headed to yellowstone
Last May, my husband and I took a much-needed break from our busy college lives in Rexburg, Idaho, and headed to Yellowstone National Park. It was one of those rare days when we both had time off from school and work, so we decided to make the most of it.
We packed up our things and left the house around 9am. If you've ever been, you know that the drive can be quite boring. Though we were both motivated to see the wildlife in Yellowstone.
In all the time that we were up in Idaho for school, I've only been to Yellowstone three times. It sounds a bit silly, but I didn't really have access to a car during college. Otherwise, I might have made the trek there a couple more times.
Bison and Grand prismatic spring
As we drove into the park, one of the first things we spotted was a large herd of bison in the distance. It was an incredible sight to behold. Seeing them roam together reminded me of just how amazing nature is.
Later in the day, we visited the Grand Prismatic Spring. This is one of the most beautiful hot springs I have ever seen. It was truly breathtaking. If you haven't been before, I highly recommend it!
One tip: try to arrive early. While the photo that I took makes it seem relatively calm, the park was actually quite packed. So parking was a bit of a challenge.
Mammoth hot springs
Near the end of the day, we made our way to Mammoth Hot Springs—somewhere I had never been before. I will say that pictures don't do it justice. It looked otherworldly. My favorite part was the striking contrast between the bright white formations and the vibrant yellow pools of the hot springs.
Even with everything we saw, I know there’s still so much of Yellowstone left to explore. I hope to go back someday and see even more of what this amazing park has to offer. One photo that I really loved is where the different colored rocks are connecting in the middle. If you look closely, you can see a little bird that is walking around. It blends a bit into the rock, so you might miss it if you look away too quickly.
I would say that overall, we had a fantastic trip. We got to see Old Faithful, Black Pool, baby bison, birds, mountains, and a couple other things. Now that we’ve moved to California, Yellowstone is quite a bit farther away, so I’m not sure when—or if—I’ll make it back. But I do plan to keep exploring other national parks across the country.
If you've made it this far in my blog, thank you! I hope that you feel inspired to visit Yellowstone and other national parks in the U.S. They are truly something that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.
