Yellowstone National Park in 3 Days – Day 1 of 3
Did I mention that the whole reason we were going on this trip to Yellowstone was for my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday? Don’t worry, I’m blessed in the MIL department so we were ecstatic at the opportunity to get together at such an amazing place! Not only did we get to celebrate an amazing woman, fill up on much needed time with family, and a chance to test out the road-worthiness of our new Tesla! Plus we all got to bond over juice boxes.
Yellowstone’s Old Faithful
Old Faithful is a must see, I can see why so many are drawn to it every year! It is a predictable geyser and its eruption times range from every 35 minutes to every 2 hours, but, don’t worry about time, the stop goes by fast.
There are trails and a visitor center to keep you occupied until the next eruption. The eruption also lasts quite a bit longer than I expected so you don’t necessarily have to get a perfect spot right away when you get there! We opted for a little bridge away from the entrance and had a pretty spectacular view. When the eruption was over we were able to watch it’s water go right under us!
Quick Tip: Depending on which side of the park you come in on you might be worried about where to fill up. There is a gas station right at the geyser! The gas station tends to be busy, but the line goes fairly quick.
Warning, Mother Nature is Hungry!
The sign reads: “In thermal areas the ground may be only a thin crust above boiling hot springs or scalding mud. There is no way to guess a safe path: new hazards can bubble up overnight, and some pools are acidic enough to burn through boots. More than a dozen people have been scalded to death and hundreds badly burned or scarred.”
These signs are everywhere and the picture on the sign is an eerie reminder of the tragedies that can and have happened here at Yellowstone. Make no mistake, this place is wonderful, but it is also wild. Please keep your children close, as all of us know, accidents happen in seconds.
If you need more warning read this: NGYellowstone
Sapphire Pool
This pool is gorgeous! I’m so glad we stopped here. It was one of those stops that we questioned getting our daughter out of the car for. The parking was PACKED, she was 
comfortable, but, it was lunchtime so we decided we’d better. With only one picnic table near we quickly snagged it as another group left. It was a great place to stop, explore and eat a quick lunch!
If you have little ones that like to run off this isn’t a great stop for you. Had this been two or even three years earlier and I could imagine fishing my child out of the river next to our lovely picnic spot. In fact, my rambunctious little one probably wouldn’t have survived Yellowstone at all back then. Every kid has their quirk, and hers was that she quite the escape artist…she easily wore me and her dad out!
Grand Prismatic Spring
This was one of those stops that make the whole trip. The moment you drive up and see colored steam rising from the ground you’ll be amazed! This was one of my favorite stops! The beautiful blue, the rust and mustard colors, the steam…it was all gorgeous!
The parking lot was full and parking along the street stretched quite far. We were able to walk through the treeline on a dirt path that lead us right to the spring. My daughter had a hard time with the distance and the heat but we managed and it was well worth the walk! She even ended up saying it was her favorite as well!
I hope these tips help! If you have any questions that need answering ask in the comments below!
Enjoy your journey!
-Rocket Mom
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