Our first couple of days in Yellowstone National Park were exciting. Bears and bison and more bears and bison! And babies!
But there is a lot more wildlife to see.
Like elk.
We definitely saw more elk in Grand Teton, so when we spotted them in Yellowstone, we stopped.
There were beautiful white pelicans. Isn’t this couple adorable?
And pronghorn deer. (We saw a lot of these while in Bryce Canyon.)
And regular deer. I love the fur on this guy’s ears!
But, quite frankly, the “other parts” of Yellowstone National Park are amazing.
It really is an amusement park.
Gurgling mud in the paint pots.
A water show with the geysers.
Steam works.
Boiling mud that looks like a melted milk chocolate treat.
And oh the colors!
I cannot wrap my head around the hot steam coming out of, or next to, the river. Especially with spring snow runoff. How is Mother Nature doing that? And flowers growing next to geyser openings? How?!
After a couple of mornings of wildlife viewing, Wednesday morning we were back at landscapes for a sunrise shoot on Madison River just inside the West Yellowstone gate.
I was less on bear watch and more on bison watch given their proclivity to suddenly appear at the worst times!
Afterwards we had a lovely breakfast along Yellowstone River before heading to Yellowstone Lake for a drive. We had visited Yellowstone Lake on the evening we arrived and much of the lake’s edges were still frozen over.
But after two days of warmish weather, the ice melted and left us with a gorgeous blue.
Just a few moments after taking the photo above, as we were continuing along Yellowstone Lake, we spotted this guy, a huge grizzly bear walking along the beach. Bears (and bison) are literally everywhere…even the beach!
On Thursday morning, I finally cried uncle and needed a little more sleep, so Mr. Misadventures went off to Lamar Valley on his own. Of course, that’s the morning he spotted a grizzly up-close!
I was kind of bummed because I wanted to see one closer than the one we saw on the beach. That’s what I get for a couple hours of additional sleep!
Sadly, on Friday, one week after leaving Grand Teton, we had to say good-bye to this amazing Yellowstone National Park and head back to Phoenix. I had not expected to enjoy this park so much and now I want to explore every corner. We will definitely return, for sure in May again as well as having our eye on February.
A few things to note about visiting Yellowstone:
> Pack a picnic lunch. The park is so huge it takes a long time to get to different points of interest and there are limited facilities so the best thing to do is to enjoy each day to the fullest without leaving the park. That means packing your meals in. There are picnic spots and lots of turnouts with great views to enjoy your food.
> Drive with caution. Not only are there animals everywhere, but also people drive very erratically when they see them!
> Bring or buy bear spray. It really is a must. If you are flying in, you’ll have to purchase some once you arrive. You can buy it in the park (and actually the pricing is the same as what we saw on Amazon) and you can donate it for the rangers to use when you leave.
How about you? Have you visited Yellowstone National Park? Did you enjoy the natural wonders?
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June 1, 2016
Yellowstone National Park looks amazing, as well as the photography! I didn’t realize elk had fuzzy antlers or there was such a thing as bear spray. Thanks so much for sharing these images!
June 1, 2016
Never want to yellow stone park but heard a lot of great things about it i live the photos very beautiful
June 1, 2016
This looks beautiful. The animals are awesome. I never knew there was bear spray. I learned something today.
June 1, 2016
What an amazing place. I wish we had more Yellowstone Parks in this world so we won’t have to read about the tragedy that befalls animals in the wild and in zoos. Great photography too.
June 1, 2016
This place looks amazing and beautiful.
June 1, 2016
We are headed that way this summer. Those were amazing pics and can’t wait to see the area.
June 26, 2016
@Maria, watch the crowds and be careful driving, go early in the day if you can.
June 1, 2016
Great pics. I have fond memories of family vacations to Yellowstone. Thanks for sharing!
June 1, 2016
I have been to Yellowstone twice in my life. I plan to take my kiddos there sometime in the nearish future. I really love all the natural wonders. Great photos!
June 1, 2016
It looks just gorgeous! I’d love to be get that up close and personal with the wildlife & the scenery.
June 2, 2016
Yellowstone is definitely on our travel list! Waiting until the girls get a bit bigger so they can enjoy it more! Beautiful shots!
June 2, 2016
Beautiful Pix. Been to Yellowstone back in the 70’s with my parents and have some very nice memories.
June 2, 2016
Your pictures make me want to go there so bad. I love the wildlife there.
June 3, 2016
Wow, what a gorgeous place! Your pictures are amazing and really make me want to go there too! I am glad that there are still wildlife preservations like Yellow Stone. 🙂
June 3, 2016
Such great pictures.
June 5, 2016
I think it is a fun way to see wildlife without having animals caged up for our entertainment.
June 6, 2016
The water show with the geysers is so beautiful! What an amazing thing to get the chance to witness! 🙂
June 7, 2016
I have never been to Yellowstone but boy I would sure like to get there someday! I love all of the wildlife ♡
June 26, 2016
@Cindy, if you are into wildlife, this is the place to be!
July 29, 2016
I’ve never been, but your pictures are fantastic.
August 1, 2016
I have never been, looks gorgeous! I have only seen the news articles about the sicknesses that where happening. I love your husbands photography.
September 12, 2016
I’d skip the geysers just to look at the bison and those bears.
March 11, 2018
Beautiful photos. I worked in three national parks and for wildlife viewing, Yellowstone was the best. Animals everywhere. That experience inspires my work of needle felt animal sculptures.