Yellowstone National Park... An elusive destination that either demands rigorous well-thought-of planning or compels you to settle for a compromise. Nonetheless, it never fails to marvel you; its sapphire blue hot springs to the magnificent geysers, all are bound to leave you wanting for more.
Grand Teton's majestic rugged peaks are a true nature-lover's paradise. Its abrupt rise from Jackson-Hole valley is evident in its lush-green landscape.
First, June is a beautiful time to visit these parks. Spring's just blossoming, lush green valleys and forests, and wildflowers galore! On top of that, schools are not yet shut, so less people!
Day 1Take an afternoon flight to Salt Lake City (SLC), via Southwest (of course ;)) and spend the night in Comfort Inn and Suites. Did I miss to add that we were craving for Indian food and ended up going to Kiraak for some Paneer Butter masala and Naan? ;)
Day 2Gulping down a ton of food for breakfast, we embarked upon 7-hr drive to Mammoth Hot Springs, the northern end of Yellowstone NP. That's the first time we entered Idaho and Wyoming! Keep in mind, the last 1.5 hr of this drive is actually through the park. So vistas and pullouts galore!
And and eventful scenic drive later, we encountered our first challenge: What to eat for dinner? We settled (we didn't have any option) for a Veggie Burger and Tomato Bisque from The Grill, a fast food outlet.
Note you will actually enter the park from its west entrance, from the town rightly incorporated as West Yellowstone. If you are hungry or thirsty, this town has some really good options. Its also as good for souvenir shopping as for some basic groceries. If you miss this, next services will be 1.5 hrs later at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Day 3A NP is incomplete without a hike. Having eaten oatmeal and bagel-cream cheese combo, off we went for a 5-mile loop hike for Beaver Ponds. This turned out to be one of the most beautiful and scenic hikes that we have ever done... amazing lush green (and a bit dense) woods blanketed by colorful wildflowers, sage-bushes overlooking Mt. Everts, serene and secluded ponds with wilderness all along and amazing vistas of the mountains. DO NOT do this hike if there are thunderstorms in forecast. The second half of the loop is exposed and above tree-line.
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| Beaver Ponds |
Enough of active stuff for a day. The second half of the day was spent in what we love most... a scenic drive! We started by heading off to the North entrance of the park and then eventually to Gardiner, MT. Explored that little town... saw some dining options, souvenir shops and packed some grocery bags from a local store. Of course, we took a mental note to return for some good food!
Then came another gem and highlight of the trip. Lamar Valley: refreshing and alive lush green valley about 1 hr drive, east of Mammoth of Hot Springs. And boy, did we see those giant bisons... herds and herds of them, and some elks. Those animals look docile but in fact they are just the opposite. And... it was total fun to eat Backpacker Pantry's Chana Masala while observing the wildlife and marvelous valley.
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| Lamar Valley - The tiny dots are actually herds of Bison |
Day 4Another round of oatmeal and off we went to marvel at Travertine Terraces, the namesake attraction of Mammoth Hot Springs. A vibrant ecosystem of color and geometric patterns, accentuated by living organisms. We did a leisurely boardwalk "self-guiding" tour that took us just over couple of hours. Another wildlife spotted: A coyote!
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| Travertine Terraces @ Mammoth Hot Springs |
Lunch menu was a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of sweet-potato soup at The Dining Room at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Then we decided to explore the left arm of Upper Loop, a part of the Grand Loop Rd., within the NP. We started by exploring the Norris Geyser Basin. That was our first encounter of the ferocity of the hydrothermal features. The hissing sound of the steam escaping out of a fumarole and the experience of heat, struck us with the reality movements going on beneath our feet. This basin had a plethora of fumaroles and we will not see such concentration of them in the park again.
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| Norris Geyser Basin - You can see steam flowing out from many fumaroles |
And then, back to West Yellowstone. My wife adores exploring little towns and it was her day today. With some more souvenir shopping, some hot chocolate and some ice cream, we call it a day!
Day 5This is the day where my wife and I feel proud of ourselves. We needed to go to Grant Village (our next hotel), which is a part of right arc of the Lower Loop and we decided to reach their via right arc of the Upper Loop. I know that's not interesting. What is... we took almost 9 hrs for a 2.5 hrs drive! And we will cherish it for ever.
The right arc of the Upper Loop, i.e. from Mammoth Hot Springs to Canyon Village, is BREATHTAKING! Passing through Dunraven Pass (elev. 8878 ft.), you get amazing vistas of Hayden Valley, another wildlife-viewing mecca. Since it was Spring, we passed through looking at snow-capped peaks and white forest floors. To top it off, we drove through a HEAVY snow fall for 20 mins, accompanied with winds, which crawled the traffic to 10 mph. We stopped numerous times to seep in the vistas that nature has bestowed upon us.
Oh btw, there's was also another reason for slower traffic on two occasions. We saw bears(yes plural)! Just as close as it can safely be!
Canyon Village: Home of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone river. There are many vistas on the North/South Rim Dr., but if you want a up-close view of the canyon, I would recommend doing a short but steep hike to Brink of Lower Falls. You get to see the towering falls as well as the majestic canyon.
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| Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River |
Leaving the Canyon Village, we leave the Upper Loop and enter the Lower Loop with beautiful and serene vistas of the Yellowstone Lake.
We reached Grant Village by late evening and had Veg. Chili with Polenta at Lake House Restaurant.
Day 6A day to explore another variety of hydrothermal features: Geysers. We just did the Upper Geyser Basin in the Old Faithful area. There are numerous geysers here and our favorite is... Grand Geyser, not Old Faithful. Grand Geyser is just like its name suggests: higher, longer and much grander. One caveat: it requires patience. We saw both these geysers erupt and Grand was clearly the winner.
We also saw other small geysers like Castle Geyser and Grotto Geyser erupt, not as majestic as Grand or Old Faithful, but just as intriguing. There's a good network of boardwalks here to experience these hydrothermal features and I believe we walked close to 4 miles to cover the entire basin. Although at the far end of the trail, do not miss Morning Glory Pool. You will know why when you see it. :)
We called it a day by enriching ourselves with some scientific knowledge by the Old Faithful Visitor center.
Food? Oh, another burger, duh!
Day 7How can we leave Yellowstone without being smitten by the Grand Prismatic Spring? Today we would explore the Midway Geyser Basin, Lower Geyser Basin and Biscuit Basin. All these basins have amazing hot springs, two of them stand out in my opinion. One of them is Grand Prismatic Spring, other is the Sapphire Pool. The colorful formations are simply mesmerizing.
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| Grand Prismatic Spring |
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| Sapphire Pool |
You may choose to do a small hike called Fairy Falls, in the Midway Geyser Basin, which will eventually lead to a overlook to enjoy the Grand Prismatic Spring from a higher and better vantage point.
Day 8Good bye Yellowstone and hello Teton! Another day of scenic drive and, my goodness, aren't we in for a treat! No words can adequately describe the grandeur and ruggedness of the Tetons. A tip: While traversing through the park, go on the Teton Road and you will rejoice. We were completely spellbound by sheer beauty that lay in front of us.
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| Hello Tetons! |
We also explored the Colter Bay Visitor Center; stamped my passport and explored the night/ranger programs at the center.
This time around, we did an AirBnb in a nearby town of Victor, ID. It was a beautiful place in the countryside located in the Teton Valley.
Day 9If you are a skier (enthusiast or an expert) you must have at-least heard a fleeting mention of ski-mecca Jackson-Hole. The town of Jackson, touristy hub of Jackson-Hole Valley, was mid-way in our "commute" from the Tetons and Victor. First half went in exploring Jackson (didn't I mention my wife loves exploring small towns?), its unique stores, restaurants and streets.
Second half... a moderate hike to Taggart Lake. We picked this because we wanted to hike with majestic views of the Tetons and this fit the bill perfectly. Weather didnt cooperate much so were back in Jackson for some Haagan Dazs milkshakes.
Day 10A highlight was Picnic Cafe in Jackson. A very cozy, vibrant and eclectic cafe with good breakfast options.
Biking in Grand Teton! We hired bikes from Adventure Sports in Moose for half a day and went to Jenny Lake; about 15 miles round trip. The weather initially was dicey and hence we started late. The bike route is a dedicated lane away from motorists so its was an excellent experience doing this fun activity with Tetons alongside.
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| Am so happy! :D |
Before we called it a day, we explore Moose's visitor center to see if we missed anything. ;)
Day 11Driving back to SLC. Since we had some time to spare, we visited SLC's Temple Square, the campus housing the sacred Mormon Church where their rituals are conducted. Non-mormons are not allowed inside the actual temple, but are free to explore the Square. It was actually quite delightful.
And then we geared up for the reality that we escaped for the past 10 days.
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