West Yellowstone in the fall is typically not very crowded and a great time to see fall foliage and Yellowstone’s numerous attractions. The risk is cold weather and snow. Which, we had on this trip. Probably because of COVID, people aren’t traveling much outside of the USA and traveling local instead, so there were more people than usual. Animals are getting ready for winter, putting on their winter weight and coats.
West Yellowstone, Montana
West Yellowstone is located at the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Montana. This is our first time staying here. The city has all the amenities needed, but because of COVID, we did not eat out. There were a few spectacular sunsets during our stay in West Yellowstone.
Grizzly RV Park, West Yellowstone
They have full hookup, good internet, heated water line, and large sites. Jake liked all the walking trails. From Grand Teton, it was a scenic drive to Grizzly RV park, crossing the continental divide 3 times.
From West Yellowstone to Madison there are usually elk along the Madison River.
There were plenty of bull elk still in the rut.
By mid day, most were digesting and enjoying the perfect weather in West Yellowstone.
The morning temperatures were in the teens and twenties, resulting in fog rising off the river.
Mornings and evenings were the best times to see the elk active.
Grand Prismatic/Old Faithful
On the way to Grand Prismatic is the Firehole Canyon drive. Firehole Falls were scenic.
From West Yellowstone headed south to Old Faithful, there are large open grass areas that frequently had isolated bison. At Biscuit Basin, this bison got on the boardwalk. This image was shot with a telephoto from a distance, but the people taking photos were much closer using their phones. Not too smart.
The Firehole Lake drive had scenic geothermal features.
Between Biscuit Basin and the Firehole Lake drive, there were plenty of steam vents, hot pools, and geysers.
Grand Prismatic Spring is the third largest spring in the world. The rainbow of colors is from the thermophile bacteria thriving in the different temperature water.
Watching Old Faithful is a popular event. There are around 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park but this is the largest and most predictable.
Hayden Valley
Although bison are located throughout the park, they seem to be most concentrated in the Hayden and Lamar Valleys.
Occasionally we were close enough to photograph trumpet swans.
There were hawks and bald eagle, but usually too far away to get a good image.
The east Yellowstone entrance is near Cody, Wyoming. We stayed here in the past and enjoyed the scenic drive over Sylvan Pass.
