Yellowstone Vacation
June 2023
June 2023
Yellowstone Vacation
On our last full day, we headed through the Roosevelt area, then drove through the snow in the Dunraven Pass, stopped to see Tower Falls, down into Lamar Valley to catch a glimpse of a variety of wildlife, and a final stop at the Petrified Tree. Lamar Valley is a wild place where animals roam freely and is sometimes called the Serengeti of America for how easy it is to see populations of large animals.
The Dunraven Pass opened a week before we arrived due to the heavy snow pack in the mountains.  The road reaches an elevation of over 8800 feet.  We stopped at some of the pull outs to admire the beautiful snow covered mountains. I wanted to drive the road to Mt. Washburn, but it was still closed from the winter snow.
North American Pronghorn
We had front row seats to this "bison jam."  It's not unusual to encounter a herd crossing the main road. This is one of the few times that you don't mind getting stuck in traffic!
We were fortunate to see many calves that were born during the recent calving season.  They are called "red dogs" due to their unique coloring.
While driving on the main road to Lamar Valley, we saw many vehicles parked haphazardly along the side of the road with people aiming their phones and telephoto lenses toward an object.  We stopped to see what was a black bear foraging in the canyon across from the road.
Day 4
Tower Fall
There were many herds of bison roaming the Lamar Valley.
Slough Creek is located in the middle of Lamar Valley.  It is accessible by a dirt road.  We pulled into a small parking area with beautiful scenery to eat our lunch. Although it was June, the spring flowers were just starting to bloom.
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Click the video below for short clips of Tower Fall, Dunraven Pass, and Bison in Lamar Valley.