RV There Yet?: West Yellowstone, Montana & Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Our trip to Yellowstone was a "two-fer" that is two states for the price of one visit. We were able to mark off Montana and Wyoming with one stop. At this point, I'm all about checking the states off the list. LOL

Tom and the kids at the Yellowstone entrance.

We arrived in West Yellowstone on Kaitlyn's 11th birthday. I pointed out to her that she had breakfast in Idaho then lunch in Montana and then spent the afternoon in Wyoming! Exploring Yellowstone was a great way to celebrate her birthday.

We stayed at the Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park which is only four blocks from the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It was super convenient and the campground was really nice. When we come back to Yellowstone, we will definitely be staying here again.

Yellowstone scenery.

Yellowstone was an incredible place to visit. I can't decide what was more exciting, the beauty of the scenery with the wild animals sprinkled throughout the park or the geysers and hot springs.

Once minute we were driving along and bam there would be a huge elk or bison grazing next to the road. Then the next minute we would stop and hike a path to some geysers and hot springs that were so different than anything I've ever seen. Sometimes it felt like we were walking on another planet.

We saw lots of cow elk (female elk) and a few bull elk (male elk). We had been in the park for less than 20 minutes and we saw three cow elk grazing across a river so we stopped to take some photos. The kids and I were walking ahead of Tom who had the camera and then all of a sudden we heard what sounded like a couple of sacks of potatoes dropped on the ground. Sure enough, it was Tom. He had stepped in a prairie dog hole and twisted his ankle and fell.

For the record, I did not ask him 1. "Did you fall down?" or 2. "Did that hurt?" which is what usually tumbles out of my mouth before I can stop my lips from moving (much to Tom's irritation).

Being the trooper that he is, Tom got up and took the picture so I thought I better post it here in the blog.

Three cow elk grazing at Yellowstone National Park.

Unfortunately, we did not see any moose or bears. Lots of people we talked to said they had seen bears but we never did (which is sort of OK with me). Besides, the cow elk, we saw bull elk, bison and on the last morning we saw two wolves trotting off from the road into the woods. Here are few of the pic for you to enjoy.

A bull elk snacking behind a fallen tree.

A bison sunning along the side of the road.

A wolf running for the woods.

We also watched a bison swim across a river and emerge on the other side. Tom and I both thought it was a rock in the middle of the river until we notice it moving swiftly across the river, perpendicular to the current. We didn't know that bison could swim!?! Sure enough, he climbed out of the river, shock off and decided to eat some breakfast.

A bison emerging from the river.

There are signs all over the park saying things think "Wild animals are dangerous. Do not approach." Which we both shook our heads at and said that it's a shame that they actually have to post that. But I have to admit, when a huge bison or elk is just yards away on the side of the road, it is so easy to get swept up in the moment that you forget these are wild animals that could very easily kill you.

I probably wouldn't forget that detail if I was watching a bear but the bison, elk and, I imagine, the moose are so serene. It almost seems impossible that they would attack. But they would and do every year. We were lucky other than Tom's twisted ankle and some mosquito bites, we explored the park without incident.

The other dangerous thing about Yellowstone are the geysers and hot springs. I was amazed at how each spring or geyser was slightly different. They were such an assault on the senses too. Some of them smelled like rotten eggs. You could see the vibrant colors and feel the hot steam alternating with the cool breezes. And the sounds were just amazing. Some of the vents sounded like the devil himself was exhaling from the bowels of hell.

Andrew and Kaitlyn posing at a hot spring.

A geyser starts to blow.

Another steamy hot spring.

A bison naps by a bubbling mud pot.

We absolutely loved it here and are already planning our return trip! I f I haven't bored you enough already, here are just a few more shots of our stay at Yellowstone.