Girls road trip to Yellowstone National Park started back in 2018 when my girls and I drove across country to visit family back in Washington state. We or should I say “I” wanted to take a day to drive around Yellowstone as I have never been nor has my girls been. So off on our adventure we went and headed over Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone park. On that trip I vowed to myself that I would go back to Yellowstone without the kids and stay more than just a day. Fast forward two years later I made my dream come true in which my friend from Tennessee flew up and met me to start our Girls trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons the end of September during a pandemic for a week. Oh, was I ever excited to be going back to Yellowstone! Now my friend well she is what we call a true city girl, but you should have seen her smile and laugh at all the great views and wildlife. She was amazed with the river that runs along the road up to Beartooth pass where we stopped and just listened to the sounds of the rushing water flowing from the river.
Once on top of the pass you are treated to mountain lakes, unbelievable views and if you are lucky you will be able to see the mountain goats that call Beartooth pass home. Don’t forget to stop at the top for a bathroom break and to watch the chipmunks. They are the cutest and love treats.
As you head down the other side of the pass towards the park you will want to stop and check out the many lakes and waterfalls before getting into Cooke City which is one of the entry points into the park. Nice quaint town with a few shops a visitor center and restaurants and perfect mountain views.
Once in the park we turned on our Gypsy guide to give us a narration on where we should visit and the history of Yellowstone and its formations. If you go to Yellowstone please look into getting the Gypsy app as it is well worth, it’s price. We were able to see and hear about so much more than if we did not use the app.
As we headed over to Mammoth Hot Springs you pass through Lamar Valley where you should be able to see your first sightings of bison. Driving through Lamar Valley you could also see wolves, bears, elk and so much more as it is an extremely popular area for viewing the wildlife that call Yellowstone home.
Once through Lamar Valley we continued our journey to Mammoth Hot Springs where you can wonder around looking at Fort Yellowstone or the popular Mammoth Springs hotel where you can stay the night or just rest a bit. Make sure you make reservations however if you plan on staying at the hotel as reservations book out a year in advance. You will also see all the Rocky Mountain elk that call Mammoth Hot Springs home as they wonder the streets but please make sure you keep your distance and follow the ranger’s rules.
Once you start heading out of the Mammoth hot springs you come to the terraces. So many different levels to see and view. You can make your way around the terraces by the board walk and stairs as you don’t want to step off the boardwalk as you might burn yourself.
There is so much to see and do in Yellowstone that you will not see it all in a day or two or even a week so my suggestion is pick up a map when you enter the park and at the end of your first day sit down and really look over the map and either circle the areas you want to explore or make yourself a list so you can see as much as possible in the time you are in the park.
We were lucky when we went as just a few days before we arrived a grizzly ended up killing a bull elk in the Yellowstone River just north of the Fishing Bridge. Traffic was awful in that section of the park as literally I think every photographer and non-photographer in the area was trying to get a glimpse of the beautiful grizzly with his elk. You could not park near the area nor if you were driving could you stop traffic to take a picture or two. So, as we drove by my friend was driving and I was able to get a few pictures of the grizzly she then made me get in the back seat so when she turned the car around, I could try and get some more shots. I can tell you those pictures did not turn out, but it was worth a try and a few laughs for sure.
We ended up staying in Cody, Wyoming because it was cheaper than staying inside the park area but if you can afford it, I would say stay inside the park, so you don’t have to drive a ways to get to the park. It took us a good hour and a half to get from Cody to Yellowstone Lake. Cody is a great little town to visit as it has some great history and a huge lake dam for excellent fishing. The drive between Cody and Yellowstone is also full of wildlife as we seen moose, bison, deer and even a black bear when we were driving.
Once back into the park we headed toward the geyser basin area for Old Faithful. Before getting to Old Faithful, we drove through the West Thumb Geyser area where you could see elk walking around and snacking on the grass. I recommend stopping at the West Thumb Geysers as it is the only basin that overlooks Yellowstone Lake and has magnificent views of the lake and beautiful blue water geysers. The trek is not a long or strenuous walk but a nice half mile walk around with so much beauty. It is wheelchair friendly in most areas as there are stairs to deal with if you go to the lower section of the boardwalk. Remember not to venture off the boardwalk for safety reasons and to help keep things look natural.
Our next big stop was the one and only Old Faithful which is the only geyser that park rangers can predict when it will erupt with good accuracy hence the name Old Faithful. You can check geyser eruptions on the Yellowstone National Park website found here. I would highly recommend checking out the area as there are several different geysers in the area that you can check out. Remember to carry bear spray as you never know when you will see a bear in the park.
Continuing around the southern section of Yellowstone we stopped at Prismatic Springs and man is that spring beautiful with the bright blue water then the different colors along the rim of the springs like copper, yellow and greens. You can hike the upper trail to the prismatic springs overlook if you want a little bit more of a hike then walking the boardwalk around the springs. If you choose to not go to the overlook and just walk around the boardwalk you will still have gorgeous views of the Prismatic springs and the gorgeous blue water springs that are close by as well.
Don’t forget to check out all the different waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park. There are so many waterfalls I lost count and we decided since we were only in the park for a few days we would just hit the waterfalls that were short hikes, or we could get to fast as we wanted to try and see as much of the park as much as possible. Three days is just not enough time in the park to see and do everything. The last waterfall we saw was the grandest of them all and is in the Canyon Village area. If you guessed Yellowstone Falls then you are correct. The canyon in my opinion is nicer than the Grand Canyon located in Arizona. Yes, you read that right! Make sure you visit artist point at the canyon as the views are magnificent once again. If you get there before the sun rises and wait until it rises you might be able to see the rainbow that forms at the falls on a sunny day.
Would I recommend going to Yellowstone alone if it were just me going and my friend didn’t come with? Absolutely, I would have done this trip by myself for sure. I think just because we are women it should not stop us from enjoying the beauty our country and enjoying life. Would I do things a little different, absolutely. I think if we just check in with a family member or friend daily just in case a person gets hurt hiking, or an attack would be one thing I would want to do. The other thing is making sure you carry bear spray or pepper spray if you want to go out on the town one night by yourself. I will try and put together a blog post later of some tips for keeping safe while traveling alone but until then stay safe and enjoy life in Yellowstone National Park.
