Part 3 of an 8 part virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park. Today’s featured tour route is Fishing Bridge to Canyon Village, which travels through the heart of Hayden Valley and can be seen on all of Austin-Lehman’s Yellowstone Vacation Packages.

Fishing Bridge to Canyon Village, Part 3 from Montana Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

The road from Fishing Bridge to Canyon Village begins at Yellowstone Lake and follows the Yellowstone River through the Hayden Valley. There is plenty of opportunity to view native wildlife including large herds of elk and bison and the occasional grizzly bear. The highway itself features several turnouts that ease traffic in the event of a wildlife spotting.

Thermal features on this route are very unique and include Sulfur Caldron, Mud Volcano and Black Dragon Caldron. These features were some of first geothermal features to be discovered in Yellowstone by early explorers.

The last stop as you near Canyon Village is The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The canyon is one of the most popular and scenic features in Yellowstone and is home to the magnificent Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. A drive through the Grand Loop will provide access to several viewing points along both the south and north rim of the canyon.

From the south rim, you will be able to access popular viewing points of the falls including Uncle Tom’s Trail, Point Sublime and Artist Point. From the north rim you’ll find the Brink of the Upper Falls, Lookout Point and the ever-famous Inspiration Point. Each of these viewing points offer unique and breathtaking views of the canyon and it’s many natural features.

When you reach Canyon Village, you will have the chance to visit the Canyon Visitor Education Center. Visitors will learn about the geology of the park and the Yellowstone super volcano through interactive exhibits and audio/visual productions.

This ends Part 3 of our Virtual Tour of Yellowstone Park. Our next tour route will take us from Canyon Village to Madison.

Before committing to the beauty of Montana in 2006, I lived in the foothills of The Adirondack Mountains in northern New York. In the fall of 2005, I went to a book fair in Glens Falls.

I met and talked with an up and coming author named Bill McKibben. He had just published a neat little book entitled “Wandering Home”.  His love of the outdoors and his passion for writing really caught my attention!  I bought the book, read it that night…and now I want to encourage you to do the same.

In 2007 McKibben wrote a fabulous “think piece” called Deep Economy. If you are interested in the future of America’s economy, you’ll like Bill’s approach, but let’s take a quick peek at Wandering Home.

My Review:

McKibben looks at life a little differently than the “Average Joe”. He is an avid hiker, ecologist and green economist. When you are finished with a McKibben book; you view the world a little differently.

In Wandering Home, Bill takes a long hike from central Vermont to his home in The Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. Along the way he meets some very interesting people dealing with the environment and the ever changing economy.

Wandering Home underlines to me that you can’t learn about, or understand an issue without meeting and talking with people…AND…you can’t meet and talk to people in a car on the interstate, or from the window of a jet plane. Walking thru the natural, rugged beauty of the northeast adds greatly to the texture of this book. You’ll love it!

I give this book a 4 out of 5!

Details:

Title: Wandering Home
Author: Bill McKibben
Publisher: Crown
Year: 2005
Version: Hardcover
Pages: 160

Safe Reading, My Friends!
Bill C

Part 2 of an 8 part virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park. Today’s featured tour route is Old Faithful to Fishing Bridge, including the colossal Yellowstone Lake, featured on all of Austin-Lehman’s Yellowstone Vacation Packages.

Old Faithful to Fishing Bridge, Part 2 from Montana Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

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Part 1 of an 8 part virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park. Today’s featured tour route is West Yellowstone to Old Faithful which you can explore first hand in Austin-lehman’s Yellowstone Vacation Packages.

West Yellowstone to Old Faithful, Part 1 from Montana Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

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In conjunction with the upcoming release of Ken Burns’ PBS special on America’s National Parks, entitled The National Parks – America’s Best Idea, we will be featuring an 8 part virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park.

At Austin-Lehman Adventures, we live, work and play in Yellowstone Park. Over the years we’ve had the privilege of guiding hundreds of Yellowstone Vacations and we want to share with you exactly what this national park has to offer.

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 by the US Congress, “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People”, during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. The park consists of over 2 million acres of preserved paradise and is located primarily in the northwest corner of Wyoming, however it also extends into Montana and Idaho.

When visiting Yellowstone you’ll see thermal features (over 10,000 total)  including erupting geysers, crystal clear hot springs and bubbling mudpots. You’ll see wildlife in their natural settings such as bison, bears, moose, eagles and wolves. This region has remained virtually unchanged since it was established and you will certainly appreciate its history.

Links to each section of the virtual tour will be posted below as the tour progresses. For now, please click on the image below to watch the trailer for The National Parks – America’s Best Idea.

Part 1 – West Yellowstone to Old Faithful

Part 2 – Old Faithful to Fishing Bridge

Part 3 – Fishing Bridge to Canyon Village