| Yellowstone is the worlds first national park and one | | | | enough time as each stop to fully see every stop. |
| of the largest in the contiguous United States. | | | | The best place to stay when you go to Yellowstone, |
| Sprawling across volcanic plateaus in the northwest | | | | unless you are camping, is in Gardiner at the North |
| corner of Wyoming, Yellowstone contains more than 2 | | | | Entrance of the park. You can get picked up for you |
| million acres of steaming geysers, crystalline lakes, | | | | tour here and it is the most convenient entrance and |
| thundering waterfalls, and panoramic vistas. | | | | exit of the park. |
| Home to a remarkable diversity of mammals, birds and | | | | We elected to stay in the park one night at the |
| fish, it is one of the worlds foremost sanctuaries. Here | | | | Yellowstone Hotel. While it was nice staying in the |
| every season brings special wonders and each of the | | | | park, the hotel is very old and needs a lot of updating. |
| parks five regions offers you its own experience. | | | | We could actually hear every footstep of the people |
| For convenience purposes, Xanterra divides the park | | | | above us. Needless to say we did not sleep well. |
| into different regions, or countries. Mammoth Country | | | | When you leave the park, if you can, you should take |
| has fascinating thermal are and is home to elk, bison, | | | | the Northeast exit and go over Bear Pass. This road |
| and has an abundance of hot springs that have | | | | takes you to the main highway but after you go |
| formed travertine terraces. | | | | though the mountains and through some very, very |
| Geyser Country is home to Old Faithful, the worlds | | | | beautiful scenery. Taking this road in the winter is not |
| most famous geyser as well as other geysers and | | | | advisable. |
| fumaroles, mud pots, and hot springs. | | | | The park is open all year round, but in the winter many |
| Lake Country is the domain of the native cutthroat | | | | roads might be closed due to snow. |
| trout, osprey, bald eagles, moose, bison, and bear | | | | If you want to see bison/buffalo this is the park to do it. |
| which wander the coast of cold Yellowstone Lake. | | | | We actually got luck and saw them hanging around |
| Canyon Country features the Grand Canyon of | | | | the road. At night as we were driving to the hotel, they |
| Yellowstone, Hayden Valley and Lowe falls which is | | | | decided to start crossing the road right in front of us. |
| almost twice as high as Niagara Falls. This are houses | | | | We had to wait several minutes as they crossed. |
| elk, bison, and bear. | | | | These huge animals are really scary to see so close |
| Roosevelt Country revisits the Old West, where | | | | up. But it was an awesome adventure. |
| visitors can see a stage coach forge a stream, deer, | | | | Old Faithful is also a sight to see. It blows its top every |
| bison, or wolves in Lamar Valley. | | | | 90 minutes or so. You can check at the visitor center |
| Xanterra is the company that runs just about | | | | when the next eruption will be. It is kind of like the |
| everything in the park. If you want to stay at one of | | | | fountains at Bellagio in Las Vegas but without the |
| the hotels, lodges, or cabins in the park you have to go | | | | music, lights, and the water only goes in one direction. |
| through them. They also handle all the restaurants, | | | | The Hot Springs are really beautiful to see. And it is |
| general stores, and all other commercial activity in the | | | | amazing to see the animals living in such climates. If |
| park. | | | | you get real lucky you might see a bear or two. |
| We took a Xanterra tour called Yellowstone in a Day. | | | | Most of the park is inaccessible to cars since it is |
| And the tour was well worth it. Not only was the guide | | | | mostly forest and mountains. |
| very knowledgeable but the tour covered all the | | | | Everyone in the family will get a kick out of this park. |
| highlights on the park. Amazingly it also gave us | | | | |