Yellowstone Lake

Day 7: A Day on the Lake! Even though there was a thick layer of clouds and mist, we decided to head down to Yellowstone Lake since Chris and kids had never seen that part of the park.

We saw these cuties on the drive out.

First stop: a bison kill in Hayden Valley with two robust looking Grizzly Bears feeding on it. We parked nearby and spent some time looking at the scene (along with dozens of others!) through our binoculars.

Next stop: Yellowstone Lake. By this time the clouds seemed to be breaking up a little so we decided to take our chances and rent a fishing boat with a guide to see some of the lake and have the kids try fishing. Within minutes the wind kicked up and the rain slashed down as each of the kids went fishing. Everyone ended up wet and shivery, but they caught 5 fish total.

We also pulled up to a backcountry campsite on the edge of the lake. Our guide let us disembark for a bit so we walked around and explored the site.

On the ride home we saw a small raft of American White Pelicans!

Not wanting to go a day without a hike, we chose a short trail on the lake called Storm Point. The kids seemed to like getting out of the car and stretching their legs on the trail under broken clouds.

The darlings of the trail...

We finished the day visiting the North rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. With the cool weather, the lookouts weren't busy and while Chris took more photos we watched an active Osprey nest. We even saw one Osprey bring up a fish from the Yellowstone River in his talons!

There was snow on Dunraven Pass as we drove home.