01/04/2026
26th September – 2nd October 2025
Day 1 (September 26, 2025)
Mammoth Hot Springs (2.03 km; 79 m ↑ 79 m ↓)
Our first stop in Wyoming was Yellowstone National Park, and we already knew we wouldn’t stay too long. Even though we arrived quite late, the park was extremely crowded with tourists.
We took a walk around Mammoth Hot Springs (and no — these are definitely not for swimming, unlike some of the previous ones, haha). We intentionally chose this trail first because we expected it to be busy during the day, and also hoped for nice colors around sunset — which turned out to be exactly the case.
These terraces are constantly changing. The hot water flowing through them carries dissolved limestone, and as it cools, minerals are deposited, creating new formations while others slowly dry out and turn gray.
That means the landscape you see today might look completely different in just a few years — it’s essentially a living, ever-changing natural sculpture.
Staying overnight in the national park is possible, but only in campgrounds or hotels — and those usually need to be booked well in advance. We decided we wouldn’t pay for sleeping in the car as long as we had other options.
So we found a place about 30 minutes away that was supposed to have a nice view. Of course, we arrived in the dark, so no views for us. Instead, with our headlamps on, we noticed what looked like the remains of an animal that had probably been eaten by another one… and we still needed to cook dinner.
Every little sound made me turn around, half-expecting a wolf or a bear to be standing right behind us.
But we survived, had dinner, and went to sleep.
Day 2 (September 27, 2025)
Mud Volcano (1.59 km, 39 m↑ 39 m↓)
Geyser Baisin (7.41 km, 139 m↑ 139 m↓)
Imperial Geyser (10.64 km, 107 m↑ 107 m↓)
Our alarm went off at 6 AM because we wanted to catch the sunrise. Getting out of bed wasn’t easy though — it was already late September, and the mornings were freezing.
We were heading to Lamar Valley, one of the best places to watch wildlife, especially early in the morning or late in the evening.
We actually started spotting bison even before we got there. They were everywhere — walking through the park, crossing the roads like they owned the place. Once we arrived in Lamar Valley, we made breakfast and just enjoyed watching the animals. We saw plenty of bison, but unfortunately no wolves or elk this time.
We didn’t stay too long, because we had a full day ahead of us — several short stops, a few hikes, and lots of driving in between. And of course, we promised ourselves that if we saw something interesting along the road (with a proper parking spot), we’d stop.
We started at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone area. To get a proper overview, we visited three viewpoints:
- Lookout Point
- Brink of the Upper Falls
- Artist Point
To be honest, Lookout Point didn’t feel worth the stop, but the other two absolutely did. If you want to avoid crowds, I’d definitely recommend coming early in the morning or later in the evening.
Our next stop was Mud Volcano. Here, I could barely focus on anything because of the intense smell of sulfur and gases escaping from underground. It’s honestly surreal to watch — bubbling, boiling mud everywhere… and that moment when you realize what you’re actually standing on.
And then the thought hits you — what’s happening deep beneath the surface? A lot of people say that if Yellowstone erupts, half of the USA would be destroyed. In reality, that’s more myth than fact.
Yes — the surrounding area would be heavily affected, and ash could spread across a large part of the country, causing major disruptions (especially to air travel, agriculture, and health). But it doesn’t mean that “half of the US would be wiped out.”
The chance of a super-eruption happening anytime soon is extremely low, and Yellowstone is constantly monitored by scientists. So yes, it’s one of the most powerful volcanic systems on Earth… but definitely not a ticking time bomb.
We then moved on to the Upper Geyser Basin, where we were especially excited to see Old Faithful — the most famous geyser in the world.
It erupts approximately every 90 minutes and can shoot water up to 30–55 meters high.
You can track eruption times in apps like GeyserTimes, but we got lucky — right when we arrived, it started erupting. We ended up seeing it three times without even planning it. Couldn’t have asked for more. We also did a nice loop around the area and saw many other geysers and colorful hot pools — none of them are safe for swimming, though.
Yellowstone has over half of all the geysers in the world.
They exist thanks to a very rare combination of heat (magma), water, and underground plumbing systems — which is why they’re so unique.
Next up was Imperial Geyser. The crowds disappeared here, mainly because you have to hike about 11 km round trip. But it was absolutely worth it — not just for the geysers, but also for the peaceful trail. As a bonus, we passed a beautiful waterfall and even spotted deer — both a small one and a big one 🫶🏻
Imperial Geyser is one of the tallest in Yellowstone, with eruptions reaching up to 45 meters. Despite that, it remains far less crowded than Old Faithful — mainly because of the longer hike required to get there.
To end the day, we rushed (literally ran) to Grand Prismatic Spring to catch the sunset. Parking was a bit of a nightmare — cars were lined up all the way to the road — but I wouldn’t change a thing. Watching the reflections of the setting sun and the glowing colors of the spring was absolutely worth it. It’s the largest hot spring in the USA and the third largest in the world. The vibrant colors come from heat-loving bacteria living in the water — different temperatures create different colors.
Before leaving the Yellowstone area, we made a quick stop in Jackson Hole to grab a few things and look around. It’s a beautiful town, but after living in Banff for over a year, we didn’t feel the need to stay longer in a place like that.
The next day, we were heading to Grand Teton National Park — so we continued driving in that direction.
Day 3 (September 28, 2025)
Paintbrush – Cascade Canyon (31.77 km, 1 309 m↑ 1309 m↓)
Our third day in Wyoming started, once again, with an early wake-up and sunrise — this time at Oxbow Bend. By the time we arrived, there were already plenty of cars. Finding a parking spot wasn’t easy, and finding a good place to stand and actually enjoy the sunrise (or in our case, the colorful sky and glowing mountain peaks) was even harder.
We quickly noticed a lot of Czech being spoken around us, so we were careful about what we said. The atmosphere wasn’t the friendliest — people were getting annoyed easily, and whenever someone stepped into the frame below the small hill where all the tripods were set up, a chorus of “heeeey!” and “get out of there!” would follow. The place itself is absolutely perfect for sunrise — definitely worth the visit — but we personally enjoy quieter spots where people are a bit more friendly toward each other.
After breakfast and sunrise, we headed to the Paintbrush Canyon – Cascade Canyon Loop. Almost 32 kilometers and significant elevation gain were waiting for us… but this trail… Even though it was challenging, I would do it again and again — especially in autumn. The colors we saw along the way were unreal. I honestly felt like I was in a different world. As if someone had imagined it, painted it, and placed it there just for us hikers. It’s incredible how powerful and creative nature can be.
On the way back, we took it a bit easier. We had a snack at Inspiration Point… although no actual inspiration came to us there, unfortunately 😄 Then we enjoyed some peaceful time by Jenny Lake, just as the last boats were leaving, and the trails were slowly emptying.
We still had to make our way back to String Lake, where we had parked in the morning. We reached our final destination around 6 PM, cooled our legs in the water to help with recovery — especially since another demanding hike was waiting for us the day after next.
Completely exhausted, we drove to our overnight spot, looking forward to dinner… and most of all, crawling into our sleeping bags.
Day 4 (September 29, 2025)
Delta Lake (12.16 km, 729 m↑ 729 m↓)
The next day was meant to be a bit more relaxed, so we didn’t wake up too early and headed to Delta Lake. The lake is glacier-fed, but it was a hot day, the scenery around us was absolutely stunning, and after the previous day, we really needed some recovery. Everything was basically telling us to jump in — or at least take a quick dip.
After testing the water temperature (at least with our feet), Lu decided to skip it and stick to just cooling down her legs. I needed a bit more convincing… and in the end, I probably spent less time in the water than I did mentally preparing for it. But it was such a refreshing moment — even though people around were looking at me like I was crazy.
We could have easily stayed at the lake much longer, but we were running out of time. We still needed to drive about five hours northeast. The next day, we were planning to hike Cloud Peak — our first 4,000-meter peak. This trail was going to be even more demanding than the Paintbrush Canyon – Cascade Canyon Loop — around 37 km with nearly 1,800 meters of elevation gain. So we needed to reach West Tensleep Lake Trailhead that same day, ideally as early as possible, so we could start early the next morning.
We made it back to the car fairly quickly and decided to stop briefly at Snake River Overlook to enjoy our last views of the park. Honestly, if I had unlimited time, I would stay in this area much longer. But we managed to see everything we really wanted — and more importantly, the weather was starting to turn. We left just in time. A storm was rolling into Grand Teton National Park, bringing heavy rain and not the kind of conditions you want to be hiking in.
On the way, we stopped in Thermopolis, where you can find a state park with hot springs known as Hot Springs State Park Bath House. Entry is free, but it’s recommended to stay in the water for only about 20 minutes, and you can return again after two hours. The park is usually open until around 5:30–6 PM — and we made it just in time for the last entry. The perfect final bit of relaxation before a challenging day.
Before leaving, we quickly had dinner and then drove to our final destination, arriving in the dark. Luckily, we were sleeping almost right at the trailhead, so we didn’t have to wake up extremely early the next morning. We prepared our clothes, packed our backpacks for the next day… and went to bed early.
Day 5 (September 30, 2025)
Cloud Peak (36.97 km, 1 763 m↑ 1 763 m↓)
In the morning, we absolutely didn’t feel like getting up. It was freezing outside, and the weather forecast wasn’t looking great either. But… you never know — things can always change during the day. In the end, we agreed to go for it. After driving all this way, it didn’t make sense to just give up. Worst case scenario, we could always turn back. We started the trail just before 8:30 AM, and it was still incredibly cold. For once, we were actually hoping for a steep climb right from the beginning — just to warm up — but the trail starts off quite gradually, with the real elevation gain coming only after about 13 kilometers.
Around 10:15 AM, beautiful views of surrounding peaks and lakes started to open up. Around 11:30, we reached a small valley where we spotted a single tent. That was also our mental checkpoint — from there, we knew it would mostly be uphill to the summit. We took a short break, had a snack, refilled our water, and changed into sturdier, warmer (but less comfortable) shoes before continuing. Up until that point, the trail had been clearly visible. From then on… not so much.
We had to constantly check our route on AllTrails, but even that wasn’t always helpful. The trail was marked — but clearly by multiple people, each choosing different paths. Whenever we tried to follow the markers, they often led us somewhere completely different than the app. It was surprisingly easy to lose the trail, and we found ourselves off-route multiple times… but still slowly getting closer to our goal.
For a long time, the summit was within sight — but we were moving incredibly slowly. The terrain made it impossible to just walk freely, and by then we were already quite exhausted. At the same time, the sky was getting darker, and it looked like something was coming.
During the entire day, we met only two guys — they were coming down from the summit, and their tent was the one we had seen earlier. They had decided to split the hike into three days. When they asked where we were camping and we told them we were going back to the car… they looked a bit shocked. We were just as surprised to find out they didn’t have bear spray or a bear canister — and didn’t even know they were supposed to carry them. According to them, it wasn’t really necessary in this area. That honestly surprised us. Just 300 kilometers away, bears can be absolutely everywhere. We talked for about 10 minutes before quickly saying goodbye… because it started snowing.
Snow wasn’t exactly what we had planned for, but we had enough layers — and since we had already come this far, we didn’t want to give up. The only thing we really didn’t want was a storm. Being on the highest peak in the area wouldn’t be ideal in that situation.
We reached the summit of Cloud Peak just before 3:30 PM, with light snowfall coming and going. Better than rain, though. At times, even small hail started falling, but nothing too serious. We put on extra layers, took a few photos, had a quick snack, and then headed down quickly — the clouds above didn’t look friendly at all.
We already knew we wouldn’t make it back before dark. But if we kept a good pace, we would only be hiking in the dark for about an hour — which we didn’t mind. We were just hoping the weather wouldn’t get worse. We reached the car around 8:30 PM — completely exhausted, but incredibly happy that we managed to complete the hike in a single day.
We spent the night at the same spot as the previous evening and left all the driving for the next day. That day would be more of a “rest day” again — at least in terms of hiking… because we still had more than five hours behind the wheel ahead of us before the next big adventure.
Day 6 (October 1, 2025)
We didn’t even set an alarm for this morning — we really wanted to get some proper rest. But in the end, we couldn’t sleep in anyway… mainly because we were heading to hot springs again. At this point in the road trip, we had somehow created a little tradition — the best reward after hiking was always hot springs… and food, of course 😄
We decided that today would be a proper rest day. We spent about 20 minutes soaking in the hot springs, hoping to feel completely recharged afterward. Then came a series of phone calls with family, so we dedicated most of the day to catching up, grocery shopping, and slowly making our way closer to the start of the Cirque of the Towers Trail.
Using iOverlander, we found a spot where we planned to sleep. (At that point, we didn’t know you could actually sleep right at the trailhead — we only found that out the next morning.) When we arrived, someone was already there, but the spot was large enough, so we figured it wouldn’t be a problem to stay as well. It was already dark, quite late, and we knew we had an early start ahead of us — nearly 40 kilometers. We parked as far away from the camper van as possible, had dinner, and started brushing our teeth outside.
From the distance, we kept hearing “hello… hello…” coming from the camper. But no one was approaching us.
After a while, we answered back, and it turned out the woman staying there wasn’t too happy about us spending the night in the same public spot. That honestly surprised us — it was the first time something like this had happened. We reassured her that we were going straight to sleep and would be leaving early in the morning (around 6 AM) to head to the trailhead. That seemed to calm her down — and in the end, she even wished us a good night.
Day 7 (October 2, 2025)
Cirque of Towers (38.60 km, 1 390 m↑ 1 390 m↓)
As promised, we woke up at 6 AM and moved to the trailhead. We cooked breakfast there — we didn’t even feel like doing it at our previous spot. The plan was simple: start as early as possible so we could make it back before dark. But… that wouldn’t be us if everything went smoothly.
It was freezing again, well below zero. After breakfast, we stepped out to use the restroom before heading off… and somehow managed to lock our keys inside the car. We do have a spare key — but of course, that was inside the car too. We were at least 50 kilometers from civilization, with no signal (which honestly wouldn’t have helped much anyway). Calling a locksmith out here would have cost a small fortune — someone would have had to drive all the way to us on an unpaved road. So… we started thinking.
We tried everything. Opening the windows (which had apparently worked for Lu on one of her old cars — not this time), random tricks, anything we could think of. At one point, we even considered breaking a window — but honestly, that didn’t seem realistic. Meanwhile, we were absolutely freezing. The plan had been to just step out for a minute, get dressed properly inside the car, grab our backpacks, and go… yeah, not happening.
In the distance, I spotted two guys who had just gotten out of their tent and were making breakfast. I went over to ask if they knew any trick to get into a locked car. No luck. And at first, they looked at me a bit suspiciously — like I might be trying to break into someone else’s car.
After a while, they came over to help us. I guess they realized the car was actually ours, and together we started looking for a solution that wouldn’t destroy anything. As a last resort, we came up with a plan: carefully pry open the rear window.
About one… maybe two hours later, we successfully broke into our own car. I managed to pry the window open (still don’t understand how the glass didn’t break — it’s completely fine). The only thing we damaged was a small plastic piece controlling the window. With the help of the guys, we lifted Lu inside, she grabbed the keys… and just like that, we were free. Finally, we could start the hike 😄
We hit the trail around 8:45 AM, already knowing we probably wouldn’t make it back before dark. Still, we moved fast — partly to make up for lost time, but mostly to warm up after freezing outside for so long. And then… Wow.
The views were absolutely unreal. This is exactly the kind of trail where there’s always something to look at, something to admire. At times, the wind was pretty strong and uncomfortable — but the scenery made up for everything. This hike can be done in one day, like we did, but it can also be split into two or three days. Either way — it’s 100% worth it. I can’t compare it to other seasons, but in September/October, the landscape looked perfect. The contrast of sharp gray mountains, deep blue lakes, and the mix of brown, green, and even pink tones from the vegetation… just incredible.
I took so many photos and videos… and I’m really not looking forward to sorting through them later. It’s going to be impossible to choose the best ones. Maybe I’ll just keep them all 😄
Even though I kept stopping to take photos and videos, we somehow made it back to the car before dark — which honestly surprised us. It was probably because we kept moving most of the time. We got sweaty, and then didn’t want to stop for too long in the cold wind, so we avoided long breaks. If you’re planning to do this hike at this time of year — definitely pack warm layers.
And just like that, our Wyoming adventure came to an end. The next day, we were heading to Utah — but only for a couple of days. So the next full blog post will be about Colorado… and we’ll come back to Utah later.
Approximate expenses for the whole 7 days and 2 people:
· Gas = $119.55
· Food = $157.21
· Others = $65.73
TOTAL: $342.49 (25USD/person/day)