The Truth About Beautiful Northern Yellowstone National Park

 

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be”.

Douglas Adams

 

We woke up early in the morning so that we could get to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park before the sun climbed above the golden rolling hills. From Bozeman, Montana the drive is about one and a half hours past the north entrance to the small town of Mammoth. If you want to see wildlife then you leave early. We live by this rule.

 

Our original plan included a day trip south through Yellowstone National Park then into the Grand Tetons National Park. We knew it would be a long day but worthwhile.  

 

Soon after our entrance into Yellowstone National Park one unforeseen thing after another drastically changed our plans. On the contrary, we did not miss out on the Tetons because of what we discovered instead.

 

Yellowstone National Park North Entrance

 

We envisioned the North entrance just like everyone else who visits Yellowstone National Park. Overfilled with excitement and anxious to see its unique natural wonders and wildlife. Just like you, we picture wildlife filling each mile of western landscapes in our minds as we get closer to the entrance. 

 

Next up, we hoped to see the park’s iconic brown building with its small entrance gates sheltering the park rangers as they lean out the window to greet you. We expected a similar grand entrance like in West Yellowstone where we usually enter. This signals the beginning of the park visit you dreamed about before you left.

 

Instead, we drove through the small town of Gardiner, Montana to its southern outskirts. Sad to say but road construction made us bypass the acclaimed 1903 Roosevelt Arch. We could see it close-up since the bypass turned a few yards before you drive through it. In reality, it’s still not the same as entering under the famous archway.  Part of the Yellowstone experience is driving under Roosevelt Arch.

 

Following the Roosevelt Arch, one small brown ranger building sat in the middle of both lanes. Not the grand entrance or landscape we expected. However, we did see new construction beginning where a much nicer entrance will be before too long. 

 

See The Historic Small Town Of Mammoth

Now, yellow gleams of the morning sun began painting a warm scene in the small town of Mammoth. Historic buildings showcased a pleasing contrast of golden light and shadows throughout Mammoth. Before too long clouds and snow took over for the rest of the day.

 

Between loitering elk and the absence of visitors Mammoth created a small downtown scene where you want to visit time after time. But, you need to go early to experience this. We were there even before the rangers came to work.

 

Tips: 

• Drive through Mammoth to see Fort Yellowstone and historic buildings.  

• Take a tour of Fort Yellowstone

• We mailed postcards at the Post Office so they would have the Yellowstone National Park stamp. Check first because of recent changes within the USPS they might not do this anymore.

 

The Best Ways To See Mammoth Hot Springs

Take the time to walk and drive through Mammoth Hot Springs.

 

Lower Terrace and Upper Terrace are two easy boardwalks covering less than two miles with only about 300 feet of elevation difference.

 

Beside the parking area or Grand Loop Road, you will see the Lower Terrace Boardwalk over the hot springs. Here, feel the warmth, walk through steam, smell the sulfur, hear bubbling water, and see the geological formations from below.  

 

At the beginning of the Lower Terrace Boardwalk, see Liberty Cap, a 37-foot high dormant mineral formation. This short boardwalk takes you over the mineral spring and closer to the travertine formations. Take note of the white, brown, orange, and green mixed colors in the travertine formation.

 

You can find the Upper Terrace Boardwalk at the Upper Terrace Drive and parking lot. Experience more formations closely from this boardwalk. We drove through but only walked to some of the observation points from parking areas. When we have more time I would like to walk the whole length because of its different formations and colors. For the most part, you will feel like you’re walking on the surface of another planet.

 

Don’t Miss The Upper Terrace Drive

 

If you want an out-of-this-world drive then take the 1.5 miles long Upper Terrace Drive. Expect to see many distinctive mineral formations and hot springs along this one-way winding road. Even if Upper Terrace Road is packed with vehicles you need to drive through to see these extraordinary geological formations. In this spot, see what naturally happens inside the earth but displayed outside at Mammoth Hot Springs. 

 

Keep in mind, large vehicles like motorhomes and trailers are not allowed but can park nearby with easy access to the boardwalks.  

 

If you prefer a wheelchair-accessible view of the hot springs then enter the Upper Terrace Drive to Orange Spring Mound then to the accessible parking area. From there you can take the short boardwalk to an exhibit.

 

Public restrooms sit in the middle of a parking area before Mammoth Hot Springs. Each time we visited, the restrooms were super clean and well-staffed.

A Road Closure Wiped Out Our Visit To The Tetons

 

Our plan took another hit after we continued driving past Mammoth Hot Springs. The Grand Loop Road going south just closed at Mammoth Corral Road minutes before we arrived. We talked to the park ranger putting up barricades and learned why. New double-wide trailers for ranger summer housing needed to be moved into place several miles down the Grand Loop Road.

 

Congrats to the summer staff because they badly need upgraded housing, but right this minute? In our opinion, moving them at night seems like a brilliant idea. Instead, it is early morning with an eager line of vehicles waiting to flood one of our busiest national parks.

 

Now, a long line of traffic formed behind us. After talking to the ranger we turned around and decided to see what we could find driving east on Grand Loop Road.  

Another Obstacle On Grand Loop Road

 

On the right, before the Tower/Roosevelt Service Station and the Beartooth Highway, look for the road with the Petrified Tree. Park at the end of this short road then take a small walk to the standing petrified tree trunk. You can get an up-close look, granted a short fence surrounds it.

 

We stopped at the Tower/Roosevelt Service Station where the Beartooth Highway begins, otherwise known as the NE Entrance Road, or Highway 212. Although the service station was already closed for the season, the restrooms were still open. Want a mind-blowing experience for kids? Take them over to the pay phone in the parking area to see if they know how to work it.

Then we spotted another obstacle.

 

The Grand Loop Road closed here due to road construction. Again, another road closure on our Yellowstone visit. Plus, the constant flow of dump trucks driving way too fast both ways started to get annoying.  

 

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Giving The Beartooth Highway Another Chance

Since we have tried but failed many times to take the Beartooth Highway, we decided again to give it a go. Kristi has driven on it many years ago, but I have never been. I dreamed of this panoramic drive since I was a kid.  

 

The scenic Beartooth Highway opens for a few months each summer but we can never make it during this time. Mainly, because we don’t enjoy traveling during the summer months for several reasons. First, we avoid crowds. Second, we prefer to travel in cooler seasons. Given this, both off and shoulder seasons make the perfect time for us to take a road trip.  On the other hand, heavy snow and treacherous mountain roads cause Beartooth Highway to close during these months.

 

We knew we had a slim chance of making it, but we wanted to see how far we could drive before the road closed anyway.  

 

Before the Beartooth Highway’s elevation begins to rise into the mountains it stretches through the Lamar Valley. We drove all alone through miles of Lamar Valley’s golden prairies with the Lamar River meandering next to the road. Until A bison appeared.

One bison stood by himself in the river beside the road. He seemed to be the only animal in sight for miles. Of course, we pulled over on the side of the road with a few other vehicles that arrived before us.  

 

Lamar Buffalo Ranch

Ironically, this bison hung out down the road from the Lamar Buffalo Ranch. To point out, Lamar Buffalo Ranch has a place in history as the birthplace of wildlife conservation. Without any regulations, western bison were killed in the 1800s and almost vanished from Yellowstone’s region. In 1901 only 25 bison were counted in the entire park so congress needed to act in order to protect them. Congress appropriated 15,000 dollars to boost the bison herd. This money allowed them to purchase 21 bison from private owners to breed within the existing Yellowstone herd.  

 

Presently, the bison population numbers in the thousands and have become one of the best herds in North America.

 

Specifically, Lamar Buffalo Ranch was the home for this initial wildlife preservation program. For this reason, the ranch made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Now, the ranch is fully restored and still in operation as a base camp for educational field classes and seminars. You need to check it out.  

 

Also, the Lamar Buffalo Ranch still maintains its status for wildlife preservation and management.

 

Another key point to remember is the Lamar Buffalo Ranch remains off-the-grid. Keep this in mind if you volunteer at this fully restored and operational ranch since the ranch practices sustainability.  

 

Would you like to stay at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch and volunteer? Get more information here.

 

Heavy Snow Makes Beartooth Highway Beautiful

  

Driving on this road made us happy. Soon, deep green pine trees thickly lined both sides of the road creating a relaxing drive. Coupled with heavy white snow sitting on the ground and on each branch, this could have easily been an art scene hanging on your wall.

We made it fifty miles to Cooke City, Montana in heavy snow. Naturally, as we drove higher in elevation snow piled up more. We turned around at the very end of town because the snowplows stopped plowing any further. Overall, driving this far on Beartooth Highway made us happy due to the fact that we love driving in the mountains, especially in the snow. This is our happy place.

 

I promise, one day we will drive the Beartooth Highway the entire way. Stay tuned!

 

After we turned around we decided to leave Yellowstone National Park. After all, the only way out was the same way in. All other roads had closed for different reasons. We quickly made our way out. We read about Gallatin Petrified Forest in the Tom Miner Basin and we were anxious to see it. Going north again back to Bozeman made a perfect day trip for us.

 

Wildlife To See In Northern Yellowstone National Park

Bison

 

We saw more bison on this trip to Yellowstone than normal. Granted, only within the short distance of eighteen miles between Mammoth Hot Springs and Highway 212.  

 

We knew when a herd of bison came into view because a cluster of stopped cars appeared with people pointing beside the road. Some of the herds were next to the road while others were much further away. Occasionally, a single bison would be alone without any others in sight for miles.

 

Once, we missed a herd of bison crossing the road in front of us by a minute. We followed plenty of bison rear ends meandering beside the road after this.

 

Several touring companies hauled their vanload of passengers back and forth trying to get as close to wildlife as possible. Their sense of urgency made relaxing wildlife viewing stressful because they quickly hit the brakes then pulled off the road. Next, the driver and passengers exited quickly, almost pushing each other out the side door in a hurry to see the bison. A vanload of tourists, tripods, and cameras rapidly became more important than those of us who showed up first to calmly watch wildlife. What annoyed us the most was how noisy each group was and how they stood in front of others. 

 

Coyotes

We saw a coyote running towards us on the right side at Blacktail Road, so we stopped to wait for it to cross the road. Fortunately, as we came from a straightaway, I noticed no cars or dump trucks following us so, we stopped to let it pass. I normally would not recommend this here since it is at a big curve in the road and dump trucks had been going much faster than the speed limit. Although, I nervously kept checking the rearview mirror just to make sure.

 

The coyote slowed down a little in front of us as he was sniffing a scent. We watched as it crossed the road in front of us then continued up the hill on the left until it ran out of sight.

 

Elk

 

We spotted several herds of elk throughout the park. In the town of Mammoth and at Mammoth Hot Springs, elk hung out everywhere. Mammoth’s only residents this early in the morning were elk. Before too long, jostling crowds of tourists will show up forcing the elk to move away from town. The best time to see them this close is early morning as the sun comes up. 

 

In our opinion, people walked too close and the elk didn’t seem scared. Someone could easily have been hurt. For your own safety make sure you stay at the recommended distance, or even further since they can instantly become aggressive.

 

We parked, then walked up to the Albright Visitor Center and Museum in downtown Mammoth. Through the parking lot and sidewalks we dodged elk poop the whole way. We entered the park before rangers started working at the gates so we were looking for park information but couldn’t find any.

 

In all directions, elk populated downtown Mammoth. They hung out on the lawns like they owned the place.

 

We saw more elk in Yellowstone this time than any other. We came across many herds on the Grand Loop Road in between Mammoth and Highway 212. This must be a good section of the park to see wildlife since several sightseeing tour vans constantly roamed this stretch of the road.

 

In one elk herd, two males were playing and locking horns. Nothing serious though. We stopped in the middle of the road and watched them for over ten minutes until they calmed down. A few other cars showed up but we had front row seats since we were there first.  

 

This is an excellent example of why you should leave early for the best chance to see wildlife by yourself. If you’re lucky you can hear the males bugling too.

 

Bighorn Sheep

 

Look for bighorn sheep off of Highway 89 on the cliffs of the Gardner River. Specifically, where a small bridge crosses the Gardner River in Gardner Canyon. Here, you will find a small pull-off next to the bridge. The bighorn sheep blend in with the color of the cliff well so slow down or pull off to see them. This is a good place to view them closer than you normally can in the wild.

 

Final Thoughts

One obstacle after another could have wrecked our plans for the day. We adjusted each time and chose not to let disappointment control our attitude.  Prepare your trip to Yellowstone with plenty of options just in case all doesn’t go as planned. Keep in mind, the park is large enough to allow a lot of flexibility during your visit.

 

That being said, we saw tons of wildlife and made great memories along this route.  For us, seeing wildlife is a big deal. On that account, Yellowstone National Park is perfect for this. We have been to Yellowstone many times with different results. Each visit turns out different from the other. Several times wildlife has been abundant while once we didn’t even see a squirrel.

 

Our time in northern Yellowstone National Park can be best summed up by this quote from Bob Bitchin. Honestly, a real person.

“ Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.”

Bob Bitchin

 

Thanks for reading The Truth About Beautiful Northern Yellowstone National Park.

Tom and Kristi