Today was the one day we had planned to not travel any further west. We had allowed one day to explore Yellowstone National Park. Only one day in Yellowstone is blasphemy, but it’s what we had. We made the most of it. Even though we didn’t make any progress on our western migration, we still covered about as many miles as any other day so far.
Highlights:
- Discovered that it’s a LONG way from Bozeman to Yellowstone.
- Drove through the Gallatin River Valley once again. In 2004 we drove out of the park on this route. It was 40º and snowing, but we were driving with the roof back on our Audi convertible. It was much warmer this time around.
- Stopped in West Yellowstone for coffee and post cards.
- Entered the park and drove into Madison. On our previous trip this stretch had herds of bison along the river. This time there were no herds in this area.
- Stopped at the Upper Geyser Basin and took some photos.
- Made several other stops along the way to Old Faithful, including Kepler Falls.
- Old Faithful was a zoo. We decided to take a pass.
- Continued on the Grand Loop Route to Grant’s Village
- Had a great lunch with a view over Yellowstone Lake. I ate bison bratwurst with sauerkraut.
- Headed around the banks of Yellowstone Lake, then continued north on the Grand Loop.
- Encountered our first large herds of bison along the Yellowstone River.
- Drove along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and stopped at several overlooks, including the Lower Falls.
- Continued north to Tower and looked at Tower Falls, then west to Mammoth.
- Decided that instead of completing the Grand Loop and returning to West Yellowstone we would leave via the north gate at Gardiner.
- Really liked seeing the Roosevelt Arch at Gardiner.
- Drove along the Yellowstone River to Livingstone. Noticed that this area seems much dryer than the Gallatin corridor.
- Had a nice dinner of artisanal pizza in Livingston, then came home.
States crossed:
- Montana
- Wyoming
Mileage: 309
Back on the westward trek tomorrow from Bozeman.
Just spent a few days in Yellowstone this summer. Did you have lunch at the store near the Lake Yellowstone Hotel?
It was a separate restaurant. We did stop by that store, though.
My last trip to Yellowstone was in the winter riding on a snowmobile. Brr! Coming from CA, we were not prepared, but the scenery was wonderful. I’m glad you stopped to see it even though there were more people than bison. Thanks for sharing.