Grand Teton, Yellowstone & Glacier National Park Road Trip

Persephone Bakery

We left our glamping tent in the rearview mirror, but before we started our journey north to Yellowstone, we absolutely had to stop at the infamous Persephone Bakery. The wait was long and hot, but honestly, it was the best Blueberry muffin I’ve ever had. I’ll rate it a 4.5/5 for the Blueberry but not the wait.

Jackson hole was charming and you can’t help but notice the small shop lined streets, flowers and horse drawn carriages. If you have time, be sure to stop and take a look around to visit.

We left Jackson hole and made our way to Colter Bay Village, where we stopped to use the restrooms and stretch our legs with a walk down to the marina.

If you’re feeling adventurous, there is an option to walk the Lakeshore Trail. This flat, easy trail is 2 miles long, takes about 45-minutes, and offers decent views of Jackson Lake. It also makes a great way to spend lunch!

Yellowstone National Park

The South Entrance of Yellowstone is a beautiful drive through tall pine trees running along the Snake River.

Our first stop was Lewis Falls.

Traveler Tip: The fall is named after Meriwether Lewis from the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803-1807.

Lewis Falls was our first “wow moment” when we spotted it from the side of the road. We quickly parked on the side of the road, got out, and did some exploring! We hiked up the North side of the river and were much happier being alone and watching everybody else on the other side. Albeit, the North side is a lot harder to navigate and pretty steep.

It was worth it though because the views were incredible from this angle. The 30ft high waterfall produced a thunderous roar and forced the water downstream quickly. The fly fisherman and kids splashing around in the shallow river just below was such a sight to see, we had made it. … I would highly recommend this spot, 10/10.

West Thumb Geyser Basin

The next stop on the bucket list was West Thumb Geyser Basin. You may be asking, why is it called West Thumb Geyser Basin.

Yellowstone Lake resembles the shape of a human hand; West Thumb is the large western bay that would be the thumb. The bay is a caldera within a caldera and it was formed by a volcanic eruption approximately 174,000 years ago. The resulting caldera later filled with water, forming an extension of Yellowstone Lake.

West Thumb is also the largest geyser basin on the shore of Yellowstone Lake—and its hydrothermal features lie under the lake too. The heat from these features can melt ice on the lake’s surface.

We took the boardwalk counterclockwise to start exploring the different thermal areas and features of this free attraction.

Related: 5 Easy Ways to Save Money to Travel

Due to the California wildfires during our time there, the sky had a hazy and orange-smoke filled tone to it. You’ll see in the pictures below that it created a mysterious atmosphere.

As we walked down the boardwalk passed Black Pool, we quickly realized it wasn’t actually black! The misty pool has a vibrant blue water color, but prior to hydrothermal activity in 1991, the pool was much cooler and hospitable to black and brown thermophiles.

Thermophiles are microorganisms that love heat. They are responsible for the vivid colors in Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features. Yellow marks the hottest pools, while greens and blues mark pools that are usually below 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Instagram – @Navigator.Nick

Across from Black Pool, an orange thermophile-colored stream pours down to the edge of Yellowstone Lake. West Thumb Geyser Basin adds about 3,000 gallons of water to Yellowstone Lake each year, but the roasting runoff does little to affect the overall temperature of the frigid mountain lake.

Continuing on, the boardwalk passes directly along the edge of Yellowstone Lake. When water levels are high, some hydrothermal features end up below the surface. One such feature is Fishing Cone. Despite being right on the edge of Yellowstone Lake, Fishing Cone percolates at near-boiling temperatures. Part of the early lore of Yellowstone was that it was the only place in America where you could catch a fish and cook it while it was still on the line. Fishing is no longer allowed near Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features, and there are health risks associated with cooking in a geyser so don’t do it.

West Thumb Geyser Basin was a great experience and I would rate it 8.5/10 for the scenic landscape that touches Yellowstone Lake.

If you’re wondering how I got this shot, I used a 45-150 lens for my Panasonic G85.

Just as we were leaving the parking lot we saw a small crowd start to gather.

Traveler Tip: Anytime you notice a group of people with cameras shooting in a specific direction, something good is happening and it usually involves wildlife.

This time it was a family of Elk in between the tall Pin trees. I quickly parked the car on the side of the parking lot, switched my camera lens and ran over to an ideal spot. While everybody was staring in one direction, I ran around them to get a different perspective.

After some patience, I was able to grab the shot you see above. As I turned around to go back to the car, the crowd had grown tremendously and was right over my shoulder. I guess I found a better spot?!

We left West Thumb Geyser and headed to the West Yellowstone KOA.

West Yellowstone KOA Campground

Just as the sun started to set, we pulled in to the campground and checked-in. We unpacked our gear, settled into the cabin and started the fire. Tonight we would be having chicken sausage sandwiches provided by our trusty George Foreman grill. Honestly this was one of our best ideas ever. The little electric grill that we packed in our checked bag saved us a lot of time, money and effort. For $20, you can’t beat the value!

The campground itself was decent, with a roof over our head and clean bathrooms to use. However, we disliked the small spacing between cabins on the grounds. They could be a little more spread out for privacy. The front desk gave us some free koozies and we used them promplyt to hold our beers and white claw. Very handy!

What do you think of the George Foreman grill idea? Leave a comment below.