Swimming with Mule Deers in the Boiling River

Smokey skies in North Yellowstone

No trip to Montana is complete without a trip through Yellowstone National Park. Neither of us have ever visited this part of the United States, so we were eager to spend a few hours seeing the sights. We knew that there was no way that we'd see everything in Yellowstone. The park covers 3,471 square miles! Just to give you an idea of how big that is, a round trip from Indianapolis to Missoula, Montana is a mere 3,071 miles. So, we could have spent our entire vacation (6 days) in Yellowstone and it wouldn't have been enough time to see all parts of it.

Ideally, I would have liked to see Old Faithful, but it was too far to drive in the time that we had. Instead, we decided to visit the Boiling River near the North entrance of Yellowstone. The Boiling River is a natural phenomenon where hot water from a hydrothermal terrance nearby blends with cold water in the Gardner River. The mixing of the two water sources creates a natural hot tub comfortable enough for people to use as a soaking spot. This special spot is a short hike away from the road and is always packed with people. Mr. Lucas and I tried to find a secluded spot further from the source of the hot water, but the strong currents made it hard to relax. Luckily, a nice man made room for us directly under where the thermal river water was falling in to the Gardner River. It was quite an experience! The Gardner River is full of very fresh and extremely cold water, but the thermal river water is scalding! It was like soaking in a hot tub with an occasional jet of freezing water.

Look at the deer right behind me!

We didn't get to relax for very long because soon after we found a good rock to sit on, a herd of mule deer decided it was a perfect time to cross the river. At least, I think they were mule deer. They looked like the deer we see in Indiana, but twice the size and with darker coats. We couldn't believe how fearless they were around so many people. I mean, there were hundreds of bathers in the river and these deer acted like it wasn't a big deal. They were intent on walking right in to the crowd just like you or I would cross the street. A nearby Frenchman joked, "The deer are coming to their zoo to see the humans."

The "human zoo"

After our short visit to the Boiling River and a lovely drive through scenic North Yellowstone, Mr. Lucas and I had a nice dinner and then began our journey to Missoula, Montana. Missoula is where the worst of the wildfires are, and we kept hearing about how the smoke was affecting the city, but we were still excited. Being in Missoula meant that we were close to our final destination: Traveler's Rest.