It is super cold and damp when we arrive at Yellowstone’s Bridge Bay campground on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. Rain and gropple (sleet/snow/hail mix) storms shift through periodically, so the first thing we do after getting the camper set up at our site is…take a nap! Yes, it’s June 17, just days before the solstice! Snow and cold temperatures are not uncommon in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem well in to summer, especially at the higher elevations (7000 feet +) along the lake. Laying all bundled together in the camper bed staring out at the lodgepole pine trees out the window, little George elbows me through the sleeping bag to point at the snow falling as we drift into an afternoon sleep.
Later, packing up some snacks, we head out along the lakeshore to look for bears. Just before twilight descends, we find a female grizzly with a cub of the year, and are able to watch her all by ourselves for close to an hour. It is absolutely magic. Watch this video of the little one’s antics:
Wildlife watching in Hayden Valley
The boys sleep in the next morning as I leave at 5:30am to go wildlife watching in Hayden Valley. Magical, magical things happen at this hour. Things seems to shapeshift in the gloaming; what once was a rough tan stump in the marsh of Trout Creek becomes a coyote, a fallen tree’s root ball morphs into a bear, a rock becomes almost anything.
Enjoying the solitude of the road to Hayden Valley in the early morning, I encounter a great blue heron, a mousing coyote, and a nice herd of cow and calf bison. I wait a while to see if the herd will ford the river at a typical crossing at the north end of the valley, to no avail. Afterwards I meander back through the valley to the lakeshore, and catch sight of a courting pair of grizzlies around Sedge Bay.
Exploring Gull Point
After another afternoon nap, the three of us bike from the campground out Gull Point Drive, and walk on the sand spit along the lake. The chance to be together, on the shore looking out at the imposing Absaroka mountains on the cusp of the day, is truly wonderful.
Dinner over the campfire is sausage, soup, and s’mores. The campground has a quiet bustle at this time of day. There’s an Asian family in a camper across in the next loop, an older hippie-looking guy with a Harley softly playing the Grateful Dead on his iPad at the picnic table next door, and a couple from Big Sky across from us. To my surprise, I don’t mind the company for the most part. I know not to expect quiet and solitude here, but somewhow it’s peaceful anyway. Just being base camped in the lake area to take advantage of all the things to do here is priceless. It feels world’s away from home.
The Tetons and Natural Bridge
We all rise early the next morning (4:45!) to drive to Grand Teton National Park, where we hope to get a glimpse of grizzly bear 399 and her four cubs. At 24 years old and sheperding a litter of four, she is truly a remarkable bear. Not only do we get to see this little family, but also a cinnamon black bear sneaking through a quiet parking lot near Jackson Lake dam. Little George had fun exploring Moose Falls on the way back, where we stop for a scenic break.
The afternoon back at Bridge Bay is filled with biking and hiking to Natural Bridge, an easy trail to a natural arch just down the road from the campground.
Hiking Storm Point
On our last full day, George wakes early to wildlife watch, and I stay snuggling with little George in the warmth of the camper. After a late breakfast, we set out to hike Storm Point, a beautiful short loop through the forest and shoreline of the lake, where we are blown by the breeze from the lake, watch a marmot on the rocks at the point, and spot grizz tracks on the way back.
That evening we enjoy another fire and chat with our new neighbors, a young couple with a doberman puppy. Bull elk in velvet graze peacefully between sites. A woman from another campsite comes by and asks how we were able to build such a robust fire—her wood is giving her trouble. We swap fire building tips as a passing stormcloud is lit up with pinks and purples from the setting sun.
It’s almost like…normal. It’s inexplicably nice to share a bit of humanity with our fellow campers—at a safe distance. It’s almost like I can feel my frustration with the pandemic world slipping away, if just for a moment. Even here in the middle of ‘tourist land,’ I feel an opening, a softening. The ability to talk to strangers from a safe distance and feel a sense of humanity… it’s a good thing.
Covid-19 Precautions:
We took great care to avoid people as much as possible while camping. While many are tempted to think of western National Parks and Yellowstone as “the great outdoors” where masks and other precautions are not required, it’s still important to practice social distancing, mask wearing, and handwashing while in the park. The park is serviced by very small local gateway communities with limited health care options and the potential to be seriously harmed by careless travelers. Please take precautions to protect yourselves, other visitors, and the people who live and work here.
Fortunately, distancing is easy to do! Here are our tips for social distancing while still having a great trip in Yellowstone.
Camping at Yellowstone’s Bridge Bay:
Reservations are essential. Contact Yellowstone National Park Lodges.
Images and video © Jenny Golding/A Yellowstone Life
