Island Park Day 2

On our second day at Island Park we wanted to do some hikes at Yellowstone. We got an early start, but we didn't realize that it is wall-to-wall traffic in the park during August. There were over a hundred cars stopped to see a few elk on the road to Madison, and crowds of people were creeping so close to the animals that we thought we might see a trampling.

There were a million people stopped to look at these elk. 

The first hike was short and easy. We walked up to Little Gibbon Falls, which we'd only done once before Seth was even born. It was a nice stroll through a meadow to a secluded little river.

Our boys loved hiking with cousins!

Even in August, the water was freezing. 

Dad climbed across the river to get a look from the other side. 

Dad always has all the kids tramping along behind him like little ducks.  

Mark was a good sport and carried Katelyn for awhile. 

We had a nice picnic between hikes. 

Our next hike was Hickman Bridge. We've always wanted to do this hike, but it is usually closed when we are there in June due to bear activity. The path was wide and paved, and we saw a whole family of squirrels chasing and jumping in the tree right over our head. Hickman Bridge was pretty small compared to the arches or natural bridges of Utah, but we thought it was really unique for Yellowstone.

This little chipmunk was definitely not afraid of us.

Kate got to ride on Mom's shoulders on this hike.

We loved this Natural Bridge in Yellowstone.

The drive to West Yellowstone from the Lake area took far longer than it should have, so we were late for our dinner appointment. We ate at a little diner on Main Street and tried to clean up a little before heading over to the PlayMill Theater for our last adventure.

We saw these beautiful Trumpeter Swans in Yellowstone. 

Grandpa had tickets to a Annie Get Your Gun, and the boys were very excited. We really liked that they had a variety show before the show. The cast sang pop songs, told jokes and did little skits as we waited for the show to begin. The boys loved the show! Seth waited the whole time for Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better. He was so excited when that song ended the show.

The boys loved the show, and the treats, too!

It was a long drive back home so Dad could get to work the next day. We made it by about one in the morning with the boys sleeping most of the way in the car. It was the perfect way to end the summer!