In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks

Day 4: The road to Northern Yellowstone

We packed up our car to leave Pahaska and headed out for Day 4 at about 7:15. We began our day at the South Rim trail and saw some beautiful sights in Artisan Point and the Lower Falls. Artisan Point has a picturesque view where many, you guessed it, artists come to paint Yellowstone. After our morning hike, we went to lunch at Canyon Valley, where we had a delicious meal at Fresh Woks. We then moved on to some shorter stops as we made our way to the north end of the park. We stopped at the Tower Falls, learned about the Petrified Trees, and took a small walk to stretch our legs on the boardwalk of the Forces of Northern Range. This stop was only about a half mile walk and was suggested as a stop from our GyPSY guide.

As we were getting out of our car, a woman stopped us and let us know there was a black bear along the path. Mark quickly grabbed his bear spray and we began our walk. After connecting with a few other people, we took another turn and, sure enough, there was a black bear slowing following another trio of people. This was the closest we would (thankfully) come to a bear and as soon as it saw more people, it quietly walked into the trees. Either way, it was unbelievably amazing to see a bear in the wild that close up.

Where we ran Into the bear

After a few more stops, we reached the Mammoth Springs Visitor area. This area was the most overwhelming of the stops as there were an obnoxious amount of people. We drove around for a little before calling it a day & heading to our new lodging, Yellowstone Village. This was a very cute lode-like place to stay. We were close to the center of the town of Gardiner. After we unpacked, we went into town to have dinner at the Iron Horse Grill. This place was perfect for a nice meal on the river. We ordered the Elk Nachos and Bison Burgers...both were delicious options! Once we were done with our meal, we decided to do a little bar hopping. All I can say is….Gardiner is a weirddddddd place. I can only describe it as an off season night down the shore...but with people who live near the mountains instead of the beach. We did our best to check out all of the local spots before calling it a night.

Total Miles: 7.59

Total Elevation: 728 ft

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Day 5: Upper West side of Yellowstone

Our last official day in Yellowstone had arrived. I still have a pit in my stomach as I long to go back to that magical place. Our last day was another day filled with beauty and magic. We started our day early, as usual, and headed back into Mammoth Springs to see some things that we missed the prior afternoon.

Our main hike was Osprey Falls. Osprey Falls is a 10 mile round trip hike. The first 4 miles were pretty flat & the trail was very easy….the last mile to get to the falls was a very steep zig zag downhill. When we got to the falls, we sat and ate lunch while we viewed the beauty of the 150 feet falling water. On our way back, Mark suggested we go down another part to get closer to the water. The hill to climb down was short, but very steep. I suggested we go down the left side which looked like an easier treck. I made it down safely...and then I suddenly heard it….Mark was sliding down the hill. A tree ended up stopping him...but he couldn’t keep his balance and ended up continuing to fall. Thankfully he was okay...because it was HILARIOUS to witness. After I got over the laughter at Mark’s expense...we started heading back up the trail. Now, as I mentioned, the last mile down was extremely steep downhill---so this meant we had an extreme uphill to battle our way back. This was probably the hardest mile I’ve ever gone...honestly, I think running the NYC Marathon was easier. We had to stop every 3-5 minutes because our heart rate was maxed out. Overall, I would definitely recommend this hike...but do be aware of the last mile up & back.

After our hike, we decided to check out Firehole Canyon Drive. I am very thankful I researched this part because I knew there would be a swimming hole at one point of the drive so we packed our bathing suits. Sure enough, towards the end of the drive, there was an area to swim. It was such a cool experience. Ending our stay in Yellowstone with a swim in the Firestone River was one memory I will not forget. The temperature was perfect in the water and outside. People were floating around and soaking in the sun. This was one of my favorite memories of our trip.

After our swim, we went back and packed up our things and grabbed dinner at the Iron Horse Grill again. Unfortunately, there was a torrential downpour that came out of nowhere, so we ended up just heading back to the hotel and calling it a night before our next journey began.

Overall, Yellowstone was so much better than I ever could have imagined. The wildlife, geysers, rivers, waterfalls, and hikes were nothing I was prepared for.

Total Miles: 11.86

Total Elevation: 1261 ft.