RVentures with Doug and Chris: Yellowstone National Park: So Much More Than Old Faithful

Old Faithful Geyser is probably the most recognized natural phenomenon in the United States. It "blows its top" on average twenty times a day to welcome more than four million visitors each year to Yellowstone National Park. This national park's treasure trove of natural wonders has drawn us to this area multiple times over the years.

As we quickly found out, Yellowstone National Park is so much more than just Old Faithful. From its hydrothermal features to its mountain scenery to its wildlife, Yellowstone offers a variety of natural beauty.

A number of years ago, Big Sky, Montana became one of our favorite destinations for springtime ski vacations. During our trips out there, we realized that Yellowstone was only an hour away ... perfect for a day trip. The north road between Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana is plowed and kept open all winter long, so we found that it was a perfect place to view wildlife as they emerged from their winter hibernation.

From the safety of our car, we were able to enjoy ...

bison,

pronghorn,

bighorn sheep,

a gray wolf,

and a grizzly.

Since this fella probably just woke up from a long winter's nap, we made sure that we gave him plenty of space as he crossed the road in front of us!

Our ride along the north road ended in Cooke City, as there was still a mountain of snow blocking the road that heads east through Beartooth Pass. I can't imagine the sense of isolation that the few citizens of this city must feel during these cold winter months as it's an hour and a half drive through the national park in order to get to the nearest sign of civilization in Gardiner, Montana.

Our next early spring visit added a new element of fun. Although the road from West Yellowstone to Gardiner was closed to cars until mid-April, it is open to bikes during the first two weeks of that month as the National Park Service works to clear the roads and parking areas of snow.

So we got to bike with the bison!

While snow still covered the landscape,

the steam from the geysers made magnificent impressions and fueled our desire to return someday to explore the other parts of the park.

Two years ago on our way back from Alaska, we decided to see the summertime beauty of Yellowstone. That is when we first saw the power of Old Faithful, who is as beautiful at sunset as she is during the day.

From two different campgrounds, Madison and Bridge Bay, we were able to drive the two large loops of road that make up most of Yellowstone.

We saw quite a few of the park's numerous hydrothermal features like Grand Prismatic Hot Spring.

Random geysers and steam vents put on impressive shows alongside the roadway.

The ever-changing scenery of the travertine terraces that make up the Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park showed us the dynamic power of the super-volcano that lies below the surface of Yellowstone.

New to us, and oh so beautiful, was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with its mighty waterfalls and dramatic canyon walls.

Of course, watching the bison action is always a memorable part of any Yellowstone visit!

This past July, we returned once again for a quick trip through Yellowstone on our way to Grand Tetons National Park. But like our previous visits, we found more natural treasures.

There were "top of the world" views as we drove into Yellowstone on the Beartooth Highway,

Scenic national forest roads lead us once again into the

quaint town of Cooke City ... very much unfrozen and open for business,

Lunch and dinner spots along Yellowstone's roads

were always filled with plenty of "natural" entertainment.

This time we found ourselves once again at Old Faithful Village, but we decided not to join the throngs of tourists waiting to see Old Faithful perform. Instead, we took a much more serene walk along the boardwalk of the Upper Geyser Basin.

Numerous geysers,