Yellowstone National Park Announcement

While primarily known as a “driving park”, Yellowstone National Park has some great hiking as well and I’m about ready to dive in. I’m beginning work on my third Day Hike Map and am incredibly excited. Yellowstone has over 1,000 miles of trail and, while I won’t be hiking all of them, I’ll be knocking out everything that is “day hike-able” and a little more.

Kristen and I went down this month to get a lay of the land. We drove the road to familiarize ourselves with the overall areas and to look for animals. Bison calves were all over the place and we spotted a few bear cubs, both grizzly bear and black bear. The mud pots were bubbling and wonderful. The geysers and hot pools were really steamy, so it was harder to see them. I think that when the air is warmer, I’ll get much better views.

The one thing that I really notice with all of the national parks I go to, is that once you get on the trail and away from roads, parking lots, hotels, and short boardwalks, you suddenly find yourself in the wild. A little bit of effort is so rewarding and, though you may have seen a few hundred elk from the car, seeing one from the trail is super special.

I hope you follow along the journey via social media as I explore. I’ll begin posting blogs this fall as I get my map more completed. Next spring, I’ll have a new map. In the meantime, find some trails and get away from the throngs. The moments you’ll have will be worth the sweat.