My Vacation: Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Park - Isaak Kumar

 

My Vacation: Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Park

    In my week-long trip to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, I was exposed to a plethora of new landscapes, plants, and animals that were drastically different from my original Midwest environment. From wandering herds of bison dotting the rolling hills to curious black bears searching for berries in dense huckleberry bushes, my vacation was truly one of a kind.

        Part 1: Grand Teton National Park

We spent around 3 days in Grand Teton National National Park, and it was probably the more scenic part of our vacation. Living in a quaint valley surrounded by two majestic mountain ranges, we had plenty of time to adsorb and marvel at the rustic scenery. Although we went on multiple hikes throughout our stay at the Tetons, our most memorable hike was the 7-mile trek to Inspiration Point, a lookout area situated on the cliffs of the Tetons, thousands of feet above sea level.

Animal-wise, our most noteworthy sitings included the American Buffalo (scientific name: Bison bison), which were found in herds of up to 300. These grazers have a rough history, being hunted to near extinction by western travelers, who harvested the bison for their meat and pelts. Despite these setbacks, these relatives of cows have regained their foothold in Yellowstone ecosystems due to restoration efforts.

Part 2: Yellowstone National Park

        After 3 days of enjoying the idyllic Grand Teton wilderness, my family and I began the 5-hour journey to and through Yellowstone National Park. On the way to our hotel on the other side of Yellowstone’s vast forests, we stopped to see the spouting Old Faithful Geyser, as well as the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring. Yellowstone's unique springs and geysers are due to a large amount of scalding magma underneath the park itself, making Yellowstone the biggest volcano in the world. Throughout our driving in Yellowstone, there was a faint smell of sulfur dioxide, which emanated from the small fissures in the park's arid crust.

  Yellowstone also brought a wide variety of animals into our viewing. From long-antlered moose to great grizzly bears, this part of our trip was great for wildlife observation and photography. Many of these animals are not found anywhere else in the world, and exploring Yellowstone National Park was a great way to take a peek into what life was like before New World civilizations.