We decided to 'celebrate' Daylight Savings Time by heading into Yellowstone National Park for the day. This winter we haven't spent much time in the Park. Just one other visit when the oldest came out in January. That trip was pretty disappointing as far as critter sightings go...only bison, elk & one lonely coyote in the distance as we were leaving Tower Junction. There wasn't even much snow as we drove to Cooke City for lunch.
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Bison Cow walking along road
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On this trip we notice a few things have changed since January. First the number of bison that had migrated out of the Park for the winter was incredible. In our 10+ years we had never seen such large numbers travel from the North Entrance in Gardiner, MT along Rt 89. Bison had moved all the way to the cattle guard which prevents them from entering Paradise Valley...at least 16 miles from Gardiner.
Once we got into the Park we knew why so many had left the safety of the Park...deep snow, so deep that the bison left in search of an easier meal. Unfortunately, that leads to the possibility of being shot by hunters as they leave the Park. A record number have been killed in the hunt this season.
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| View from new North Entrance Road |
The new temporary road which was completed in October after the June flood took out the main road is pretty impressive. The views are more expansive than the road along the Gardner River. It is curvier & steeper than the other road too. Hauling a travel trailer
up the incline and around the curves will be an interesting experience for a number of people this summer. Unless something changes we won't be camping in Yellowstone this summer. Our favorite campground's infrastructure was affected by the flood and no date has been set for reopening. Pretty sure we will manage a few day trips over the summer to visit our favorite areas.
A few hardy bison remained in the Park and were walking the yellow line of the road. Very few tracks were in fresh snow as we drove towards Cooke City, MT. Lucky us discovered a badger sitting on top of his freshly dug hole. He didn't seem too worried about the crazy lady sitting on a snowbank taking his picture. A few miles later a bull elk was in the roadside willows trying his best to blend in, but he was discovered too. The Big Horn Sheep were spotted grazing on their hillside once again. It has been a hit or miss experience the last couple of years due to illness taking out a large number of sheep. Nice to see a few once again.
Not much else was moving through the landscape as we drove to Cooke City for lunch. After our burger & fries we headed back through the Park to see if the badger & elk were still in their spots...they were not. We did see a shadow of a bear in its den...not lucky enough to see it outside the hole. That's just the way things turn out sometimes.
It was still a beautiful day in the Park
