Yellowstone

Wow.

I think this was our favorite park, especially as a family with younger kids.

Highlights:
-All the weird things to see that make you feel like you are on another planet like geysers, hot springs, mud volcanos and fumaroles.

-Seeing so much wildlife- it isn't like when you are at the zoo. There is a certain thrill in knowing that you could get eaten alive at any moment. Some people are there for a week and don't get to see the amount of wildlife we got to see in that time. God showed us quite an array of animals while we were there. The kids helped us appreciate the more common animals like ducks, birds and chipmunks. Jonas' two favorite animals were the bison and the ducks.
Animals we saw: bison, elk, black bear, grizzly bear, chipmunks, ravens, white pelican, Canadian geese, and a pack of wolves.

-The wolf hunt. Not many people get a chance to see even one wolf in the park let alone an entire pack on an elk hunt. We stood on a bluff with a slew of other gawkers, binoculars glued to our faces. It was like the discovery channel in real time (particularly because two wildlife buffs beside us were conversing about the alpha male, and alpha female and who was taking the lead, etc). A herd of grazing elk stood on a hill in their trajectory. The pack split up to try and surround the elk herd, but the elk spotted an approaching wolf and they started to run. The wolf pack was able to separate four elk from the rest but they moved beyond the hill and we were never able to see if the pack made a kill or not. Regardless it was an amazing experience, even with two kids tugging at our shirts the whole time.

-Playing in the streams and puddles of the park. The kids can't get enough of rocks, water, and mud.

-Helping Jonas an Lucy do their Jr. Ranger packet and then at the end of the week when they were dubbed official Jr. Ranger by a Park Ranger and given a patch. (Even if you don't have kids you should get a free Jr. Ranger packet when you visit a National Park. It gives you a good idea of what to look for and highlights you may not want to miss.)