to this stunning part of the world, make sure you have plenty of time to fully take all this beauty in! ... and go camping :)

Grand Teton NP

Yellowstone NP