Spent some time in our backyard, Yellowstone National Park! This land of wonder is only a 2 hour drive from us and we really should visit it more. We took this trip right after Labor Day, hoping the crowds would be down, and they were. The temperature was also slightly down from those sweltering July/August summer days. Being from Montana, I (Jamie) had visited Yellowstone several times but hadn't explored much of it beyond the "touristy" spots like Old Faithful. Being Chet's first time into the park, along with the boys, we decided to take in a few of the popular sights but we also ventured out and did a couple of hikes, seeing a side of Yellowstone I had never seen before. What a great way to see things for the first time - with your family! If you are planning a trip to YNP, do yourself a favor and carve out at least 3-4 days, if not a week.. there is so much to do & see! And here's another piece of advice: even when the crowds are down, always expect the drive through & around Yellowstone to be loooooooong. We totally underestimated how long the loop would take us and found ourselves in the car for 10 hours one day -- don't be us! Break the park up into sections and spend a day in each section, that way you don't feel rushed and you can fully appreciate your surroundings. Despite our one really long day in the car, we had an amazing time and have already talked about our next stay in YNP.
These first set of pictures are from our hike to Bunsen Peak. Trailhead is found south of Mammoth, WY. This little jaunt up the mountain was relatively short (4 miles round-trip) but man, did it pack a punch! Roughly a 1300 ft elevation gain, which is a pretty big gain for 2 miles. Somehow, though, we flew up the thing and arrived in less than an hour. The sights were worth all the huffing & puffing.
The next set of photos are from our "touristy" day, visiting Old Faith & The Grand Prismatic Spring. Despite the excessive amount of time spent in the car, we were still able to squeeze in a little hike towards the end of the day too. Our toddler did the entire hike by foot for the very first time! We made our way to Trout Lake, which is a super duper easy, one mile round-trip trail, with an elevation gain slightly over 200 feet. Like, it really doesn't get any easier! But nonetheless, we were/are SO PROUD of our 2 year old. We started to lose daylight by the time we arrived to Trout Lake, so the pictures aren't ideal but you still get the feel for the beauty found at this YNP lake.
OLD FAITHFUL above / GRAND PRISMATIC below
TROUT LAKE below
One of our best family trips to date! Mommy & daddy both agreed that they were not ready to come home, which is somewhat unusual (we usually can't wait to crash in our own bed). YNP has so much to offer and we barely scratched the surface this go-around. But hey, guess who purchased a National Parks pass?! US! We already have plans to go back... soon!
Any questions? We'd love to help you map out the perfect family adventure! Email us - thebackpackingblotskes@gmail.com