I’ve been helping Yellowstone visitors plan their time in the park since 1987–first at the Old Faithful Inn and the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, then back home with friends and family and even people I’ve met on the internet. Here are a few favorite places and tips for mapping out a satisfying Yellowstone vacation.
What’s true on the trail is true in life: Planning a trip to Yellowstone might be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Just take it one step at a time.
Yellowstone Basics
Let’s go to Yellowstone!
5 Kid-Friendly Yellowstone Hikes
We started taking our kids out on Yellowstone's trails when they were tiny, as in four, eight, and fifteen months tiny. They went from being carried to toddling to running ahead and we went from being the pack animals who carried them to trying to keep up. These...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Roosevelt Arch
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
Notable & Noteworthy: Spring
March is a quiet month in Yellowstone, not because there's nothing happening but because all but one road is closed and there is little human hubbub. April ... that's a different story. Still, these are two months during which I have not seen the park. What I know ...
Writing Tools I Use
Writing involves more than writing. The writing life involves a lot of reading and observing. Most of my writing is done at my desk, and I occasionally get to spend a few happy hours writing outside in Yellowstone. These are a few of the go-to items I use for...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Bobby Socks Trees
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
My 5 Favorite Yellowstone Stops
After a summer of working in Yellowstone and four decades of annual visits to the park, a trip to Yellowstone feels like going home. This is at once a blessing and a curse. With so many places to revisit, check in on, and catch up with, it’s hard to branch out to new...
Hiking Gear We Use
I know of a few winter hikers. For most of us, though, hiking is an activity left to the more temperate seasons. With spring upon us, I wanted to share some things we're gathering for the coming hiking season. Hiking/Trekking Poles: In terms of stability and speed,...
Postcard from Yellowstone | Clear Lake
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
Notable & Noteworhty: Winter
I've visited Yellowstone in January and February, and found it to be both a delightful wonderland and a frigid, forbidding, unforgiving landscape. We snowmobiled when my parents, brother, and I visited in my teens. Even bundled in the best snowmobile attire the 1980s...
Camping Gear We Actually Use 2026
We had a rare but not unheard-of March blizzard last weekend. My husband used the time to prepare our camping gear for the coming season. Here’s a collection of stuff we actually use when we head out west. Eating & Drinking At the campsite, we use an...
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to pray in and play in, where Nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” ~ John Muir
