Day 8: Cody, WY to Yellowstone, WY

We got up and packed up our cabin right away to set out for Yellowstone National Park. We opted not to get gas in Cody only to find out that the advertised last chance for gas before the park, a tiny little building with just one double-sided pump, only had premium gas. We decided not to get, which then made us nervous because we arrived in the park with only a quarter tank left. We got amazing views of lake on the way as we drove past Buffalo Bill State Park. We drove through a tunnel that ran right through the mountain with the structure on the walls made completely of rock.

When we crossed into the park about an hour later, we were astonished by the grandeur and the beauty. We drove for 27 miles, stopping only to take in some of the views of the forests, the mountains, and the lake.

We stopped at a Sinclair gas station located inside the park, one of many, we learned, putting our minds at ease, and proceeded to the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center. We asked some questions and the ranger gave us an itinerary, which included leaving Old Faithful for the next day. We drove to the Mud Volcano, where we walked around and saw bubbling hydrothermal pools. We stopped at a picnic area to eat our leftover Chinese food from the day before, which was still pretty good. We saw a line of cars stopped on the road because there were bison actively (or rather, passively) crossing the road, so a ranger was directing traffic to keep cars away from them.

Our next stop was the incredible Artists Point, a magnificent vista that features a waterfall and the towering mountains around it.

We set out on a road that was supposed to show us wildlife along it but opted to turn back after about 10 minutes because it wasn’t as gorgeous or wildlife-filled as other parts of the park we had already seen. We stopped at Tower Fall, which was yet another impressive waterfall. Abe got a root beer float from the general store to enjoy on the drive.

Our last stop in the park was at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, where we were mesmerized by the amazing view of the rock walls and water beneath, and we even walked down (and then back up!) a very steep 3/8 mile trail to where the falls actually are. The water was forest green and we tried our best to capture it in pictures, as always.

Though the ranger had told us that it would take two and a half hours to get out of the park, we made it to West Yellowstone, Montana, entering state #46 for Abe and #38 for Arielle, in about an hour and ten minutes. Our hotel, the Stage Coach Inn, a former USY on Wheels hotel with many animal heads in its lobby, was about five minutes from the west entrance to the park.

We had an idea, and we went for it, dropping our bags and then proceeding about 35 minutes to Island Park, Idaho (state #39 for Arielle) for dinner. We found a restaurant, Pond’s Lodge, where Arielle got a spectacular Loaded Idaho Baked Potato (in Idaho!) and Abe enjoyed the Bistro Filet and (homemade) Fries with and a medley of broccoli, carrots, asparagus, and pearl onions. It was definitely worth the late trip into another state. We drove back into Montana to head to bed before an early morning dipping back into Yellowstone to experience Old Faithful!

Approximate number of miles covered: 227