I don’t know exactly what I expected, but this was not exactly what I expected. You drive up to the automatic pay machine, pay the few dollars, the arm lifts and then you drive through the gate, once it opens. I could’ve swore that I seen a sign that said stay in your car, but along the trail, that was just a regular blacktop road, people were parked and outside of their cars. When we knew that the trail was almost over, and we still hadn’t spotted any elk or bison, we decided to park in an area that looked to be designated to do so(and because we are rebellious). Other people were doing it too, so we too got out of the vehicle and walked a path up to our first and only spotting of a group of bison. Yeah, bison are rare and we don’t see them much, but the encounter really wasn’t worth the drive out. Granted, there isn’t much to do in the area, if you’re not a lake goer or a hiker, that’s how we ended up here. Apparently it’s common to see the elk and bison from your car on normal days, but we were there Labor Day weekend and there was probably more traffic than usual… I think that’s what probably scared them away from the trail. If you’re already in the area, by all means, stop in and pay the few dollars and drive around. But, if you’re searching for places to go to, I wouldn’t say that this place is bucket list worthy.
