Yellowstone Discovery: Upper Geyser Basin Jewels

Before we continue east on Yellowstone’s Grand Loop Road across the Continental Divide, we are going to explore additional parts of the Upper Geyser Basin. “The majority of world’s active geysers are in the Upper Geyser Basin, including Old Faithful. Only four other places in the world have large concentrations of hydrothermal features: Russia (Kamchatka), […]

Yellowstone Discovery: FireHole Road

We are continuing our Yellowstone adventures, embarking east from Madison Junction towards Old Faithful. This sixteen mile drive crosses through the fiery ground of Yellowstone’s Lower Geyser Basin, in a land of rivers and dramatic waterfalls, valleys and the shadow of the caldera. Turning right at Madison Junction towards Old Faithful, steam rises to the […]

Yellowstone Discovery-Towards Madison Junction

Entering Yellowstone at the western entrance, many travelers are on a mission to simply get to Madison Junction – and on to Old Faithful or beyond. However don’t lose sight of the journey as your travel the fourteen miles from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction. This meandering road offers pristine and glorious scenery that is […]

Yellowstone Discovery: West Yellowstone

We are kicking off our virtual tour of Yellowstone’s Lower Loop in one of the funnest towns in the west – West Yellowstone. Located on the southwestern edge of Yellowstone, West Yellowstone (affectionately known as ‘West’) is YNP’s year-round destination for outdoor adventure. West is a the busiest of Yellowstone’s gateway towns, with millions of […]

Yellowstone Discovery: The Golden Gate

Leaving Norris Geyser Basin, we are heading north on the Grand Loop Road back towards Mammoth Hot Springs. This twenty-one mile stretch of road is dotted with scenery and geology. Stop one, just north of Norris – you’ll discover Frying Pan Spring on the right side of the road and Nymph Spring on the left. […]

Yellowstone Discovery: Mammoth to Tower Junction

In our last post we blogged through Mammoth Hot Springs – today we are heading North on the Grand Loop Road from Mammoth to Tower Junction/Tower Fall. I love this section of Yellowstone because it is filled with sweeping valleys, windswept hills and one of the largest petrified forests in the United States. The Northern […]

Yellowstone Discovery – Mammoth Hot Springs

Located at Yellowstone’s northern entrance you’ll Mammoth Hot Springs – an otherworldly wonderland of travertine castles and bubbling steaming hot springs. Mammoth is known for it’s elegant travertine terraces and sweeping views of the neighboring Absaroka and Gallatin Mountain Ranges. “No human architect ever designed such intricate fountains as these. The water trickles over the […]

Yellowstone – Northern Entrance

Yellowstone is celebrating 150 years in 2022 as the world’s first national park! To commemorate this momentous occasion – American Nomad is blogging through Yellowstone. In our previous entries overviewed the park and its geology…today we are starting our Northern Discovery of Yellowstone with a stop Yellowstone’s original gateway town of Gardiner and a stop […]

Yellowstone Discovery: Planning your Trip

To celebrate Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary, this month we will be embarking on a virtual tour of the world’s first national park. Yellowstone has captured the hearts of millions of travelers who have journeyed from all over the globe to explore the nature, wonder and majesty of the this natural treasure. Yellowstone owns a piece of […]

Shenandoah Adventures

One of my favorite places to visit is Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. Located only 75 miles from DC, Shenandoah rises above the Shenandoah Valley in the west and Piedmont region in the east, Shenandoah is an expanse of sweeping meadows, lost waterfalls, jagged peaks and over 500 miles hiking trails. The highlight of Shenandoah is […]