A Full Day in Yellowstone, Day 8 of our National Parks Vacation
We’re back home from our National Parks Vacation! I decided to share my travel journal with y’all so you can relive the glory of our family vacationing with me…Enjoy!
Day 8 National Parks Vacation, August 16
We woke up to the most beautiful sunrise over the lake right in front of our tent.
We enjoyed the muffins the kids had wanted from Costco (simple!) and set off for Old Faithful Geyser. All full of sugar and vigor.
Old Faithful
We had read that it was not as crowded if you could get to the Old Faithful before 8. I was kicking myself that we left our campsite AT 8 but it still proved true: there were not too many people when we arrived around 9. Praise the Lord!
If you haven’t been to Yellowstone and are confused let me tell you, things are quite far and expansive across the park. So even though we were staying towards the middle of the park it still took us over an hour to get to Old Faithful. Do you hear me New York? Over an hour!
When we got to Old Faithful I was so thankful. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before she erupted and we got to watch all of the magnificence. It was incredible. There are no words to properly explain it. You just need to go and experience it for yourself. Again, one of those things that is so hard to comprehend unless you are actually there! Everyone should go!
Old Faithful area is in a kind of compound area with hotels, gas station, stores, visitors center, and more. After Old Faithful we went to the visitors center for our Junior Ranger badge work and to get lots of information about hikes.
And then we got ice cream! I had planned on this being our snack one day of vacation and since it was in the shop where we were...tada... it was the perfect time. The kids and Nick all got Mountain Berry flavor (huckleberry, elderberry, and blueberry) and I got huckleberry fudge. Both flavors were so good! There is nothing better than local flavored ice cream! And did you know that huckleberrys have to be picked by hand? There's no huckleberry factory or something. Ugh, it's all just so special.
We also got some souveniers at the shop too. We each got a shirt to remember our experience by. I love that the kids are so easy going with everything, although that has definitely been something that had to be taught to them over and over again. So newbie parents, take heart. All of the saying no to buying a 4 foot giraffe will eventually pay off and someday down the road they'll be okay with a tee-shirt.
Biscuit Basin
Then we hopped back in the car and made our way down the road. We came to Biscuit Basin and decided this would be a good place to get out and explore. There were so many geysers and hotsprings to discover in this area. And so many types, and colors, and temperatures! It was amazing. They have a board walk created all around so you can get pretty close to them. It was awe-inspiring to see how beautiful they are.
Mystic Falls
Towards the back of the loop there was a path you could take to Mystic Falls so we decided to head off the beaten path towards adventure!
It was so fun to get some hiking in and stretch out legs. The hike was 2.4 miles round trip and was the perfect length for us. We were able to see such beautiful parts of forest, then we hiked along a craggy side of a mountain and then towards the head of the falls.
On our way back we stopped to take our shoes off and do some good old-fashioned wading. There was a cool breeze the entire hike and we were able to get warm but not too hot. All in all it was a wonderful experience.
After the long hike and seeing all of the hot springs we decided that we should stop for lunch. We found a wonderfully shady pull-off to unpack a picnic. We had sandwiches, carrot sticks, hummus, cheese squares, and monster cookies. And water. Lots and lots of water.
And then it was time to go see what I'd waited for the entire trip...
The Grand Prismatic
Oh good heavens was it beautiful. So lovely and big! You go on a one-way boardwalk towards the grand prismatic and before you reach it you go around a couple other hotsprings that are also incredible...there's just so much to see!
Grand Prismatic Overlook
As neat as it was to see the Grand Prismatic up close, if you only have time to do one thing, I would recommend going to the Grand Prismatic Overlook. This is a hike, not just a walk to be able to peer down over the Grand Prismatic and be able to see all of its colors.
I do wish we had done this hike first because by the time we reached the Overlook, it was later in the afternoon, it was hot, and the kids were just kind of over it! We all reach that point sometimes, right?
But it was beautiful and I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to see the Grand Prismatic in all its glory, up close.
After that hike and making it back to the car it was so hot. So very hot. We all were just kind of pooped and we decided that it was time to drive back to our campsite. Which was about an hour and a half drive from the Grand Prismatic. I'm telling you, the park is huge!
On our way back we decided to complete the whole south circle that we had set out on when we headed to Old Faithful, so we continued driving the loop of road to be able to see new things.
Hayden Valley
Along the way we passed through Hayden Valley and oh my golly, geez there were so many buffalo! It was incredible to see so many and so up close and personal. I loved it, even if it was scary and terrifying.
We actually got stuck in several buffalo (excuse me they like to be called bison) traffic jams and the park rangers would have to come and break it up. Do you know what they did to get the bison to move?
They waved around a yellow wiffle ball bat. That's right folks, you heard it here first.
It was a once in a lifetime experience that I'll never forget.
Supper Time!
When we got back to the campground it was already about 7 and we were STARVING! Nick and I made cheeseburgers and sautéed zucchini. We had with it cottage cheese and chips. We were all so thankful to sit down and have a good hot meal after hiking so much. And the view from our campground was just stunning!
We went to sleep super early around 9 pm because we knew we had to be awake for our next day of fun!
What We Spent:
$17.00 for ice cream
$85.76 for everyone's souvenir shirts and postcards
What I'm Grateful For:
Getting to see Bison in close
The colors of the Grand Prismatic
Safety when we were all dying from being so thirsty...no one got dehydrated or sick!
Great hiking shoes for everyone!
Read about our time in Badlands sleeping in a teepee
You can read all about our time on the Ingalls Homestead here
We went to a Spam Museum and spent the night on the banks of a Minnesota lake!
On Day 5 we visited Devil’s Tower!
Read about our day with cannonballs and fur traders!
Read about our discoveries at Custer's Last Stand and Heart Mountain