Continue to delight all ages

FAMILY TRIPS TO YELLOWSTONE

CONTINUE TO DELIGHT ALL AGES

Safe seflies in Norris Geyser Basin near Constant Geyser. Photo by Jacob W. Frank, courtesy of National Park Service.

By Carrie Haderlie

Visitors of all ages are invited this summer to refl ect on the past, present and future of Yellowstone Nati onal Park while also experiencing the wonders of the landscape.

Yellowstone is a place that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike, from the accomplished outdoors person to the novice. Whether driving the famous upper and lower loop roads or hiking into the backcountry, a visit to the park can be tailor-made to any family’s needs. “For nearly seven generati ons now, the American people and our guests have been able to experience the beauty and majesty of Old Faithful, Minerva Terrace, Morning Glory Pool, the Grand Prismati c Spring and the Yellowstone River, and marvel at the bison, wolves, elk, wildfl owers and many other breathtaking sites,” Chuck Sams, director of the Nati onal Park Service said in a lett er commemorati ng the March 1 anniversary of the park. Yellowstone off ers 12 campgrounds with more than 2,000 sites, and during the park’s busy season, from the beginning of May through the fall, all campsites can be reserved. Arriving without a reservati on, though, means the chances of fi nding a campsite in the park are slim to none, according to the Nati onal Park Service. Yellowstone Nati onal Park Lodges operates nine lodges, both hotel- and cabin-style, in the park, with more than 2,000 rooms. All are open from late spring through fall, but only two are open in the winter: Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Children are encouraged to explore the park by becoming a Junior Ranger through a self-guided program that will introduce kids to the park and their role in preservati on. Booklets are available at park visitor centers, as are Nati onal Parks passport stamps. Joshua Mahan, who runs Yellowstone Hiking Guides with his wife, Emily Jo, leads three guided hikes a day. He anti cipates this summer will be a busy one.

A family poses for a portrait at Artist Point on Aug. 3, 2018. Photo by Jacob W. Frank, courtesy of National Park Service

“We’ve been taking reservations since November,” he said. “It has been increasing beyond anything we have seen in the past.” Michael Burns, who runs Cody Wyoming Adventures, said he also anticipates a busy summer. He offers driving tours of the park, with trips in a 15-passenger van to a luxury ride in a Cadillac Escalade or a day trip in a Mercedes open-air van.

“That is a really big hit. A lot of people want the fresh air, to smell the smells of Yellowstone and hear the river or the animals when they are there,” Burns said.

For those taking a driving tour, either with a guide or alone, there are plenty of stops along the upper and lower loop roads for a short boardwalk stroll or a picnic. Popular stops include the Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest, oldest and most dynamic of Yellowstone’s thermal areas, and Fishing Bridge at Yellowstone Lake, which was built in 1937. For more adventurous hikers, Mahan suggested several areas, including the Lamar Valley and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. His guided hikes are open to all ages, and he said his youngest client was around 3 years old. “We did about four miles out on the trail, and he was pretty impressive,” Mahan said. Yellowstone Hiking Guides offers three hikes a day, six days a week in the summer.

“We take people across the generations out. A lot of times, we see the parents, the grandparents and the kids, and sometimes even have great-grandparents along, even if they do shorter walks on the boardwalk,” Mahan said. The Park Service offers guides a day-long training on the park’s flora and fauna every season, Mahan said, and he said he is always bear-aware. “I’m a Wyoming local. I was born in Jackson and grew up in Darby, Montana,” Mahan said. “I’ve spent my whole life out here, and sometimes people are looking for someone from around the area to go out with them. People are worried about bears, and we do run into them on our trips.” But Mahan said he is more likely to encourage his hikers to pay attention to the small things: heat stroke, weather preparedness and dehydration.

“I always tell people the thing we deal with day in and day out is that sunshine, and water intake is huge,” he said. He advises hikers to bring a rain jacket with them and at least two liters of water on hikes. He carries bear spray and, of course, sunscreen.

Day hikes in the Old Faithful area include a loop around the entire basin, where Mahan said visitors will see famous hot pools and will pass half of the world’s geysers in one hike. The area also boasts a breathtaking view from Observation Point. Two hours to the north, the Lamar Valley is a great place to see wildlife, he said.

“That is one area that people just keep returning to and always want to go hiking in,” Mahan said. Another popular hike is the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike above the Yellowstone River, where hikers can view the park’s complex geologic history from a variety of overlooks. On longer hikes in the area, people will find backcountry lakes, thermal areas and meadows, Mahan said.