July 2020 - Yellowstone
The last set of our pictures from Yellowstone (part 2 was here). We went out to the Lamar Valley, which has been referred to as the American Serengeti. Having just been to the Serengeti less than a year before (here!), we were very interested to see if it could possibly live up to that name. It was the part of the trip I was most excited for.
We got up at around 5a to get out to the valley and start a hike while it was still early. The hike was incredibly lovely. The end destination was a river. We got there after a few hours of hiking, looked around for a little while, and found a good place to sit down for lunch down by the river. A few minutes after sitting down, Sharla noticed a large cloud of dust at the top of the hill opposite us on the river. A herd of buffalo was stampeding down the hill, headed towards us! We picked up our bags as quickly as we could and scampered for dear life up the hill behind us. Once we had reached what seemed a safe point away from the river, we turned around and had the incredible experience of watching the herd cross the river and then continue their journey up a hill adjacent to us. It was just like watching the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. It truly lived up to the name!
The last set of our pictures from Yellowstone (part 2 was here). We went out to the Lamar Valley, which has been referred to as the American Serengeti. Having just been to the Serengeti less than a year before (here!), we were very interested to see if it could possibly live up to that name. It was the part of the trip I was most excited for.
We got up at around 5a to get out to the valley and start a hike while it was still early. The hike was incredibly lovely. The end destination was a river. We got there after a few hours of hiking, looked around for a little while, and found a good place to sit down for lunch down by the river. A few minutes after sitting down, Sharla noticed a large cloud of dust at the top of the hill opposite us on the river. A herd of buffalo was stampeding down the hill, headed towards us! We picked up our bags as quickly as we could and scampered for dear life up the hill behind us. Once we had reached what seemed a safe point away from the river, we turned around and had the incredible experience of watching the herd cross the river and then continue their journey up a hill adjacent to us. It was just like watching the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. It truly lived up to the name!
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| Off the road out into the Lamar Valley, some buffalo pause for a morning drink | A juvenile buffalo | |
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| A pronghorn | The Lamar River | The river meandering through the plains |
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| A Green-winged Teal cruising down the river | The meadows were full of super cute prairie dogs | |
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| They actually climb up into the bushes as a lookout, and sound an alarm call when we approach. | A small group of pronghorn crossing the plain | |
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| A little dung beetle doing what he does! | The final resting place of a buffalo | I was a small speck of a person hiking through a large valley |
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| Hiking deeper into the valley, with some beautiful snowy mountains deep in the valley | Hiking down to the creek | The terminus of our hike, alongside the creek |
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| The herd of buffalo rushing down the hill | ||
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| The crossing begins! | ||
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| The little ones making it across | ||
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| Back on the run once they're across | And working their way up the opposing hill | |
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| A small group of slower buffalo came through at a slower pace a few minutes later. The elderly members of the herd? | We watched the whole show from a hill above the river | |
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| Beautiful wildflowers in the early summer | ||
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| Beginning our hike back | Hiking through the valley | |
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| Another group of pronghorns on the hike back | A pronghorn walking down the trail right at us! | |
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| Stopping for a bite to eat | ||
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| Back at the river | ||
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| The bridge of the Lamar | A great place to stop for lunch | The Trout Lake |
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| A lovely lake and setting | ||
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| A buffalo-induced traffic jam | ||
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| The junction of the Firehole and Madison rivers | A beautiful Mountain Bluebird | A Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| A Violet-green swallow | A Brown-headed Cowbird singing away | A Cliff Swallow |
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| A Northern Flicker | A pair of Nothern Flickers getting it on | A Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Lincoln's Sparrow | A House Wren, singing his heart out | A Red-naped Sapsucker |
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| A Ruby-crowned Kinglet | A Chipping Sparrow |