Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone is one of the most unique places that we've been to so far. The majority of it is in the caldera of an active volcano, so there is thermal activity everywhere. It had a lot of wildlife, including large bison herds (that do not care about your existence and are happy to cross the road right in front of you) and herds of elk (many of whom seem to live alongside the people at the Mammoth Hot Springs village). The landscape is also extremely diverse, including features such as plains, mountains, a giant canyon, waterfalls, a lake, rivers, and forests, not to mention the geysers, hardened lava and lava tubes, bubbling mud pots, hot springs, boiling pools, and fumaroles. While it was not the most awe-inspiringly beautiful place we've been to on this trip, it was certainly one of the most interesting, and definitely the most unique.

With the exception of long day/overnight hikes, we essentially saw everything there was to see in Yellowstone. My personal favorite part was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and it's waterfalls, particularly the lower falls. Seeing all of the thermal activity was definitely something new though, which I loved!Read more