Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Dinosaur Roadtrip

March 04, 2014  •  3 Comments

I am laying in bed with some internet after a 2 week road trip and I'm bummed its already over. We had a blast and got to see and do some amazing things, with great people, in beautiful places. The trip started off leaving Denver and headed to Sheridan and Billings for a few nights to see my family. From there we drove over to Mammoth in Yellowstone where we were met with bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer, and elk in the first 10 minutes. I almost forgot what animals looked like after spending a year in the desert. It was very rare to see mammals and when you did, they were pretty small. Our friends set us up with a place to stay in Mammoth where we headed into Lamar Valley and got some good wildlife shots.

Digging for GoldDigging for Gold

Bison Digging for Food

Ram GrazingRam Grazing

Bighorn Sheep Near the Road

After skiing and exploring the Mammoth and Lamar Valley area we got on a snow coach and headed down to Old Faithful for a couple nights. We spent the days skiing from geyser to geyser trying to get photos and video of as many as possible. We got to see Old Faithful go off a number of times, Castle and Daisy Geyser twice, and also Lion and Grand geysers as well. We skied about 15 miles during the stay and made it out to Biscuit and Black Sand Basins. Each day was nicer than the next, and the weather was cold so it made for some great geyser photography.

Grand GeyserGrand Geyser

Grand Geyser

Castle and Old Faithful Synchronized EruptionsCastle and Old Faithful Synchronized Eruptions

Castle Geyser and Old Faithful Geyser

Heart Spring and the LionHeart Spring and the Lion

Heart Spring and the Lion Group

Daisy Geyser EruptionDaisy Geyser Eruption

Daisy Geyser

Castle Geyser RainbowCastle Geyser Rainbow

Castle Geyser and Rainbow

Old Faithful Under the Milky WayOld Faithful Under the Milky Way

Old Faithful under the Clear Winter Sky

Red Fox on the ProwlRed Fox on the Prowl

Curious Fox Near Black Sand Pool

From there we heard that there was going to be a big snow storm headed our way so we needed to head down to the Tetons if we planned on making it there at all. The next day we headed up to Flagg Ranch and skied out to Huckleberry Hotspring where we soaked for a while and had some beers. Then the weather came in and pretty much dumped 2 ft of snow on us over the course of the next couple days. We were able to make it out skiing, but the weather wasn't great for photos. On our last day we headed down to the Elk Refuge and went on a guided tour with one of the Naturalists where we saw some Pronghorn, Sheep, Bison, and a pack of 9 wolves eating on an elk that they had recently taken. They were too far away for photos, but they were awesome to watch in the spotting scope. After that we headed on a sleigh ride where we got to see the elk up close and personal. 

Polecat CreekPolecat Creek

Along the Trail to the Hot Springs

Bull ElkBull Elk

Bull Elk on the Refuge

Sparring ElkSparring Elk

Elk Sparring

After leaving the Tetons we headed to Dinosaur for a day of hiking to split up the drive back. It was a gloomy day but we got to do some off-trail hiking and we even found a dinosaur bone. We also explored some cool petroglyph panels before we had to call it quits for the day due to rain.

Hiker and Split Mountain PanoramaHiker and Split Mountain Panorama

Scenic Ridgewalk

Hiker viewing the petroglyphsHiker viewing the petroglyphs

Checking out the Lizard Panel

Next we are headed to Colorado and Winter Park to do some downhill skiing. Then I will be headed back to Moab for a little video work I am doing on the side. Hopefully I will line up some trips when I am down there and get to explore the area right when the flowers start popping. I hope all is well with everyone else.

Special thanks to:

My Family in Sheridan and Billings for letting us crash and throwing us a party, Neal and Jenn for putting us up and showing us a great time in Yellowstone, Clay, Aimee, and Elizabeth for taking care of us in the Tetons, Dan and Lesha for setting us up with the hotel in Dinosaur and Corrie for being a worth road trip companion. 


Comments

Debbie Tubridy(non-registered)
Such wonderful images! Really enjoyed your blog post and hope to keep doing so. Hopefully we can meet up with you in Utah.
Linda St. Clair(non-registered)
Jake - thanks so much for sharing your time and your talent with us. It was fun to have an evening with you and Corrie all to ourselves! Matthew enjoyed and appreciated his time with you as well.

Your photos are brilliant! The lone bull elk in front of a row of cows headed the opposite direction is so cool and represents the life of a bull elk in such unique way.

Thanks for sharing! Happy trails.
Deborah Marple
These are gorgeous photos! The bison is fantastic.
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