Actually our first day started the night before. We left Minneapolis, MN at 9pm so we could drive through the night and arrive in Yellowstone sometime the following day. We did this so we would not be wasting a day by driving during the day. All we had to do was get on I-94 and that brought us all the way to Billings, MT and from there we exited the Interstate and got onto Hwy 212, which brought us to the NE entrance of Yellowstone. We had to stop three times at the gas station to fill up on gas and stretch our legs.
Right before the border crossing into Montana from North Dakota there was Theodore Roosevelt National Park near the Medora exit. We arrived there right as the sun was rising. We noticed that the landscape was different becoming more canyon-like and not straight. As we exited we were going to see the Painted Canyon area. As you drive along the Interstate going west you notice the canyons and pretty landscape on your left nudging you to stop and take some pictures. We didn't have enough time to spend at the park to go explore and plus it was morning so there wasn't much to do. We would like to go back and take some of the hikes.
Around 9am after a night worth of driving we arrived in Billings, MT to fill up on gas and take the Hwy 212 exit to Yellowstone. We didn't realize that we would have to drive up through mountains to go to the park. As you exit you notice the Absaroka Range and Beartooth Range acting as a backdrop hinting at what was in store of the scenary we were going to be driving through. The Hwy/road that was to be taken up through the mountains in known as the National Forest Scenic Byway. I would definitely recommond coming this way to Yellowstone. The views were breath-taking and amazing. Half-way up the mountain pass was the Rock Creek Vista Point overlook at 9,190ft. Going that high up you start to become light-headed and it's harder to walk. I have to say driving through the mountains was a trying experience. I am not afraid of heights but driving up through the mountains sure made my heart race and hands sweat everytime I looked over the edge just knowing what would happen if I turned the wheel to hard. I could only drive up to the overlook and had to have my husband drive the rest of the way to the entrance.
We finally arrived at Yellowstone National Park around 1:30pm. After all the driving it was nice to finally have arrived. We paid our entrance fee and got a map of the park and we were ready to start seeing the sights. Since I already planned out the sights it was easy to know what place we wanted to see first
Driving on the Grand Loop from the NE entrance to Tower-Roosevelt Junction we drove through the Lamar Valley and we saw our first wild animal. It was a bison. We also stopped at Pebble Creek. Driving on this section of the Grand loop there are wonderful views of Absaroka Range.
In the Tower-Roosevelt area there are a lot of sights to see. We first stopped at the Calcite Springs. It is a grouping of thermal springs along the Yellowstone River. From the overlook you can see steep, columnar basalt cliffs on the opposite side of the river, which are remnants of an ancient lava flow. There is a walk path going in a cirle to look at the white sands and the volcanic vents. The gorge and cliffs were awesome.
Next we stopped at Tower Fall. Tower Creek, framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles, drops 132ft down into a canyon. To get a closer look you can take the .5 mile walk down to the bottom. I didn't think it was very impressive but it is worth the visit.
After seeing the fall and cooling off because of the warm weather and the hike to the bottom of we decided next to see the petrified tree. It is located near the Lost Lake trailhead and is an excellent example of an ancient redwood. However, there is really not much to see. It's just a dead tree.
Then we got back on the Grand Loop from the Tower-Roosevelt junction and headed for the Mammoth area. Along the way there are two waterfalls that we decided to see the next day. In Mammoth we saw the Mammoth Hot Springs. As hot water rises through limestone, large quantities of rock are dissolved by the hot water, and a white chalky mineral is deposited on the surface. There are many boardwalks you can take to walk around the terraces of the white chalky stuff but it just smells like rotten eggs and it's not that interesting. By this time it was around 5pm and we were so tired and warm that we didn't feel like doing anything else.
So after seeing the Mammoth Hot Springs we went to go check into our hotel in Gardiner, MT. This is just 2 miles north of the North Entrance into Yellowstone National Park. Driving out from Mammoth to the North Entrance the road runs along The Gardner River and Gardner River Canyon. The road winds into the park, up the canyon, past crumbling walls of sandstone and ancient mudflows. Also along this road is the 45th Parallel Bridge and Roosevelt Arch attractions but we decided to stop at them on day 2.
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