Seattle-Yellowstone Road Trip - epic!

16 October 2022

There are perhaps easier - and certainly, quicker - ways of getting to Yellowstone National Park from Seattle than by car but we thought, what the heck, let’s just hit the road and enjoy the ride. This was our mindset as we embarked on 2800-mile trek which would ultimately bring us back to our starting point. It would take us through 5 states, a chunk of American history and mountains, lakes, forests, waterfalls and other natural wonders that would make our jaws drop.

Our first stop was at the Colombia River Gorge, some 3 hours east of Seattle along the I-90. A short hike up a loose rocky trail led to a bluff overlooking the Columbia River, offering superb views and featuring 15 wild horse metal sculptures, known as “Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies”. The monument dates from 1989 and honors a time when real wild horses roamed the area.

We stopped in the romantically-named town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for the night. Its main attraction is its location by a beautiful lake enclosed by forested mountains. A stroll along the tree-lined promenade and boardwalk in the downtown City Park was the perfect digestive walk after breakfast the next morning before heading off again on the I-90 East.

Our intention had been to continue due east until reaching Bozeman, Montana but on a whim, we left the I-90 to continue northwards along the Mountain Highway 28 through the townships of Paradise and Hot Springs towards Flathead Lake, located on an Indian reservation. The scenery changed abruptly as we found ourselves in dry, rolling mountains. The lake itself is dramatically framed and holds the title of the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately for us, it was the end of the season and accommodation was difficult to find as we drove around the lake with nightfall closing in. Then, just as we had resigned ourselves to hitting the highway again in the dark, we came across some deserted chalets. Although technically closed for the winter, we managed to convince the owners to open one up for us and so we spent the night alone in the large complex directly in front of the lake. It was eerily still, the only sound the gentle lapping of the water on the lake shore.

Some 200 miles south-east of Flathead Lake lies the town of Butte. We came here to visit Berkeley Pit, an old open-pit copper mine, a mile long and half a mile wide. Now filled with water, the pit is known to be as acidic as Coke and lemon juice. More than 290 million tons of copper ore had been extracted from the pit by 1980 and the richness of the minerals found earned Butte the nickname of being the ‘Richest Hill on Earth.’ Its bright green color makes for stunning pictures, although it is in fact an environmental hazard. Butte itself has one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the US with thousands of beautifully preserved Victorian buildings, stately mansions and historical structures. We drove around downtown, admiring the architecture, then stopped for a late BBQ lunch before heading on to our next destination, Bozeman, Montana.

While everyone is distracted by the stunning forests and outdoors in the area, we came here to visit the Museum of the Rockies. It boasts one of the largest collection of fossils in the world. It’s an incredible collection which also includes thirteen specimens of Tyrannosaurus Rex. We could also watch how fossils are prepared in their Dinosaur Viewing Laboratory. The museum also has themed exhibitions, the one we saw was on Native American history.

It was then time to head off south, 100 miles down the Big Sky Highway to West Yellowstone, our entrance point to the Yellowstone National Park.

So what was this place exactly? We had checked out some background facts on the way. Yellowstone was the first National Park in the US, perhaps even in the world, dating from 1872. Located in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho, it spans an area of almost 3,500 square miles, comprising lakes, canyons, rivers, and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, a dormant volcano, which has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Well over half of the world's geysers and hydrothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone.

Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened.[The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Grizzlies, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in this park. The Yellowstone Park bison herd is the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park was burnt.

So, the scene was set and all that remained for us to do now was to buy our 7-day vehicle ticket for USD $35 at the entrance gate and wander off into this vast expanse.