Yellowstone National Park- Part 2- Wildlife and Falls

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The lack of parking for RV's, or should I say, the RV parking spaces filled with cars, and the crowds were getting to us. We had been to Yellowstone before, so we decided to be selective in what we chose to see, and leave the park early. We had never been to the Lamar River valley in the northeastern part of the park. It has been a cold, rainy summer and the areas where wildlife are usually seen have experienced “sour” grass due to too much rain. A lot of the wildlife has migrated north to the Lamar Valley. That area is already known for it's wildlife, so we left Indian Creek and drove north and east.


We skipped through Mammoth Springs. The wet travertine terraces we marveled over when I visited as a kid have dried up. Such is the nature of geology constantly in flux. New spots have opened up in recent years as the mega-volcano that is Yellowstone changes to release the hot pressure under the surface. As we drove into the Lamar Valley we began to see bison on the hillsides, and then a herd in the road. We passed more herds of bison in the broad valley, interspersed with pronghorn antelope. There were lots of fly-fisherpeople enjoying the catch and release river. At one spot a group of observers set up viewing scopes and cameras along the roadside. We speculated that we were in the wolf area, although we never saw any, and they are usually seen far off.

Lamar Valley traffic

Lamar River

Pronghorn

Antique yellow tour bus

The wonderful looking Pebble Creek campground where we turned around at 11 am was full. If we could have gotten in we would have extended our stay. Instead we drove back through they valley, stopping at the Calcite Springs overlook to view the beginning of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. We took a new route south over the highest part of the park at Dunraven Pass. Coming down the other side of Mt. Washburn we arrived back at Canyon Village and found the turn for the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It was parked solid. Somehow we squeezed into a spot and decided to hike instead of drive along the rim. Hiking to the next overlook we were rewarded with the iconic Upper Falls of the Yellowstone photo.

Yellowstone River

Grand Canyon of theYellowstone near Calcite Spring

Calcite Spring

Looking up the canyon from Calcite Spring

Dunraven Pass

Burned area near Dunraven Pass

Bison - just hanging out

Breezy!

We finished driving the rim and made the decision not to try the South Rim drive. Pushing on down the road, we reached Yellowstone Lake and stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin. A lot of those pools are now inactive, but it was interesting to walk along the boardwalk with a few small features on the beach. Time to head south out of the park and look for a boondocking site. On the way we passed the small Lewis Lake campground and impulsively pulled in. It was almost empty! We found a site we liked in among the trees and spent a cold, very quiet night there. Tomorrow we would head for Grand Teton National Park and see if the crowds were any thinner there.

Yellowstone Valley above the Falls

Yellowstone Lake

Lakeshore travertine deposits

Extremely clear springwater