Thursday, May 30, 2013

Other people's top ten lists of things to see/do in Yellowstone

Hellroaring Trail

Geyser Hill: http://www.travelwalks.com/Display_Photos.aspx

This list http://yellowstone.net/intro/top-10/ has a short list and each item in the list is a clickable link to more information.

This is a full page 3 day suggested itinerary: http://www.sunset.com/travel/rockies/yellowstone-weekend-activities-00400000050026/

Tripadvisor's top 10 Yellowstone activities: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60999-Activities-c25-Yellowstone_National_Park_Wyoming.html

Yellowstone Wolf Tracker Guided tours are top rated, but the $700 price tag for 14 people is a big ouch. http://www.wolftracker.com/guide.htm

Boiling River is a place where park guests can swim in warm water, even warm enough to swim in the winter.

"We suggest allowing at least 3 days to visit the Park.

#10 West Thumb Geyser Basin"

I hadn't heard of Tower Fall before.  Looks interesting: http://yellowstone.net/intro/tower-fall
I still contend that Yellowstone Lake does not look interesting.

Lamar Valley is the top place for wildlife viewing (which includes wolves), so that is on my list.

The paint pots are only interesting when there is water in them to bubble which is primary in the spring during the melt.  By September they may be entirely dry.

About the falls in Yellowstone Canyon: "The volume of water flowing over the falls can vary from 63,500 gal/sec at peak runoff to 5,000 gal/sec in the fall."

Great Fountain Geyser is in the Lower Geyser Basin and is "the only major geyser you can truly watch from your windshield. This is especially nice in bad weather."  " sits in the middle of one of the prettiest sinter formations in the park. The sinter forms a series of terraced concentric reflecting pools around the geyser. Even if the geyser isn’t erupting, it is worth driving past to see the pools."


Canyon Visitor Education Center gets top marks for interactive displays for the kids which explain the volcanic activity in the area.  A&C were pretty interested in the geology of the Hawaiian Volcanoes.  Trip Advisor gives this visitor's center top marks: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60999-d774854-Reviews-Canyon_Visitor_Education_Center-Yellowstone_National_Park_Wyoming.html

Friday, May 10, 2013

Wolf info

The article in this link http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/wolves.htm has info about the wolves in Yellowstone including how many wolves there are, the territory of each pack, and how many of which types of animals they have killed and eaten.

The article in this link http://www.ylwstone.com/wolfwatching.html has info about how to find wolves for wolf watching.  The info includes a map to common pull-outs off the main road where wolf spotters hang out, the kinds of sounds to listen for, the questions you can ask other wolf-spotters.  If that link doesn't open, try http://www.ylwstone.com/ and click "wolf watching" in the left hand menu.

In a 7 day visit we typically see the large canids 3-4 days in both the spring and fall. Sightings every day are not uncommon. Sometimes one lone wolf and sometimes a pack of 18. Luck has a lot to do with it, but there are several things you can do to remarkably improve your chances.