@mriddellstudio on instagram for more!

Chocolate Pots is a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park on the South Loop of the Grand Loop, just south of Norris Geyser Basin. It's an easy stop and one most people flat miss. The pull out/parking area allows you to see this view, literally from the parking area. There is a short trail heading north, right if you're seeing this view, towards a second pull out/parking area and the trail continues past that parking area for an equally easily accessible view of Gibbon Rapids. It's a great stop with very few visitors and a beautiful Scene. Enjoy Chocolate Pots and Escape Your Reality

This was back on Sunday, but I just had to share! He walked right in front of our campsite!

My husband and I love the outdoors. As lifelong Hoosiers, we frequent our state parks year after year.

We’ve never visited a National Park before. We wanted to go to one ahead of our wedding anniversary.

This place is magical. Already discussing our next trip back. Was worried the park would be too cold / inaccessible this time of year but it’s perfect.

These pictures were taken around the Mammoth area

I was at the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone yesterday morning before 9am, and this is what it looked like. A nice sprinkling of snow, and low-lying clouds starting to move away, with blue sky starting to peek through.

Do you just need to book sometime on the first day? Or is it extremely hard like yosemite pines?

Ive tried to book yosemite where I had multiple tabs open right on the start of the hour(like clicking down to the second) of the first day and still didnt get into my first 2 choices of a camp site(let alone tent site)

Is it that tough for yellowstone?

Edit to add.. this will be over labor day week 2027

Hi all! I'm collecting NPS unigrid brochures from parks I've visited. I emailed the parks, and most were great about mailing them. Unfortunately, Yellowstone said they're out of stock or not mailing.

If you have a spare, or you're heading to any of these soon and could grab an extra at the visitor center, I'd really appreciate it. I'm happy to cover postage and your time with a small thank-you (Venmo or PayPal), or send you a SASE so you don't pay anything. It doesn't need to be mint, just not torn.

Thanks for reading, and happy to answer any questions!

Hey guys, me and my family have planned a snowmobiling trip out to Yellowstone and grand tetons for Christmas. But given the super El Nino, they are predicting that there's not going to be much snow. Those of you that live in the area and have experienced the different weather patterens, should I cancel this trip completely? Or should I move it to February? If the main goal is snowmobiling and snow fun.

We spent our fall break (first week of October) in Yellowstone and it was absolutely incredible. I was blown away by the variety and beauty of the park. Especially the geyser basins seemed surreal and otherworldly to me. Combined with the wildlife, waterfalls and mountain scenery it made for a perfect vacation. I don’t think there is any other place like it.

Hi,

My dad and I are doing a road trip and going to Yellowstone. Hoping to be there on Thursday October 15th. My dad has some mobility issues so long hikes/major walking isn’t the best for him.

Wondering if anyone has any good driving routes that they’d suggest? Would like to see old faithful, even if it’s not going. And some of the hot springs.

Thanks!

A Day in the Park

I took my parents on a drive through the Park yesterday. There were still areas of good Autumn color, although I suspect the current snowstorm will put an end to much of that! My first photo was of a Cottonwood Tree in the Lamar Valley that had lost half its leaves, while the rest were bright yellow/orange. I shot this with a 600mm lens from a ways back to get the perspective from which I first noticed it. If you look closely you can see two leaves making their flight to the ground.

After a quick lunch at Calcite Springs overlook, we headed up towards Tower Falls and Dunraven Pass. There was a herd of Bighorn Ewes and their lambs doing a fair job of rolling rocks down to the road below them. They were using the hooves to scrape away at the soil, looking for valuable minerals. It’s really incredible how comfortable they are on slopes that I could probably not even stand on!

Hayden Valley had a few of what I figured must be Wolf jams, but not being particularly mobile, we needed to find wildlife a bit closer to the road. I did stop for a few Bald Eagles, which are a bird I have trouble driving past without making a few images! After getting skunked on any bears on the northeast corner of the Lake, we turned around and started the 3hr drive back to Bozeman. Thats when we came upon a lot of people pulled over. There was still a lot of space on the end of a parking area, so we pulled over and started looking in the direction all the cameras were pointed. There, through the tall grass, a Grizzly Bear appeared! I was able to get a few images and my parents had a great view of the entire encounter.

As we approached West Yellowstone there was a compelling scene of a cow Elk with its calf crossing the Madison River, so I stopped to memorize that moment. Our Bear sightings were not over though. To the north of West Yellowstone, we came across what appeared to be a very large Grizzly Bear. It was pretty far away in tall grass, but I managed to get an image of it testing the air for new smells. It was a wonderful day with two people who really were the catalyst for my love of wild places and who constantly encouraged my creative side.

Is may 31st to June 4th too early to visit? Or should i wait a few weeks later? Looking for less crowds but still ok weather

I was going through old photos from 2016, and realized I never IDed this one. Unfortunately, no good photos of the face, but can anyone tell if it's a coyote or a wolf? (Taken from the road somewhere between Hayden and Lamar.)

Edit: Thanks for all your insights. I was hoping it was a wolf, but it moved *fast* and I never got a good look at the face. For context, I also saw a whitish coyote (definitely a coyote) that evening around the same area, so I wasn't sure. Plus this one was so skinny I wasn't sure.

Is may 31st to June 4th too early to visit? Or is the following week better June 7th to 12th? Pros and cons? Looking to visit with lesser crowds but still ok weather. Any tips helpful

First time going to Yellowstone and need some input on my 2 itinerary drafts. Any suggestions are much appreciated, thanks!

- I want to see as many of the main highlights as possible without trying to fit too much into each day

- Really trying to be back at the hotels before dark each day

- For Option A day 3 it seems like traveling South then West through West Thumb to get from Grand Canyon to Old Faithful may be a prettier drive, but I’m not sure if the drive would be too long if trying to make it there before dark?