Fruita was our first stop after leaving Flaming Gorge, Utah to see the Colorado National Monument. The area is desert on the high Colorado Plateau with steep walled canyons of rock and sandstone surrounded by juniper and pinyon forests.
Flaming Gorge was named by John Wesley Powell during his expedition down the Green River in 1869 because of the spectacular red sandstone cliffs that are adjacent to the river.
Lamar Valley from West Yellowstone is over a 2 hour drive one way. There are plenty of sights along the way, but the trip makes for a long day. In the past we’ve stayed in Gardiner, which is the north entrance and so much closer. The Park Headquarters, provisions, and a restaurant are located in Mammoth. In 1872, Yellowstone became our first National Park. Lamar Valley is where there are huge herds of bison. Sometimes wolves and grizzly can be seen, but to the naked eye, they are usually just specs in the distance.
West Yellowstone in the fall is typically not very crowded and a great time to see fall foliage and Yellowstone’s numerous attractions. The risk is cold weather and snow. Which, we had on this trip. Probably because of COVID, people aren’t traveling much outside of the USA and traveling local instead, so there were more people than usual. Animals are getting ready for winter, putting on their winter weight and coats.
Teton National Park is in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park. It was established in 1929. We haven’t been here in over 10 years and were looking forward to seeing the striking Teton range, but haze from all the western fires almost completely hid them from view on some days. From Thayne, Wyoming it was a two hour drive.
