Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park
Visiting Yellowstone is a must for every American resident. The abundance of wildlife, the multitude of landscapes, and the stunning geological features make it unique and evoke pride in living in this vast, diverse country.
If You Go:
-Drive the extra hour or so and enter through the North Entrance. Stock up on any camping needs in Gardiner, a town just outside the entrance.
-Allow yourself at least 2 full days of exploration. The park has too much to offer to be wholly experienced in just one day.
-The must sees: Hot Springs in the North, Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake and the West Fork, Mud Volcano, Upper and Lower Falls, and Wildlife in the Northeast plains.
-Start your day early. The best time to see wildlife, and miss the enormous crowds and ensuing traffic, is at dawn.
-Be ready to put some miles on your car. If you are there when it is busy the traffic will delay your arrival times. Don't forget a camera!

My Experience:
I drove in through the North Entrance, stopping in Gardiner to stock up on some food. It was around 8pm, so I set up camp at Indian Creek in the northern section. After getting to sleep early, I was out of camp the next morning by 6am.
On the drive south towards Old Faithful, the first hot springs begin to appear on the west side of the road. They looked especially beautiful with the morning steam floating above them.
Old faithful is a must see. The sheer anticipation of when it is going to blow, and the fact that humans have zero control over it, make it a thrilling experience. I waited for about 35 minutes until the gushing water came spewing out of a small hole in the Earth. I did not stop at the various restaurants and gift shops here, but a friend did and shared his leftovers with me. It was Buffalo hash with eggs, peppers, and tortillas. Amazing. I highly recommend this breakfast to anyone, but especially folks from places where bison is not on the local menu.
Another 20 minutes or so down the road is the West Fork of Yellowstone Lake. Here there are deep calderas that contain water around 175 degrees. The chemicals and colors they display look fake, and can only really be appreciated when seeing them in person.
Next I headed northwest up the road to the Mud volcano. This short boardwalk provides an abundance of scenery in a small amount of time. Here boiling water coming up from the earth mixes with mud and all sorts of elements to show a smelly, muddy, boiling mess. Bison sat and soaked in the sulfur gas only 10 feet from the boardwalk.
After a quick nap, I proceeded to the Upper and Lower Falls. Hiking down the steps to the lower falls brings you to one of the most glorious viewpoints in the park. You can see and feel the power of the gargantuan Lower Falls crushing down the canyon. This was my favorite part of the park.
Further North, then East, the terrain becomes much more flat, then suddenly mountainous as you leave the park. Here is where much of the buffalo and deer roam. Upon leaving the park from the Northeast Entrance, it was difficult to process all that I had seen in one day. I would recommend taking at least two days to do the fantastic park any sort of justice it deserves.