Yellowstone! Some tips...
Okay, so I'm going to be completely honest with you all here and admit that I made a mistake even as a seasoned traveler last year.
I went to Yellowstone National Park during the summer, more specifically July. Though summer temperatures are usually not too much of an issue at the park, daily highs were in the high 80's to mid 90's Fahrenheit during the week I spent there. It was like walking through a furnace during the peak afternoon hours at the park, especially if you are near the hot springs which only contribute to the heat.
It was quite uncomfortable, to say the least.
Daily temperatures are not the actual issue of traveling to Yellowstone during the summer; it's the crowds. As expected, summer crowds at Yellowstone are quite large, even during the pandemic. It wasn't too crowded, but parking was an issue and the car lines to get into the park were a little long.
Though it may sound a little unbearable from my experience above, I would definitely go back to Yellowstone National Park! If you're like me and have the same love for experiencing the beautiful sights that the world has to offer, than I would suggest traveling to Yellowstone at least once in your life.
But what am I saying, I'm already sure all of you would love to travel to places such as Yellowstone, right?
Take a look at a photo I took near a popular stream location during my time there. The sights are simply breathtaking even if you're not a huge nature person like me.
Regardless of the time of year you choose to go to Yellowstone National Park, the one item that I would 100% recommend bringing is sunscreen. You do a lot of walking and possibly hiking outdoors under the sun, so even if it's winter you would want to wear sunscreen. For my experience, I wore sunscreen constantly when I was at Yellowstone because the of burning summer sun and successfully avoided getting any sunburns, luckily.
Since we're on the topic of necessities, mosquito repellent would also be an ideal item to carry at the park. Mosquitoes typically congregate around the rivers and streams at Yellowstone, mostly during the summer months. However, carrying it around regardless of season would probably be a good idea to avoid being bitten alive as you explore the park!
Aside from that, I would also HIGHLY recommend packing food and water before you enter the park. Though there are restaurants available, such as the Mammoth Terrace Grill, packing food and water is generally a good idea as most of the park is simply forest, rivers, geysers, and wildlife. Exploring the park on an empty stomach or even being dehydrated is not a very good idea and can even be dangerous if you are under the sweltering summer sun.
I was unfortunate enough to not have prepared food in advance, though we had a lot of water in the car. We spent the rest of one day exploring the park on empty stomachs until we finally reached the terrace grill, which was not a very fun experience.
So yes, definitely pack food and water in the trunk of your car.
I mentioned Mammoth Terrace Grill earlier as a restaurant in Yellowstone National Park. It was actually one of the only restaurants that I saw during my time at the park, located in a pretty remote but cozy area called the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. The area is located in the middle of the Yellowstone wilderness, and feels quite intimate with the wildlife there as we even saw a deer in the middle of one of the streets!
I ordered quite a few classic American food items at the grill for my relatives, and before I mention the total cost of my order let's play a guessing game!
I want you to guess the subtotal price (excluding tax and fees) of my order at the restaurant. I'll be looking in the comments and be giving the answer within a week of this being published!
Here's the order I placed there:
- 2 Bison Bratwurst Dogs
- 2 Chicken Tenders w/ French Fries
- 1 Beef Chili Bowl
A hint: it's not crazy expensive!
Just a small game to enlighten you of how much things tend to be at the park. Remember that you probably won't have the luxury of having fresh hot food here as often due to the general remoteness of the park!
I'd love to go on about the beautiful sights and landmarks that the park has to offer, but I won't be spoiling them as that's for you travelers to explore and discover on your own. Instead, I'll attach a photo of a hot spring there!
I hope you all have the chance to travel to such an amazing location!
Woah! These photos you took are amazing. I might currently be living vicariously through you, as I am not much of a traveler. My usual excuse is not enough time or too broke to travel. If given the opportunity, I definitely would go to Yellowstone now especially based on your blog. It sounds like you had a lot of fun, even though you might have been a little blindsided and unprepared for the heat :) I'm going to guess that your total meal (5 entrees) cost about $70? You mentioned it was one of the only places to eat and you guys were probably starving and desperate. Unfortunately, restaurants can anticipate this and take advantage by charging exorbitant prices. Hopefully that wasn't the case but I guess I will check in later to see what the answer was!
ReplyDeleteHi Jasmine! Your guess was over the actual amount, actually, but good guess! The total came to be about $40, so it was still a little expensive but not insanely expensive luckily haha!
DeleteArthur, not gonna lie, I'm extremely jealous of you! Last summer, my family and I planned a trip to Yellowstone. I was so excited, especially since I was with my cousins who I don't get to see often. We slept early the night before, woke up early, and prepared for the long trip in which we also brought my uncle's dog. We drove for 4 hours to find out... we didn't make any reservations! Can you believe that? All this planning and not one of us decided to check the Yellowstone website. I was bummed. The pictures of the sights you included are absolutely breathtaking and wonderful!! I hope that sooner or later my family and I can return to Yellowstone (maybe not in the summer, though, after hearing your mistake), so I can see the beautiful sights for myself.
ReplyDeleteWow! That looks amazing. It is not hard to see why the US designated Yellowstone as its first national park. I am so glad that they did, it order to preserve its beauty and protect it from the evils of commercialization. I could imagine that the crowds there were huge. I feel like covid may have made this worse because everyone wanted to get outdoors because outdoor activities were safer than indoor ones. If I go, I will definitely keep it in mind to bring food! And sunscreen :) The pictures you took are absolutely stunning. I would love to go back to Yellowstone and do some hiking. Thanks for sharing your tips! -Naomi
ReplyDeleteI remember going to Yellowstone national park back when I was maybe like 10 years old. We had gone on a road trip through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, up to Wyoming, then Montana, before finally finishing in Idaho. It was a crazy long road trip visiting lots of national parks in every state, with the grand destination being Yellowstone. Of course, being 10 or so at the time, I do not remember very clearly much of the trip. That said, I do remember being very hot during the summer, and quite hungry. The park of course, like you said is beautiful. But Like any hiking trip, you need to be prepared to have food, water, and sunscreen.
ReplyDeleteHey Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing about your trip to Yellowstone. When I was growing up, even though we would not travel a lot, my family loved going to national parks. I have been to Redwoods, Yellowstone, and The Sequoias. I love camping and being outdoors so hiking in these extremely scenic places is truly amazing. I have been an avid hiker since I was younger so I know packing food for long trips is necessary, it is very unfortunate you guys did not pack food but at least you got to go to that awesome restaurant! Seeing some of those pictures reminded me of the beauty of national parks and have made me want to visit one again soon, I think my next destination will be Zion!
Hello Arthur, thank you for sharing not only the good of your travels but also what you consider a mistake. I have never been to Yellowstone National Park but after reading your blog I will make sure to not go during the summer. You have created this image in my head of the heat and walking around the park and well I am not interested in walking by the hot springs when its already hot. I’m glad that when you went it wasn’t as crowded, I feel like parking is always an issue in parks because of their efforts to preserve the land. Overall I enjoyed some things I could expect during a visit to Yellowstone during the summer, this is still on my to go to list.
ReplyDeleteOh Arthur… I too have made the mistake of planning and going to a national park in a week when it is projected to be in the mid 80’s and low 90’s. In my case, I went to Yosemite National park in November, but it was a week where California was going through a heatwave. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading about your trip to Yellowstone, as I’m planning on making a trip there in about a year or so. I’m definitely making a trip to Mammoth Terrace Grill when I go there, and let me tell you, your order made my mouth water a bit. Awesome post, I look forward to reading your next entry!
ReplyDeleteHello Arthur,
ReplyDeleteIt was nice hearing about your experience traveling to Yellowstone National Park including the restaurant. I personally don't ever travel, but regardless of you're experience with the heat, I would love to visit one day. My family isn't the type to travel, but I want to get out of my comfort zone and try new things, explore new places. I definitely want to visit Yellowstone National Park one day, hopefully I can convince my family too. It was nice hearing about your trip but also thanks for giving us some tips on what to bring and how to prepare for the heat out there. First time reading your blog, but I am very interested and looking forward to what you have next :)