In the last weekend of May 2015, we took a walk along the Beaver Pond Loop, one of our favorite early season hikes. It’s about five miles, and other than a steepish hill for the first 3/4 of a mile, it’s pretty mellow. This year it seems like the wildflowers […]
Trip Reports
What should you do when you see a grizzly bear?
Last week we went to a talk about bear safety by Dr. Tom Smith. Dr. Smith is the expert in human/bear conflicts—grizzly, black, and polar. He is also a friend and someone my husband and I work within our roles at Polar Bears International (PBI). The talk was sponsored by […]
5 Yellowstone Hikes for Kids and Families
We are lucky to live less than an hour from the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park and even luckier to get to spend lots of time in one of the world’s first national park. It isn’t easy picking 5 hikes in a park that is so full of wonderful […]
Trout Lake
Trout Lake is one of our favorite summer destinations. Around early July, the cutthroat/rainbow trout hybrids spawn up the inlet creek, with their backs and fins sticking out of the creek. The otters that call Trout Lake home, gather around whenever they need a snack. We usually end up at […]
Lamar River Trail
The Lamar River Trail is a flat, easy trail and a great way to access the Lamar Valley on foot. Heather and I walked about 3.5 miles of it on our spring trip. Animals were everywhere—bison and pronghorn primarily. We even found some wolf prints, but no wolves. The trail […]
Lamar Valley Cabins
There are a lot of places to stay near Yellowstone National Park, but the Lamar Valley Cabins are two of the best. Located in Silver Gate, Montana, just a mile outside the east entrance, the cabins are an ideal place for people who want to focus on wildlife watching in […]
Beaver Pond Trail {April 2015}
The bison are everywhere in Yellowstone right now! My friend Heather and I spent the weekend in the park and hiked several trails. Ostensibly, we were there to watch wolves, but we didn’t put a lot of effort into that, preferring instead to walk the trails. We didn’t get into […]
Hike to Natural Bridge in Yellowstone
Driving directions, trail info, and more can be found at the bottom of the post. We were supposed to go backpacking last weekend, Heather and I. And climb Electric Peak. We had the permit and everything. But, then it rained. A lot. And snowed in the mountains; it snowed on […]
The Boiling River Yellowstone National Park
The Boiling River is one of only a few hot springs in Yellowstone National Park for swimming. Here’s how you find the Boiling River and everything you need to know to enjoy your time swimming in Yellowstone. CLOSED! The Boiling River was closed at the beginning of the […]
One Day in Yellowstone: Boiling River, Lone Star Geyser, Old Faithful
It’s easy to feel like you have to see everything on your Yellowstone trip. But, some of our favorite days are ones where to take the time to really enjoy a few special spots. Here’s a great day we had in August 2009. We started out with a soak in the […]
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Perched on the edge of Yellowstone Lake, at the heart of Yellowstone National Park, is West Thumb Geyser Basin. Pinks, blues, oranges, yellows, rusty browns, and verdant greens fill the hot spring-pocked landscape before running into the country’s largest lake above 7,000 feet. Yellowstone Lake is shaped a little like […]
Hiking to Storm Point in Yellowstone National Park
Driving directions, trail info, and more can be found at the bottom of the post. In August of 2012, I met up with Michele and her family for a hike to Storm Point. Michele and I “met” online. It wasn’t quite a dating service, but through a group of outdoor/kids-and-nature/play-outdoors […]