We spent Thursday exploring Yellowstone. My first impression driving into the park: this place is big. Hundreds of miles of road link the different sections of the park together, and it’s hard to plan a trip that visits the major sites in a single day.

First stop: the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone river. Not as deep as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but equally impressive. The massive upper falls are off in the distance from this view of “artist’s point.”

Next: Mammoth hot springs. Boiling water fueled by the volcanic activity under Yellowstone flows over the ground, depositing minerals with interesting formations and colors.

Third: Norris Geyser Basin. The landscape is alive with geysers, some small and some huge!

We spent a while driving around the park to the different sites, and had some interesting encounters with wildlife.

Spending the night: Bridge Bay campground. A simple, crowded frontcountry campground in the south side of the park. Nothing too special, actually a little disappointing.