winter in yosemite national park

over the weekend our little sf family ventured to the bug, a cozy campground style lodge/hostel about 30 miles from the park's entrance. we stayed in the "barn studio" complete with a full kitchen where we cooked up most of our meals for the weekend. the main lodge serves food and drinks alongside a huge fireplace, and hosts live music at night. and for just 10 bucks you have full access to their spa including yoga, sauna, steam, hot tubs, cold plunge, etc.

highlights include: polaroids, driving through the park, hiking the mirror lake trail, snowmen, crossing the freezing river, lunch at the ahwahnee, befriending brenda and playing too many games of darts at hideout saloon, mulled wine in the hot tub, liars dice, and 6 hours of road trip laughter. 

yellowstone national park

on our last day in yellowstone we really had to pack sh*t in – who knows when we'll be back to this glorious place. some tips if you're in the area include:

– skip old faithful {if you're short on time} and do the short grand prismatic springs hike. you'll get a view that none of the other tourists are getting, and you'll feel the burn, too.  

– explore on foot – many people you'll see are driving around, getting out of the car, snapping pics, and continuing on their way, but there is a lot tucked back in those woods. 

^^ this moment did not include warm air or warm water 

^^ this might go down in history as the longest / hardest hike of all time. we seem happy eating our little picnic, but we were tired. real tired. seeing that glacier-run-off lake at the top of a mountain was quite rewarding, though {in hindsight}. 

lodging review: yellowstone under canvas [montana]

I WANT TO RELIVE THIS PEACEFUL MOMENT OVER AND OVER AGAIN

---

our final stop before jackson hole was yellowstone, where we "glamped" at yellowstone under canvas; a place we'd had on our radar for over a year. it was even more magical than i imagined. so simple and perfect, with everything you would need and more {including a cozy restaurant on site full of taxidermy, good food, and festive drinks like huckleberry mules}. the camp is cozy enough to hang at all day long, or there are plenty of nearby adventures if you would prefer to explore the park. even more special, our dear friends [ the bride-and-groom-to-be] joined us which made for such a memorable few days full of adventures. for more on our trip to yellowstone, see this blog post. 

DETAILS:

---

where: west yellowstone, MT
time of year: september
how to get there: we had a rental car, which i would highly recommend [the park is huge!]
price per night: depends on your tent size/package [roughly $200/night]
activities available: kayaking, fly fishing, horseback riding and more
things to know:  no food allowed in or around your tent [bears], however breakfast and dinner are served at the restaurant on the property. there are also many restaurants in west yellowestone, a short drive away. someone is always sitting in the "front desk" tent to help you, which also made me feel very comfortable. there is also always coffee and hot chocolate at your disposal!
 

montana road trip

after our much too short time in glacier national park we headed south to yellowstone and made some fun stops along the way:

big fork, mt >> missoula, mt >> montana whiskey >> bozeman, mt >> {here, we fly fished and bridge jumped} fly fishing is my new favorite activity >> and finally, west yellowstone, mt. 

it was a lot of car time, but so very worth it to see so much of montana!

^^ you can surf in missoula! 

glacier national park

this past week was spent national-park-hopping / road tripping across montana and wyoming and i want to relive it already. we started in glacier, and though it got off to a rocky start {missed connections; lost baggage; extra 3 hour drives; etc} it was all worth it when we finally arrived. some highlights / must dos if you're ever in the area include:

stay @: glacier park lodge, many glacier hotel , or the islander inn – these are all so cozy and perfect in their own little way, and are near some of the best hiking + adventures. 

if you'd prefer to camp {glamp} stay @ glacier under canvas – we visited their yellowstone location and it was a dream. 

^^ many glacier hotel tucked between the mountains 

hike @ grinnell glacier – we agreed this was the best hike we've ever done. it was challenging, beautiful, full of wildlife {we came packin' bear spray}, and had the most rewarding ending – a glacier that will sadly melt within the next 6 years. 

^^ big horned sheep

drive the going-to-the-sun road // this 52 mile scenic route was mind blowing. photos do it no justice, but i would recommend this drive to anyone

^^ the islander inn alongside flathead lake we spent a rainy evening across the road @ the raven listening to live music and drinking local montana beers. day dreaming of how i can get back here one day soon ...