Yellowstone

When I was about 8 years old, my parents drove across the country from Indiana to Seattle (and back!) to visit friends. Along the way we stopped in a number of parks, Yellowstone National Park was one of them. Our kids are now 8 & 5, so it was great that they could experience the park at this age too.

Photo by Patrick Jones, Roosevelt Arch, Yellowstone

Source: Library of Congress, 1938

Yellowstone was likely the first national park in the world, created by an act of Congress in 1872. It is also one of the few places where one can walk across the top of a volcano (Yellowstone Caldera is actually a supervolcano).

Photo by Patrick Jones, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone

Photo by Patrick Jones, road from Mammoth to Tower, Yellowstone

During our visit we saw an owl, eagles, buffalo, many types of deer, prairie dogs, a beaver, and other birds. The crowds weren't too bad, and we were lucky the weather was a bit cooler so we did not get sunburned during our two days in the park.