My wife and I just returned from a two-week trip out west to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks and surrounding areas and I thought I would share a few images from that trip.
We flew into Bozeman, Montana and spent nights in the neat western towns of Livingston and Red Lodge, Montana before driving the incredible Beartooth Highway from Montana to Wyoming. This is rated by many folks as one of the top 5 drives in the country and I would concur. A switchback road that climbs to over 10,000 feet, it views small glaciers and amazing mountain peaks with lakes perched in the clouds. From there we took the Chief Joseph Highway to Cody, Wyoming where we spent much of a day in the amazing Buffalo Bill Cody Museum of the West. It includes thousands of square feet of space with fascinating displays, images and artifacts with separate sections on Cody himself as well as guns and rifles, natural history, Native Americans and more.
From Cody we entered Yellowstone from the east for three nights in the Lake Lodge area, then three at the Old Faithful complex. From those bases we drove the upper and lower loops of the park exploring the many geyser basins and hot springs. Heading south we stopped at Jackson Lake Lodge for three nights as a base for sightseeing in the Grand Teton area. We met up with friends who were doing a six-day hike through the Tetons range and spent some time traveling with them before their hike. The Jackson Lake Lodge offers amazing views from the deck and Mural Restaurant, where you can sit by the window and view the amazing mountain range at sunrise or sunset. One evening a grizzly bear came wondering down a trail just below the lodge to everyone’s amazement and delight.
Of course, Covid has a big effect everywhere and most restaurants were doing take-out only right now and all interior spaces in the national parks required masks, but even still, Yellowstone hit an all-time record for visitors while we were there.
From the Tetons we backtracked to the town of West Yellowstone and explored Lamar Valley in Yellowstone, famous for bison herds and other wildlife, before returning to Bozeman to fly home. Although we had several days with smoke obscuring the mountains, we found plenty to see and do, including a day in Jackson Hole and a visit to the National Museum of Wildlife Art, just outside of town, a fantastic structure and piece of artwork in its own right.
In addition to the photographs here, you can see over two dozen short videos on my Instagram page from the excursion that were posted while we were traveling. Be sure to follow me @timbarnwellphotography for lots of great content and images. I hope your summer was a great one and that you have been able to get out and enjoy nature, wherever you live.