News from Yellowstone National Park

We just returned from a great weekend to one of my family's favorite places...Island Park and YNP!  I have fun news for families and teachers.  The Junior Ranger Program is free this year to celebrate it's 20th Anniversary.  We have our kids do it every year, and it is a fun way to explore the park.  They can also sign up for Young Scientist, which costs $5.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/forkids/beajuniorranger

I am also including a few pictures from the new Visitor's Center at Old Faithful.  It is a great addition to the Park, and it is worth a stop if you are lucky enough to visit this summer.

We always visit a new area of the Park, and after 18 years (OK, Don has spent his lifetime visiting the park), there are still lots of places we haven't been.  This year, we went to Cave Falls in the far southwest corner of the Park.  This corner is known for Waterfalls and Bears, and most of the visitors take horses into the backcountry to see the big waterfalls.  Maybe we will do that someday, but you can drive to Cave Falls.  On the way there, you can stop at Mesa Falls, a favorite stop for us.  On the way back to Island Park, we stopped at Horseshoe Lake.  That was a great little spot to discover and get out the fishing poles for a minute.  So feel free to ask me about YNP...I am always willing to share our favorite hikes and experiences.