Yellowstone NP: Amazing Scenery

(2018 Alaska Ep 16)

At practically every turn Yellowstone offers inspiring beauty.

We arrived on a sunny Friday afternoon after driving west from Cody.  After entering the park from the eastern entrance (park map), we were reminded that parts of the park were still emerging from winter.  Throughout our week in Yellowstone, the remnants of the past winter’s snowfall were just about everywhere and temperatures were chilly – most days in the 50s/60s and nights in the 30s.  Rather cool for us Floridians!

Soon we were passing by Yellowstone Lake and looked back to see the snow covered mountains we has just driven through.

Yellowstone River flows out of Yellowstone Lake.  Several miles downstream it cascades over Yellowstone Falls and continues through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  The falls are impressive – the 308-foot drop of lower Yellowstone Falls is nearly twice that of Niagara Falls!

We tested our endurance by walking down a trail to the brink of the lower falls – the drop was equal to a 60-story building.  We were rewarded with a different perspective of the falls that made the hike back up the trail worth it!

Yellowstone has stunning mountain vistas…

…and broad valleys where wildlife abounds.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the scenery we enjoyed during our visit.

You might be wondering about the Yellowstone fires that burned almost 800,000 acres or more than 1/3 of the park in 1988.  Pat and I were amazed at the recovery of the burned areas – thick new stands of lodgepole pines and other trees are more than 20 feet tall in many areas.  The forest is well on its way to recovery after 30 years!

Of course, there is much more to Yellowstone than scenery.  We’ll cover thermal features and animals in upcoming blog posts, as well as some of the hiking and biking we enjoyed.