Saturday, June 14th – Snake River, Old Faithful & Hot Springs

Our Snake River tours were at 12:30 so we decided to stay in Jackson Hole for the morning to take a look around. Definitely a very touristy place, but we really liked it. Jackson Hole is approximately an hour from Yellowstone, with a beautiful drive through the Grand Teton National Park to get to Yellowstone.

We decided to book our Snake River tours through Jackson Hole Whitewater. We were very pleased with them. Both trips were absolutely awesome, and would definitely do again.

Scott and Brittany went White Water Rafting. They were on class III rapids, and they had the best time. The water was still very cold, a chilly 34°F, so they were all given wet suits to wear. The first rapid threw Scott into the raft with its power, but he quickly recovered, and loved the trip. Brittany was a little scared, but still says it was the best part of the whole trip for her. They got to see a baby moose on the side of the river as they were going along, so that was really neat. The tour guide made it a fun time for them. We are still waiting for a second set of pictures to be delivered, so we can add some more white water rafting pictures to the album.

Cole and I went on the Scenic Float Tour. We were on class I rapids, (basically means just a few bumps in the water) and the first couple of times, Cole was a little nervous, since we were in the front of the raft. But we saw tons of Bald Eagles, a blue heron, a red tailed hawk, and lots of pelicans. It was an amazing tour, and we had a fun time. We got to learn a lot about the area, even seeing some homes that were owned by famous people like Disney, and land owned by Harrison Ford. The best part of the trip for Cole was that he got to row the raft! It took a little pushing for him to get to try it, but after telling him he could brag to Brittany about it, he was all in! He was in heaven! The oars were very heavy, so of course, the guide helped a lot, but he was happy to be rowing the raft and was even called Captain Cole!

After both our Snake River tours were over, we still had about 6 hours before dark, so we decided to go to Yellowstone. Our primary goal was to see Old Faithful. Old Faithful eruption intervals are anywhere from 45minutes to 110 minutes, so we were hoping to get lucky to see it. When we got there, we saw a lot of people all gathered around, and to our surprise, it was only a 10 minute wait before it blew. We got there just in time to see an eruption. The water went to 130 feet high which the visitor center says is the average. The temperature of the water is only 204°F! The steam temperature has been measured at above 350°F! OUCH!! The kids were absolutely amazed to watch Old Faithful. It is definitely a must see when visiting Yellowstone.

After Old Faithful, we visited Biscuit Basin. It is an isolated thermal group and is actually a part of the Upper Geyser Basin. Many are small, gem-like encrusted pools and geysers, including Silver Globe Spring, Sapphire, and Black Opal pools. We really loved the color of Sapphire Pool.

We decided to leave Yellowstone after Biscuit Basin, as it was starting to get late. It’s amazing how much Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons change at dusk. We saw so many animals. While it was exciting, it was also nerve racking! So many deer right near the road. The highlight of the night would have to be the buffalo crossing. We saw a few buffalo near the road, then the hopped the fence like it was nothing and went across the street right behind our car.

On the way back, we found Lewis Falls. Lewis Falls drops 30 feet on the Lewis River, near the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The beauty of Yellowstone is amazing!

See Snake River Photos, including White Water Rafting here!

See Old Faithful and Hot Springs Pictures here!