Visiting Yellowstone: The Good and the Bad
What I Learned About Visiting This Excellent Park for the First Time
This summer, I took my kids on a road trip to visit family and to experience life. Since I had never been to Yellowstone National Park before, I decided to stop by and visit. During my first time visiting the park, I had a great time, but not everything about the park was rosy. Here are some of the good and bad things about my trip; if you are visiting soon, perhaps you can learn from my experience.
Yellowstone is Very Big
I had been to several national parks before, but I never realized how big Yellowstone really was. There are several main campground areas in the park, and they are all about 15 miles away from each other. At 45 miles per hour tops, it can take a while to travel. I almost ran out of gas my first night there, when I got lost in a thunderstorm and missed my turn. During my four days there, I only was able to see about half of the park.
Yellowstone is Very Popular
Yellowstone is very popular, so make sure that you plan ahead. The park was full on the day that I arrived, and I ended up spending $175 for a hotel room that night. It was one of the last rooms available. I was able to get a camping spot the next morning, but the campground filled up by about 9:30 AM. You might want to make reservations.
Wildlife Viewing Here is Great
There are many opportunities to see animals at Yellowstone. I was able to see bison, a grizzly bear, elk, and other smaller animals. If you really want to see wildlife, stop at any "wildlife jams" that you encounter. When a large animal is visible from the roadside, people will stop their cars and pull over to look. This can sometimes cause a massive slowdown in traffic, but they also give you a great opportunity to see wildlife up close. Don't get too close though: when I saw the grizzly bear, there were people standing within a few yards of the bear. Bears and bison can charge, so you don't want to get too close.
Although I didn't enjoy getting lost in a thunderstorm or nearly running out of gas, I enjoyed my first time visiting Yellowstone, and I would love to go back.
Published by Brooke Lorren
Brooke Lorren is a freelance content producer living in central Arizona; she has been writing for over 10 years and has created over 1000 articles, blog posts, and web sites. She has also helped her husband... View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentI would like to go to Yellowstone some day :) cheers!