April 21, 2006
Yellowstone National Park - Taste the Spectacular and the Wild
Yellowstone National Park - America's first
Having moved around so much, I have become somewhat of a connoisseur of various states in the USA. I have lived near such tourist attractions and scenic sights as Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park in South Dakota, Mount Dessert Island and Baxter State Park in Maine, Padre Island in Texas, and Sun Valley in Idaho. Presently, I reside a mere 75 miles from Wyoming’s own Yellowstone National Park.
More than living in close proximity to Yellowstone, I reside in a cozy cottage just off Hwy 20 – the main thoroughfare that leads to the east entrance of the park. I don’t have to tell you how crazy traffic can get during the summer months.
Year after year, from the thrones of our backyard lawn chairs, my husband I watch cars and RVs scramble amass to Yellowstone with nary a wave. Helter-skelter they roll past, not even slowing down when entering our shy township of 10. It’s Yellowstone or bust!
Home of the ever popular Old Faithful geyser, the park also houses every wildlife specimen known to Wyoming, and then some: badgers, bison, bear, elk, wolves, Pronghorn antelope, coyotes, Bald eagles, and Big Horn Sheep. Having never visited the park before, last year we decided to see what we were missing. Were we ever glad we did!
The sites were breathtaking, the views every bit as panoramic and beautiful as the tourist brochures promised. Mud pots, hot springs, crystalline lakes, and “rainbowed” waterfalls that thundered – we saw them all. We drove, and walked, and hiked, and then sat to rest and to bask in the wealth of beauty afforded by the park’s five regions: Mammoth Country, Geyser Country, Lake Country, Canyon Country, and Roosevelt Country.
We became spectators – watching majestic elk, crowned with awesome antlers, chew cuds; resting beside gurgling streams hording lazy cutthroat and brown trout, while other elk grazed nearby. We watched grizzlies forage for berries at the forest’s edge; seemingly oblivious to the gathering crowd by the roadside, who gasped, pointed, and snapped pictures, while an alert park ranger looked on.
Everything impressive, everything spectacular, America’s first national park remains the undisputed king; after visiting, it was easy to see why. The 2.2 million-acre park is a wonderland of scenery, wildlife, and geologic sites that words alone cannot do justice.
Like any tourist attraction, there are times better than others to visit Yellowstone National Park if one truly wishes to savor each moment. July through August aren’t just the hottest months in Wyoming; they are also the times most tourists visit, making traffic the heaviest. Opting to vacation at Yellowstone during the slower months of September and October will prove more relaxing.
Early in the fall, leaves on deciduous trees dot the park’s backdrop with hues of gold, amber, and crimson; later, bold splashes of color seem to rain on the landscape.
It is also during early fall months you are apt to catch glimpses of newborn specimens of wildlife, toddling alongside their parents. Wildlife sightings on the whole are more frequent during cooler months – as well as cooler parts of the day in summer (early morning and evening).
Whatever you do, visit the park either during May before memorial weekend, or after the first week in August. Weather is better, crowds are thinner, and nearby lodging cheaper. Some area restaurants, such as the Dragon Wall Chinese buffet, located on the outskirts of Cody – about 45 miles from Yellowstone, offer lower off-season prices. And, gas prices are also lower off-season.
Also in nearby Cody are sights you won’t want to miss. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center on Sheridan Avenue is awesome. It contains five museums under one roof: the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, and the Draper Museum of Natural History. Money saving 2-day tickets can be purchased, making return trips to the center possible, without having to pay a second time.
The Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill in 1902 and named after his daughter, was established as the “gem” of all hotels for travelers to stay on the way to and from Yellowstone National Park. Located in downtown Cody, the Irma offers guest accommodations, a gift shop, a saloon to wet your whistle, and a restaurant.
Besides the hotel, Buffalo Bill himself helped to found the city of Cody in 1895. Today the hotel’s décor is still reminiscent of the late 1800s and early 1900s; a place where visitors can step back into the old west upon entering its doors.
So pack the car, gather the family, and head to Yellowstone National Park. But don’t forget to stop in at Cody, Wyoming, along the way. If you’re coming by way of the park’s east entrance, I’ll be watching for you!
