Destination Spotlight: Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a natural wonder throughout each season. For single travelers, summer is truly an ideal time to visit there.

Situated across almost 3,500 square miles, Yellowstone was the world’s first national park. It is indeed the flagship national park of the United States. Yellowstone is larger than both Delaware and Rhode Island combined, something somewhat inconceivable to natives of the Mid-Atlantic and New England. The park mostly sits within Wyoming though it reaches into both Montana and Idaho as well, with the Continental Divide traversing through it.

Within the vast boundaries of Yellowstone, travelers will find a splendor of nature: wondrous canyons, deep forests, rushing rivers, thundering waterfalls, and, of course, hot springs and geysers, the most famous being Old Faithful. As one of the most predictable natural things on Earth, Old Faithful will erupt basically every 60-90 minutes, guaranteed.  It’s been delighting visitors of all ages for generations.

Throughout the great lands of Yellowstone National Park, majestic animals roam. Think: bison, bears, antelope, elk, moose, and more. The once endangered gray wolf was reintroduced to the park in 1995 after a 70-year absence. They have thrived, and their howls echo throughout all of Yellowstone. If seeking out packs of wolves is not your thing, the park also is home to more than 1,000 species of native plants and flowers. This includes beautiful lilies, roses, sunflowers, buttercups, and clovers.

With so much to see and do, planning a trip to Yellowstone can seem overwhelming. Some travelers opt to go rustic, camping in a tent overnight and exploring by hiking. Not everyone that enjoys nature enjoys being rustic — nor has the necessary gear to do so. (My place in the city just doesn’t have the storage for camping equipment.) As such, some visitors, especially single travelers, like the idea of taking a guided group tour of Yellowstone, for convenience as well as the educational, social, and safety aspects of the experience.

One option is to join a “bus camping” tour of Yellowstone, designed especially for those without camping experience. Founded on the principle that getting to a destination is more than half the fun, bus camping trips offer a radical twist on the classic bus tour. Campers both travel and sleep in a lounge-style converted bus. We roll through towns and the park, enjoying the beauty of nature, hiking or participating in other activities on stops, cooking mouth-watering meals at the campfire, and relaxing all along the way.

Another option is to combine a trip Yellowstone with a resort destination. There are five entrances to Yellowstone National Park in both Wyoming and Montana. Within just a short drive (less than an hour) from the West Entrance of the park is Big Sky, Montana — the base camp to a great Yellowstone vacation. Big Sky is one of the American West’s greatest resort destinations. It is known for its rugged natural beauty and abundance of wildlife. The resort area is also known for its wide variety of outdoor sports and recreational activities in the summer — horseback riding, whitewater rafting, zip lining, golfing, hiking, fly fishing, high ropes courses, and more.

A popular option for travelers that are visiting this part of the country for the first time is to combine a few days in Big Sky with a guided tour of Yellowstone National Park. Here, visitors get the best of both worlds — and can indulge in some luxury pampering as well (spa time, anyone?) while in Big Sky.

Interested in joining one of our trips to Yellowstone? Contact us.