Yellowstone is one of the most infamous national parks in the US, and this summer we passed through for a beautiful evening on our way to South Dakota.
To be fair, we had planned to stay longer, but little did we know that a snow storm, hail, and an avalanche were in store! That’s also the reason why all my shots are of our first afternoon in the park - as we drove out I was too busy watching the weather and navigating to snap any photos!
Ah, Yellowstone - a national park sitting at the nexus of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The park is famous for its incredible geothermal activity. I think at some point most people have heard of Old Faithful, the giant geyser that erupts like clockwork multiple times a day in the heart of the park. However, beyond Old Faithful there are numerous side stops and short hikes to take to view an abundance of other geothermal sites.
Here’s the marker as we entered!
I made @ukuleletutorials stop to get a picture. ;)
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Yellowstone is huge. This trip reminded me of that.
It takes hours to drive through the park. We entered at the West Entrance and drove south to camp in Grant Village, stopping along the way to take in the sights. We bypassed Old Faithful, thinking we’d return in the morning. However, when we woke up with nearly 2 inches of snow on our tent and no respite in sight, we decided to abbreviate our trip and head out of the park!
Initially we planned to exit at the East entrance, but when we got there in the storm we were turned away because of an avalanche that had just happened! So off we went through rain, hail, and sleet to find our way to the Northeast entrance, and ultimately to South Dakota all in one day. It was a bit of an adventure, to say the least.
One of our first stops was a lovely boardwalk leading out to some incredible geothermal activity.
It was nippy out when we went, and blustery (in hindsight, perhaps we should have known a storm was brewing) so the steam was easy to see and beautifully windswept across the watery flats.
Yellowstone park officials have invested in beautiful, sturdy boardwalks that guide visitors over the geothermal flats.
Without these park features, we’d never be able to get close enough to see all the beauty waiting out there! I’m always so impressed by the work that our national parks do to preserve the environment and share it with the public sustainably.
Blurry shot of a steaming vent in the distance.
Although this came out a bit blurry, there’s something I really like about the textures and colors in this snap!
Steam trailing across the flats.
More steam, more geothermal mud, more loveliness in the great outdoors.
Closeup of a vent!
This is the best close-up my phone could handle. As I do more and more of these posts, I’m tempted to swap into better photo equipment in the future - it would sure be nice to have high resolution zoom beyond what an iPhone can muster.
And now, a series of panoramas that make my heart melt - just look at all those incredible natural colors!
None of these photos are filtered, and the amazing color combinations created by natural chemistry are awesome. I can’t wait to go back to Yellowstone to explore at greater length and see even more of these features. With the scale and grandeur of the park, I’d like to spend at least 3-4 days thoroughly exploring.
Here I captured the wind playing across the water.
Tiny little waves are captured running across the flats, I thought the effect was rather lovely.
And lastly, a beautiful waterfall falling into the river.
Here a freshwater source combines with geothermal activity, creating a unique and special environment.
And that’s all for today - we’ll be sure to get back to Yellowstone to see more of its amazing features. Have you ever been? What did you see?
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Wow @lilyraabe. Definitely an adventure to say the least. You're pictures are breathtaking. I had to go to Jackson Hole, WY a week for work, sadly I didn't have daylight hours to go to the gate or any of the main parts of the park. Seeing the Tetons snow-covered was very cool. You definitely took one of the most scenic routes we have.
It was definitely scenic - we didn’t intend to drive quite so much but the outcome was that we ended up seeing a lot of the park. That view of the Tetons sounds great! Hope you can get back there soon with more time to relax and explore!
This is such a lovely post. The nature there is beautiful. I didn't know that Yellowstone was so nice. I thought it was just a forest with wild animals - I'm sorry for my ignorance :)
I love that geothermal activity. It must be an amazing experience to see it with your own eyes.
Thank you for sharing! I have enjoyed the photos and your descriptions as well :)
Thank you for stopping by! Amazing to see it, and amazing to smell it -- all that sulphur makes it all smell a lot like eggs haha. <3
Yeaaaaa Yellowstone!! Been a couple of times and loved it each time. The smell of sulphur (yes I'm from the UK) and the grand prismatic spring are trademarks of the park. There's always a herd of hundreds of bison to be wary of as you enter the park but loved it.
The altitude is quite high considering it's flat, something like 8,000ft? I remember struggling with some of the hikes we did out there in 2014 because of that but yea, brought back nice memories. Old Faithful always on time :)
So glad this brought back memories. The bison are amazing aren’t they? When we went, there was one bison walking down the other side of the road who had managed to back up about 30 cars who had no other option but to follow him as he slowly walked through the park. Truly hilarious.
It's incredible, such a powerful animal and you don't want to get too close to them! Haha that sounds about right. Fear for the guy who was first in line there!
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Haha, right? That had to be a funny experience for them!
Don't laugh at me but... can people swim in there? :)
I don’t think that would be a good plan. Small amounts of sulphur are okay - like natural hot springs and whatnot - but I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t be good (and also way too hot because you can see where the mud is actually boiling in some places!).
@lilyraabe WOW lovely place!! I wish to go visit sometime. 😍
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Oh, if you ever get a chance you must, thank you so much for the support!
We have something similar like this in our country but we call it hot spring. The water is really hot that it could boil an egg and the sulphur smell is really strong.
I think what you have is way more larger than what we have here.
And that it's turn into a park and a tourist attraction, that's really good
I think its basically the same idea! We have hot springs in the US too (they are AWESOME, I wish I could sit in one everyday!). I don’t think this area is particularly good for bathing -- but it does smell strongly like sulphur!
These shots are fabulous! I would love to go there one day :)
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Thank you so much for stopping by to support! I appreciate it.
You took some really really nice photos and the park looks absolutely amazing. Hopefully, one day I will get the chance to fly over the ocean and visit it. 💚
If you get a chance you gotta - it’s a really beautiful area. Sometimes the really “famous” landmarks a little underwhelming, but Yellowstone most definitely holds up. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey @lilyraabe
Absolutely stunning pictures. It looks like a brilliant place to visit and explore. Definitely on my list if I can get back to the States one day.
Nice job.
Gaz
I’m so glad you enjoyed the shots and got to add a new place to your travel list! :)
If I ever go back to visit the USA it would be to see Yellowstone! Fabulous shots! Love it
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Thank you so much! and if you get the chance, you must. :)
Geothermal activitiy is fascinating. One day, perhaps I'll bet to Yellowstone or to New Zealand. Great photos and sorry your trip was cut short, @lilyraabe, but better safe than sorry!
Thanks so much for checking it out! I guess now I just have a reason to go back. ;) I would love to see some of the geothermal sites in NZ, dreamy!
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Yellow Stone and that whole part of the country is so beautiful.
I wanted to do a family reunion in Montana once but my Mother-in-law felt it was too dangerous due to the bears. lol #steemitbloggers
Haha, that’s funny - sometime if you can you should definitely try to go! Appreciate the support, and thank you for stopping by. :)
:) you are welcome...
wow, nice pictures!
its so nice there is a bridge where visitors can walk on to look around.
were you by yourself? i mean i dont see people there, it is open for public right?
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Hey there - it’s open for the public - but I think cuz it was chilly and blustery when we went there weren’t as many people. I was also waiting for a few folks to move here and there to snap shots that were just landscape. :)
Ohhhh this is sooo awesome to see! Although I have never been (yet) I have a thing for Yellowstone (and super-volcanoes in general). Such gorgeous photos! Ty for allowing me to injoy a peek of your fantastical journey!!! Cheers!!
You’re so welcome, glad you enjoyed - and if you get a chance to go do it! It’s such an awesome place.
Never been to Yellowstone before, but your pictures do make me realize I did miss something back there in the USA. 🙈 I loved the geothermal activity in Iceland and New Zealand, think I would love it here to. The smell of Sulphur is something unique and very strange.
Is there 1 geyser or are there more? Hopefully the next time you guys will meet Yellowstone again you guys have a longer stay I want more pictures!
Thanks so much for checking it out! There’s Old Faithful - the really big geyser - and then there’s tons of little ones. Also boiling mud pits and cascading sulphuric waterfalls and all sorts of nifty stuff. I need more time next time for sure!
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Sweet! Need to get back out there sometime. :)
Yes, exactly how I feel. Thanks for stopping by.
Looks like quite a place to get warm
totally - the steam was really nice (especially with all the cold air outside)!
In awe of nature
It is beautiful even with no filter
Thank you for taking us with you 😊
Thanks for stopping by to support the journey. :)
It was a pleasure ;)
Nice post and cool photos. Always wanted to go to Yellowstone, maybe someday!!!
Definitely go if you can, and also thanks for stopping by to offer your support. :)
wow, great post and it is really in detail. cheers
Thank you so much for stopping by to support it! :)
My pleasure
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Yellowstone is one of my favorite National Parks. Thanks for reminding me of the beauty and uniqueness of it. I had somehow forgotten (mostly). Your images remind me that it's been too long since I've been out that way. I'll have to plan a trip soon. Thanks for the incredible photos of an amazing place.
My favorite part of the park was the wildlife. It was pretty incredible seeing entire herds of buffalo chilling in the road while all the tourists waited patiently for them to move. Those animals are so much larger than you realize from a photograph.
The bison are HUGE! The last time I went I was just driving through on a high school trip so my memories were pretty foggy - definitely a great reminder of how gorgeous it all actually is!
Did you get to see any wolves, bear, or moose? The wildlife is so neat out there, and they aren't very shy of people.
Spectacular. Those vents look very majestic and I like how they built broadwalks for you to actually walk nearer. Lovely pictures and best of all, without filters!!! Thank you for sharing this, @lilyraabe :)
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Thanks so much for checking it out! The colors were pretty spectacular - nature is always a source of incredible combinations! Thanks for the support.
Nice shots of an awesome piece of nature, Thanks for sharing it in #steemitbloggers.
Thank you so much for coming over to check it out! Yellowstone surely is a wonder. :)
You are most welcome, my pleasure indeed.