This year take a vacation that will be a great adventure – or a relaxing retreat. Yellowstone Park became the world’s first national park in 1872 and has something for everyone. With roadways leading from Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, you can enjoy all four seasons in a single day during certain times of the year! Pack shorts, a sweater, sandals and boots –then hit the road!
There are three great sight-seeing loops on the way to Yellowstone: East Yellowstone Loop is 256 miles around (Idaho); Big Horn Mountain Loop is 204 miles (Montana); Big Horn Basin Loop is 257 miles (Wyoming). Yellowstone Lake has over 100 miles of shoreline and is one of the world’s largest natural freshwater lakes. The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail is one of the top two trails in America. Snow coach tours are available for families or larger groups.
If you are visiting from Idaho, take time to enjoy Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, a great place for fly fishing. Stay in a ranch or guest house in the Island Park region where you can ski or snowmobile in the winter and fish in the summer. Railroad Ranch offers daily tours that show life from the early 1900s and Harriman’s rents horses for summer trail rides and has sleigh rides in the winter.
If you travel from Wyoming, visit Atlantic City, a surviving ghost town with saloons, restaurants and old gold mines, on the way to the Park. Pan for gold at the South Pass State Historic Site. See Indian Petroglyphs and interesting rock formations while exploring Castle Gardens. The Wind River Indian Reservation has a natural thermal hot spring suitable for swimming. And don’t forget to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum (www.bbbc.org) on the way for a look back to the old West.
Everyone visits Old Faithful, the Park’s geyser that sprays year round, but there are plenty of other activities to pursue during your visit. Entrance fees are around $20.00 per car for 7 days or you can purchase a Golden Eagle Passport for around $50.00 which is good all year long. Motorcycle fees are a little lower and there is a reduced-price senior citizen Golden Age passport available for a one-time charge for those 62 and older. Leave your pets at home: they are not allowed on trail or in the backwoods and there are no kennels at the Park.
Fishing, hiking, rafting, biking and horseback riding are just some of the exhilarating outings you can find here…all while viewing spectacular scenery. Be sure to stop in at a ranger station or a visitor center to get the permit you will need, along with other vital information before starting your day. Be sure to take plenty of food and water with you.
Just three of the many wonderful sights to see:
- Be sure to visit Lamar Valley which is home to the largest population of small and large mammals in the lower 48 states. More than 40,000 elk and hundreds of grizzly bear live in the greater Yellowstone region – you’ll see them everywhere.
- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center shows them in their natural habitat that also has daily bird-of-prey exhibitions.
- Tower Falls – 132 foot majestic waterfall that has a hiking trail to the bottom and freezes in the winter!
Whether you want to relax or have an active vacation, Yellowstone Park will be one the most rewarding vacation you ever take.
99 Things to do in Yellowstone Country
Wind River Country vacation packet
