Jackson – West Yellowstone

22 May – 26 May

Sunday:

We’ve got a driving day today and it’s probably a good thing: the weather is miserable.  It’s cold and raining heavily.  Heading north we cross into Idaho, which as far as we can work out is famous for potatoes (as the number plates proclaim) and not much else.  At lunchtime we pull into an information centre to eat our sandwiches.  It’s a good thing we do as we find out that our planned route is closed due to mudslides.  Our detour takes us over the picturesque, snowy Teton pass and in the process takes us into Wyoming.  Jackson is in the valley on the far side and is a base for the surrounding ski areas.  It’s half alpine village and half wild west: log cabins with guns for door handles; elk, moose and bear themes everywhere.  Four arches made out of elk antlers frame the town square. 

We check into our motel, get some washing done and then walk out for something to eat.  We find ourselves in the Snake River Brewery, which does good beers and even better pizzas. 

Monday:

We’ve got big plans today to climb the mountains making up the Jackson Hole ski area and then catch a free tram ride down.  We’re suited and booted and our rucksacks are packed, but when we arrive we discover the mountain is still covered in snow and the tram is not running.  That idea gets scrapped.  We’re right near the gates of Grand Teton National Park, so we decide to take a look around there instead. 

Driving in we keep our eyes peeled for wildlife, but if there’s anything exciting about it’s staying well hidden.  There is patchy snow on the ground, but the deeper into the park we get the more snow we find.  We’ve heard that you can get boat shuttles across Jenny Lake, but when we arrive at the lake and see ducks strolling across the lake (rather than swimming in it) it’s soon clear that no boats will be running. 

We chat to a ranger who suggests a few walks that should be relatively free of snow. We decide to give one a go, but after wading through knee-deep snow for a couple of hundred metres we decide it’s a no go.  It’s probably a good shout as with that the weather turns and it starts to rain.

A bit later in the afternoon it brightens up a bit and we bravely (or stupidly) try another walk out to Phelps Lake.  It’s dry on the ground as we set off so we’re feeling confident.  As we go the snow get’s thicker and thicker, until the only way to tell the path is to follow the footprints of people who have gone before and hope like hell they knew where they were going. 

It appears that they didn’t, as we’re soon hopelessly lost.  We’re reduced to finding the stream and following it upstream until we eventually find the lake.  It is beautiful, but we’ve now got to find our way back to the car park.  By the time we make it back we’re soaked through from the knees down.

After warming up with hot showers we head out for the evening, saddling up in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a beer.

Tuesday:

It’s bitterly cold today as we once again drive through Grand Teton towards Yellowstone.  We’re taking a different road today, which keeps things interesting.  We don’t even entertain the idea of leaving the warmth of the car for any length of time, but there are plenty of beautiful, frozen landscapes to take in.

Our wildlife spotting goes slightly better today and we even spy a few bison from a distance.  Jackson is home to a big elk reserve, but they only hang about in the winter and they’ve moved on by now (although it feels like winter to us, this apparently is spring?!).

In the afternoon we cross over into Yellowstone.  I know I’ve got a bit excited about the snow we’ve seen so far, but the snow in Yellowstone blows everything away.  It’s as if it’s never heard of summer.  Walls of snow 6+ feet high line the road on both sides. 

It’s lovely, but we’re starting to wonder how much we’re going to be able to see and do here.  As we drop down further into the park the ground clears a bit, partly due to the decreased elevation, but I’m sure all the geothermal activity has got a big part to play too.  We’re not taking in any of the sights today – we’ve got plenty of time for that over the next couple of days – but we can’t resist stopping for a close-up look at some bison before continuing on to our motel in West Yellowstone.

Wednesday:

We were promised nasty weather all week, but it’s actually a bit brighter and warmer (although still cold!) today than the last couple of days.  We decide to take advantage of the respite and concentrate on hiking and wildlife viewing. 

The scenery in Yellowstone is bizarre.  One minute you’re driving through snow, the next minute there’s steam billowing out of hot springs with bison and elk taking advantage of the warmth and grazing on the lush grass growing alongside.  The driving is slow and eventful, with bison often stopping the traffic as they stroll up the road.  It’s a little like Kruger: you drive along until you see a cluster of cars stopped and then you stop too to try to figure out what everyone is looking at.  Sometimes it’s nothing interesting, but every now and then you get lucky.  One stop gives us a distant view of a moose. 

With the sun out and the ground clear we stretch our legs on a 5 mile loop past some beaver ponds.  It’s a beautiful walk through open countryside to the ponds where we see signs of beaver activity, but no signs of the beavers themselves.  On our way back we pass fellow walkers who promise us more action is ahead.  We stroll past some bison and then there it is: a bit ahead of us and not far off the path a black bear is going about it’s business. 

It’s exciting to see, but terrifying: I’m convinced that at any moment it’s going to charge towards us.  We detour far off the path (blundering into a herd of elk in the process) to get round it, only to be met by a man coming behind us who has brazenly strolled past the bear.  He tells us that as long as you make a lot of noise the black bears will generally get out of your way – he’s from upstate New York and often has them climbing on his car.  He then tells us that a coyote had been following us for some time along the ridge before it crossed behind us.  We didn’t see a thing, we obviously don’t have our wildlife eyes in yet.

We continue our safari by car and soon come across some big horn sheep.  Another cluster of stopped cars: this time it’s a grizzly. 

We get to follow it along the road edge for quite some time.  That’s the highlight of our day.  Not long after we turn around and head back, tackling another bison traffic jam along the way – there are a lot of cute babies in tow (one advantage of visiting in spring!) so I’m more than happy to sit and watch them pass.

Thursday:

We may have had a respite from the bad weather yesterday but it’s making up for it today.  We’re not really equipped to deal with these freezing (literally) temperatures.  We layer on as many clothes as we can but still have to stop off in town to pick up some thick socks and gloves to make the day bearable.  Today is less about wildlife and more about sights.  We head straight for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone to admire the Upper and Lower Falls. 

We continue to follow the river until we come to Yellowstone Lake.  The snow is worst in the southern half of the park and the lake is predictably frozen.  It’s a pretty spot to have our lunch.  Afterwards we stop for a quick walk around the brightly coloured hot springs and bubbling mud pools of a thermal area right on the lakeshore. 

The steaming water flows straight into the frozen lake. 

Next stop is Old Faithful.  It’s snowing properly now, but Old Faithful doesn’t keep us waiting long and blows just about spot on the predicted time, shooting steam and water high above our heads. 

We’re feeling brave so we decide to take the scenic walk past the geysers and springs of this area.  It seems like a good idea, but as we set off the wind and snow pick up and we’re soon wet and frozen to the bone. 

There are some fascinating sights, but best of all is the sight of our warm car as it comes back into view 3 cold miles later.   We warm up enough in the car to brave a few quick walks around 2 other thermal areas, but in this cold the steam coming off the ground obscures the view, offering only the most elusive glimpses of what we’ve come to see.

The snow has created a winter wonderland: blanketing the fields and catching in the trees.  In the end it’s the wildlife that steal the show again.