mytravelbugbite

Today, after tucking into our compulsory Yellowstone Grill breakfast, we decided to explore more of the central part of Yellowstone National Park. Our first stop was a small detour to Tower Falls which were pretty but nothing special.

We then made our way down to drive the North Rim Drive. Here we were able to stop off at various view points overlooking Yellowstone Canyon. There were a couple of small but immensely steep trails that you can take to get to the prime photo spots. The area may not be as big or impressive as some of the USAs other canyons however it is still pretty cool and each stop showed us something slightly different with interesting rock formations surrounding you. It did really feel crowded here though which was a slight downside. Once we had finished the North rim we stopped for lunch at a picnic area before then going to only one of the areas on the South side, Artist’s Point.

Once we had had finished here we moved away from the hordes of tourists down to do a small hike to the Natural Bridge. This is mainly along gently undulating service roads which means getting to the lower viewpoint of the bridge is fairly easy. From the bottom the bridge sits about 70 feet above you and is about 30 foot wide and was created by water carving into the rock over a prolonged period of time.

There is then the option to extend the hike upwards to reach the top of the bridge. I have read since we did the hike that there is a sign somewhere stating you shouldn’t walk on the bridge itself, that wasn’t at all obvious when we were actually there though, but the scenery from the top was still pretty epic and the stroll through the woods was very pleasant. The trail including going up above the bridge was only 3.3miles but was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, perhaps not quite as grand as the vistas from the morning but far more peaceful.

What was the best canyon you’ve ever seen? Are there any naturally occurring architectural places you have particularly enjoyed?