Jaunted

With plenty to see in the 2.2 million acres, the National Park Service sure does have a long list of not-to-miss sights. If natural geological phenomena is your thing, Old Faithful Geyser should be on the top of your list. Still you can't stop there, since various hots springs, waterfalls, lakes and rivers dot the landscape.

The park itself is home to a myriad of animals rarely seen outside a zoo. While there are no lions or tigers, you can modify the song to sing: elk, mountain goats, buffalo, moose, and bears, oh my! Nothing tops a drive through the mountainous roads to find a momma moose with its calf grazing on the side of the road. Photo ops there are plenty, but, like the Park Rangers always say, we don't recommend to get close.

Although the park is open year round, it is not easily accessible in the winter. The majority of visitors flock to the park in the summer months as the weather is a bit more bearable and more roads are open. Come May, the majority of the park is available to see without major hazards or heavy snowfall. If you have an adventurous itch that needs a scratch, there are options to see the park via snow coach and snowmobiles in the winter months. Keep in mind, facilities in the park during snowy seasons are quite limited.

There are plenty of ways to get to the park and its five main gates. The majority of the park is in Wyoming, with small portions in Montana and Idaho. The closest airport is in Cody, Wyoming, but Billings, Montana and Jackson Hole are nearby and are definitely more popular options.

[Photo: mohnishkodnani]