Yellowstone (in the spring)
NATIONAL PARK
By DIENEKE
note: I have had the great fortune to visit Yellowstone twice! Check this post out for a completely different experience of Yellowstone (in the fall).
This was my second exploration of Yellowstone and my sister, Anna’s, first. All the images I had stored in my mind’s eye were significantly changed by a slight shift in season from August to May. This place was completely different! From a first-timer’s perspective, Anna missed a lot of the clear, grand views, but what we lacked in bright skies and deep color, we were rewarded with zero crowds, big mammal sightings and dramatic weather.
We didn’t have any time to lose, so it was off to see this enormous park in 2 days!
This time, we were approaching from the east, though this entrance was closed (another reason I always recommend to start a trip on the NPS.gov website). Much of the rest of the roads were closed which limited our access (unless you bring an “over-snow vehicle”), so we added the Lamar Valley, which I missed last time, and did some epic hikes in blizzard conditions! This was late May, mind you, and only the green highlighted roads (shown below) were open. However, this did not catch us off guard: we came prepared. This isn’t a theme park but a natural landscape, so even if NPS states open “mid May”, seasons vary, so we were checking daily and were grateful for the updates!
So, we arrived via the north entrance and drove through the Roosevelt Arch. This pretty much sums up my passion for these lands and why I love to share them with as many people as I can…
We stayed at the Evergreen Motel again in West Yellowstone, a quick stone’s throw from the West Entrance. And great pizza/beer at Wild West Pizzeria and Saloon after a long day in the park.
DAY ONE
In some respect, having a little less to do was a relief, so we took things a little slower and enjoyed the views. And what views we had!
We followed the Madison River to the Grand Loop Road, which we took north. We were itching to start hiking and pulled over at the Terrace Spring Trailhead just past Madison Junction. This is a 1/3-mile easy loop that’s a quiet introduction to hot springs and bubbling paint pots. And just a short distance away we stopped at Gibbon Falls which was gushing with spring snow melt.
Heading toward Mammoth Hot Springs (we would explore this on the way back), we hung a right, continuing toward Tower-Roosevelt and into Lamar Valley. This was an excellent place to view wildlife. We saw elk, antelope, bison and coyote (without the traffic jams!), and took in the grand vistas while we followed the Lamar River. And then, just like that, we couldn’t see anything!
This was a good reminder of what a wild place this is. While it was a bit disappointing that areas of the park were closed, this was an experience that was unique to the battle of spring. It was also a good reminder to stay alert, keep safe travel distances (not too hard with so few visitors) and stay close to the road. The hikes we selected next bore this in mind just in case we were caught in the snow!
So we flipped around at the East Entrance and headed back toward Mammoth Hot Springs. We stopped to stretch our legs at Wraith Falls Trail along Norris-Canyon Road. Yellowstone has lots of dramatic features to explore, but sometimes it’s the unassuming trail that delivers a surprising discovery. This was a 0.8-mile out-and-back hike to a 100-foot cascade waterfall. We crossed a grassy meadow to the creek below the falls, then turned uphill to the viewpoint (where it started, you guessed it, snowing)!
An important lesson we learned during this hike: we are visitors in the home of wildlife and a little bit of alertness goes a long way. While crossing that grassy meadow, we took note of a bison herd to the north of the trail and a couple stragglers on a knoll to the south. Upon returning from the falls, the stragglers spotted us and started charging toward the trail! Staying calm and remembering the larger herd on the other side of the trail, we stopped dead in our tracks and gave the stragglers lots of space and time to reconnect with their friends. A little wobbly, we swiftly walked (did not run) back to the trailhead. Everyone made it out ok and we took some time to collect ourselves before continuing westward.
Just a short jaunt and we stopped at a pull out on the north side of the road for Undine Falls before making it back to Mammoth Hot Springs where the weather cleared for a time to do Mammoth Hot Spring Trail which is a collection of boardwalks, steps and paths that meander around the hot springs, giving up-close views of the colorful hydrothermal features. The trail from Lower to Upper Terraces is considered strenuous but the views are worth it. The weather turned on us again, but only made the contrast in color even more brilliant.
We made a quick stop at Sheepeater Cliff, another curious geological formation, and Norris Soldier Station, an old outpost of the cavalry that protected Yellowstone from fire and poaching. We finished the Day at Norris Geyser Basin which is the hottest, oldest and most dynamic of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. The features in the basin change daily, with frequent disturbances from seismic activity and water fluctuations. The weather cooperated here, so we enjoyed the sunshine and took our time.
DAY TWO
With much of the park still closed, today we get to focus on Old Faithful/Upper Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic/Midway Geyser Basin, so we headed south at Madison Junction and caught a great view of the alien landscape we are about to explore.
Every adventure comes with its trade-offs: while we missed the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Tower Falls and Yellowstone Lake, we got to leisurely explore Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin Trail at a leisurely pace, in cool air and few tourists!
We had time this round to check out Black Sand Basin Trail, an easy 1/4 mile stroll, given its name from black obsidian (volcanic glass). And we ended our tour of Yellowstone with a dramatic crescendo of Grand Prismatic at Midway Geyser Basin. Perhaps more steamy this time of year, but we could stay at its edge as long as we wanted, taking in its color and mystery.
