Anniversary Trip to Yellowstone National Park
The best traveling experience I ever had was my anniversary trip to Yellowstone National Park. This trip was so close to home that I thought it hardly qualified as a “getaway”. However, on a beautiful June day, we headed off to have a 4-day weekend away and celebrate our 10th anniversary.
Growing up in Montana, I’d been to Yellowstone countless times, but this time was going to be special! It was just the right time of year to see so many elk we had to watch where we were going during a hike to avoid disturbing them! We hiked up a steep hill and surveyed the gorgeous landscape. We were at the top of the hill a short time when we decided to head back for dinner and to catch one of the educational lectures by the Park Rangers.
It was on our decent that we came up on an elk that had laid claim to a camp spot and was chasing any careless park “strollers” off her turf.
We burst out laughing when we saw one gentleman get too close to her chosen spot. She reacted fiercely! She grunted at him and began to chase him through the campground! What got us laughing was his response – not only did he take off at a dead run, but he was waving his index finger over his shoulder, pointing at the elk and screaming, “NO! NO! Bad Elk!” There was something hysterical about his response and the elk chasing him. We completely forgot how much danger he was in. Luckily, he ran fast enough to satisfy the new mamma and she returned to her bed to await the birth of her baby. I’ll never forget that walk, that elk, that man, or any part of our trip through Yellowstone!
(Story by Holly A. Childers. Photo credit)
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What can be more beautiful than having a birthday party in the middle of the nature with all of your friends? I envy you
I’ve been to Yellowstone, and really enjoyed it. The only important caveat that I’d mention to those who haven’t yet been there, that I learned because my traveling companion was on crutches, is that there are many geysers and pools that are the main attraction, that they are accessed often only by planked wooden, raised paths, and sometimes you can only proceed down stairs. So if you’re wheelchair bound, or can’t walk much, get a map and check in advance for what is and isn’t easily accessible.
Wow, that sounds like some trip. I recently moved to southeast Wyoming and have not made it to Yellowstone National Park…yet. I have it on my “definite to do list” for this summer. I grew up in Canada near the mountains and we were always going camping. When I was 10 we moved to the US. And not just the US, but to the DESERT southwest. Not much fun camping in cactus, sand, and hard red clay in triple digit temperatures. I am back up north where I belong now and I can hear the call of the wild. Yellowstone just isn’t whispering to me, its yelling at me to come home to camping with mountains, trees, water, and cool evening temperatures – even in summer. I hear the call of Yellowstone and I am going to answer it this summer. Hope I have as good of a time as you did!
I went to Yellowstone for the first time two years ago and I thought it was amazing! I was also lucky enough to see several animals in their natural habitats. An elk approached us while we were stopped in our car. We also were able to see group of bison and a bear!
You will laugh about that memory for your next ten anniversaries! You can’t find adventures like that during candlelight dinners at a local bistro.
look like a great place , I will love to celebrate happy moments of my life here. these kinds of places are rare to see now a days.
wow! what a beautiful place, this will be my option and suggestion for anyone who asks for a honeymoon trip.
yellowstone!!! really a great place that everyone must visit and enjoy the natural surrounding which will give you a peaceful mind and pleasant views.
More than the weekend trip to Yellowstone national park, what made the article lively was your description of the humorous incident with the Elk.I too had a good laugh.
Loved going to Yellowstone as well! I loved the chase in your story, sounds like you guys had a really great time!
Just recently learned about yellowstone in a college class of mine. It looks really interesting! It’s really cool that you got to see elk!
I totally agree! Yellowstone is absolutely fantastic. I went there once when I was a kid, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The scenery was amazing. It was so peaceful (until my younger sister started throwing a fit!)
I have to say, the idea of getting chased by elk in Yellowstone is hilarious. The best part about Yellowstone is the hiking like you mentioned. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, you’re bound to miss a lot at Yellowstone.
Lol, I’ll be that guy will never forget that elk chasing him! I’m born and raised in Wyoming, and I’ve only been to Yellowstone once. It’s the most beautiful part of the state, and I heartily recommend it to people outside Wyoming.
I have always wanted to visit Yellowstone and this story makes my yearning for it just that much more. To be able to experience wildlife first hand is amazing, there is nothing like it, especially when nature throws in a little humor.
Wow! I have always wanted to go to Yellowstone! My childhood was filled with camping trips and great stories like this one. But in more recent years my outdoor excursions have been few and far between…this story makes me want to pack my bags and leave tomorrow!
I have recently went at Yellow Stone National Park and I found the real beauty of nature and I was very much relaxed that day by seeing such beautiful trees, gardens etc.
Wow, I am just amazed by this picture. It looks like something you would see on a postcard or something. I have always dreamed of taking my family to Yellowstone, and this picture makes me want to even more.
What a wonderful anniversary trip! I visited Yellowstone a few months ago and I really enjoyed my time there.
I can’t wait to go there this summer. What a great experience to get to celebrate while enjoying all of that beauty at the same time. I can wait to explore everything with my husband and kids.
Yellowstone looks absolutely gorgeous. I have always wanted to experience the geysers and hot springs! It looks so rugged and awesome out there!
Yellow Stone National Park is so incredibly beautiful. It is one of the best places I have ever been and can’t wait to go back.
Yellowstone is defiantly a must vacation for all! Anyone would love to vacate here.
Yellowstone is defiantly a must vacation for all! Anyone would love to vacate here. If you plan for this it could be one of the best trips ever had.
LOL-reminds me of camping there as kids. We watched a man read a beware of bison sign on the bathroom door. Then he slowly and cautiously opened the door like there might be one inside.
Yellowstone has been one of the most beautiful place I have visited. It was serene and majestic. The beauty is difficult to describe and touched me to my core. Every turn of my head was a breath taking scene. Every photographic memento I have of the time I spent there echoes the beauty. I truly think that it is a place all Americans should experience. The geysers, the bacteria mats, the forests and fields, the streams and the mountain tops, are all etched in my memory.
Yellowstone really is a beautiful part of the country. I wish I lived closer. At least it was only an angry elk that chased your friend and not a grizzly!
What a funny story. That sounds so lovely, I have always wanted to see Yellowstone for myself. It seems like it would be an incredible experience to be in the midst of all the natural grandeur.
Yellow stone national park is probably the best natural tourist attrations in the midwest or west USA. It is probably the best for people who love geography and geology.
I generally go up to Yellowstone National Park a few times a year. Like with you guys, I only live about a three hour’s drive from there. And no matter how many times I go up there I am always amazed at how many people seem to think that it’s a good idea to treat a large, half-ton animal the same way they would a 30-pound dog. It generally doesn’t work out too well, and that guy is just darn lucky!
I’m so jelous, would love to go right now. Yellow stone is such a magical place. And I love it when you come back with funny stories to go with memories.
We visited Yellowstone while moving from Washington to Mississippi and really enjoyed the visit (even if it was only a two day trip). It was easy to see different things in the park and we enjoyed the areas you could walk around near the hot springs and geysers. Really a national treasue!
Yellowstone is one of the most fabulous places I’ve ever been. I will never forget going there with my family. To people who criticize it- realize that it’s important people enjoy places like Yellowstone too.
What an amazing story, it is so nice to see how you were able to spend your anniversary and one of the most beautiful places that the United States has to offer. I think that anyone gets a chance should visit this park
I went to Yellowstone a few years ago and I loved it. I went with a few people from work on a company trip and we all had the best time.
Obviously I don’t know the couple but maybe after 10 years of being together the one partner thought the other partner looked and felt as heavy as a bison so the partner for the, special occasion anniversary, took there other half to a place with wild gigantic beasts as a gesture of love.
What a great idea to go to Yellowstone for a tenth anniversary, most people desire exotic places for an anniversary trip so this to me is very unique. I would love to travel there myself sometime. being in Arizona this shouldn’t be too hard for me to accomplish one day. I had no idea that elk could be so territorial! What a memorable story!
Yellowstone is such a unique place to visit. Its western culture and natural beauty is captivating. My husband and I enjoyed a winter snow mobile trip and enjoyed the entire trip. We toured Yellowstone Park on snow mobiles and shopped the quaint square in Jackson Hole for special hand-crafted mementos of our trip.
I would have been terrified being chased by an Elk. You guys were probably in quite a bit of danger. All the same the beautiful majesty of Yellowstone is something that I haven’t yet experienced in my life. Maybe at some point in the future though.
I was actually proposed to on a trip to Yellowstone. The picture is so lovely, I can only imagine how it would feel to actually take in such a sight in person. *hint* *hint*
This is a wonderfully written article that makes the reader appreciate the Yellowstone area so much more. Despite the fact I am not an outdoor type person, I would love to be as amazed and enjoyed as this writer in Yellowstone!
If you want to have a relaxing day and enjoy green grass and fresh air. Yellowstone is the place to visit. I find it to be a nice getaway from the concrete jungle of my daily life.
Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun! The elk story is hilarious. I’m not sure what I would’ve done in that situation. I think it is adventurous to be among the animals like you guys were!
I’m so jelous, would love to go right now. its very interestingand beatuful place. its an attraction of tourists.when i have free time i will visit this amazing place
That sounds like a great place for an anniversary trip. It is really beautiful there. I went there several years ago with my family and the geysers were absolutely beautiful. I would highly recommend this place for a honeymoon or anniversary.
I’ve always wanted to go here…so beauitful!! It sounds like you had a very memorable anniversery trip. What a great story to share with family and friends for may years to come!
It’s been over 15 years since i first traveled to Yellowsotne, and to this day it is one of the most interesting and beautiful places i have ever been. I still dream about going back there and hop to make it some time in the very near future.
Sounds like such fun. I’ve never been to Montana, so obviously never been to YellowStone though it is on my “bucket list” as well as The Grand Canyon. I miss the west so much, I grew up in Utah and miss all the beauty that surrounds the west!
Such a national treasure! Is there any place more beautiful on earth? I live up North but have taken my family to Yellowstone every year for the past three years. It is such a wonderful place to explore and teach your children about the beauty of earth
“No! No! Bad Elk!” Hahahaha that is just tooo funny! Sounds like a trip you will never forget
My grandparents went to Yellowstone about a year ago, and its all they will ever talk about any more! I can’t wait to go myself!