Late one afternoon we pulled into a campground and stopped to see the ranger to pay for our camping spot. He was friendly and helpful, and let us know that a lone buffalo had been roaming the campground and dining on the tall grass. He told us that although buffalo are herd animals, sometimes a buffalo will leave or get kicked out of the herd. He reminded us that the park is the buffalo’s home, and to avoid getting close to it and not threaten it. By the next morning I had forgotten about it. I was fixing breakfast and my guy was packing our gear into our vehicle when a young woman came running over in a panic and told me there is a buffalo right next to their tent and should she go back and wake up her husband? I looked over to the next tent, maybe 10 to 15 feet from our picnic table, and the buffalo was maybe two feet from her tent. Going back to her tent I knew would possibly make the buffalo feel threatened so I had her sit down at our picnic table. My guy joined us. The buffalo had his head down, taking huge mouthfuls of grass. We sat quietly and kept our eyes on him, and he kept one big brown eye on us as he munched his way past us. After the buffalo passed by the young woman ran back to her tent and woke up her guy. I am glad to this day that the ranger advised us on the presence of the buffalo, letting us know that the park is it’s home, and to not move toward it or make it feel threatened. We had a memorable close encounter but it was peaceful and no one got hurt.
Sincerely,
Yellowstone National Park
America's first national park is named after the river that runs through it. Within the park's massive boundaries, visitors can find mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and some of the most concentrated geothermal activity in the world. The park has 60% of the world’s geysers, as well as hot springs and mud pots. It is also home to diverse wildlife with the largest concentration of mammals in the Lower 48 states, including grizzly bears, wolves, bison and elk.
State(s): Idaho Montana, Wyoming,
Established: 1872
“It gives us a place to be close to nature. I am 72 now, and many of the best parts of my life have involved visiting national parks and grasslands. Yellowstone is awesome, but so is Glacier NP, Teddy Roosevelt NP and all the other ones I have visited.”
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Greetings from Yellowstone National Park
My mother from Hannibal, MO met my father from Red Lodge Montana at Yellowstone when she was a tourist and he was a tourist bus driver. He watched her through his rear view mirror as she cavorted with her friends. He asked her to a dance, and the rest became…
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