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What You May Not Expect from a Trip to Yellowstone National Park

This post sharing things you may not expect from a trip to Yellowstone is part of a series of sponsored posts. Although as usual, all opinions are my own.

When planning my family’s road trip to Yellowstone National Park, I found a lot of information on what to expect but once we experienced the park for ourselves, we learned that there are lots of things about Yellowstone that you may not expect.

Even if you think you know it all, there are a few things that you may not have stumbled upon before visiting the park, no matter how much planning you actually do before traveling.

To help you better plan for your next trip, I am sharing some of the things I learned from our trip to Yellowstone that you will probably not see anywhere else.

Yellowstone National Park

Construction

While I did read a bit about construction in Yellowstone before heading into the park, I had no idea how much of it was actually going on and really didn’t expect to see it on the main roads, blocking traffic completely.

What you may not expect is how much this will affect your travel time when driving through Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park

A lot of the construction is happening on the only road through some areas and when you hit one of these spots, you have no option but to wait. There is no chance at driving around the construction, at times we were parked in a line of cars for hours before moving very slowly to the next construction zone, to wait some more.

When planning your route through the park you may be able to avoid some of the construction zones altogether but if you want to see everything there is no way around construction. I didn’t know about the construction when visiting so I didn’t plan for this kind of thing.

Unfortunately, not planning ahead for traffic meant that I didn’t get to stay as long as I hoped at every attraction. On the bright side, being stuck in traffic here is still relaxing despite the delay. The surroundings are gorgeous at every turn so there is really no bad spot to be stuck at Yellowstone in my opinion. 

Yellowstone National Park

Crowds

Obviously, a National Park like Yellowstone is going to be busy, I expected that but the crowds are so bad that the lines outside of some of the park’s more popular attractions are hours long.

In order to get anywhere near Old Faithful, you have to get off the main path and sit in long lines of traffic before ever reaching the overcrowded parking lot. Once in the parking lot, you are most likely going to be waiting in lines for a good twenty to thirty minutes before parking.

That part was a little less relaxing, nothing takes me out of the serene zen-like state that nature provides me faster than a crowd of people. 

Yellowstone National Park

It seems the majority of people head to this location just so they can say that they have been to Old Faithful, not because it is such an impressive geyser.

There are many other geysers at Yellowstone to see if you don’t feel like waiting, there are more geysers in Yellowstone than anywhere else on earth.

Yellowstone National Park

A lot of visitors to Yellowstone agree that there are far more impressive geysers than Old Faithful, without all of the crowds.

Yellowstone National Park

Fire Damage

Most people at some point or another have heard about the famous fires at Yellowstone, but you may not expect to actually see so much damage when driving through. Apparently that Smokey Bear wasn’t overreacting, people need to be more careful!

It’s amazing how one small action can impact an area so large, miles and miles away from where the source of the problem even occurred. The size of the area that is damaged from fire is heartbreaking.

As we traveled through miles and miles of black trees towering over ash-covered grounds, I couldn’t help but think of the wildlife impacted by the fires, how many died and lost their homes. Did you know that people actually account for more than half of the fires in Yellowstone while lightning is another leading cause? 

West Yellowstone, Montana

I have always imagined Montana as a place with nothing but wildlife, trees, and a clean terrain full of bright green foliage to see. I never expected a touristy area but that is the only way I can think to describe this town. 

It is amazing how many beautiful things are just within minutes of West Yellowstone, Montana. Waterfalls, wildlife, geysers, and what seems like never-ending forests are right on the other side of this touristy town.

Yellowstone National Park

The Best Hotel Near Yellowstone

When traveling as much as we did on this trip, the most important part of your journey is the hotel you stay at. You have to be comfortable and enjoy the place where you recharge with your family. We were super lucky because we stayed at the Best Western Desert Inn in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Yellowstone National Park

I don’t know if I have ever been happier to get to my room while on vacation. We were so exhausted from the trip through the park and wanted to relax in bed while watching some television as a family, it was a great way to end our fun-filled day.

It was one of those nights where we were just so excited to get into bed and watch a show. It was kind of nice to be able to spend some time indoors after such a busy day at Yellowstone and this was the best place we could have done that.

Yellowstone National Park

I loved the decor and big comfy couches in the lobby. The staff was warm and welcoming, happy to help us in any way they could. 

Yellowstone National Park

Personally, I enjoyed the bed most. It was comfortable and warm, with plenty of spare sheets, and a nice strong blast from the air conditioner to lull me to sleep. In fact, it may have been some of the best sleep I have ever had, dreaming of all of the fun we experienced while at Yellowstone. 

Yellowstone National Park

Lots of Poop

Well, where else do you think these animals are going to go? Buffalo poop a lot or maybe it is more noticeable because of its size, it’s giant, which takes up a lot of space.

Yellowstone National Park

I have always heard that it was good luck to step in it so I wouldn’t worry too much but I thought I would mention it since it was something that I never really thought about before visiting Yellowstone. 

Yellowstone National Park

My husband has a size 14 shoe and offered to take this picture so you can get a pretty good idea of the size of this random dung we stumbled upon, it’s scattered throughout the park, perfect for a scat-venger hunt. See what I did there?

People Live Inside of Yellowstone

It makes sense once you really start to think about it, the waitresses, chefs, gas station attendants, hotel staff, and the list can go on, actually live right inside of the park.

After talking with a park resident it became clear that in order to work at Yellowstone, deep inside of the park, you wouldn’t really have much travel time to get in and out before it was time to head back. This is especially true when there are real-life roadblocks in the form of bison who refuse to get out of the way.

Just think of the mountains and lakes you would have to drive by each day to get out of the park even without the delay of unpredictable wildlife. It would take way too long to get home each night.

Yellowstone National Park

Some of the restaurant staff live above the restaurant while others live in campers nearby. This is definitely the most interesting thing I learned while visiting Yellowstone and it makes me wonder, could I live inside Yellowstone?

I bet I would love it under certain circumstances but with a family, I don’t think this is for us. I bet you would see some fun things as well as meet some interesting people, but I like being close to the stores and hospitals. I may not be ready to give that luxury up just yet. 

Yellowstone National Park

Do you think that you could live inside Yellowstone National Park?

About Thirty Something Super Mom

Melissa Dixon Thirty Something Super Mom
Thirty Something Super Mom | Website

My journey started after a Crohn's disease diagnosis, inspiring a commitment to well-being. This site shares my distinctive approach to healthy living with my collection of nutritious recipes that boast authentic flavors, mimicking the indulgence of traditional dishes. I love sharing guilt free recipes for low carb, keto, gluten-free, paleo, and the specific carbohydrate diet. I also share tips on natural living, including homemade cleaners and cleaning hacks. I also share my experience as a veterinary technician and pet groomer, to integrate pet health tips, homemade dog food recipes, and grooming insights to ensure your pets thrive.

Beth

Friday 19th of July 2019

I'm glad to know that there are some geysers that don't have large crowds around them. I'd love to see geysers in person, but I'm a fan of crowds.

Swathi

Friday 19th of July 2019

I am not been to Yellow stone it is my list may next summer I will visit. When it becomes more tourist location the natural beauty gets affected.

Monica Y

Thursday 18th of July 2019

So many cool tips and information, great to plan our next vacation Summer 2020 We can't wait to see all this with our own eyes

rika

Thursday 18th of July 2019

I have always wanted to visit the Yellowstone National Park! Maybe I should plan my trip for next summer!

Jamie H

Thursday 18th of July 2019

After many trips, I can attest that these are true. West is kind of a dumpy town for being a tourist attraction. And because of the harsh winters, construction has to happen during the 3-4 months of the year that are decent enough for it, and unfortunately that coincides with tourist season. Some years are better than others.