Yellowstone Week 2
What We Have Learned
After a full week visiting Yellowstone we have found that the masses are a hurdle we need to deal with. As mentioned earlier we know that it is easy to try to see too much in one day. Our visit today (Day 8) confirmed what we have been thinking for a couple of days; it might be better to get up early and get to the park before the crowds develop.
The earlier days have been much less crowded. It seems the majority of the visitors tend to enter the park between 9:00 & 10:00 AM.
Our plan for the remainder of our time here is to get to bed early and wake at 5:00, then get to the park as early as we can.
There are still a few things we want to see, and we want to have a few days for hiking. Hiking is a great way to avoid the crowds. Because of the huge area This park covers, many visitors tend to ‘Auto Tour,’ which is the cause of the heavy crowds at the attractions. Getting even a half mile away from the feature attractions, the volume of people dissipates quickly.
Yellowstone Conclusions
Our feeling about Yellowstone are that it is something everyone should experience. We saw things that can be seen nowhere else in the world. We did not comprehend the vastness of Yellowstone before we explored a bit. The wide open spaces are wonderful, and the rivers that flow through the park are amazingly pristine.
We were surprised by the number of geothermal attractions as well as the geysers and springs that are just part of the natural landscape as you hike around. The pools, springs, and geysers were everywhere we went.
The wide open spaces and vastness are actually rather overwhelming. We did not even get to the eastern half of Yellowstone. This is partly because of where our RV park was located. With West Yellowstone being a half hour away, then another 30-45 minutes to get to Madison Junction before heading to whatever attraction we wanted to see or hike we wanted to do, we ended up out all day every day.
Of course the traffic and crowds contributed to the time needed to explore the park every day. We feel pretty fortunate that we found some great hiking and biking in close proximity to our camp site.
Yellowstone will be an unforgettable experience and we are very glad we have had the opportunity to see so many fascinating things in such a short time. The air quality here has been great, considering the Lone Star fire in the park and the massive amount of fires to the west of us.
We probably could have done what we wanted in a week and a half vs 2 weeks, but the proximity of our RV park to Yellowstone probably is a big part of that.
Looking forward to Jackson Hole and the Tetons!
Click on the links below to see our daily activities.
Day 8 – A Bike Ride in Yellowstone
Day 9 – Sentinel Meadows Hike / Grand Prismatic Spring
Day 10 – A day of planning
Day 11 – A Hike Outside Yellowstone
Day 12 – No Agenda / Mountain Bike Ride
Day 13 – Wrapping things up, a non-event day
Day 14 – Travel Day, on to Jackson Hole
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