Yellowstone and Tetons: Where Nature Writes the Itinerary

Yellowstone and Tetons are those places I thought I understood before I arrived. I had seen the photographs, watched the videos and knew about Old Faithful, the bison and the famous hot springs. But nothing really prepares you for actually being there.

Over several days, we experienced Teton for one day, Yellowstone for two,  from different directions, in completely different weather, and somehow each turn showed us something new.

There were some ridiculously early mornings; including 2 4:30 AM wake-ups, but these parks have a way of making you forget how tired you are.

One morning we entered the park at just 27 degrees and watched the sun rise over Yellowstone Lake. By afternoon, it was 68 degrees, the layers had come off and the top was down on the Jeep. Another morning we drove for nearly three hours in pouring rain, only to have the skies clear almost perfectly as we reached the area we had come to explore.

Mother Nature was clearly running the itinerary. We just learned to go along with it.

And then there was the wildlife.

We saw hundreds of bison, including herds large enough to stop traffic as they crossed directly in front of our Jeep. There were bighorn sheep, a mountain goat, antelope, a huge raven and an elk sitting peacefully among the steam of a thermal area as if he had posed there just for us.

At one point, we could hear a pack of wolves yapping somewhere on a mountain in the distance. We never saw them, but somehow hearing them in the wild was even more magical.

The parks landscapes themselves are difficult to describe.

There are rivers, lakes, waterfalls and mountains, and then suddenly the earth is steaming beside you. Hot springs and other thermal features seem to be everywhere, beautiful, colorful and almost otherworldly. We watched Old Faithful erupt, wandered the boardwalks, stopped at scenic overlooks and pulled over countless times simply because something was too beautiful to drive past.

One of my favorite moments was also one of the simplest: a picnic lunch in the middle of it all.

No reservations. No fancy restaurant.

Just lunch surrounded by Yellowstone.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was how much I enjoyed being disconnected.

Cell service throughout much of the park was practically nonexistent, making maps essential. But what initially seemed inconvenient quickly became a gift.

I wasn't checking social media.

Rick wasn't checking emails.

We weren't looking down at our phones.

We were looking out.

At bison crossing the road. At steam rising from the earth. At waterfalls, mountains and endless stretches of wilderness.

And maybe that's what made Yellowstone feel so different.

It still feels wild.

You quickly realize that you're the visitor here. The wildlife isn't performing for you. The weather doesn't care about your itinerary. The mountains don't need a filter, and Yellowstone certainly doesn't care whether you have cell service.

You simply get to be there and witness it.

After miles and miles of driving, countless stops, freezing mornings, warm afternoons, rain, sunshine, geysers, hot springs and more wildlife than we ever imagined seeing, we finally said goodbye to Jackson Hole,  and continued north toward Bozeman.

We arrived exhausted, hungry and still talking about everything we had seen. We are here for 4 days, excited for a new itinerary.  For sure we will be enjoying more nature, and still on the lookout for grizzlies and moose.  We will explore downtown too.  These national parks are an experience that remind us just how wild, enormous and beautiful this country still is.

And perhaps the best way to experience a place like this is exactly how we did:

Slow down and get a little lost. Put away the phone and stop when something catches your eye.

Do less. See more. Feel everything.