A Drive Through Yellowstone National Park: What a Beautiful Place!
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National Park Week is the best time to plan your trip to a bucket list national park as admission is free for an entire week! Mike and I knew we had to check out nearby Yellowstone, an easy 2 hour day trip from our current location: Idaho Falls. Admission is normally $25 per vehicle so this is a pretty good deal.
Late April is National Park Week (dates vary every year) and many parks across the country offer free admission. We arrived in West Yellowstone around 10:00am (The park opens at 8:00am). We wanted to try to get there as early as possible to see some wildlife. A scenic Yellowstone drive is the best way to explore the park. At the visitor’s center, we picked up a free driving map. The staff will also let you know about possible road closures and the best areas to spot wildlife.
We drove from the West Yellowstone entrance to Old Faithful. Along the way we made several stops viewing other geysers and mudpots. Along, the way we ran into some bison on the road. They passed right by our car! We got some really great up-close photos and videos. Yellowstone is home to the most bison in the country (on public land).
Currently, 3000-6000 bison live at Yellowstone (according to the NPS), an impressive gain for a once nearly extinct animal. It’s a definite bucket list experience for any nature lover to see these beautiful mammals free roaming in this gorgeous national park. On another interesting side note, Yellowstone is the only place where bison have lived continuously since the prehistoric era!
We also saw several elk in a field. Unfortunately, we did not see any bear or moose, which would have been really exciting. While I am terrified of the though of crossing paths with a bear while hiking, I would love to see one from the safety of my car! You would think on an hour’s long drive, we would see at least one bear, but no sign of anything on this trip. Just a note – your best chance of seeing a bear is during the spring or early summer season. This is because mating season typically occurs from May-July.
The most predictable geyser
Old Faithful geyser is said to be one of the most consistent geysers as eruption times are able to be predicted. Eruptions occur approximately every 90 minutes. We arrived about an hour prior to the scheduled eruption. There are several gift shops to browse through and cafés to stop by for lunch while you are waiting. There are also 2 free movies – one before the eruption and one after. The eruption is a spectacular sight which is worth the drive and the wait.
We drove around for another 2 hours or so enjoying the nice weather and fantastic scenery. I was surprised that the park was not more crowded. I guess spring is a good time to visit! It was a really nice day out, much warmer than I expected for this area and time of the year. We plan on visiting the park again this weekend to take advantage of the free admission. Check out my next blog to find out if we saw more wildlife the second time around. Hopefully we will spot some bears next time!
There are many scenic drives available within the park including the most popular & lengthy Grand Loop drive. It’s best to stop at the visitor’s center for some guidance based on what you are looking to see and do. Lamar Valley is supposed to be one of the best drives if you want to see black bears and grizzlies. Check out this interactive map to plan your trip!
