Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park, which is mostly in Wyoming, has been on our “Bucket List” since Steve and I were children. Although we were staying in Ashton Idaho, we didn’t mind the close to two hour drive to the entrance in West Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming

My hubby and I were so lucky to have had the chance to visit the spectacular Yellowstone National Park! We chose a beautiful day, Friday, June 10 2022, for our much anticipated day of exploration. Little did we know that it would be our only chance. It started raining the very next day. And the torrential downpour continued for days, forcing the park to close on Monday, June 13 due to horrific  flooding and major roadways collapsing!

We expected the park to be very crowded, but the bumper to bumper traffic had us inching along for what seemed like an eternity. After a couple of miles, and about an hour of driving at a snail’s pace, we discovered just why we were going so slowly. There was a herd of bison meandering down the road!!! Rangers were doing their level best to keep these gigantic creatures off the paved road to allow cars to pass, but it wasn’t an easy task.

I was elated to get my first true, up close and personal look at the bison from the safety of our Jeep. One big fella was strolling right along side our car. If our son, who is 6’5″, was sitting in my seat he could have touched the bison. That’s how close he was to us. With my window down I snapped two very quick photos, not even sure what I had taken. And then, knowing how dangerous bison can be, instantly closed the window. I was astonished when I looked at my photos. If I had spent hours waiting for the perfect shots, I could not have taken pictures that were any better.

Once we passed that first bison herd traffic began to move at a normal pace. And as we continued our drive through Yellowstone to see Old Faithful we passed many, many areas with hot steam rising visibly from the earth. But we continued toward Old Faithful, deciding not to stop along the way. But we did go back to walk along these hot springs and geysers on our way back to the West Yellowstone entrance.

The World’s First National Park

Yellowstone became the first national park in the world on March 1, 1872, and designed for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal and geologic features. Yellowstone covers 2.2 million acres, giving visitors unparalleled opportunities to view wildlife in an intact ecosystem. The geothermal areas contain about half of the world’s active geysers and view geologic wonders such as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

This nearly 3,500-square mile wilderness recreation area sits atop a volcanic hot spot. Yellowstone is so huge that it is mostly in Wyoming, but the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho too. The park features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It’s also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.

When you think of Yellowstone NP, the first thing that comes to mind is Old Faithful. At the heart of Yellowstone’s past, present and future is a Supervolcano. Enormous volcanic eruptions occurred there, most recently about 631,000 years ago. This caused the center of what is now the park to collapse and form a 30 by 45-mile caldera, or basin. The heat powering those eruptions fuels the park’s geysers, hot springs, fumaroles (steam vents) and mud pots to this day.

Old Faithful

Do you remember when you were in elementary school and learned about Old Faithful while studying geography? Well that’s how long ago Steve and I have wanted to see Old Faithful for ourselves. Trust me, that was a VERY long time ago!

We got super lucky and found a parking spot right along the road in front of the famous geyser. There was a huge crowd in front of the viewing area, but we managed to get almost to the front. We had fully expected to be waiting an hour or more because Old Faithful erupts every 1.5 – 2 hours. But once again good fortune was on our side. As if on cue, Old Faithful began its incredible show, which lasted close to 4 minutes. Water suddenly spewed from the ground, spouting only a few feet in the air at first and then rising skyward with each burst, before slowing down and disappearing back into the earth. It was a truly jaw dropping experience that neither of us will ever forget.

From Old Faithful, we went back for a closer look at some of the other geysers, passing more bison and other wildlife along the way.

We hated to leave, but we needed to make sure to get back to Ladybug while it was still light out due to the many unpaved, unlit roads leading to the RV park in Ashton Idaho. By the time we got home our mouths were hurting from the continuous smile that we had on our faces. I still smile all these months later, each and every time I think about our amazing day in Yellowstone National Park Wyoming!