As the mountain lupines begin their bloom and the grizzlies stretch from their winter slumber, Yellowstone has opened for spring. The early spring season is the perfect time to visit America’s first national park – fewer crowds, milder climate and fresh growth.
Yellowstone National Park is open for spring. Image by ©Jess Kraft/Shutterstock
On Friday, the park’s East Entrance opened for the season, providing the most direct access to some of the park’s top sights. Just 53 miles from the town of Cody, Wyoming, Yellowstone’s East Entrance gives access to Yellowstone Lake, a massive mountain lake at an elevation of 7733 feet.
Stretching 20 miles across and 14 miles in length, Yellowstone Lake sits above the Yellowstone Caldera, a supervolcano that’s responsible for the park’s geothermal activity. Its lakeshores are studded with geothermal features like hydrothermal vents, ancient lava flows and geysers.
Yellowstone Lake. Image by ©EQRoy/Shutterstock
Not far from Yellowstone Lake is some of the park’s most famous features. Just 23 miles to the west, Old Faithful wows visitors with its clockwork-like eruptions, and spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone lies 12 miles to the north.
The opening of the East Entrance leaves just the South Entrance closed. Weather permitting, the South Entrance will open on 10 May. The West Entrance opened on 10 April, and the North and Northeast stations are year-round entrances.
Yellowstone National Park’s Grand Prismatic Spring. Image by ©Edward Fielding/Shutterstock
By most accounts, spring is the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park. “Springtime in Yellowstone means fewer crowds, opportunities for hiking at lower elevations, and skiing or snowshoeing at higher elevations,” a park spokesperson said. “Wildlife viewing highlights this time of year include bison calving, bears recently emerged from dens, bull elk antlers in velvet, and the arrival of migratory birds.”
Grizzly Bear in the grass of Lamar Valley at Yellowstone National Park. Image by ©Frank Fichtmueller/Shutterstock
In the Lamar Valley, spring sees grizzly bears emerging from their dens in search of food, as well as bugling elk and brand-new wolf pups prancing through the mountain meadows and coniferous forests.
Spring marks Yellowstone’s shoulder season, when there are fewer crowds at top sights and cars traveling along park roads. During peak summer, crowds can exceed hundreds of thousands of visitors – fully half of the park’s total visitors come in June, July and August.
The post Yellowstone’s East Entrance is now open, giving access to the park’s best sites appeared first on Lonely Planet Travel News.