Day 11 - Yellowstone by Horseback and by Boat
The kids both wanted to try a trail ride, so we were able to book a one-hour ride at the nearby stable in Canyon Village. We booked the ride in the morning to avoid the heat, and had the added bonus of being able to drive through Hayden Valley early in the day, when our chances of seeing some wildlife were greater.
So - up early again, and we were out the door promptly at 7. Since our ride didn't start until 9:15, we had some time to explore along the way.
Since it was a cold morning, we saw a lot of steam coming from the earth that we hadn't noticed during our drive in. We pulled off into the almost completely empty parking lot where there is a short walkway around bubbling mud pots that leads to a feature called the Dragon's Mouth.
The audio doesn't come through very well, but this cave lets off periodic bursts of steam, along with what sounds like a huge, forceful exhale. It's pretty cool.
Continuing on, we wound our way down into Hayden Valley, which was gorgeous in the early morning sun. We had been warned to leave a little extra time to get to the stables, as it's not uncommon for animals to be in the road. And they were.
It was amazing to see the bison so close up, and to get a chance to see some baby buffalo too. The numbers vary depending on who you ask, but it sounds like the Yellowstone herd have gone from near decimation to over 4000.
Our next stop was a quick pull through at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Again, the parking lot was deserted at 8 in the morning - awesome! The waterfalls and the view of the canyon is breathtaking (and a little scary when you see how far you'd plummet if you happened to fall over the edge.)
We stopped for breakfast at a fun 50's-style diner in Canyon Village. There appears to be a number of fairly new lodges in that area as well (one even had an EV charger out front), so may be worth checking out if you want to stay in the Canyons area. After breakfast - we headed to check in at the ranch.
We don't have any pics of the ride as we didn't have our phones with us, but the horses were well cared for, and the kids faces when they got on their horses were priceless. The ride was really pretty, if a bit slow (it's a nose to tail sort of ride). We wound our way through both forests and a canyon, and past what little remains (a few dish shards) of the original Canyon Hotel. We are happy we did it.
In the evening, we had booked a one hour boat tour out of the Bridge Bay marina. I would highly recommend it! Our tour guide and the captain were hilarious, and did the beginning of their safety announcement in character as the 'Cruise Brothers', complete with hats, sunglasses and a pretty clever rhyme. The tour was beautiful, and our guide pointed out that from a mile or so offshore, when you look around the lake, you see virtually no human development - so you can imagine you are seeing the park just as people did hundreds of years ago. It's pretty amazing.
After that, back to our lodge for a bite to eat and general hanging out. We leave the following day to head to Dubois, Wyoming, and our first real camping of the trip,
So - up early again, and we were out the door promptly at 7. Since our ride didn't start until 9:15, we had some time to explore along the way.
Since it was a cold morning, we saw a lot of steam coming from the earth that we hadn't noticed during our drive in. We pulled off into the almost completely empty parking lot where there is a short walkway around bubbling mud pots that leads to a feature called the Dragon's Mouth.
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| Bubbling mud pots in Yellowstonr |
Continuing on, we wound our way down into Hayden Valley, which was gorgeous in the early morning sun. We had been warned to leave a little extra time to get to the stables, as it's not uncommon for animals to be in the road. And they were.
It was amazing to see the bison so close up, and to get a chance to see some baby buffalo too. The numbers vary depending on who you ask, but it sounds like the Yellowstone herd have gone from near decimation to over 4000.
Our next stop was a quick pull through at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Again, the parking lot was deserted at 8 in the morning - awesome! The waterfalls and the view of the canyon is breathtaking (and a little scary when you see how far you'd plummet if you happened to fall over the edge.)
 |
| The camera doesn't capture the perspective, or the power, of these falls |
We don't have any pics of the ride as we didn't have our phones with us, but the horses were well cared for, and the kids faces when they got on their horses were priceless. The ride was really pretty, if a bit slow (it's a nose to tail sort of ride). We wound our way through both forests and a canyon, and past what little remains (a few dish shards) of the original Canyon Hotel. We are happy we did it.
In the evening, we had booked a one hour boat tour out of the Bridge Bay marina. I would highly recommend it! Our tour guide and the captain were hilarious, and did the beginning of their safety announcement in character as the 'Cruise Brothers', complete with hats, sunglasses and a pretty clever rhyme. The tour was beautiful, and our guide pointed out that from a mile or so offshore, when you look around the lake, you see virtually no human development - so you can imagine you are seeing the park just as people did hundreds of years ago. It's pretty amazing.
After that, back to our lodge for a bite to eat and general hanging out. We leave the following day to head to Dubois, Wyoming, and our first real camping of the trip,
