Links to all the photos and videos from the trip
Colorado/ Rocky Mountains - https://photos.app.goo.gl/F3AE6FUrBn3wd8sG6
Grand Teton - Yellowstone - https://photos.app.goo.gl/b65vGFhUzusbteeX8
Planning
In the past 2-3 years and especially after Covid pandemic, like most people I also caught the travel bug. I was especially enamored by the beautiful and well-preserved National Parks and after visiting Arizona and all the parks in Utah, the Mighty West just beckoned me for more.
I still however had yet to visit Yellowstone, the ultimate National Park so to speak. It had also been almost a year since my mother’s cancer diagnosis and everything that comes with it as the primary caregiver. I had a good summer vacation with my son Malhar to Niagara and North England states, but I had a window of opportunity for a solo vacation around Labor Day weekend so decided to go ahead with this trip. Luckily, things fell in place, and I was able to visit my dream destination.
I should thank some of the FB groups I joined where I got lot of information of the places I planned to visit, either by reading about other people’s experiences or asking questions. www.earthtrekkers.com was also extremely helpful resource with their itineraries and useful info for various places.
Day 1 – Aug 28 – Garden of Gods
Since I could not leave my mother alone due to her health the plan was for her to stay with my nephew in OH. Hence I had booked my flights to Denver from Columbus. Mom and I drove early morning from MI to my nephew’s home and he then dropped me to the Columbus airport. By the time I arrived in Denver and took my rental car it was already past 4 pm. From there I drove to Colorado Springs.
Garden of Gods in Colorado Springs is a wonderful red rock natural landscape with some impressive formations. Compared to much larger Arches or Bryce Canyon National Parks in Utah this place has similar red rock natural features but much smaller in size (and somewhat underwhelming if you have seen the ones in Utah before). But if you are in the vicinity it is still worth a visit. One could easily spend half a day or an entire day here, but I only had about couple of hours at most. Luckily, it was the golden hour and as I drove through, stopping at a few places to view the beautiful landscape against the stunning colors in the sky, it truly felt as if I was in the Garden of Gods.
Day 2 – Aug 29 – Rocky Mountain National Park
The next day I had an entry pass booked ahead for the Rocky Mountain National Park with Bear Lake Road access from 10 am to noon. Hence I started early for the 3-hr. drive from Colorado Springs to RMNP. The drive isn’t bad except when near Denver which can slow down a bit. However, I was able to make it in time and enter the park. I had heard that the Bear Lake parking lot gets full early, hence I parked at the shuttle parking and decided to take the free park shuttle instead.
From the online FB groups, I had learned about altitude sickness and acclimatation and decided that the first day I will do some easy hikes before trying something more difficult with higher altitude. Hence I embarked on the lakes trail which includes Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake. This is just a moderate trail, with stunning views of the mountains and beautiful lakes. The lakes are of varying size, not too big, and the names don’t necessarily signify anything as far as I know. The weather was pleasant and sunny and there were lot of people on the trail. Like many folks, I ate some packed lunch at the Emerald Lake and got my first ever glimpse of a marmot which was mingling among the folks spread out on the boulders.
From Emerald Lake I turned back the way I came until arriving at a fork which leads to Lake Haiyaha. It sits at some altitude so there is a decent upwards hike to get to it. For a first day this was a strenuous one for me though nothing compared to the one I did next day. As I was climbing up I could feel light dizziness for a few seconds but nothing too severe to stop me. Lake Haiyaha is absolutely worth the effort with its still, emerald-green glacial water amid the surrounding mountains. Sitting on the rocks, admiring the beauty of it, and feeling the closeness with nature can bring a sense of calm and peace in you that you don’t even realize how much you needed in your urban grind of life.
After returning to my car, I drove to the Old Fall River Rd. This is about a 9–10-mile one way road leading up to the Alpine Visitor Center. It’s a slow drive through a very narrow and unpaved road with sharp switchback turns and winding through thick forest and mountains. On the way you can stop by to view Chasm falls. As you reach high altitude to the end you can see snowpack and what might be remnants of past glacial activity. The Alpine visitor center was closed by the time I reached at the top, so I just walked around outside. It was quite cold and windy, and I saw a few Elks grazing (first time I was seeing Elk).
From the Alpine Visitor center, I got onto the Trail Ridge Rd to go to Estes Park where I was staying. Trail Ridge Rd is the highest continuous paved Rd in the US with the high point near Alpine Visitor Center at 12,183 ft. It was sunset time as I started the descent from top and it was a beautiful site with the setting sun blazing orange & red while also the full or almost full moon rising on other side. I stopped at a few places to take pictures and admire it all and at one point saw a herd of elk some distance away. Farther away and as it got darker, I saw a few elk at quite close distance with the bright moon in the background.
Back to Estes Park after settling in the hotel I realized that most restaurants were already closed for the night. I called and found one named ‘ Cousin’s Bar’ open and decided to go there for dinner. Got a good beer and a burger though I was somewhat miffed that substituting a beef patty for chicken patty cost me extra $$ for what was already a pricey burger. Welcome to a touristy, western place! It was time to settle for the night as the next day I had an early day.
Day 3 – Aug 30 - Rocky Mountain National Park
Today I had an entry pass to the RMNP from between 5-7 am. I had booked the pass days ahead and appreciate the system as a control mechanism for the visiting crowd. I entered the park at around 6 am and first went to Sprague Lake. Near parking lot, I saw a large antlered elk grazing. In the lake itself at some distance I saw a mamma moose with her baby. The sun was just rising, and it was quite peaceful sitting there and taking it all in.
From there I headed to the Bear Lake parking lot. Today being so early I was able to easily get parking. I had planned to do the Sky Pond hike, a popular and challenging hike and just under ten miles out and back. One of the first interesting sites on the hike, about a mile or so from the trailhead, is Alberta Falls which is a 30-feet waterfall. There were lot of people here enjoying the views of the falls. About two miles from here I arrived at The Loch. This is a beautiful subalpine lake surrounded by mountain peaks and pine forest. The hike goes quite a length along the lake from here and thereafter the hike starts getting strenuous with altitude kicking in.
Around four miles from the trailhead I arrived at Timberline Falls. Before arriving at the falls, you must climb a series of rocky steps which can take your breath away due to the steep climb. The fall itself was basically trickling water at the time but the climb up is a scramble through the rocks, and you must be incredibly careful to avoid a fall and injury. Once I scrambled through the rocks I arrived at Lake of Glass, a beautiful alpine lake surrounded by many peaks and among them the Sharktooth. From here I basically had to follow a few people as the trail is sketchy. Just about ½ mi from Lake of Glass I arrived at Sky Pond. Like Lake of Glass this is also a site to withhold but there is also the sense of achievement in make it so far. I spend about 30 min or so here and then turned on my way back. Comparatively the hike downhill is easier, but you are fatigued, and the day had gotten warmer. By the time I reached the trailhead and the parking lot it was almost 2 pm or so.
On my way back to the hotel I stopped for a late lunch/dinner at Barrel Beer and Rosa’s Tacos. It felt good to drink beer sitting outside, listening to the music and eat the delicious tacos. Once I reached the hotel and had showered and changed, I just lounged on a terrace like structure at the hotel, admiring the full moon rising over the mountains.
Day 4 – Aug 31 – Grand Teton National Park
Next day I got up around 4 am as I had an 8 hr., drive to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. I would have driven through the night to save daytime for sightseeing but from what I read on the FB groups it’s probably unsafe with the remote roads and elk/deer on the road. It was still dark when I left Estes Park and I drove very slowly to avoid running into any animal. By the time the sun came up I had picked up speed. Driving through Wyoming could sometimes be boring as there isn’t much to see around. By the time I reached Jackson, WY it was midafternoon. The first thing I did was to pick up bear spray, which I had booked online. It is very essential here if you want to hike as its grizzly bear country and especially for me being a solo hiker.
Jackson is just outside Grand Teton NP, so it doesn’t take long to enter the park. As you enter the park you can see the Grand Teton peaks. I stopped at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center to browse for info and get my souvenir. I recommend doing these at all National Parks as you can learn a lot about the park. From there I took a boat ride across the Jenny Lake to the other side. A short hike from the boat landing and I arrived at Hidden Falls. There were lot of people on the trail and near the falls, so I was quite comfortable. I spend some time at the falls, took some photos and was on my way to Inspiration Point. This is a short but steep hike to a location above from where you can view the whole Jenny Lake and surroundings wooded area and mountains in the park. There are some good trails further from Inspiration Point, but I did not see a lot of people going and I didn’t feel safe going alone. I turned back, returned to the boat landing, and took the return boat.
Then I drove to Chapel of Transfiguration, a small, old, and picturesque chapel. You can take beautiful photos from inside and outside the chapel with the Grand Tetons in the background. For a lot of locations in the park the Teton peaks are a major feature in the background. Further drive up I arrived at Mormon Row. These are some long abandoned barns and probably the most photographed location in the park, especially during sunrise or sunset. The barns with the Tetons in the background and good light conditions are indeed worth the visit and photos. Then a further drive ahead I arrived at Schwabacher Landing. This place has a natural pond/stream (or the Snake River) where the Tetons are reflected in the still water. I got some great pictures here. By this time, it was late evening and I turned back towards Jackson for night stay at a hostel.
The accommodations are quite expensive in Jackson during peak season and the hostel was the only place at reasonable cost. This was my first time staying in a hostel and it was a pleasurable experience. I showered, then spent some time in the common lounge area chatting up with a young Indian techie guy. A girl had all her things locked up in the locker and had issue opening it so there was some drama around it. I helped her by letting her use my phone to call the service person, but it took some while. I then climbed up in a small bunk which was my bedroom for the night!
Day 5 – Sep 1 – Grand Teton and Yellowstone NP
From here I drove on to Oxbow Bend which is a very picturesque location with the iconic view of Mt. Moran’s reflection in the Snake River. By now it was bright and sunny. There were some deep pink wildflowers growing on the side of the river which, in the foreground and Mt. Moran in background with the river in between, looked beautiful with another set of great photos. From here I drove on to Signal Mountain, which is a road that drives up the mountain from where you can see far out in the distance. Next I did the Jenny Lake loop which is driving loop road around Jenny Lake. Didn’t find it much exciting here. I stopped at the nearby Spring Lake hoping to take a dip in the water but there weren’t any people around outside or in the water and many bear warning signs, so I decided to skip the dip.
It was midafternoon now and I started driving towards Yellowstone National Park and to Wapiti in the West where I was staying. I entered Yellowstone through the South Entrance and drove on to West Thumb Geyser basic. There isn’t a lot in between, but near Lewis Lake I did see some geyser activity and steam flowing up in multiple places in the distance. I also passed the Continental Divide Sign. The West Thumb geyser basin was my first clear glimpse of Yellowstone key features of hot springs. There is a nice boardwalk which loops through the different geysers and as a first timer I was sure excited by it all. From here I drove towards Wapiti stopping by briefly at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center. Wapiti is between Yellowstone East Entrance and the town of Cody and the place I had booked was a RV Park type place. I had made this my base as I was coming from South, but I could have chosen to stay outside of West Entrance as it has much more choices of accommodation. The drive from Wapiti to Yellowstone was 1.5-2 hrs. daily but I don’t regret it as it is a beautiful drive through the mountains. I arrived around 8 pm in the RV park and found my log cabin accommodation to be great, surrounded by the plains and mountains. I freshened, ate dinner (khichadi in a rice cooker, as there aren’t any eating options close by ), and went to sleep. Now I had three days’ worth of time to explore YNP.
Day 6 – Sep 2 – Yellowstone Lower Loop
Exploring Yellowstone is basically a figure of eight, with sites along the upper loop and lower loop. For the first full day I chose to explore the lower loop. I got up around 5 am, quickly got ready and drove towards the East Entrance and Fishing Bridge. At one point along the mountain road, I saw a few cars and upon stopping saw bighorn sheep clustered on nearby cliff. I also saw bison and elk along the road at various places. From Fishing bridge, I turned right and arrived at first sight of Mud Volcano area. Here you can see many mudpots. Mudpots, hot springs, geysers and fumaroles are the different geothermal features you see in Yellowstone. The good things in all these places are that there are boardwalks winding through these features for you to safely explore. In fact, leaving the boardwalk is outright dangerous and illegal. Further away from the Mud Pots I arrived at Hayden Valley. This is a place rich in wildlife and early in morning or evening is suitable time to view them. There are a few pullout locations along the road where you can stop and view down the lush green valley. I had new binoculars for this trip, and it was especially useful to see the animals or birds in distance. I should mention that there are many different, isolated geothermal features (some named, other not) that you will see along your drive, and I am mentioning only a few key ones here.
Much further from Hayden Valley I arrived at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone where there are the Upper Falls and Lower Falls. On the South Rim Drive you will find viewing points for both Upper Falls and Lower Falls. The Upper Falls can be seen from the Upper Fall Viewing Area and the Lower Falls can be seen from Artist Point, which is stunning, with the falls and the winding river through the colorful canyon walls on either side. The North Rim Drive is a one-way drive that took me to the Lower Falls Lookout point, which is steep hike down wooden steps, offering excellent views of the Lower Falls. Further down the road I arrived at Inspiration Point which gives another good perspective of the canyon and the falls.
It was lunchtime and I arrived at the nearby Canyon Village Visitor center and decided to try the specialty here of Huckleberry and Wildberry Ice Cream which was delicious. Then I started driving towards the Old Faithful Geyser which is probably the most popular site here. In between there are lot more geysers basins (Norris Geyser Basin, Artist Paintpot, Upper/Mid/ Lower geyser basin) and this section of the park is the most crowded. I stopped by at Artist Paintpot for a peek before arriving at Old Faithful. This place has ample parking space and the approximate geyser eruption timings are displayed so you know how long your wait will be. I waited along in large semicircular crowd of people around the geyser eagerly waiting for the eruption. As predicted and on time the geyser stated spewing white steam at first and then there was this huge spray of water flowing upwards with a loud gushing noise . It’s lasted for more than a minute before scaling down. The gasp and noise from the crowd and the claps later are worth the experience.
Behind the Old Faithful is the Upper Geyser Basin which can be explored walking on the boardwalks. There are many geysers to see, and you can easily spend 30-45 min or more exploring the entire basin. This concluded my day one in Yellowstone, but I wanted to capture the Cody Rodeo that evening as it was the last night of the season. It’s a long drive from Old faithful to Cody and I arrived just in time when the Rodeo was starting. I am glad I made it as this was a unique experience with local WY flavor for me. Until then I had only seen rodeo actions on TV in shows like Heartland and Yellowstone. But to see the performers on horses from young boys, girls, men, and women display their talents and compete in different events in the arena under the open evening sky was just wonderful. The show lasted about couple of hours, and I drove back to Wapiti to my cabin to sleep for the night.
Day 7 – Sep 3 – Yellowstone Upper Loop
Today I wanted to explore more of the geyser area and then do the upper loop. I arrived first at the Old Faithful Lodge and Inn which is in the Old Faithful Geyser area. This is a quite impressive and massive wood / log structure with hotel rooms, restaurants, shops etc. and worth stopping by even if you are not staying in the lodge itself. Next I explored the biscuit basin in the Upper Geyser area which is closer to Old Faithful. It was cloudy with a light drizzle but luckily I had my raincoat which didn’t stop me from exploring. Further ahead I arrived at the Grand Prismatic Spring in the Middle Geyser area. This is known for its spectacular yellow, orange colors formed due to mineral deposits. There is a short hike to the Grand Prismatic Overlook from where you get a decent view of the entire round/oval shape. Due to cloudy weather the colors weren’t standing out as brightly as I have seen in some pictures, but it still looked quite beautiful. Further on I started on a hike to Fairy Falls which is about a three mile or so round trip through some thick pine forests to the Falls. I kept at close distance to other people/ groups as I didn’t want to be alone and have an encounter with a grizzly. It was raining lightly now and the hike, though quite flat and easy can make you nervous hiking alone, especially around sharp corners and thick forest. Luckily, I arrived at the falls and made in back to my car without any incident. The fall itself is not that much impressive or at least wasn’t at the time due to less water.
I then wanted to explore the Norris Geyser basin, but it was crowded with no parking unless you park on the road at quite some distance, and I decided to skip it. Instead, I started on the upper loop driving towards Mammoth Springs. There isn’t much in between as far as sights go here. Mammoth springs area is again a boardwalk area to explore, and it is large area to walk though and explore the whole area. I walked around quite a bit, but I found this a little underwhelming in comparison with the geysers. From Mammoth Springs I drove towards Tower Fall/ Roosevelt area and down through Dunraven Pass back towards Wapiti. There are places like Antelope Valley and many overlooks on the way but not a lot of prominent sites on this upper loop section. The drives through the high mountains and the forests are an experience though whether you are listening to some good music in your vehicle or just driving around with windows rolled down catching the wind and keep your eyes open for the slightest glimpse of a wildlife activity.
Day 8 – Sep 4 – Lamar Valley, Chief Joseph and Beartooth Hwy
I had viewed majority of the sites along both loops in Yellowstone. The major one remaining for me was Lamar Valley on the Northeast side. Lamar Valley is supposedly the best place to see wildlife in Yellowstone. So today I had decided to visit that section, entering through the NE Entrance. I got up early and drove west from Wapiti towards Cody and then got onto the Chief Joseph hwy. This highway connects Cody to the Bear Tooth Highway in the North. Both these highways are quite scenic, so I had decided to drive along on these since I had time. The drive, starting early dawn, was perfect however there are many open ranges along this Hwy so you need to be watchful of the cattle along or on the road. Once the Joseph Hwy meets Beartooth Hwy you need to drive West to enter Yellowstone. This section of the park, entering through the Northeast Entrance is thickly forested with fog and mist covered mountains presenting a very scenic view. Entering Lamar Valley, the drive can become slow as I saw groups of people at different pullouts along the road with long binoculars and expecting to catch a glimpse of wildlife you stop as well. I also encountered ‘bison jams’ which is very typical here. I stopped at many places and scouted with my binoculars but other than a coyote did not get to see the famous residents of Yellowstone – the grizzly or the wolves. I may have spent about 2-3 hours in Lamar Valley driving up to the Tower Roosevelt junction and then turned back.
My next destination was Red Lodge, Montana though it wasn’t the destination but the drive on the Beartooth Scenic highway that was my primary goal. This is dubbed one of the most beautiful roads in USA, but it is closed during the winter months due to heavy snow. Luckily, it was open when I was there, and the drive was spectacular going through different terrains and reaching altitudes of almost 11000 ft. There are numerous places to pull out and view the spectacular natural beauty. At Red Lodge I stopped by for lunch, the started driving back to Cody driving on a different route which took me through the Wind River Reservation. It’s hard to describe the experience on these drives as there aren’t exact named sites as such to pinpoint everywhere but the entire area and driving experience is something worth the experience. In fact, for anyone visiting Yellowstone I would recommend that they experience and enjoy these mountainous and scenic drives in and out of the park.
Day 9 – Sep 5 – Return Back
This was my last day of the trip and nothing much exciting worth mentioning as I drove back the long drive to Denver to catch my flight back home. The only exciting thing (a bummer for me ) was a traffic ticket I got somewhere in rural Wyoming. Not much regrets though. Per my assessment Wyoming is at the same time the most underwhelming and most overwhelming state in the USA.
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