With Speyside Wildlife – August 2017

This was a special Yellowstone trip put on by Speyside Wildlife to include viewing the solar eclipse. Their usual trips to Yellowstone are either in the spring or the autumn so they were not sure what to expect in terms of wildlife at the time we arrived. I have wanted to visit Yellowstone for quite a while and, when I saw there was also an eclipse, I just had to go. I managed to persuade Paul, Shirley and Carol to come with me.

Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500 sq mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park also spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It’s also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.

Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range – an active, fault-block, 40 mile long mountain front. Seven marginal lakes run along the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes can be found in the back-country. The park encompasses approximately 310,000 acres of wilderness and some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the United States. There are approximately 100 miles of paved roads and nearly 200 miles of trails for hikers to enjoy in Grand Teton National Park.

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Our lovely Speyside guides were Roy and Julian.

1. Days 1 to 4 based in Jackson Hole — the eclipse and exploring Grand Teton NP
2. Days 5 to 7, by Yellowstone Lake — Yellowstone National Park
3. Days 8 to 10, based in Cooke City, Montana — looking for wolves in all the wrong places
4. Day 11, at Old Faithful — exploring the geology
5. Days 12 to 15, back at Jackson Hole — bears and beavers