Happy Birthday Yellowstone

Today in 1872, Yellowstone Park was established, making it the first National Park. While it’s not the most visited national park in the U.S. (That would be Great Smokey Mountains National Park), it’s the park that comes to mind when I think of national parks. The same is true for people around the world. My parents immigrated to the U.S. over 40 years ago. My mom told me that as a little girl, when she thought about the United States, one of the things she thought of was Yellowstone. She’s always dreamed of going. She was supposed to come with us last year, but didn’t. I hope to be able to take her one day. While it isn’t the most visited park, it does get very busy, especially in the summer. The company that runs the hotels at the park start taking reservations on May 1 for the  following  summer. For our July, 2017 trip, I made reservations over a year in advance. That worked out well for us. We were able to stay in all the hotels we wanted to. For those who don’t plan vacations over a year in advance, all hope is not lost. While staying at Old Faithful Inn, I met families that were able to get reservations at the hotel by calling every day. People cancel and you can snag a room, but you might have to be more flexible and do multiple bookings. There are also multiple campsites and hotels right outside the park as well. While Old Faithful Inn is probably the most famous hotel in the park and my favorite, I love the location of Theodore Roosevelt Lodge the best. It’s located near Lamar Valley, so it’s a good starting point to check out wildlife. You can also rent a cute little cabin with a shared bathroom for a lot less than a room at Old Faithful.