Second visit - July 13, 2022
We drove 40 miles to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and parked in the Wapiti Lake Trailhead parking lot. The Wapiti Trail was closed due to bear activity. We hiked 2 miles on the South Rim Trail past the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls and on to Artist Point. From there we hiked another mile on the Ribbon Lake trail to the Lily Pond Lake. The return trip to the Jeep was another 3 miles. Up and down and up and down - my toes were a little sore after this one.
Photos from the Upper Falls area ~
Photos from Artist's Point and the Lower Falls Area ~
We left the parking lot and drove north on North Rim Drive and stopped at most of the overlooks on our way to Canyon Village where we had some dinner in the cafeteria. During dinner there was a down pour which trapped Ken on a couch and me in the gift shop. No purchases, I already had my stickers and magnet and didn't find an acceptable T shirt.
We drove south to the Hayden Valley which is known for its wildlife, especially in the evenings. On the drive we stopped to take a photo of a large elk with huge antlers. Driving south we had to stop for 2 bison that were in the middle of the road. They walked toward the Jeep and right past our windows. There was a large herd of bison right beside the road. Vehicles were inching by since some bison were very close. We reached Hayden Valley and the small parking lot was packed but we found a spot. It was nearing sunset and the views were beautiful but the elk and bison were in the distance. We watched them with the binoculars and then walked up the hill on the opposite side of the road where some humans were waiting for the sunset and possible wolf sightings. We attempted to drive out of the area going north but were stopped for a half an hour by a bison blockade.