Yellowstone NP: Final Blog

(2018 Alaska Ep 20)

By all accounts, Yellowstone is a great place to spend a day, a week or even longer.  It is unequaled in its scenery, thermal features, animals and much more.

We’ve compiled a list of our faves and not-so-faves.  The not-so-faves are not complaints, but reminders that Yellowstone is wild and remote and lacks some of the comforts of home.  These require some forethought and planning when visiting.

Faves

• (Pat) Wildlife
• (Ed) Great campgrounds (and hotels) throughout the park that allow visitors to be closer to the other faves.
• (Pat) Solitude – gives an undistracted chance to recognize and enjoy God’s amazing creation.
• (Ed) Snow-covered mountains and beautiful views throughout the park.
• (Pat) Hiking and biking trails that give an opportunity to exercise and to see things not seen from the main areas of the park.
• (Ed) The foresight of leaders 240+ years ago to create the park, and the National Park Service who maintain and manage the park and many others like it.
• (Pat) Geysers and other thermal features found only in a few places in the world.
• (Ed) Roads and facilities – in good shape overall considering the harshness of winter and heavy use by visitors.

Not-So-Faves

• (Pat) Crowds and traffic – we were in Yellowstone during Memorial Day weekend.  The park is busy through early September.
• (Ed) Weather – some facilities and parts of the park are closed/inaccessible until mid-June.  In addition, weather can quickly change, from sunny and cool to rainy/snowy and bitter cold.
• (Pat) Prices – gas, groceries, dining, souvenirs and camping fees are all much higher.
• (Ed) Drivers and pedestrians – you have to be continually watchful for drivers/persons excited to see wildlife who forget/ignore rules of the road and overall safety.
• (Ed) Connectivity – only a few areas have cell phone service.  Service is limited to voice calls only, data/Internet access is very slow or nonexistent (at least for Verizon).

The faves FAR OUTWEIGH the not-so-faves. We look forward to visiting Yellowstone again one day.

Perhaps the sign when leaving Roosevelt Lodge says it best…