Yellowstone National Park: Day 4

Our fourth day in Yellowstone brought wildlife, relaxing, and even more sights!

DAY 4: NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT

• Lamar Valley Hike
• Roosevelt Lodge

On our fourth day in Yellowstone, we decided to check out the Northeastern Quadrant of the park. We left our campsite early to drive up North and only ran into traffic once. There was a large crossing of buffalo blocking traffic! It was so cool!

The herd was out grazing and drinking from a pond in the sunrise. I don’t know anything that describes a perfect trip to Yellowstone more than that. 🙂

Lamar Valley Hike

This one was on Zach’s bucket list for our Yellowstone trip. He really wanted to see some wolves and buffalo, and after researching, Lamar Valley seemed like the best fit.

We only went about 2 miles on this hike as it was mid-day by the time we were able to drive to the Northeastern corner of the park and found a parking spot. Even with leaving early it was about 11am when we got there. This made the sun and heat very difficult to deal with, even with lots of water, hats, and snacks. I definitely recommend trying to come a little earlier in the morning when there is less sun. As you will see, there is no shade to be found.

I also recommend bringing binoculars because you never know what you will see! With unobstructed views, the possibilities are endless.

 

As we set out on the hike, we actually encountered some wolves off in the distance! We were able to watch from afar since we had our binoculars and it was amazing! Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures as we don’t have a camera for far distances, but it was amazing nonetheless.

After we rounded a hill, we stumbled onto a herd of buffalo! They were so close! We had to veer off the path to steer clear of the buffalo, but we did get a picture with one! This one seemed to be leading the rest of the herd by scouting out the path in which they were headed. Zach and I were just close enough to hear their snorting and calling which was amazing.

After the buffalo herd, we didn’t see anymore wildlife. We adventured onward for a bit until we found a single log to sit on to eat a snack. At that point, we were both exhausted and ready to head back.

Lamar Valley was truly incredible and we would love to go back and explore more! We really enjoyed it.

Roosevelt Lodge

After a day of hiking and napping, we decided to check out the Roosevelt Lodge.

Fun fact: I (Chelsea) was so excited to visit here, as my family stayed at this lodge when I was about 11 years old. I remember sleeping in one of the small family cabins and having the small stove lit with a fire and then waking up in the morning and seeing the wild flowers blooming. I actually couldn’t remember which lodge we had stayed in until we pulled up to the Roosevelt Lodge. It was such a surprise to have all the joyful memories come flooding back.

This lodge is very different than the others in Yellowstone because it is broken up into small cabins. Theodore Roosevelt founded the lodge, and it has mostly kept its traditional design of cowboy living. Visitors can ride horses on tours which keeps up the cowboy feel as well.

We ended up checking out the small market and found a Huckleberry soda to share outside. It was such a wonderful relaxing evening watching the bumblebees pollinate the wildflowers and enjoying the summer breeze in the shade.

A perfect summer day.

Much love,

Chelsea

Read about our other days here: 1 / 2 / 3 / 5