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DPChallenge Forums >> Out and About >> Going to Yellowstone!
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05/03/2014 02:27:04 PM · #1
Fellow DPCer, signal2noise and I are heading to Yellowstone in a couple of weeks.

We want to see some wildlife 9with their newborns if possible).

Any tips or advice? Should we just go on our own or hire a guide?

We are staying near Lake Yellowstone in the cabins near the hotel.

Thanks in advance@
05/03/2014 03:10:35 PM · #2
There's a recent discussion of travel in Yellowstone in this thread. My own experience is 30 years out of date ...
    
05/03/2014 04:10:42 PM · #3
that other thread does have good tips. You wont have a problem finding critters with the new borns. Otters hang out on Trout lake on the far East side of the park. I have never seen them there, but many people have. While on that side of the park, go out to Silvergate, a few little shops and fairly decent restaurants. Then you can continue East a little bit to Cook City, a little bit more here and good food.

Grand Prismatic is neat, but its best viewed from up above. there is a trail called Fairy Falls that you take to get back there, its not far. once you get back there you will start to see some trails going up the hill. Take those to get a great view.
Park here
Back side of Grand Prismatic

05/03/2014 07:10:52 PM · #4
Bring warm clothes. Really. It snowed on us in June.

Read up on what to do if you encounter a grizzly bear, especially if you plan to go hiking. They're just now coming out of hibernation, and they're hungry, so they get around to places you wouldn't normally see them.

You don't need a guide, but stop at the visitor center and see what's going on. The rangers will tell you what's open or closed, and where there have been recent wildlife sightings. There's plenty of wildlife to go around.
05/03/2014 09:02:31 PM · #5
I've been there a couple times and have loved it! It's such a treasure of unique landscapes and wildlife. One person you might consider contacting is ursula. She worked there for an entire summer a few years back, and undoubtedly knows the place inside and out.

05/03/2014 10:44:43 PM · #6
And be careful where you put your pic-a-nic basket, eh Boo-boo?
05/04/2014 12:11:25 AM · #7
Originally posted by skewsme:

And be careful where you put your pic-a-nic basket, eh Boo-boo?

Yes'm!
05/04/2014 01:33:02 AM · #8
My experience with Yellowstone is even more out of date, but...
Expect traffic to move at 20-30 mph. You're not going to get anywhere quickly. Nothing ruins the visit faster than sitting in your car for long periods of time. You can do that on your local freeway!
Explore the less obvious things - those side roads everyone goes roaring past, the little turnout no one is using, the road marked no RVs or Trailers.
Time - you won't have enough, no matter how much you've planned.
You won't fully appreciate Yellowstone if you only see it through your viewfinder. Nor will you know its soul enough to do it justice in your photographs.
Respect the wildlife - do NOT assume that others who don't have any clue about what they're doing (or the danger they may be in). Bear, Elk, Bison, Wolves, etc. are designed to move quickly when they need to.
My example of doing something unusual - when I visited, there was a little pool of water near Old Faithful - maybe 2 ft across or so. It almost looked like a very shallow rock-bottomed pool. But something didn't quite match that impression, so I started to follow the rocks along the side down, down, down (this one is below that one, etc.). It went down, down, down until you lost the light to see the next stone down. But the water was so clear, all the way down. I still don't have any clue how deep it was, but it was an experience in things are not always what you think they are at first.
Definitely am jealous. Enjoy your visit.
05/04/2014 01:19:41 PM · #9
Dang. I hate when my ipad erases a long reply...

Being bear spray and get off the boardwalks. A good can is about $40. You can check it in a bag, but not a carry-on. I second the recommendation for the short hike about Grand Prismatic. The Lamar Valley is the wildlife hotspot. You will have to arrive near dawn to see wolves and they will be too far away for good photography. Just be smart around the wildlife. I saw some stupid stuff that could have gone wrong quickly.
05/04/2014 05:51:49 PM · #10
great stuff! Really appreciated.

Can always count on the DPC crowd for good advice!
05/04/2014 07:20:22 PM · #11
better check the rules with the airline for taking bear spray in checked bags. I don't think bear spray is allowed. The TSA prohibitied items list only mentions pepper spray. Bear spray is way more potent than the stuff used on humans in those small containers.

Per the FAA, anything over 4 oz is prohibited, bear spray is usually 8 oz or more.
FAA & Bear Spray
05/04/2014 07:31:23 PM · #12
Bear spray is readily available nearly everywhere around the park. Buy it when you get there. Definitely go for a hike. Most people never get off the paved paths and boardwalks. Don't be most people.

There won't be much traffic before Memorial Day (at least not compared to the rest of the summer), but plan on it taking about twice as long to get where you're going as you think it will. Speed limits are slow, and the second you get some speed up, a buffalo will be standing in the middle of the road stopping traffic.

It is easy to get good pictures of buffalo (American Bison for the more pedantically minded). They're big, they move slow, and they will come right up to the car. Don't think they're big cows, however. They're actually pretty dangerous. Lots of tourists act like Yellowstone is a big petting zoo, but it isn't. The animals are still wild.
05/11/2014 09:49:11 PM · #13
Thanks for the tip on this one as well.

I have a notebook I made notes, 2 more month countdown for me!

Your right this is the best place for advice...to see wildlife actually stop traffic, that is what I am hoping for :-))
05/11/2014 11:35:03 PM · #14
There really is such a thing as bear spray? The things one learns on DPC.... :-)

Have a great trip!
05/12/2014 06:39:40 AM · #15
Originally posted by Melethia:

There really is such a thing as bear spray? The things one learns on DPC.... :-)



Where's Art when you need him....
05/12/2014 08:07:28 AM · #16
The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
05/12/2014 10:36:32 AM · #17
how to identify bears:
If it climbs up the tree after you and eats you, its a black bear.

If it pushes the tree over and eats you, its a brown bear (grizzly)

you don't have to be faster than the bear, you just have to be faster than the person you are with.
05/12/2014 11:32:55 AM · #18
Bear spray is somewhat stronger than human pepper spray. Bear spray has about 2% CRC (Capsaicin and Related Capsaicinoids) and regular pepper spray only has about 1.33% CRC.

The biggest differences are in the size of the can, the spray pattern (Bear spray typically shoots further) and bear spray is regulated by the EPA. The EPA requires testing bear sprays to demonstrate that the spray is humane.

Also, if you don't want a $50 can of bear spray as a souvenir, there are outfitters now renting bear spray
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