A longtime dream of mine has been to visit every state in America, popping in at every national park on the way. One day while I was at university, I printed 51 pages off the internet, each with a black and white map of a US state. I then spent all my spare time painstakingly plotting roadtrip routes through these states; I'd have 20 tabs open at a time, each with a different list of must-sees and bucket lists.
I would calculate the distance between towns I wanted to visit using the little ruler in the bottom corner of each map. Then I would convert that distance into an hourly figure and would devise an itinerary that I thought covered just about every single nook and cranny of the United States that existed. I have yet to go on this epic roadtrip, but I do have a boyfriend who is willing to drive me over 3000km to visit two of these incredible national parks I have long dreamed of seeing.
So fast forward a couple years, and Sam and I are making our way down the highway from the Alberta-Montana border bound for Yellowstone National Park just south of the Montana-Wyoming border. We’re bound for Yellowstone (my 6th park out of the 59) and its iconic geysers. Many stops in the park come with an informative guide-book available for a minimal donation. The history and facts are well worth the read and add that bit more depth to your photos.
How to Get to Yellowstone National Park
We drove straight down from Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in southern Alberta through Montana into Gardiner, the little town on the outskirts of the national park. Montana is mostly just straight roads. On some special parts of the highway however, we found gems like this:
Camping at Yellowstone National Park
Unfortunately, we never got the chance to camp in the actual park. Camping lots fill up by 9am each day for the preceding evening, so if you’re wanting to camp here, you had better be quick! Having arrived at 7pm thinking we could just saunter in to one of the many available campsites, we were turned around at the gate and left to pick off their list of ‘Campsites Outside Yellowstone’ a suitable alternative. At least we clearly aren’t the first to make this mistake.
We spent the night at Yellowstone RV Park, an expensive and small lot right on the river that manages to have such high prices due to its proximity to the park entrance and the valuable knowledge that people like us would be desperate to drop $38 US dollars on a single tent site for the night.
On our way back from Yellowstone on our way to Glacier National Park, we stayed at KOA in Livingston, Montana. About 50km north of Yellowstone, this one was also high up there in the price range ($32/night for a tent site), but the quiet and calm of being along the river combined with the mountain view from our tent made this a great choice.
Things to See in Yellowstone National Park & How to Visit the Park
Yellowstone National Park is laid out in a figure-8 ring road. The most logical way to see everything in the park is to enter at one of the five entrances: North, Northeast, East, South or West. From there, complete the outer circle of the figure-8; you can safely miss the connecting inner band. We began our trek at the North entrance at 7am, originally determined to nab ourselves a campground for the night. Turns out the whole ring road can be seen at a leisurely pace in just a day and we decided against spending another night in the area, instead making our way back into Montana that same evening.
Mammoth Hot Springs
The first stop on the route is the incredible Mammoth Hot Springs, which ended up being my favourite. Perhaps it was that we were there just after 7am, meaning no-one else was around. The park gets very busy between 9am-3pm and you’ll be battling with other tourists for your iconic shot. At Mammoth you can meander through rickety wooden-planked stairs and platforms to take in the incredible colours – and stinky rotten egg smells – of the salty hot springs.
Geysers
As you drive along the figure-8 road, you’ll see many geysers bursting out of the ground. These are in fact bubbling hot springs that result from really hot water underground breaking through to the surface.
Bison
One of the most common animals of Yellowstone is the bison, a massive creature that seems to enjoy lying around and eating grass. If you park quietly on the side of the road, you can get some incredible up-close views of these majestic animals.
Major Geyser Basin
At the Norris intersection, a major geyser basin bubbles away. The first thing you’ll notice is the smell of sulphur, very similar to rotten eggs, and the second thing is how cool it is, even though you’ll be wandering through hot springs. The world-famous Steamboat Geyser also lives here. The last major eruption of this iconic geyser, the world’s tallest active geyser, was 2014 and who knows when the next one may come!
Lower Geyser Basin
The Lower Geyser Basin is home to what is called the Fountain Paint Pot. Featuring geysers, hot springs and dead trees galore, this place is a photographer’s paradise.
Grand Prismatic Spring
From the lower basin, the next pull-out on the road is the midway basin, where the gorgeous Grand Prismatic Spring allows visitors to wander all around over wooden-planked pathways to take in the incredible landscape and reflections of the thermal pool.
West Thumb Basin
Continuing the drive takes you to the southernmost portion of the figure-8 road where West Thumb Basin shows off turquoise waters (and smelly fumes!).
Sulphur Cauldron
Peer over the edge at Sulphur Caldron in Hayden Valley, a great spot for spotting the crater you are driving through!
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Our final stop in Yellowstone was the gorgeous Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Informative pit stops along the way provide for incredible views towards the booming Upper and Lower Falls.
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
