July 23-24, 2018 + July 29-31, 2018

TL;DR: From the rainbow colors of Grand Prismatic Springs to the 24-mile Grand Canyon, Yellowstone lived up to the hype—but it was the quieter parts we liked best. And the animals, who really know how to create a traffic jam.

The sights

Our first day we got up early to beat the crowds so we wouldn’t have to worry about parking Layla. Quite the thrill to turn the corner and see steam rising in all directions.

Artist’s Paintpots

Well, first there was the 84-foot Gibbon Falls.

Once we got to the Paintpots, the whole thing was organized by a boardwalk and signs warning that too-curious hikers had been scalded to death.

Noted.

It wasn’t too busy when we drove in around 7 AM. When we got back to the parking lot an hour later, it was full.

Norris Geyser Basin

This collection of geysers ranged from quiet and green to blue and noisy.

Steamboat was the biggest of them all, with its namesake steam billowing up about 100 feet in the air. It’s been known to erupt every few years, but this year it erupted six times already. We didn’t stick around to see if it would that day, but we did check online later to make sure it hadn’t. Phew.

The Minute Geyser used to erupt every 60 seconds, but in 1948, tourists threw rocks in it, so now it’s clogged. Cool.

Apparently thermophiles and cyanobacteria are responsible for the colors (thanks Bri).

Mammoth Hot Springs

This whole area was more like a small town, with tons of little shops and places to eat.

A short walk took us to another planet, unless a hot tub dripping marshmallows actually exists somewhere.

Got back to Layla and saw four elk chilling in the middle grassy area. Elk are like the squirrels of Yellowstone; they’re everywhere and not afraid of humans at all.

Lamar Valley

This was an underrated part of Yellowstone, with hills, canyons, meadows, and mountains all in one continuous, gorgeous panorama. Saw all of the animals…

Including a coyote on the side of the road who was treating him/herself to a snack. Note: That’s not a style statement, he/she’s just molting.

We also went on a very windy half-mile nature walk with beautifully moody skies. We learned that the yellow flower we love might be stonecrop; the purple one is lupine.

It was… very windy.

Lamar River Trail, Lamar Valley

Our 5:15 AM wake-up call rewarded us with a pronghorn jumping across the road as soon as we got into the park.

Next up: a buffalo and mule deer party. Then a black bear in the distance crossing the meadow. We tried to catch up with it but didn’t quite make it. But no matter. It was gorgeous in its own right.

Each time we went over a ridge, we expected to see a glorious Jurassic Park-style migration of animals, but it never happened. However, the different patches of flowers kept us entertained while we kept saying “just one more ridge.”

Jess did have a close encounter with an Uinta ground squirrel. These guys were everywhere, and she accidentally stepped on one that would not get out of the way. It then promptly ran through Bri’s legs and is now likely telling his squirrel friends about his brush with death.

For the walk’s finale, some white-tailed deer tried to block our path.

But they eventually lost interest.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Though not as vast as the Arizona one, it certainly was grand.

Old Faithful

Got here right in time for the eruption. Faithful, indeed. But to be honest, it was a little underwhelming compared to everything else we’d seen in the park.

East Yellowstone

This side of the park is totally different than the rest. There are tons of dead trees, lots of neutral colors, not a lot of animals.

Pretty desolate. Though we did read about the 350-pound “Bear 104” who used to live over here, had eight cubs, and was beloved by tourists. So not completely devoid of life.

Details, details, details

McDonald’s breakfast is sometimes necessary. We unfortunately cannot use the drive-thru.

Lamar Valley was surprisingly empty of humans for how many animals we saw. You’d expect it to be as busy as Old Faithful, but it’s not at all.

Our best bear sighting was just after a hike. He was sitting like a human, right across the river. Minding his own business.

Also, check out those paws.

Buffalo rule Yellowstone. And they like to mess with the tourists by walking in the middle of the road. This one had hundreds of cars behind him.

The movie Office Christmas Party is worth owning. Even in the dead of summer.

Now we know

Yellowstone phone service is more like phantom phone service.

Sometimes parks kindly have oversized spots for RVs. When a Mini Cooper takes it, it can enrage one greatly.

We had our first air mattress guests: Bri’s brother, Doug, and our future sister-in-law, Sara. The whole setup took a bit longer than we wanted (15 min.), but everyone slept soundly.

Sometimes all you need to get up early is a little “Eye of the Tiger” blasting in the RV. At the very least, it’ll make everyone giggle.

The nook above the front seats is a great spot for naps.

The West Yellowstone Library is good spot to do work on the west side of Yellowstone. Free WiFi and a little outside area.

Roadfood

Just outside the west entrance to Yellowstone, Running Bear Pancake House fuels park visitors with warm cinnamon rolls, buttermilk pancakes, and eggs.

Where we stayed

Night one: Caribou-Targhee National Forest – Targhee Creek Trailhead

Just outside West Yellowstone, we drove into the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and off-roaded for one or two miles. Saw a ton of RVs in good spots, so felt good about finding one when Doug and Sara come. Ended up parking right at the Targhee Creek trailhead (not sure how kosher that is, but there was a campfire ring) and it was gorgeous.

GPS coordinates: 44.670477, -111.313152

Night two: Northeast Entrance/Mosquito Hell

This spot is about 10 miles from the northeast entrance of Yellowstone in the Shoshone National Forest. Though it’s home to gorgeous hills and is nice and secluded, the mosquitos are on a mission to kill.

GPS coordinates: 44.954423, -109.812151

Nights three, four, and five: Caribou-Targhee National Forest

This was the same area as the first Caribou-Targhee spot, but closer to the road and up on a hill with great views. It took us 20 minutes to get level, but gave us incredibly convenient access to Yellowstone. Was especially helpful to have a car to go into Yellowstone so we could leave Layla there.