Day 9, September 10. Cooke City - Gardiner
Yellowstone Riverside cottage . Gardiner 193 € for 2 people, no breakfast
Very small room with a microwave and refrigerator. No table. At this price, we didn’t have a river view, but the hotel is quiet. Only advantages: not too far from the town center and, above all, a supermarket just 5 minutes away on foot
First lovely surprise when opening the shutters: this bison calmly grazing right under our windows
7:50 AM. We’re in the car. The sky is completely gray, and it’s 3°C. Thankfully, this cold-bottomed person packed fleece-lined leggings to wear under my hiking pants and thermal undershirts. They’ll come in handy in Yellowstone.
We drive through the lovely Lamar Valley again with great pleasure, where we’re lucky enough to spot this moose (thanks, Jean François), also busy eating among the small silvery bushes on the hillside.
At Tower Junction, we take the road to the petrified tree (or what’s left of it), fortunately well protected to prevent damage.
The visit is quick, and we’re back on the road.
Barely 10 minutes later, DD shouts: “A bear, a bear!!!”
Just as we park to get a better photo, a huge truck passes us with a deafening noise, scaring the bear off as it runs up the hill at full speed.
Even though we’re annoyed at the truck, we’re thrilled by this fleeting encounter.
Mount Washburn, Dunraven Pass—we keep our eyes peeled because I’d read that bears are often spotted in this area.
We arrive at Canyon Village at 10 AM. In my itinerary, after our night in Cooke City, I’d planned to visit the south rim of the canyon (which should be done in the morning for the best light). Unfortunately, the sky is uniformly gray, and I start adjusting my plans.
We’ll save the south rim of the Grand Canyon for another day, and instead of stopping at Norris before heading to Mammoth, we head straight to West Thumb.
We’re amazed by how wide the Yellowstone River is in some places.
More cars stopped along the road.
Cages on pickup trucks—what’s inside?
Rangers take out four swans.
Another stroke of luck!!! We get to witness the release of four magnificent swans in front of a few geese
and a bunch of admiring tourists.
A few flaps of their wings,
a little glide on the river, and off they go—freedom!
Hayden Valley
How beautiful this valley is. Once again, the concept of wild nature takes on its full meaning. The Yellowstone River flows peacefully, making large loops through the preserved prairies with those mountains in the background.
Its beauty is striking. It’s calm, peaceful—magical, in a word!
I love these ones
Sulfur Caldron
Here we are! We’d seen a few fumaroles the day before, but now we’re right in the middle of it!!
And it spurts, it boils, it smokes, it gushes, it rumbles, it blows!!!!
We’re right above the devil’s cauldron! The sounds and smells mix together.
You can feel the breath of Yellowstone!!! We’ll get this same sensation of the volcano breathing every time we linger in front of a bubbling mud or water pool.
As soon as we step out of the car, a nauseating smell takes over because of the sulfurous gases escaping from this mix of clay and water from the most acidic springs in Yellowstone.
These steaming, bubbling mud pools are right below the small parking lot, and we can safely observe them.
After visiting the Dragon, we take the loop clockwise.
Mud Volcano
Mud Caldron
And we’re flown over by a flock of wild geese!
It’s a feast for the eyes!
We’re heading back down to the parking lot when suddenly we hear a deafening noise and see a stampede of bison crossing the boardwalks right in front of us!!!
A small geyser right in the water.
It steams, it gurgles—we love it!
We turn off toward Norris at Canyon Village with our next goal being Artist’s Paint Pots.
This little walk of just over 1.5 km starts with a flat trail through the pine trees and will take us, after a few stairs and some climbs,
to a spot with a lovely panoramic view of the site.
The sulfur smell is there, and we take our little cure to heal our lungs and noses.
Blood Geyser
Flash Spring
No animals except this little robin, but honestly, we’ve been really lucky on that front.
And with the light returning, we appreciate the contrast between the green of the pines, the golden yellow of the grasses, and the blue-green of the little pools against a backdrop of fumaroles.
We get back in the car, delighted with our little adventure.
A quick photo stop at the lake and its steam.
The sun has disappeared again!!!
Darn, it’s not gonna be great for the terraces in Mammoth.
