Mesmerizing Yellowstone and Tetons

by luvurpassion March 11, 2019

DAY 1 JUN 28: TRAVEL

It was 96 degrees Fahrenheit when we landed at Salt Lake City at 4 pm. It was the beginning of our most coveted Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip. The turbulent flight was attributed to very hot weather. In fact, the pilot joked that he was glad the flight had brakes that worked! After a grocery stop for water and snacks, we drove 3 hours to Blackfoot in Idaho. The drive was through a barren but picturesque landscape with one big city Pocatello. The mantra that night was ‘early to be and early to rise’. Weather forecast for next 2 days was bad with 60% rain and thunderstorms and we just kept our fingers crossed!

DAY 2 JUN 29: YELLOWSTONE (OLD FAITHFUL, UPPER GEYSER BASIN, MIDWAY GEYSER BASIN)

On day 2, we drove for 3 hours and entered Yellowstone park from West entrance around noon. First stop was at Old Faithful, the most predictable geyser that erupts every 35 to 120 mins for 1.5 to 5 mins. We hiked 2 miles in Upper Geyser basin area to Morning Glory Pool and passed several other geysers and pools along the way. It started raining cats and dogs while coming back but cameras were still out to capture the suddenly erupting Castle Geyser. Midway Geyser basin was another hike that led to the awesome Grand Prismatic Springs. Extremely hot water travels 121 ft from a crack in the earth making this spring grand with crazy bright colors and enormous size. The day ended with the view of a double rainbow that was awaiting us at the bend before Canyon Lodge.

DAY 3 JUN 30: YELLOWSTONE (MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, NORRIS GEYSER, FALLS, HAYDEN VALLEY)

The day started bright and shiny. Our agenda today was Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris geyser, Yellowstone Falls and Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. After filling up gas at dollar three twenty nine, we headed out from Canyon Lodge towards Mammoth. It took an additional twenty minutes to cover the 32 miles due to ongoing construction work. Canary Spring at Mammoth was stunning and definitely a must see in the park. Next stop was Norris Geyser that is the hottest and most dynamic geyser basin in the park. A boardwalk allows visitors to walk around the hydro thermal area. We decided to have bison burger for lunch at Canyon Lodge Cafeteria to taste local delicacy although it was hard to differentiate it from regular burger. After lunch, we hit the north rim of Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and saw Lower Falls. The canyon was formed when Yellowstone river passed through molten lava 650,000 years ago. Saturday crowd was evident from the long lines in the parking lot. Artist point overlooking the falls was amazing. At the brink of the Upper Falls, we could stare down the thunderous 109 foot waterfall at arm’s length. Sunset here is at 7:30, so we headed out for a short drive to Hayden meadow with the hope to see the wild life at dusk. And Hayden valley did not disappoint us! We saw several bison, the closest one was grazing on the grasses on the roadside, a mere ten feet away. We saw several herds of bison at a distance, people were watching with powerful binoculars. At one spot, cars were lined up and a ranger was present. It was evident that there was some wild animal nearby. Following the direction of other cameras and binoculars, we spotted a grizzly bear up on the nearby hill.

DAY 4 JUL 1: YELLOWSTONE (LAKE, WEST THUMB GEYSER), GRAND TETON

Today is Yellowstone goodbye day. A deer mom with a cub sprinted before our car as we were leaving Canyon Lodge. It was a wow moment but was so sudden that we had to be content with capturing it in our memories only. American breakfast at a local cafe was a hearty one, we bought a grizzly and a bison mementos at the shop. We saw few more bison grazing along the road. By now we had seen so many bison that the view was not enticing any more. Our next stop was West Thumb Geyser basin. The drive towards South Gate of Yellowstone was along the Yellowstone river and the Teton mountains kept playing hide and seek along the road. Surprisingly, there was no entry gate for Grand Teton. We had already bought the annual national park pass. The first view of the Teton range at a overlook was mesmerizing. We just sat on a wooden bench for some time soaking the beauty. We had our reservation at Jackson lodge. The hall of this lodge faces the Tetons and you can spend hours sitting in the hall or just sipping a drink in the restaurant. This lodge is designated as a historic memorial and is open to public for dining and viewing; you don’t need to stay at the lodge. A hillside walk overlooking the vast moor is ideal for an evening stroll to capture wild life. Oxbow bend is a popular spot for wildlife though we saw nothing but ducks. The meadow along Teton Park road, however, worked wonders and we saw three grizzlies in the bushes. The ranger had to finally come to wade off the flocking tourists parked randomly on the road.

DAY 5 JUL 2: GRAND TETON (SNAKE RIVER OVERLOOK, JENNY LAKE, SCHWABACHER LANDING)

Our day began with the alarm waking us up at 5:30. The first rays of sun fell on Teton range and showed a myriad of colors ranging from light blue to golden yellow. After capturing the beauty in camera to hearts content, we checked out from the hotel and started driving south. Just after crossing Moran junction, there were a bunch of elks and herds of bison in the meadow. The snake river overlook shows why the river is named that way; however tall growing trees blocked the complete view of the “S” shape. Few miles south, Schwabacher Landing is a small detour from main road and depicts the immense beauty of Grand Teton. There is only a small sign along the road which can be easily missed. It started with a gravel road downhill leading to a creek overlooking the mountain Grand Teton. A short walk south of the restroom gives a great photographic spot to take reflection images. There was an abundance of butterflies and birds along the creek. Our next stop was Jenny lake. This is where the park entrance was located though we had seen almost the entire park by now. Cars were parked almost half a mile away from parking lot, we were lucky to get a nearby spot. A ten-minute boat ride took us to the other side of the lake. We hiked among picturesque mountains to hidden falls and inspiration point. Few of the boat riders went to the other side by boat and hiked back. Dornan, ten miles away from the lake, was the only place in that vicinity serving food and having gas. Our lunch in the open cafe with a view of the mountains was supplemented by ice cream. An off road drive on Antelope Flats Road showed the remains of Mormon row houses built by the nomadic tribe. These houses had a typical shape. The rest of the drive through Kelly back to Highway 191 was along a meadow though we did not spot a single wild life there. We exited the park through the South Gate and headed to Idaho Falls for night stay.

Day 6 of our trip was another three hours drive to Salt Lake City and flying back home.