Yellowstone National Park
Why do people choose to get married here in Montana? Most people have visited our beautiful state and fave fallen in love with the vistas, the people and the way of life. Montana attracts a certain kind of people. We are all so proud of Yellowstone National Park, our country’s first national park and it should be on your list of things your guests should visit. You can even take it a step farther and have your wedding in the Park itself. There is a chapel in Mammoth Hot Springs. I have also photographed weddings that have taken place at various campsites and on the 49th parallel. Many people who get married at the chapel in Mammoth will also go down to the pullout at the 49th and exchange vows because the chapel is located in WY while just above the parallel you are in MT.
Our Park system is one of the things that makes our country extraordinary. For a mere $50 you can get a year long pass that will gain you and your family entrance to every one of our National Parks. I am one of those odd people that collects the NPS brochures from each park I visit. It is the most cost efficient way to entertain your family. You can’t get one adult into Disney World for $50..
Photo courtesy of YNP.com
If this is your first time in Yellowstone try and plan at lest three or four days in the park. Grab an audio copy of Tim Cahill’s Lost in My Backyard and start exploring. You can go to any one of the ranger stations, I am most familiar with the one in Mammoth and look over your map that you received when you entered the park and start making your plans. The rangers are extremely helpful and are full of current information including where people have seen bears, wolves etc. The rangers also have sheets to give younger visitors that will entertain them and help them learn about nature and the abundant wildlife in the park. They can become Junior Rangers and Scientists.
Don’t forget your swimsuit and make the easy trek to the Boiling River which is a series of hot pots in the Yellowstone River. Or if you want something a little more exciting head over to the Firehole River where you can swim down rapids and swim in the river.
photo courtesy of ynp.com
If you are planning on staying in the park call right now to make your reservations at any one of the historic lodges in the park. They are not the most comfortable hotels but you can’t stop traveling back to the time when these fantastic lodges were built.
Remember, don’t feed the bears, don’t pose for a photo beside a bison or elk. Have a great time with your family and take some walks in the park. I promise you, your family and friends will always remember your time in our country’s first National Park.
