Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park is one of those places that has to be seen to be believed, and believed to be seen. Yellowstone was discovered by the famous mountain man, John Colter, in the winter of 1808. The stories he told of the beautiful hot springs and geysers that were active in the dead of winter seemed too unbelievable to his colleagues, causing them to name, what is now Yellowstone, as Colter’s Hell. There aren’t as many picturesque mountain vistas to look at from Yellowstone NP as there are from Grand Teton or Glacier NP. But don’t let that discourage you as Yellowstone has its own unique beauty. John and I enjoyed Yellowstone so much we took two trips to see it. 

The Grand Prismatic spring and the other beautiful hot springs, colored so uniquely by thermophilic bacteria, are some of the most incredible sights that one can imagine. You may hear some say that once you’ve seen one geyser, you’ve seen them all. Which may be true for some but for me each geyser blast was just as unique as the first. As someone who has seen the Grand Canyon, I can attest that the massive canyon below Yellowstone falls has a similar nostalgic feel to it. And Yellowstone falls is something unlike anything else I’ve ever been able to witness. At the falls there’s a trail that brings you down to an overlook of the falls. The trail is incredibly steep, but provides for an extravagant viewing point of the falls. 

The problem with visiting Yellowstone that John and I encountered is that there is so much to do that you have to spend almost 2 full days in the park. Which is kind of distracting if you’re trying to squeeze Grand Teton National Park in that weekend as well! The biggest things we’d recommend making for time for at Yellowstone are: The Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful, Yellowstone falls, Yellowstone Lake, and Mammoth Hot Springs. Something to keep in mind is that you have to pay for entrance into Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. Entrance into each park is $30 and your pass lasts a week, so if you plan on or think you will be making multiple trips to the parks it’s likely worth buying an annual pass for $70 which gives you unlimited entrances to any national park (Possibly with the exception of Glacier) for a year.  

Grand Teton NP can sometimes be thought of as the little brother to Yellowstone which I think is an absolute injustice. If explored properly Grand Teton NP can be just as fun and beautiful as Yellowstone NP. Unfortunately, John and I did not have the time to fully explore the park. But the good thing about Grand Teton is you can explore the whole park in about 1 day. The biggest attractions we would recommend are Jenny Lake, exploring Jackson Lake, and stopping at the overlook of the Grand Tetons off highway 191. John and I thought it would be nice to see the sunset at Jenny Lake but we realized pretty quickly that was a mistake since you’re so close to the mountains. Instead, if you’re trying to watch the sun set over the Grand Tetons the two places, we’d recommend watching from are either the overlook on Highway 191 OR the Bridge right at the Jackson Lake Dam.  

In terms of wildlife, you can expect to see a bunch of Buffalo, especially in the Eastern section of Yellowstone between Yellowstone Lake and Yellowstone falls. John and I were lucky enough to see a big bull elk, some mule deer, a grizzly bear, and some big horn sheep on travels through the parks. As the weather changes and gets colder the animals, especially the elk, moose and sheep will begin moving to lower elevations, so you may see more or less animals on your trip depending on what time of year you’re there.