By the way... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome to 2026 and new adventures to come!
Wapiti is the name for elk in Shawnee. An elk symbolizes strength, courage, endurance, and spiritual connection among other things. Last post we saw a mama elk protecting her baby and, as the day continued, I was to see even more elk in beautiful and moving ways.
But before we begin, be sure to catch up on my previous posts by clicking the links below!
Previously in the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone series:
Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons Day 1, Jenny Lake Campground, Elk Herd
Beautiful Jenny Lake, Foxes and Bears
Lovely Vistas full of Bison and Horses
Mormon Row, Pronghorn Antelope, and Ravens
Wildlife Art, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Colter Bay, and Ground Squirrels
Colter Bay to South Yellowstone
More Bison, Old Faithful, Biscuit Basin, and Beginning of Artemisia Trail Hike
Hike to Morning Glory Pool! Plus Bison with Red Dogs, Elk, and Coyotes
Grizzly and Wolf Center in West Yellowstone
Fountain Paint Pots and Grand Prismatic Spring
Mama Elk for the Win! Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Surrounds
But first! A map!
To continue our journey on this fourth day of our incredible road trip, we started from the left corner of the map and drove to our first stop - Mud Volcano.
Now, I didn't spend too much time there. I kind of regret that, but to be honest, the hills of the upper boardwalk intimidated me as I didn't think I could handle them at altitude. So I only did the lower half - or the pretty much level part.
This photo is looking from towards the parking lot to the level boardwalk.
This is one of many muddy hot springs in the area and I think the name is Mud Geyser. It was a beautiful green color but I understand that the mud hot springs vary in color and mud content from season to season or eruption to eruption.
The next two photos are of the Mud Volcano itself. It once was a 30 foot high cone shooting mud out of the top that covered the trees! This area is located near a large vent of the Yellowstone Volcano and as such has had many changes as mentioned above. At one point the cone blew itself apart and collapsed into the bubbling mud pot we see today. I loved the textures of it.
But I love mud pots in general. Once upon a time in 2017, I went in search of mud volcanoes near the Salton Sea and it. was. amazing. The location had a plethora of mud pots and cool springs. And some really cool "cinder" cone mud volcanoes that were up to 8 feet tall! Here is an example:
So I was definitely excited to be here in Yellowstone to see mud pots.
And another feature that was really cool in the Mud Volcano area was Dragon Mouth Spring! This is a steamy hole which you could easily imagine was home to a dragon. The steam and sloshing water inside the cavern was evocative of rumblings of the dragon that was just waiting to come rushing out and flame us!
And it was pretty. :)
After wandering about for a little while, I headed back on the road towards Mammoth Hot Springs ready to spot some more interesting and beautiful sights. And it wasn't long before I spied a beautiful meadow through the trees that lined the road! And there appeared to be Swans swimming in the small pond!
Luckily there was plenty of space to quickly pull over and park. I then hopped out of my car to snap a quick photo through the trees where you could see the swans.
There was a faint path down to the floor of the meadow but it didn't go very far into it. It was enough for me to carefully make my way down the hill that was littered with fallen trees and get a little closer to my target.
It was so lovely; I couldn't help but just stand in the meadow and take it all in. Wow. But the stars were the Trumpeter Swans. There were two of them - maybe a pair?
They were still quite a bit away so these photos aren't great even with my 600 lens.
One Swan:
Two Swans:
And then Two as One Swans:
One my way back to the car, I spotted some wildflowers! They were growing in the shade of a fallen tree trunk which I thought looked very cool.
I later learned these are called Yellow Avalanche Lilies - also Glacier Lilies because they grow at the edge of snowbanks. So pretty!
Back on the road and it wasn't long before I spotted another wonderful meadow but this time there was an Elk sitting in it.
Again, I pulled over for a look. And what a beautiful look it was.
And then I saw a mountain. Such a majestic mountain! The fog and clouds were hugging the top like a blanket.
It was only a short while until I saw another meadow with a bird in it. lol This one was a lone Sandhill Crane. I love them! These pictures turned out great.
Okay, I am FINALLY on the road for real. I made it to Mammoth Hot Springs campground and checked in. Then I decided to head to Gardner for some food and because I wanted to see the Roosevelt Arch.
I got one picture but it's not from the side with the plaque. Oh well. lol Next time!
As I was heading back through the north entrance to Yellowstone, I saw a pronghorn in a meadow just before I got to the entrance. It was so cute and also so close but I couldn't take a picture because driving. The reason I'm mentioning this is the next day I also drove in to Gardner for gas and when coming back in, I saw the Pronghorn in the same place! Same place. It was weird.
Anyhoo, my next stop was the 45th Parallel along the Gardner River. I had seen a sign on my way to Gardner and I thought it would be a cool photo op. And it was. :)
I absolutely loved this journey along the Gardner River. The river is so gorgeous and I love love love a good curvy drive with scenic views, and the North Entrance Road has that in spades. That's one reason I drove this route twice in as many days!
I'm so thankful that I have these pictures and memories of this beautiful drive.
Just one year later, Yellowstone received unprecedented amounts of rain which caused a 500-year flood event. The North Entrance Road along with the North East Entrance Road were severely damaged and the North Entrance road was determined to be unrepairable. Within days, the National Park Service quickly reopened the Old Gardner Road - originally built in 1879 - after hauling and applying tons of gravel. It served as a passable one-lane road for employees to shuttle to and from Gardner. It has now been improved into a two-lane and is above the Gardner River rather than hugging it through the canyon.
I, of course, haven't driven the new road but it sounds like it is a scenic route as well; it's just different from what I experienced. And what I experienced was magical.
A few turns from the 45th parallel, I saw a small group of elk walking by the river so of course I pulled over and got out of my car with my camera.
As it's a narrow river, the elk were quite aware of me but didn't seem to be concerned. The younger member of the group waded into the river and walked upstream a bit.
After this magical encounter, I made my way back to Mammoth Hot Springs campground. I loved my spot! Lovely view and close to the bathrooms. haha
I parked and sat in my car to eat some dinner.
And then! Another magical moment! This time with a mama and teenager Elk. They were coming down the road right towards my campsite! I exchanged food for camera and started taking photos from my car.
The mama elk led her baby down the road while they stopped to graze every so often.
xoxo
Nikon D600 28-300 lens
Nikon D7200 150-600 lens
