buffalo – BrewWays

After visiting wildlife-filled Lamar Valley in the morning and then a mediocre lunch at the unexpected yet friendly grill in Canyon Village we covered the short distance to first the North then the South Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Beautiful canyon wall colors, lots of water in the Yellowstone River. More stunning beauty. Does not get old.

A short distance south from there is the Mud Volcano area. I’d also visited this area several years ago but it’s so cool (not literally!) I was excited to see it again. I’ll let the pics & vids speak for themselves. Very impressive area!

As we were closing down the day’s sightseeing, headed down alongside the Madison River toward West Yellowstone we came upon a herd of elk, grazing and relaxing on an island in the mid of the river. Such beautiful animals. (Tasty chops, too!) We’ve been treated to bison, elk, deer, trumpeter swans, and myriad birds & ground crawlers. Still got eyes out for bear and moose!

Videos of the Afternoon’s Sites

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – Lower Falls
Churning Caldron
Mud Volcano
Dragon’s Mouth Spring

We made an early morning departure (5:30) to head across the park to the Lamar River Valley for some wildlife viewing. And accomplished our goal! Almost immediately into the wide valley we encountered a few solitary bison and then a buffalo jam a few miles down the road. So cool to wait and watch as these majestic beasts graze and roll and chase each other alongside (and on) the road.

Several times the animals were within a couple feet so we just continued rolling slowly along, trying to not disturb them. Great picture opps, great videos and sounds. So fortunate to have experienced so many bison in one place. Truly great!

A ways down valley several groups were lining the road, reportedly spying a wolf across the meadow. While we didn’t see one it was still kinda cool to know one was likely out there, as professional guides were camped out watching.

After reaching the northeast entrance to the park we retraced our tracks in Lamar Valley to take in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Mud Volcano Area, which I cover here.