Bozeman to Yellowstone: Three Days of Geysers, Wildlife, Waterfalls and Big-Sky Country
There was something almost magical about waking up in Bozeman, Montana.
After so many weeks on the road, Bozeman felt like a place where two very different Montana’s had collided. On one side was the old Montana-rustic, independent, familiar, and deeply connected to the land. On the other was a rapidly developing mountain town filled with new residents, new construction, new businesses and people who seemed to have discovered what they considered paradise. I understood both perspectives.
The longtime residents look around and wonder what happened to the Bozeman they knew. The newcomers look around and say, “How could I not want to live here?” And that tension is part of what made my morning there so interesting. I wasn’t simply passing through a pretty mountain town; I was witnessing a community in the middle of a profound transformation.
One last morning of civilization
After a great night’s sleep, I started the day productively. Planet Fitness gave me a good workout and, equally importantly, a shower. REI supplied a few additional items for the adventure ahead. I took care of the slow-leaking tire, replenished my groceries at Safeway, and then loaded up the truck for four days in one of America’s most extraordinary national parks. There was something very satisfying about that routine. I wasn’t just going to Yellowstone. I was preparing to live in Yellowstone for several days. I then pointed the Ram toward the western entrance Of Yellowstone National Park.
The Drive from Bozeman to Yellowstone
The drive south from Bozeman toward Yellowstone was spectacular. As you leave the developed landscape around Bozeman, the road begins to narrow into the Gallatin Canyon, with the Gallatin River accompanying the route through increasingly dramatic mountain scenery. The character of the landscape changes almost by the mile:
open Montana valley, ranch country, river canyon, towering mountains and forests, and then, signs of Yellowstone around the corner. The Gallatin River winds through the canyon while steep mountains rise on either side. The farther south you travel, the more you feel yourself leaving civilization behind. And then the landscape begins to announce what is ahead. Evergreens become more dominant. Mountain walls close in. The road follows the river. Wildlife habitat becomes increasingly evident. After roughly two hours, I reached the West Entrance of Yellowstone. And just like that, I had entered one of the most extraordinary geological and ecological landscapes on Earth.
Day 1 — Madison Campground & Old Faithful
Because my morning had been occupied with Bozeman errands and the drive into the park, I wisely went directly to Madison Campground. I checked in, established my campsite and then faced the classic Yellowstone question: “I’ve arrived. What should I see first?” My answer was obvious. Old Faithful. In fact, Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. I spent roughly three hours exploring the area around Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. There is something almost surreal about standing there.
Old Faithful is famous not because it is Yellowstone’s largest geyser-it isn’t-but because it erupts more frequently and with remarkable predictability. Its average interval is about 90 minutes, with individual eruptions lasting roughly 1½–5 minutes and reaching approximately 106–184 feet. But Old Faithful is really only the beginning. The Upper Geyser Basin contains the greatest concentration of active geysers in the world.
So as I walked the boardwalks, I wasn’t simply watching one famous geyser. I was walking through an enormous natural plumbing system powered by the heat beneath Yellowstone. Steam rising. Boiling water. Pools of extraordinary colors. Geysers suddenly coming alive. The smell of sulfur. The sound of water erupting from the earth. It is difficult to describe Yellowstone without sounding overly dramatic. It really is that dramatic.
A beer at the Old Faithful Inn
After three hours of exploring, I did something that was considerably less geological:
I went into the lodge, sat down and enjoyed a beer. That sounds like a small thing. It wasn’t.
After a day of driving, hiking and taking in one of the world’s great natural wonders, sitting quietly in the lodge with a cold beer was the perfect punctuation mark.
Then it was back to Madison. Tent up. Dinner cooked. Camp organized. And eventually, deep sleep.
Day 2 — Madison to Canyon
The next morning began in classic road-trip fashion: Breakfast. Pack up. Load the truck. Move to the next campground. My next destination was Canyon Campground, a much larger operation with hundreds of campsites and amenities including laundry and hot showers. I immediately bookmarked the showers. After several days of camping, knowing that a hot shower and laundry facility were waiting for me later was almost as exciting as another Yellowstone overlook. Once checked in, I headed toward the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. And Yellowstone delivered again.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
I started around Artist Point and the Lower Falls viewpoints. The scale is difficult to comprehend. The Yellowstone River has carved a canyon approximately 20 miles long and more than 1,000 feet deep, with the famous Lower Falls plunging more than 308 feet.
But statistics don’t really capture what happens when you stand there. The canyon walls seem to explode with color-yellow, orange, pink, red and cream-while the Yellowstone River cuts through the bottom. And then I began seeing wildlife. Bison. Elk. Birds. It became less like visiting a scenic overlook and more like entering an enormous outdoor wildlife theater.
Back at camp
After several hours exploring, I returned to Canyon Campground. I prepared dinner, settled into the tent and began reading my book under the soft glow of my camp light. That became another one of the recurring images of my trip: the world outside going dark while I lie inside my rooftop tent reading. More about that book later.
Day 3 — Upper Falls, Hayden Valley & Bears
The following morning I took advantage of the campground’s hot showers. Then came another reality of traveling with a vehicle for 160 days: check the tire. I already knew it was losing air, I pumped it up again. I tried to find a tire repair shop in Bozeman while there. I was offered an appointment a week later, Others would only take me in if I was buying new tires. Repair would have to wait, in the meantime I monitor and fill. Then, gas. And Yellowstone gas prices were exorbitant. But at this point the truck was fueled, the tire was temporarily happy, and I was ready to explore.
Back to the Grand Canyon
I returned to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone—but this time I concentrated on the Upper Falls rather than the Lower Falls viewpoints from the previous day. That was a smart decision. One canyon. Completely different perspectives. Different light. Different angles.
Different sense of scale. It is one of the advantages of having several days in Yellowstone rather than trying to see everything in a single marathon day.
Hayden Valley — Where the Wildlife Takes Over
From the Grand Canyon Of the Yellowstone I headed into Hayden Valley, one of Yellowstone’s great wildlife corridors. This is where the trip changed from scenic exploration to wildlife adventure. Bison. Elk. Birds. And then something I had been waiting for throughout the entire journey: my first bears. A mother bear with several cubs.
After 63 days on the road, carrying a mandatory camping item – bear spray – I finally encountered bears. That’s the kind of moment that stops the itinerary cold. You can have a perfectly constructed Yellowstone schedule, but when wildlife appears, the schedule becomes secondary. This was particularly special because I wasn’t looking at a bear in a zoo or wildlife park. I was watching a mother and her cubs living in their landscape.
The Audible: Yellowstone Lake
My original plan had me heading north. But it was my last afternoon in Yellowstone.
And I had a thought: I haven’t seen Yellowstone Lake. So I called an audible. And this turned out to be one of the best decisions of the Yellowstone chapter. I headed south toward the lake.
Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone Lake is extraordinary even by Yellowstone standards.
At approximately 7,733 feet above sea level, it is the largest high-elevation lake in North America. It covers about 132 square miles, stretches roughly 20 miles north-to-south and 14 miles east-to-west, and has approximately 141 miles of shoreline. Its average depth is around 138 feet, with a maximum depth of about 430 feet. And then there’s the geological story.
The lake’s main basin occupies part of the Yellowstone Caldera, while glaciers and other geological processes helped shape its southern portion and the lake’s arms. It is also an important ecological and cultural landscape. Archaeological research indicates that Native peoples have used the Yellowstone Lake region for approximately 11,000 years. So when I stopped there for photographs, I wasn’t merely looking at a beautiful mountain lake. I was looking across an enormous, ancient landscape shaped by: volcanoes; glaciers; rivers; wildlife; and people. And because I had my refrigerator/freezer with me, I could do something very practical: open the fridge, grab a snack and eat lunch overlooking Yellowstone Lake. That’s a pretty good road-trip lunch.
The Final Yellowstone Exit
I continued along the lake and then followed Route 20 toward the West Entrance.
Eventually, the Yellowstone gates were behind me. I had spent several days moving through this amazing and historical park. And yet there was still one more camping chapter.
Baker’s Hole Campground
Just outside the West Entrance to Yellowstone I arrived at Baker’s Hole Campground in the late afternoon. Rather than cooking a single dinner, I made a strategic decision: cook for now and the future. I prepared a substantial amount of food so that I wouldn’t have to cook for the next several days. That’s the sort of thing you learn after 60-plus days on the road. Sometimes the smartest camping meal isn’t tonight’s dinner. It’s tonight’s dinner plus tomorrow’s lunch plus tomorrow night’s dinner, etc. I had essentially created my own little Yellowstone-area meal-prep operation.
The New Yorkers Across the Way
Then came another one of those encounters that make long road trips so memorable.
Across from me were two brothers from Long Island traveling with their elderly father in a beautiful RV. I was on Day 63. They were on the road for 14 months. Fourteen months! Naturally, conversation followed. And their journey had its own collection of stories, adventures and lessons. This has become one of the recurring themes of my trip:
the people you meet in campgrounds often have stories just as interesting as the places you’re visiting. Everyone has a route. Everyone has a reason. Everyone has a few unexpected chapters. And these three had accumulated fourteen months’ worth.
One Last Night in the Tent
After dinner, I climbed into the Roofnest, turned on my camp light and returned to my book.
Outside, Yellowstone country was settling into darkness. Inside, I had: a comfortable bed; my camp light and book; a full stomach; leftovers ready for the next several days; and a long drive ahead. I needed the sleep. Because tomorrow wasn’t going to be a short relocation. I was heading north toward Northern Montana, where another completely different chapter of the journey awaited: my friend Charles and his family—and their extraordinary 2,000-acre ranch.