Explore Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park covers over 2,219,789 acres of land. That is over two million acres of pure awesomeness waiting for you to explore and burn some calories. At Yellowstone you will find loads of bison, elf, deer, moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, bear, cougars, wolves, 322 species of birds and 16 species of fish. It’s a wildlife wonder and we haven’t even touched on its geology. 

Yellowstone is home to one of the world’s largest calderas. It has more than 300 geysers, the world’s largest petrified forest, over 290 waterfalls, the remarkable Grand Prismatic and unlimited picturesque views. 

Your experience at Yellowstone will be different than any else’s, but you will come away with the same enjoyment as the millions of people that visit it every single year. There aren’t many places in the world where you have to stop your car while driving because 40 bison need to cross the road. There also aren’t many places where you can trout fish on the banks of a river while a bison lays on the same bank soaking up the sun. It’s truly a wild place.

When we entered the park for our first ever trip to Yellowstone, we stopped to take a picture of the sign (because you basically have to do that). Immediately we see a massive rack … and by rack I mean antlers. We’re at national park, people. Stay focused. As we continue into the park, at the very next bend in the road we encounter a bison … walking in the road as cars pass him, like he’s got some place to be and needs the highway to get there (see pic below). At that point we knew we were in a pretty special place.

We made many observations from out first hour or two in the park that are very memorable. Outside of the rack (stay focused) and the bison upon entering, we also noticed the trees that stretched for miles were dead. And I don’t mean a few patches. It was as if Scar from the Lion King decided to make this the Pride Lands. I mean, it was dead. Come to found out it was a bug infestation, but it’s part of the ecosystem and will grow back.

From the bison to the geysers, the hot springs, the hikes and all the amazing scenery, Yellowstone is a bit of magical place that you can only really understand once you’ve experienced it. The pace getting from one place to another is slow, everyone is slow, everything is slow, but it’s perfect and it’s refreshing. The world, at least in this one section of the planet, is taking its time and no one is rushing it. If you need a getaway destination where you can slow things down and enjoy the world around you, Yellowstone National Park has you covered

Full disclosure … the internet and phone reception stink in a lot of places. I live on and love my electronics and I proudly admit it. The bad reception is manageable and can be worked around, but sometimes you just have to send an email or upload a picture and Yellowstone just gives you the finger. 

Finally, if you have never been, the park provides soap for your showers, as to cut down on any potential litter. They also provide three different bins for trash so that they can recycle, compost or dispose of your garbage. It’s a very, very environmentally friendly place and yet we still saw litter on the ground when hiking. Don’t be that person.