Running from forest fires to steaming geysers
Last August we made an impromptu trip to Yellowstone Park. We ended up staying for over a week, hiking nearly thirty miles and snagging a couple nights at the normally sold out, historic Mammoth Springs hotel.
The original plan was to take a road trip from Seattle to Reno, Nevada for Hot August Nights. Muscle cars, classic rides, concerts and slot machines were on the agenda. Cute dresses and sparkly sandals were packed and the perfectly placed hotel on Virginia Street was booked.
The journey commenced.
Everything changed in Oregon. The disastrous forest fires consuming millions of acres on the west coast in August of 2018 was billowing skies of smoke that drifted and shifted as often as we refreshed our phone apps. The air in some of the towns we had planned to stay was climbing from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to downright “hazardous”.
Reno smoke was getting worse by the day and the cigarettes didn’t help.
We cut our losses and took a few hard turns on the interstates to cut over to Idaho, and then south, landing near Jackson, Wyoming. We discovered a brand new, steal-of-a-deal hotel in Victor, Idaho that was a short mountain pass to Jackson, the Parks and set down anchor for a week. By new hotel, we mean we were the first guests to stay in our room and had to navigate past a cement truck one morning as they poured the final piece of the parking lot. Perfect! The mountain pass to Jackson was easy in the snow-free summer months and came complete with frequent signs about how many moose had been killed on the highway that season.
We bought an annual Parks Pass at the entrance of Grand Teton and began our daily treks inside the Parks.
The first and most important tip about a visit to Yellowstone is to plan enough time. If you can spare it, plan more time than you think you’ll need.
What started out being a handful of “Must Sees” like Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring, quickly turned into an overwhelming list of “Can’t Miss”, as we studied the map and watched park road signs. In a park with well over two million acres, we realized there was no way to fulfill every turn off whim. Unless, of course, we planned to spend a couple of months. Or a lifetime.
After the jaw dropping colors of Grand Prismatic Spring, who wouldn’t want to stop at the Turquoise or Opal Pools, Emerald Springs or the Pearl Geyser?
A hike around the bubbling mudpots and waters of Artist Paint Pots whetted the appetite to visit more fiery named places like Dragon’s Mouth Spring, Roaring Mountain and Boiling River.
The adventure of discovering one of Earth’s most active hydrothermal areas is more than an educational and visual pursuit. The visit comes complete with Danger. Warning signs abound advising caution. Staying on boardwalks around the thin crusted, active earth is critical. The appeal of touching crystal clear blue water is tempered by sulfur smelling steam rolling off a nearby spring. Books fill the shelves of the gift shops about poor souls who have quickly perished or disappeared in the hot pools and pots.
The next most important tip is to plan to get out and walk. You’ll want to walk miles. We were always surprised at the daily distances we were logging without even thinking about it. While there are plenty of areas for slower or physically handicapped folks to get around, there are also more than 10,000 hydrothermal features throughout the park. Part of the adventure is finding a different perspective, or even an “undiscovered” feature.
Yellowstone has been protected since 1872 and was designated a federal wilderness area 100 years later in 1972. This means that the wildlife thrives and flourishes here.
The mention of Yellowstone is synonymous with visions of buffalo meandering down the roads and herds of elk dining on their evening grass.
Our trip didn’t disappoint. We saw pronghorns running beside buffalo herds. We heard the bellowing and snorting as we crouched by the sides of the roads. The locals (friendly park rangers) provide information on when and where the best viewings are. Or, you can just look for the regular cluster of parked vehicles along the road.
Viewing wildlife live, in their natural habitat, is a humbling experience.
In the age of screen oriented fantasy, Yellowstone offers a geographically stunning and real adventure.