It’s day four of our Wyoming & Montana road trip, & I can already tell it is going to go by way too fast. After one full day spent in Grand Teton National Park, it is already time to move on & begin exploring Yellowstone.
It was a rough night’s sleep in the campground. I have been spoiled with a bed for far too long & had forgotten just how uncomfortable sleeping on the ground is. The cool mountain air that had seemed refreshing at first was much less so at 2:00 in the morning. I tossed & turned all night, waking multiple times every hour, to the point that I was eager to get up & get moving in the early morning rather than continue to try to sleep.
Joseph & I packed up our campsite together & began the hour-and-a-half-long drive to Old Faithful. As we entered Yellowstone National Park, the steam from the hot springs billowed onto the roads & clouded our vision. We followed the cars in front of us into a dense fog that obscured almost everything from view. Slowly & carefully, we made our way through the quiet park to our destination.
Old Faithful is a rather built up area of the park, complete with restaurants, grocery & souvenir shops, & a large, cabin-style lodge. We checked the geyser predictions first, & since we had about an hour until Old Faithful was planned to erupt, we decided to explore the shops. Upon entering the first building, we were immediately grateful for our decision – a cafe with a number of breakfast options &, more importantly, fresh espresso greeted us inside. Joseph ordered mini cinnamon buns & an americano, & I ordered a hot latte that spread through my cold limbs & filled me with a delightful warmth.
As the geyser prediction time approached, Joseph & I returned outside to find the now fully risen sun had warmed the landscape considerably. We sat with the other visitors, eagerly awaiting the famous geyser’s show.
After nearly 20 minutes of waiting, the steam coming from the risen mound of earth began to intensify. Water spurted up from the geyser hole, at first only jumping a few feet in the air, & then leaping high above our heads. The steam followed & floated high into the sky, sharing with distant onlookers the spectacle taking place.
It ended quicker than expected, & soon the geyser was quiet once again, steam rising innocently from its opening. From all around us, members of the audience clapped. We all stood & began to gather our belongings, eager to explore more.
From Old Faithful, Joseph & I walked around the Upper Geyser Basin. Every few steps brought another surprising creation of nature. Steam rose from all around us, the barren landscape resembling something of prehistoric times. We walked past pools of boiling water, ranging in color from bright yellow to grassy green to a beautiful, clear cyan. Our favorite was the Morning Glory Pool, which was the farthest away but definitely worth the wait. The brilliant colors of brown, yellow, green & blue faded into one another like a rainbow. Looking closely, we could see where the pool narrowed & disappeared into the earth below.
Yellowstone is the world’s first national park, & it is known for its unique hydrothermal and geologic features. According to the National Park Service website, “Yellowstone has the most active, diverse, and intact collections of combined geothermal features with over 10,000 hydrothermal sites and half the world’s active geysers.”
After our walk around the Upper Geyser Basin, we stopped at the Visitors’ Center to talk with a park ranger. Due to recent flooding, parts of Yellowstone National Park have been closed, & we wanted to make sure our itinerary was still possible. The ranger was increidbly knowledgeable & helped us adjust our plans & decide where to visit in the park during our short stay. We had intended on visiting the Mammoth Hot Springs & Lamar Valley, but with so much of those areas still closed, we rearranged our days & gave ourselves more time at the other places we wanted to visit.
Our next stop was Biscuit Basin, which was filled with even more geysers & colorful springs. After that, we headed to Fairy Falls. The hike was short & flat, so we decided to add a quick turnoff to overlook the Grand Prismatic Spring. It was a sharp change in elevation, & we were breathing heavy by the time we reached the top. But the view was more than worth it. The Morning Glory Pool we had seen earlier paled in comparison to this.
The Grand Prismatic Spring was huge – measuring at approximately 370 feet, it is bigger than a football field & is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone. Its vibrant colors shown through the hot steam that billowed off of the water & into the air above. Surrounded by eager onlookers, we all gazed in awe at this wonder of nature.
On our way down from the overlook, we were met with a large group of what looked to be middle school-aged kids. They took a great interest to us & especially Joseph’s Colorado baseball cap.
“Are you from Colorado?” one of the kids called out.
“Nope,” Joseph called back.
“Oh.” The kids began to talk amongst themselves about this strange turn of events, & Joseph & I laughed all the way back down the hill.
There was not much to see for the rest of the hike on our way to the falls. The trail changed from a wide, dusty path to a thin gravel surrounded by tall pine trees. We chatted while we walked, taking note of the small chipmunks that scuttled around our feet & constantly on the lookout for larger wildlife.
When we arrived at Fairy Falls, Joseph & I were both taken aback by their beauty. Wispy water cascaded down the rock to a cool pool below, sending a mist over the nearest onlookers gathered on the rocks at its base. We sat together, drinking in the view & enjoying the rewarding rest before beginning the hike back our car.
It was already getting late, but we had one last stop planned for our day. We hopped in our car & headed to Norris Geyser to hike the Porcelain Basin Trail. The geysers & springs were similar to those we saw on the Upper Geyser Trail & at Biscuit Basin, & yet we still marveled at the view. Neither of us had ever seen anything like them before. Yellowstone truly is a unique place that is worth visiting, whether you enjoy hiking, lying near a lake with a good book, or riding horses through the wilderness. Every section of the park is unique – in our first day alone we saw so many different things, & I can’t wait to see what other views it has to offer.
The drive to our campground was nearly two hours. We passed the time listening to music & talking. On the way, we were brought to a halt by stopped cars in front of us, only to realize there was a bison walking right beside the road! Lumbering along, he paid no mind to the cars passing by.
He, however, was not the greatest surprise the day held. Upon entering our campground, we saw a sign for showers! We had not expected to be able to shower until we reached Glacier National Park, as this had not been a promised amenity in our Yellowstone campground, & we were thrilled at the idea of getting clean after a long two days of hiking. We peeled into the parking lot, grabbed our toiletries, rented fluffy white towels, & rushed into the gloriously hot showers.
Feeling refreshed & sudsy clean, we checked into our campground. We set up our tent & made freeze dried meals for dinner – spicy sausage pasta for Joseph & grilled chicken & mushroom wild rice pilaf for me. I was unexpectedly pleased once again by how tasty the meal was, & soon we were seated by our campfire, feeling relaxed & satisfied.
As the sky grew darker, Joseph encouraged me to stay awake to see the night sky with him. We walked aorund the quiet campground, gazing up at the sky in wonder. Every inch of the black landscape was cluttered with stars twinkling down at us. I had not seen stars like this since our trip to Colorado two years ago, & I had forgotten just how incredible they are.
The night was getting late, though, & we had another long day ahead of us. Knowing that we would have the chance to stargaze again soon, we headed back to our campsite & retired to bed.
It was another long day of traveling, & yet, I can’t believe there are only two more days left in Yellowstone before we drive up to Glacier National Park. I am trying to commit every moment of this trip to memory, knowing it will be over before I know it & we will be back on the plane to Maryland. But the finite nature of moments in life is what make them sweet, & I feel truly grateful to be out west again, exploring new places & savoring each & every moment.
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