Beating the Crowds in Yellowstone National Park

On February 6, 2018February 6, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips, Yellowstone21 Comments

Yellowstone National Park has such an amazing variety of scenery and wildlife that it is not surprising why people travel from around the world to visit. We have been fortunate enough to go to Yellowstone over a dozen times over the years and every visit has been as unique as the wildlife that we have seen. There have been times when trying to see the park has been a frustrating experience as the cars and RV’s turn the few roads that traverse the park into virtual parking lots. Joining the crowds at Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Lake can make it feel more like you are waiting in line at an amusement park rather than enjoying the beauty of one the most spectacular places on earth. Unless you enjoy people watching, there a few tips that should help you have a more enjoyable experience.

Get Off of the Roads – If you want to have a truly memorable experience, talk to the rangers and get a map of the various hiking trails that can be found throughout the park. The rangers will also be able to provide guidance as to which trails should be avoided due to bears or other predators that might be active in the area. Although everyone wants to see wild animals in their natural environment, having a close encounter with a grizzly bear is something that you definitely want to avoid. There are trails to suit almost anyone’s hiking capabilities from the very youngest to the older among us. There are even trails around some of the major attractions that will allow you to see them from angles that other tourists don’t get to see and the lack of crowds will make the experience even better. It is always amazing to us how just jumping onto the trail can transform the park from masses of people into a world of serene isolation.
Getting a Different View
All Alone on a Trail
Views without the Crowds
Go into the Park Early or Late in the Day – Many of the typical tourists that visit the park start their days around 8:00 am and leave the park in time to catch dinner outside of the park. Not only will getting up before dawn and heading into the park or staying until the sun is setting has the dual benefit of avoiding some of the crowds, but also increases the chances of seeing wildlife as the animals are more active as the sun rises and sets. Also, the earlier that you can get to some of the more popular spots, the fewer people you will have to share the experience with. After all, Old Faithful erupts approximately every hour and a half regardless of the time of day.
Brown Bear
Tranquil Pond
Elk Late in the Afternoon
Enter from the North Entrance – Obviously this depends upon where you might decide to stay, but the northern entrance from Montana is usually a little less busy than the West Yellowstone entrance or the southern entrance near Jackson Hole. Both of those entrances are in Wyoming and the southern entrance is probably the busiest. We love combining the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, and Yellowstone into a single visit, but perhaps not during the height of the tourist season, which leads directly to the next piece of advice.
Amazing Views
Getting Away from the Road
Grand Prismatic Lake
Go During the Off-Season – Although the only real off-season is winter, the earlier in spring or the later in autumn you are willing to go, the fewer people will be there along side of you. Personally, our favorite time to visit the park is during fall when the leaves are changing and the animals are actively preparing for winter. You need to be extra cautious when hiking in early spring or fall as the animals can be aggressive as they defend their feeding grounds at the end of the year or their newborns early in the year. As we mentioned before, always check with the rangers, regardless of the time of year, before hiking in the park. Don’t confuse the park with a zoo, these are wild animals who just happen to live in an area that is protected.
Moose in Winter
Seeing the Park Differently
Hiking in Autumn

Going to Yellowstone National Park should be on everyone’s list to visit at least once in their lives. You will need several days or preferably a week in order to see as much of the park as possible, so bring your camera, binoculars, and your patience. Hopefully these tips will help make your visit a little better, but just realize that their are a lot of other people who want to see a place with such natural beauty. You will never have the park to yourself, but there are ways to make the most of your experience.

A Cautionary Tale

On May 4, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America, Yellowstone5 Comments

We are not necessarily risk takers, but we have found ourselves in some situations that have tested us. Whether white water rafting, trekking into the jungle, or hiking to the top of a mountain, we take all necessary precautions to hopefully avert disaster. We have had a couple of close calls, but fortunately are here to tell the tales. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Danger! and we immediately thought back to our trip down Death Road in Bolivia. We should have known that our trip was going to be an eventful one when we came across a skull on a stick as we started making our way down the narrow road. After driving for a short while, we saw a bird in a tree that we wanted to take a few photos of, so the driver stopped our van. As we took a few pictures, there was suddenly some loud noises on the slope behind us. We turned to see a few large boulders sliding down the hillside towards the road. We have seen the results of landslides on other roads in Bolivia, so the threat of us and our vehicle being swept over the side of the cliff was a real possibility. We quickly scrambled back into the van and continued winding our way down the extremely narrow road. The main reason that Death Road is so dangerous is that there isn’t enough room for two vehicles to pass one another, but today traffic mostly just goes down as there is a new, modern highway that most vehicles use instead of taking the treacherous route. At one point, we did come across a truck that was broken down on one of the hairpin turns where a waterfall flowed across the road. As we started to pass the truck, the back wheels of our van started to slide toward the edge of the cliff, being swept by the water running across the road. Our driver pressed hard on the gas pedal and the engine revved as we slid our way back up onto the road. We were all a little shaken, including our driver who clearly knew what a close call it really was. If a vehicle or bicyclist goes over the edge of the cliff there is no rescue attempt, it is simply too steep and dense, so it is truly a death sentence. As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger or, in this case, gives you a great story to tell later. We talked all about our trip down Death Road in a previous post, al Camino de la Muerte, so feel free to see more photos from our adventure.

Since this is a photo challenge, here are few other danger signs that we have encountered. We hike in bear country quite often, but you have to be careful, especially in Autumn when the bears are preparing to hibernate or in Spring when they have cubs.

Daily Post Photo Challenge – Rare

On August 25, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, Yellowstone13 Comments

There are many precious things in the world that are rare such as jewels and certain endangered species of animals. Finding your perfect soul mate can also be rare in this crazy world that we live in today. For us, though, finding that perfect moment when time stands still and the worries of the world melt away seem to be fleeting and far between. Sure, we go hiking and get into nature, but it seems that all too often it seems like the stresses of life and work somehow manage to join us on our journey. We thought that for this week’s challenge, we would share a moment in Yellowstone when everything stopped as we watched this lone moose walk silently across the freshly fallen snow.