You can find Part One of this series here and Part Three here.
We had a fantastic time in Yellowstone. We had amazing weather – sunny and 70’s every day. Surprisingly, it was very crowded which we were not expecting as it was after Labor Day.
Yellowstone’s Geysers!
Geysers were definitely the high point of our time in Yellowstone. We also learned about fumaroles, mud pots and hot springs. Yellowstone was a piece of heaven on earth for Nature Smart kiddo. To learn more about the 8 great smarts, check out this post.
Geyser eruptions were abundant and we made it to almost every geyser basin in the park. It felt a bit like Disney (running around to get on your Fast pass ride!) as we were rushing around to see all the erupting geysers.
While at the park we learned about an app called NPS Yellowstone Geysers. If we ever go back we will definitely use that app to maximize our viewing of geyser eruptions!
5 Geyser Basins
We went to five geyser basins. All with their own unique qualities.
1)Norris Geyser Basin
Norris geyser basin, which is one of the larger geyser basins, was the first one we checked out. We didn’t get to see many erupting geysers there but there was a geyser we nicknamed Little Faithful. The actual name for that geyser was Vixen Geyser, and it erupted many times each hour.
North geyser basin is the home of Steamboat Geyser – the biggest geyser at Yellowstone. It erupted the day before we visited and it was still steaming.
2) Lower Geyser Basin
Lower Geyser Basin is actually divided into two locations. Our most favorite geyser moments of the trip happened in the second lower geyser basin we visited. We got to see Great Fountain Geyser erupt!
Great Fountain Geyser is bigger than Old Faithful and you are able to get a closer view. It only erupts twice a day. While waiting for Great Fountain to erupt we could see White Dome Geyser erupting in the background.
And on our way out of that geyser basin, we got to see Pink Cone Geyser which is adorable little geyser that erupts every 18-25 hours.
That was icing on the cake! We were flying high as we left Lower Geyser Basin.
3) Upper Geyser Basin
Perhaps the biggest mistake of our time in Yellowstone was not spending more time at Upper Geyser Basin. We arrived there late in the afternoon right before dinner time, which was a beautiful time to be there. However, there is so much to see that you need at least 3 to 4 days if you are even somewhat of a geyser enthusiast.
Upper Geyser Basin is home to Old Faithful and is also the hub of Yellowstone. Besides all of the natural wonders you will find there, they have an amazing lodge, inn, and visitor center with videos and a mini-museum type area all about geysers!
We watched Old Faithful erupt and then Joe and I did the 3-mile trail to see even more geysers and hot springs. Since that was a very busy day, Joe was tired and I had to give him a few piggyback rides, but it was worth it. We got to see Morning Glory Pool which is just stunning.
And on our walk back to the lodge, we had the privilege of seeing Riverside Geyser erupt.
What a treat! Joe also got to see Beehive Geyser which is one that he was looking forward to checking out.
4) Midway Geyser Basin
This is probably the smallest geyser basin but, WOW, worth visiting. I would say we were out of there within 30 minutes. Midway Geyser Basin is the home to the Grand Prismatic Spring.
5) West Thumb
We visited West Thumb Geyser Basin on the way out of the park. Joe had been anticipating West Thumb for a while. West Thumb is unique because it is right on Yellowstone Lake which makes it such a contrasting backdrop to the geysers and hot springs
Other Geothermal Features
We also went to Mud Volcano which was smelly yet interesting!
We were staying in the Mammoth Hot Springs area so we got to see them every day and we did a hike of it one morning. Pretty magnificent! 
Here Joe got to see the Liberty Cone, which is now dormant (dormant is the newest word in Joe’s vocabulary).
My mom bought Joe Some Like it Hot: Yellowstone’s Geysers and Hot Springs. It was a great little book packed with lots of info and pictures.
Wildlife
We didn’t get to see as much wildlife in Yellowstone as we had hoped. Thankfully we were staying in the Mammoth Hot Springs area which is where the elk congregated at night. We got to witness the mail elk bugling to attract the females, which was amusing AND amazing! We also saw a coyote, mule deer, Buffalo and an osprey nest with two baby Ospreys. Bears are a very real threat and wonder to behold in Yellowstone. We would have loved to see a bear from afar but that did not happen. We did get an education in how to use Bear Spray as we chose to rent some to use for our two-mile hike to a waterfall.
Waterfalls
We got to see many waterfalls and even hike to one that was a little more remote – Mystic Falls.
The lady I sat next to on the plane on the way out had this wonderful book of hiking trails in Yellowstone. If When we go back to Yellowstone I will definitely be getting myself this book as it had tons of info on the different hiking trails in the park.
Our favorite waterfalls were:
Lower Falls
Firehole Falls
Mystic Falls (we had to hike further back to get to this one)
Moose Falls
Everyone’s MOST favorite waterfall was Moose falls. It is the smallest of all the waterfalls we visited but also the one we were able to get the nearest to. There’s just something special about being able to get so close to a waterfall and feel the mist. This is a waterfall I saw when I was a teenager and I was thrilled to visit it again with my kids. How perfect that this was our final stop in Yellowstone before heading to the Tetons!
In part one of this series, I mentioned that we were going to use the GyPSy Guide App. Everyone in the car agreed that this was an invaluable purchase. We learned so much about the history of the park which really enhanced our experience there.
Please make sure to check out part three of this series, where I talk about our time in the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole.
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