I made an assumption that it would be easier and faster to leave the north gate of Yellowstone towards Bozeman, Montana on our way back to Salt Lake City and that was definitely not the case. Even with road construction and slower speed limits we saved 2 hours going back through the park!
We probably could have completed our tour of Yellowstone in 3 days but 4 days allowed us to venture off to see less popular parts of the park. We covered every major road and several remote roads. Which is were “watchers” were tracking the mother wolf and her two pups.
We went to see the Rosevelt arch at the north gate because we were only 5 miles away. The arch was built under the supervision of the US Army at Fort Yellowstone, its cornerstone was laid down by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.
Between Mammoth and Norris the park has demolished the road to put in a new one. A one lane contractor lead convoy takes you very slowly down a muddy dirt road. All of a sudden Mark sees movement in a large open filed and there was a grizzly bear walking slowly across the field and lays down. Amazing. The brown bear was huge and immediately identifiable. So my mess up was fruitful in the end.
We stopped In Idaho Falls for lunch.
Leaving Idaho Falls you come across a huge lava field that was produced by a basaltic volcano originating from the snake river. Which made me research the area. Researchers believe that Yellowstone wasn’t the only super volcano but part of a chain.
We crossed the Blackfoot reservation and stopped for the night in Pocatello. We should have gone on into salt lake but didn’t know! So go gambling or find a movie theater? Movie it is!
A few tips for anyone heading to Yellowstone. There is no air conditioning in any hotel, no internet or TV. You can pay an hourly rate for very weak WiFi at each hotel which only works in the lobby area.
Bring sun screen and drink lots of water everyday. Besides all the walking/hiking you may do the park is at 6,500 feet above sea level and the water helps with headaches.
It will rain in some portion of the park everyday. We only had minor rain but glad we had a light rain jacket.
The mosquitoes are big enough to carry you off in the evenings around water. Bring bug spray.
If I had to do it over, I would have spent all of our nights in Canyon.
Most restaurants require reservations for dinner. Lunch locations are few and far between and are crowded. Anything that is less formal is called a grill and close at 6?pm. Pack a picnic lunch or buy carry and go at any of the Yellowstone grocery stores.
The animals look fun but are wild and don’t like people near them. Keep a good distance between you and them.
Look for tour buses and if you have an option - try to do something else until they are loading up. Getting out of the hotel early and on the road will save you some crowds and frustration.
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