We took this trip to Yellowstone and surrounding areas in the summer of 2019.
We got up the next morning to see low clouds in the mountains.
We drove back into Cody for a Walmart so I could buy a knee brace.
Then we drove west on Hwy. 14 beyond Buffalo Bill SP toward the east entrance to Yellowstone NP. We stopped at several small primitive campgrounds. We already had reservations, we just wanted to see what they were like. They were small primitive campgrounds set in beautiful locations just outside the park. Such as this one.
One thing about those primitive campgrounds. Tents weren’t allowed. You had to have a hard shell to camp there. Because of bears. They must have been plentiful. Of course, as we neared the park entrance we passed tourist attractions.
And the entrance sign.
Entering from the east is a steep climb.
Once you go through Sylvan Pass (8,524 ft.) at the top, it’s a steep way down the other side.
We pulled off at a pretty mountain lake, Sylvan Lake, to eat lunch.
Of course, someone was fishing. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the guy isn’t wearing waders. He’s got his bare legs in that icy water. Tough guy.
After lunch, and a short nap, we continued driving down the mountain, approaching Yellowstone Lake. We stopped at Butte Overlook.
There was evidence of a recent forest fire.
Nearing the bottom.
We stopped at Fishing Bridge Visitor Center to walk around Yellowstone Lake a bit.
From there we headed north on the Grand Loop Road, which followed the Yellowstone River. In Heyden Valley we saw some bison.
One came up close.
We drove on to Canyon Village to secure our site we had reserved for a week. In the parking lot we saw this interesting vehicle they gave tours in.
We also saw a lot of big ravens throughout the park.
From there we found our site in Canyon Campground and settled down for the rest of the day. We had a beautiful site in a beautiful campground in a beautiful park. For 7 nights. Ahhh.
Next Location – Yellowstone National Park Day 2: Yellowstone Canyon & Mud Volcano
From the North Rim 