From the beginning of our planning, we prioritized Yellowstone National Park. We had read and heard so much about it. So when making a “major attractions” list from which to build an itinerary, Yellowstone was the second item on it. This post will share about our experience – where we stayed, what we did, what we missed, and our thoughts on Yellowstone National Park in general.
Quick note: in our post about the Bighorn National Park we shared some information about the drive. If you’re coming over to the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area from the East, make sure to catch that one.
What We Did
On day 1 we pulled into our campground in the evening, which is pretty typical for us. This is either because we try to take only half days to move from one place to another as we are working/schooling and only have so much “travel time” during the days, or because we’re trying to squeeze some sightseeing in also on a travel day.
Because we were staying on the east side of Yellowstone in Cody, WY, we had a drive to many of the “main attractions” in Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park is known for its geysers, thermal springs, wildlife, and for being one of the larger (MASSIVE) national parks. For perspective, it took us over two hours to drive from Cody to Old Faithful. In part this may have been because there was an oil spill on one of the major roads and we had to drive around the central loop with others who could also have been routing differently, but based on what we had read ahead of time, traffic is just part of the experience in one of the nation’s most popular national playgrounds.
The road to get to the park from our campground was beautiful. It was called the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway.
Once in the park we were surprised by the quick narrowing of the roads, which were surrounded by trees and rock going straight up, not allowing for much of a view. After about an hour it became old hat. We had become used to being preoccupied with views while driving but there was not a lot of scenery along the route we were taking to some south and western attractions within the park. We were also surprised by the amount of burnt forest. Come to find out, there were several forest fires in 2019. (The smoke from the current 2020 Oregon and California fires could be seen at a distance. Our prayers were out for those.)
After a two-hour drive we reached the Old Faithful Geyser area. A large crowd was gathered. Some folks, like us, were wearing masks and trying to socially distance, others did not practice this recommended safe and respectful pandemic behavior. There are a few parking lots around the Old Faithful area for visitors, though they are shared with a lodge and restaurant, so expect some walking.
Fifteen minutes after our arrival Old Faithful began spewing and growing from the ground.
A planning and expectation setting note here: Not only do many people gather in anticipation of seeing Old Faithful, but once she has completed an eruption the masses leave at the same time – like when exiting a concert or sports game. We tried to keep our distance (COVID) and went straight to the car but then waited in line to leave that part of the park.
We next drove to the Grand Prismatic Spring, a wonderous mixture of sulphur, water, and bacteria. The rocky ground turns into a pool of color – yellow, orange, green, red. The walkways constructed through and around the springs area make for a neat and different experience. Parking was tough. We circled several times before catching someone just backing out.
On our way to view some other nearby springs we came upon a traffic jam. After having been in South Dakota parks we had a feeling we knew why. Wildlife. What we didn’t expect to see, a few minutes later, was a buffalo sauntering down the middle of the road without a care in the world. We were all delighted. He passed right by the driver’s side window.
After a quick visit around The West Thumb Geyer Basin, Yellowstone Lake, and the Fishing Bridge area we decided it was probably time to head home as we had a few hours’ drive ahead of us. On the way back we stopped at a few Yellowstone Lake overlooks to take in the setting sun and views over the park.
What We Missed
The next day we were supposed to return to Yellowstone. Our plan had been to travel north to Lamar Valley and the Mammoth Springs. However, because of an oil spill in the park the main route from our east entrance north was closed, which meant we’d have to drive all the way around the main loop, taking several hours longer than planned. After calculating a minimum 6 hours worth of driving we opted instead to stay in nearby Cody area, using our exploration time to learn more about local attractions such as the Buffalo Bill Dam. More to come on that in our Cody post.
Some may think we didn’t spend enough time in Yellowstone. Maybe. There was a lot of driving to get to one thing, so it felt like we were spending half of our time in the car just getting from one thing to another – and that was without the impact of the road closure. Driving for hours in similar terrain two days in a row just didn’t seem like the best use of time. We had already been caught in a buffalo herd in South Dakota (different post), and had seen geysers the day before, so going North didn’t feel like a complete miss to us. That said, I’m sure we missed things.
In the town of Cody, outside Yellowstone, there seemed to be a cute little town and a rodeo. In non-COVID times and a different time of year (summer), we are certain there was fun to be had. We’ll cover that in our Cody post as well.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Park while visiting Cody, WY and Yellowstone National Park. It was a nice park between Cody town proper and the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway leading to the east entrance of Yellowstone. As positives, the sites were decently sized, pretty level, and had fire rings. If you don’t have an RV never fear! This place also has cute cabins for rent. In non-COVID times there is a restaurant on site that is open serving standard fare such as hot breakfast and burgers and fries. This would be convenient if you like to go out to eat but don’t want to go far to do so. The surrounding area was extremely scenic. We loved walking over to the river that ran behind the campground in the mornings and evenings.
Constructively, the sites themselves were not shaded and there was not a lot of landscaping, so it seemed like a barren desert. The RV was exposed to the full onslaught of wind and sun the entire time so we pretty well stayed inside the rig when at the campsite. The nightly rate was also the highest we paid the entire trip and we were late in the season to visit. The wifi was spotty but did well enough to get to email and browse the internet with only a few interruptions.
Summary
We’re going to be as honest as we can be here, folks. Yellowstone gets a lot of attention. There are endless blog posts, Pinterest articles, etc. on Yellowstone. And perhaps if it had been our first National Park visit we would have been more blown away. Perhaps if there hadn’t been a major road closure we would have seen more and walked away with greater appreciation. After our time in South Dakota its also possible we were spoiled a bit because that area of the country made such a positive impression on us. A good way to describe it might be that the experience didn’t match the hype. For us. That said, we are glad we did make the trip. The thermal springs and geysers were the highlight. The Buffalo Bill State Park area was an unexpected and beautiful addition to our trip.
Happy traveling.
Not Tomorrow 