Day 8: Big Sky MT, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole WY

There are times when the pictures I snap on my iPhone don't even come close to doing justice to the majesty of what I'm experiencing. Today is one of those times.

Today was by far the most eventful, sight-filled, and exhausting day of my trip. I was on the road around 7am, checked out of my AirBnB. A few people had told me about an awesome hike 40 miles south of Bozeman so I headed down. The parking lot was nearly empty and trail was really cool.

It was a long, winding trail up the mountain and the whole way up you can hear the river gushing down parallel to the path.

The hike was challenging but this is the view that made it worth it. It's called Lava Lake and it's wayyy up in the mountains. Amazing.

I laid out for a little while to read and relax. It wasn't long, though, before I realized I had made a new friend.

His name is Marvin (Marv for short) and he was very interested in my snacks. He even got bold enough to grab my hand in hopes that I had treats for him.

Logs collecting where the lake meets the river. Maybe a beaver dam?

I was one of the first up the mountain, but the trail on my was down was pretty packed with people coming up.

I hit the road and got to Big Sky, Montana. Didn't get any good photos but it's a super cool town, small but rich, in a beautiful spot in the mountains. Made my turkey sandwich here and got back on the highway. 

Next stop was the town of West Yellowstone which sits right on the entrance of the park. I officially crossed into Wyoming. West Yellowstone is very touristy with lots of gift shops and souvenirs but it was neat to see people from all over.

After a quick walk around, I entered Yellowstone.

Pulled over to look at some fascinating hot springs.

A gorge.

I would've loved to have spent more time in Yellowstone but I had a lot of ground to cover. Once you pass through, you pretty much go directly into Grand Teton park. I didn't really get out here except to snap a photo or two, but I'd like to return in the next couple days.

Grand Teton Mountains.

A huge herd of bison!

Candidate for best picture from the trip so far?

I finally arrived in Jackson Hole, WY around 7 pm. It's still very much a real-life cowboy town: saloons, wooden plank sidewalks, double doors. It's nestled up in the mountains and has a ton of charm. Definitely smaller than I though. Looking forward to spending a couple days here.