Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park

Paradise Misplaced?

Yellowstone is important for many reasons. It is the crown jewel of America's National Park system. It is one of the few large wilderness ecosystems left in North America. It is incredibly beautiful. It is also important for being the birthplace of the concept of the National Park. The concept of the National Park is, in my opinion, one of America's greatest contributions to the world.

Because Yellowstone is important in so many ways, I was troubled by careless disregard for its preservation that I saw in its visitors. I saw far too many instances of visitors harassing animals and putting thermal features at risk. It is hard for me to understand how in the middle of such beauty, my fellow citizens can be reckless with this national treasure.

On our previous three trips, we had gone in May when the park is very empty. May is really a fantastic month to visit Yellowstone. The park is virtually empty, lodging in the surrounding towns is a bargain, there's still some snow on the mountain peaks which adds to the scenery and the baby buffalo are very cute. The biggest downside to visiting the park in May is that you take a gamble on weather -- heavy snow is possible. This trip we went in September. September's big upsides are the rich palette of autumn colors and the sounds of the elk bulls bugling echoing through the hills. We were surprised to find the park much more crowded in September than May.

Perhaps May attracts a different crowd or maybe it's just that there are fewer people. For what ever reason, I've seen very little bad behavior in May. Unfortunately, this time I saw a lot of both bad and stupid behavior. The fall is rutting season for the elk. The elk bulls are competing to add female elk to their harems. Not surprisingly, they are very aggressive under those circumstances. I saw countless instances of people, often with their small children in tow, walking not more than five feet from elk bulls. Sometimes there would be a ranger to yell at them that their safety was at risk, though frequently the offender would ignore the ranger or simply wait till the ranger had moved on and then go back to their bad behavior.

When visitors to the park chronically are getting too close to the animals, we risk losing the animals' wildness. It is also stressful for the animal to interact with people in close proximity. Yellowstone is a demanding place. The winter is long and cold. Energy that the animals expend by being stressed by people makes them less likely to survive the harsh winter. A particularly egregious incident of bullyragging the wild animals that we saw during this trip to Yellowstone involved someone using their vehicle to try to force a bear to run up a tree. After awhile, it becomes hard to separate the actions from the merely ignorant from the truly malicious.

After awhile the lines between those putting themselves at risk really do begin to blur. Probably because most activities that are dangerous for the park are dangerous for the visitor as well. It's not a good idea to antagonize an elk. It's bad for the elk. If the elk charges someone who bothers it, that person will likely be seriously injured if not killed. The problem for Yellowstone is that these bad actors think the rules of the park are only for their benefit and they have a right to endanger themselves if they want to. Since I have a hard time fathoming why these bad actors do not realize that their actions are harmful to the park, I sometimes wonder if they simply cannot understand the difference between wilderness and Disneyland.

Yellowstone is an irreplacable treasure. If we care for it properly, people will still be enjoying it a thousand years from now. I wish all its visitors would enjoy it respectfully. I think everyone should visit Yellowstone and experience its splendor; just please obey the park rules.

Much more of a sermon than a travelogue. I'll get off my soapbox now.

Yellowstone National Park

Scenenic Vistas

The Lamar Valley is located in the northeast corner of the park. It is home to large herds of bison and elk and is thus a favorite area in the park for wolves and bears who prey on the elk. This photo was taken after the sunset one evening.

This rock face is visible along the Norris-to-Mammoth road on the west side of the park.

Aspens showing their fall colors

Elk

Bull elk ready for the rut. Though they are not visible these picture, both these bull elk had sizable harems they were protecting from intruders.

Yellowstone Thermal Features

To say, "Yellowstone's thermal features are unparalleled" is completely true and yet does not do these wonders justice. I doubt that either photographs or writing could ever properly convey the experience of seeing these marvels firsthand. These geothermal features change constantly; they are a rare occurrence of geology changing visibly on the human timescale.

Grand Prismatic Spring

I'd seen many great pictures and post cards of Grand Prismatic spring which were all taken from the air. Going to up the feature at Midway Gesyer Basin does not yield an impressive view to either camera or the eye. The spring puts off so much steam, it's hard to see anything beyond a white cloud. However, by hiking on the old fire road behind the basin and scrambling up the hill, a better view can be had. However, the arial view is still more impressive.

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park tends to get second billing to Yellowstone both on this website and just about everywhere else. If Grand Teton was not adjoining to America's premier national park, it would be more well-known. It's more scenic than Yellowstone and it's also the place to see moose. We saw a number of moose but not close enough to get any good pictures. The rangers spend a lot time warning the visitors to keep their distance from the moose since, unlike most other animals, moose will charge people just for fun.

Ox Bow Bend

One of the most scenic views in the Tetons, the Ox Bow Bend can get overrun with photographers at sunset. The evening we were there, it was tough to find tripod space.

Around the tetons

These aspen trees display their fall color among the pine trees.

Along the Moose-Wilson Road

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Madison River

The road out to the west entrance of the park follows the Madison River from the Madison Junction most of the way to the western boundary of the park. Since we stayed just outside the west entrance in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, we often drove the road late in the day. One evening we were fortunate to catch this sunset over the Madison River.

These two swans are nesting pair on the Madison River. They are a photographer's and wildlife watcher's dream since they spend a lot of their time near the shore collecting food. We saw the same pair on our trip last year as well.

Since the banks of the Madison river are quite lush and the winters are less harsh in this valley than the rest of the park, it's an ideal place for buffalo and elk to graze.

Geysers & Hot Pools

Green Dragon at Norris Geyser Basin
This geyser at the Artist's Paint Pots erupts continuously.

These geyser formations at Mammoth require a hike to get to, and cannot be seen from the road.

A Hot Pool at Midway Geyser Basin
Geyser Formations at the Firehole River

Hidden Falls

A rock just below the falls

Moose

A moose in the willow

A moose near Oxbow Bend

More Yellowstone

We spotted this pair of grizzly cubs just outside the east entrance of the park in the Shoshone National Forest. There was a crowd of people around them photographing like mad even though it was raining. We later found out their mother had abandoned them and they were frequently seen near the road.

Rock at Arist's Paint Pots
Pools at Arist's Paint Pots

Another shot of the Madison River
Wild sunflower