I’m back with another vacation recap! I know. I know. It’s about time these are over. The problem with that is, I want to make sure and fit all the information in these posts. If I cut them down, then I’ll miss something. Don’t worry-I’m almost finished! Please grab a big cup of coffee and get comfy because a big post of our day in Yellowstone National Park is going down now. 🙂
If you missed my previous posts about this summer vacation out west, you can see them all here…
I have several friends who visited Yellowstone last year so I basically dissected everything they’d offer up . The biggest suggestion everyone made was splurge on a private tour guide for your Yellowstone Day. We decided to do just that. One of the main reasons is because we had two rental cars and the idea of keeping up with each other without cell service inside the park sounded daunting. We went with Yellowstone Day Tours {we did the lower loop private tour} and were so happy. Our guide did the entire lower loop of the park but was very open to customizing the tour for our family. He also provided a lunch {that we ordered previously} of sandwiches, chips, fruit, and a cookie as well as lots of water. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture but a van that seats 15 arrived at our hotel in Island Park at 7:30 a.m. to pick us up. The guide was so nice and stopped for coffee as well as our lunches on the way into the park. He was so knowledgeable and did a great job of stopping us at all the best spots around the south loop for pictures and viewing purposes.
A first stop was this area {can’t remember the name} that contained a wide variety of landmarks.
We spotted basins that bubbled.
Steamed
And our guide was quick to explain the differences. But Mom Brain…I can’t remember now.
This was one of my favorite spots…this boardwalk allowed us to walk around three different basins and each was a little different.
There were signs everywhere explaining the importance of not stepping off the boardwalk. People have died by getting off the boardwalk and stepping into the basin. YES! I know! That knowledge spoken to my boys ended in them dangling lots of limbs off the boardwalk and taunting me. #boys
The colors of these basins were absolutely incredible.
The Grand Prismatic Spring was the prettiest. Those colors were stunning.
Our tour guide had connections at the Old Faithful Inn so we were able to pop over to check out that hotel, grab a little snack, and then watch Old Faithful erupt from the patio on the second floor of the hotel.
The weather was so nice and our views were great.
We watched from here and took it all in!
Two girlies just catching Old Faithful erupting.
Our guide then gave us a really cool tour of the hotel. Years ago these desks were where guests would sit when writing letters to let friends and family know about their adventures.
That fireplace though.
This was a great little stop and had some great restrooms, which I’ve learned is super important when touring national parks. Our guide knew where all the best restrooms were located.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was where I realized my fear of heights was getting to me in some locations. I was constantly telling kids to “step away from the ledge”, “be careful”, “don’t touch each other”, and the list goes on.
These views, while the most petrifying, were the most spectacular.
We spotted elk deer staying cool in the shade.
Our guide supplied us with binoculars and…
this scope. Since the stand was little, Britt seriously thought our guide was getting this out for just her.
And I had to include this one because REAL LIFE!
We got to see some buffalo up close.
One of my kids’ favorite books when they were little was, “Underwear!”. There’s a part in the book with a buffalo and we all were reminded as we gazed. If you have boys, I highly recommend that book!
Views from the van. 🙂
Our guide was absolutely incredible and had a mental list of all the big must-sees on the lower loop of Yellowstone National Park. He never kept track of the time or limited us to certain hours. He was great! He even offered to stop and grab us dinner on the drive back to our hotel.
But instead we ended the night with pizza from the little pizza place next to our hotel and a big game of football.
Our guide dropped us off at our hotel at 6:30 p.m. A FULL eleven hour day! After experiencing the private tour we’d highly recommend it!
Whew! If you made it all the way to the bottom of the post, THANK YOU for making it all the way through. I’ll be finishing up the rest of our trip soon!
Have a great day!
XO
What a fantastic trip! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
I always enjoy trip recaps and never think they are too long. Look forward to the rest of the trip!
I want to go!! I’ve bookmarked this so I can plan a trip. We LOVE the series Yellowstone and I need to see all this in person.
What a FULL and INCREDIBLE day!! Your kids will remember this day forever!!
I love all the vacation posts!! I could never get sick of them.. and I fully plan on copying this entire trip in a few years, so the more details, the better!
All of the pics of the trip are beautiful, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW CUTE YOU ARE IN THAT PINK SKIRT!!!
Oh that does sound fabulous!