Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is incredibly diverse. There are many iconic American species. From bison and elk to bears and wolves, Yellowstone’s animals are a major draw for visitors from all over the world.
Last Updated: July 17, 2026
Grand Teton National Park is in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park, established in 1929 and covering approximately 310,000 acres of some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in North America. We hadn’t been here in over ten years, and were looking forward to reuniting with the striking Teton Range — though wildfire smoke from blazes across the West would test our patience, nearly obscuring the peaks on some days. From Thayne, Wyoming it was a two-hour drive north along the Snake River corridor.
Last Updated: June 22, 2026
Theodore Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota Badlands in 1883 as a young man, drawn by the promise of bison hunting and the wide open West. What he found instead — or perhaps in addition — was a landscape that would shape him profoundly. After losing both his mother and his wife on the same day in 1884, he returned to these rugged badlands to grieve and heal. The land, he later wrote, made him the man he became. It’s impossible to stand in this park and not feel some of that pull yourself.
Last Updated: May 25, 2026
We spent a full week in Gardiner, Montana, at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It was the perfect base — a short drive to the entrance gate, and each morning we were greeted by elk and pronghorn antelope right along the road. We explored the park on multiple days, covering the Lamar Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, the Madison River corridor, and more thermal features than we could fit into one visit.
Last Updated: May 25, 2026
From the Bighorn Mountains, we headed west to Cody, Wyoming — the eastern gateway to Yellowstone and one of the most historically rich small towns in the American West. It rained for much of our stay, but that didn’t slow us down. We spent a half-day at the extraordinary Buffalo Bill Center of the West, made a full day trip into Yellowstone through the dramatic east entrance, and enjoyed every bite of the local homemade food.
Last Updated: May 25, 2026
From Larchwood, Iowa, we headed west to Devils Tower National Monument and the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. After Devils Tower, we stayed in Buffalo to explore the Bighorns and drive Crazy Woman Canyon.
