Mud Pots, Hayden Valley, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

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Once Andrew's parents made the decision to join us and learned my parents couldn't make it, they asked if it would be OK to invite Andrew's uncle and Andrew's brother's family to Yellowstone. We said yes, of course, and have been really excited to spend time with family.

Andrew's parents and his Uncle Scott arrived to Lake Village last night in time to join us for dinner. We got to visit them at their cabin at the Lake Hotel. Their cabin is very cute, and I'd be happy staying there, but it's not as roomy as ours. We have a dining table in our Lake Lodge western cabin, whereas they have only a side table. However, theirs is a stand-alone cabin, whereas ours is connected to a few other units. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Our cabin became the meeting place because it was bigger and had more seating, so I recommend the Lake Lodgewestern cabins if you travel with a big group.

In Lake Village, there are a few dining options. Lake Hotel has indoor dining but requires reservations (reservations are currently open to Lake Hotel guests only). Lake Lodge currently has food to go. You don't need reservations, but the line gets long at dinner time. Expect to wait about 30-45 minutes to get food. You can't eat your food indoors, but there is a very large porch connected to the lodge. There aren't tables there, but many people eat on the steps outside. Down by the parking lot, there are a few picnic tables to eat at, but they are in the direct sun. So, we've been getting our food and eating on the porch. The kids are happy to have options like fried chicken, and Andrew and I are happy to have options like Beyond Meat burgers and Mediterranean plates.

Andrew's brother Zach was also driving in to join us. He was coming with the kids, but, at the last minute, his wife decided to join as well. They opted to do some drives to see wildlife in the evening, and so they didn't arrive to the cabins until late. Their kids were too cranky for visits when they made it to the cabin, so we made plans to see them this morning. Of course, it's difficult to get groups together on trips. In the morning, he couldn't get his kids up. They asked us to go ahead without them.

So, after breakfast, we set out to see some sites near Lake Village. We went to Fishing Bridge to do a little souvenir shopping and to find an ATM for cash for laundry. We filled up the car and were surprised that gas prices weren't astronomical (I mean, they were high, but not as high as we feared--about $4/gallon).

We had cell service at Fishing Bridge, so we texted everyone to let them know we were heading to the mud pots and would be there in about 20 minutes in case they wanted to come. We stopped and walked along LeHardy's Rapids. It was a nice little stop. After that, we continued on to see the mud pots. We turned too soon and ended up in a picnic area. There were three bison there. As soon as we turned in, we saw one bison started charging another bison! They ran full speed down into the road. Later, we learned that they darted in front of Colleen's car! We stopped our car because we saw the third bison coming, and we didn't want to be moving as it came towards us. It made its way around our car and kept going, so we were able to turn back around and back on the road for the mud pots. Talk about a crazy encounter!

Colleen and Scott joined us at the mud pots, and we did about a 3/4 mile loop on a boardwalk to see steam vents and boiling mud. I loved this little trek. It feels like you're on another planet. There were a number of other people there, but it wasn't absurdly crowded or anything. Colleen had hurt her knee a few years ago when she fell on ice, and it acts up now and again. Unfortunately, it has been acting up this trip. It was clear she was in a lot of pain doing the loop. So, once we got back to the parking lot, we decided we'd do some nice drives around the park.

There is no cell service in most areas of the park, including the mud pots area, so we hung around a bit to see if Zach and his family were going to join us. We had no luck waiting, so we continued our drive north through Hayden Valley. We saw many more bison and some trumpeter swans in addition to ducks and geese. It's a lovely drive.

We stopped for lunch at Canyon, and then we did the north rim drive up to Inspiration Point, followed by the south rim drive to Artist Point. I felt bad that Colleen's knee got worse on the short trek to Artist Point. She had to head back. Both areas are just so stunningly beautiful. As we stood and took in the views, they almost felt fake, like a painting, because they were just so perfect.

When we got back, Zach and his family were out on a drive, but we managed to get the kids together for a couple of hours in the evening. Colleen brought Sawyer and Paisley to our cabin with a bunch of games while Zach and Jessica went on a drive together. The kids played Exploding Kittens, Slappy Camper, and some outdoor dice game they got really into. I picked up chicken strips from the lodge for all of the kids for dinner. The kids read books together after and just seemed to love their cousin time. Now it's time to get some sleep for more Yellowstone adventures tomorrow! I'm glad today went so much better than yesterday. Tomorrow is our last full day at the park, so we look forward to more adventures with the family.

There are more photos of today's adventures below!

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Photos

Our Family at LeHady's Rapids
Yellowstone National Park