West Yellowstone, ID

On the 7th, we left Helena, a very pretty University town, heading east on Hwy 12 and connecting with I 90 at Three Forks and then continuing through towns with wonderful names like Manhattan, Belgrade, Bozeman and Livingston where we connected with Hwy 89. Along the way, we crossed the Boulder, Madison, and Gallatin rivers and, of course, our old friend the Missouri.

(An amusing aside, we had selected one of the smaller hotels in Helena the night before, but upon pulling up to the front door, we discovered a large bus disgorging the Billings Bulls (sport unknown) with all of their equipment. We quickly copped a u-turn and found another hotel a few hundred metres further along where we enjoyed a blissful night’s sleep.)

We chose Hwy 89 on the advice of acquaintances who suggested that we take the scenic route south rather than Interstate 15. It was every bit as good as they had said it would be. From Livingston Hwy 89 winds south into Wyoming to Gardiner and through the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone was such a different experience for us. Generally one thinks of US National Parks as places of awe inspiring natural beauty and, in its own way, Yellowstone fits that pattern although with a slight twist. In 1989, the west side of the park was burned out. Six hundred and fifty thousand acres, more than a thousand square miles, burned to the ground. As a consequence, as you make your way south through the park you are in a seemingly endless expanse of naturally regenerating forest land. And, it is truly amazing how much nature can accomplish in 20 years left to her own devices. Everywhere there are coniferous trees 6’, 10’, 12’ high growing up amongst the standing dead timber which still remains today. It was a powerful experience which, somehow, enhanced our feelings about the park despite our expectations.

Of course the wonderful clear rivers and lakes are all intact and everywhere you see fly fishers enjoying themselves despite the generally cold temperatures we experienced. Surprisingly, we did not see a lot of wildlife although we were very fortunate to see a lone wolf, several wild bison, and a very large eagle.

We stopped for the night at West Yellowstone, Idaho just outside the west entrance to the park. It seemed a little unusual to spend the morning in Montana, the bulk of the day in Wyoming and then dart out for the night to Idaho!