I’m a little late writing this post… months late… oops. However, the months have not dulled my memory of majestic Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. We were there in early October, which was a quiet time for tourists but a very active time for the wildlife.

During this late fall time period before the first snow, all the creatures are getting ready for the long hard winter (or so sayeth the NatGeo documentaries I watched before the trip).

Despite what we had researched, read, and watched before our trip – it’s hard to be prepared for the geography of Yellowstone National Park.  Yes, the park sits on a Super Volcano which the Discover Channel is more than happy to remind you about.  But, the geysers, thermal vents, warm springs, steam vents, and mud pots are not things you’d normally see when you go on vacation.  The hot and acidic environment hosts unique lifeforms and creates utterly beautiful features throughout the park.

The Colors of Grand Prismatic Spring

A Geothermal Pool in the Upper Geyser Basin

The Lower Yellowstone Falls are not to be missed.  You can reach the Painter’s Point viewpoint easily (below) or go for a short hike for a viewpoint of the Upper Yellowstone Falls less than a quarter mile upstream.

Lower Yellowstone Falls from Painter’s Point

In addition to stunning geology, wildlife is one of the big draws to the Yellowstone NP.  The park is known for it’s biodiversity and large herds of land mammals.  Everyone who visits the park is treated to the story of the now famous wolf reintroduction and the positive impact it had on the other species that share the habitat.

Bison were the most prominent creatures in the park. Every turn in the road yielded a view of these massive, car-sized creatures. They were completely unperturbed by the paparazzi tourists clicking away at them – sometimes only from a few feet away.

Equally prevalent in the park were the elk. However, park goers gave them a MUCH wider berth. Rutting season was still in swing and the stags were aggressively defending their harems. We saw a clueless woman storm right between a stag and his harem to track down her husband fly fishing in the river. Her husband flipped out and began yelling a warning for her to get back….to which she responded by plowing ahead and screamed right back. Eventually, she figured out her situation and SLOWLY backed away from the now-interested creature.

The most curious creatures were the pronghorn, a close cousin of the antelope. These spry creatures are the fastest animals in the Western hemisphere. They were also at the end of their rutting season. We ran across these two males vying for the attention of several lovely nearby females…. for the record, the ladies ignored the display entirely. Poor fellas can’t get a break!

The most exciting and anticipated creature we came across was the black bear! Dum dum dum (sing it in your head dramatically). This immature male black bear was tottering on a hillside munching on berries… ya know, bear stuff. The unfortunate part of the experience is that once someone spots a bear, it doesn’t take long to turn into a circus side show. Park rangers come in to perform traffic control for all the tourists trying to take their own pictures and make sure that nobody tries to sneak in a selfie.

A surprising find in Grand Tetons NP was a family of beavers. We saw one slowly swimming downstream and followed him for a bit. When he stopped, we discovered his whole beaver family industriously building their dam before the river froze over. One beaver was exceptionally productive: he climbed out of the river and into the woods (…to grandmother’s house we go…). We heard munching, gnawing, grating noises and 20 minutes later… a crash.  Our little friend reappeared dragging a 25 foot long 6 in wide tree. Woh.

Fun fact about beavers: the sound of moving water is a signal that their dam has been breached. In studies, beavers furiously repaired a fully functional, non breached dam when researchers piped in the sound of water dripping. A bit of a cruel joke, but interesting nonetheless. (PBS documentary).

DO:

Yellowstone National Park Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.  Upper Geyser Basin, Lower Yellowstone Falls, Lamar Valley, and Mammoth Hot Springs are must sees.  Ask rangers and fellow guests about  wildlife sightings.

Grand Tetons National Park Jackson, WY

Teton Science Schools Jackson, WY.  They run wildlife expeditions out into Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.  Expect a knowledgeable guide who knows where to spot wildlife.  Don’t expect to see wolves unless you’re visiting in the winter when they can be spotted in the snow.

EAT:

Sidewinder Tavern Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  Enjoy some good comfort food after a long day exploring.  Don’e miss the “S”idewinder Pretzel

LEARN:

Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction It’s amazing what the reintroduction of an apex predator can do to an ecosystem.

Leave It to Beavers A fascinating PBS documentary on the industrious dam builders.