Yellowstone National Park

A place for all ages. By Jessica Herbig.

If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, there’s no time like the present to experience some of the natural wonders that still exist in our country! Some of us have gone as kids and some of us remember some of what we experienced. But as an adult, Yellowstone National Park is a place full of amazing sights and experiences that will give us memories for a lifetime.

There are five entrances to Yellowstone, allowing one to enter from all corners of the country. If you hit the north entrance, you’ll pass through Gardiner, Montana. This entrance is the only one open year around. The others close during the winter season due to poor road conditions. If you enter via the North entrance, the scenery alone is worth the trip and you will quickly learn how Montana has earned its nickname “The Big Sky State.”

Gardiner is classic small town Americana, with family owned restaurants, and a burgeoning number of fly fishing shops for those who are headed down to fish the famous Yellowstone River. You’ll head south through the Roosevelt Arch and pay your dues at the North Entrance Station. A $25 fee gets you a week long pass into the park, though you can get an annual park pass for $50. You’ll get a map showing the routes through the park, locations of famous sites such as Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs, as well as available campsites.

As far as lodging goes, there are places to stay through the park for people of all adventure-seeking levels. You can stay in comfort at a lodge at Mammoth Hot Springs or by Old Faithful, as well as camp in various locations through the park with your tent or camper, all with a wide variety of amenities. Anywhere you choose to stay, you’re sure to enjoy what the area has to offer.

It’s said that it takes about a day and a half to drive the scenic loop through Yellowstone Park. From the North Entrance it is 5 miles to Mammoth Hot Springs where herds of elk bed down on the lush green lawns in the center of town. If you stay here, you’ll likely see a few large bull elk vying for the attention of the ladies. This can get rather exciting because park rangers will sometimes have to block off road traffic because bull elk won’t clear the roadway to let people through safely! Count on delays going into the fall when the elk are in rut. Better yet, make Mammoth Hot Springs your first stop for exploration when you enter the park!

Fifty-nine miles from the North Entrance, you’ll find Old Faithful. The road there will give you a peek at buffalo, elk, bear, birds, and a multitude of wildlife. This is not the highest shooting geyser in the park, but its name comes from the regularity of its explosions. Park rangers can predict when the geyser will go off within a timespan of 10 minutes. There is a lodge at Old Faithful as well as an information center and exploration/discovery center for children. If you arrive at Old Faithful between bursts, this is a great way to occupy your time, especially with little children, while waiting for the next eruption.

The best time to view the wildlife in the area is in the morning after first light and in the evening right before dark. On summer’s hottest days, the wildlife bed down mid-day to conserve energy. A bonus to getting up early is the spectacular sunrises you can see from various vantage points in the park.

Visitors travel from across the world to see Yellowstone. The geysers, bubbling paint pots, natural springs, and the multitude of outdoor activities draw people of all levels of outdoor experience to experience its wonder. Visit www.nps.gov/yell to plan your visit to Yellowstone!

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