travel photography

Two Days in Yellowstone National Park

Published on August 16, 2023January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck3 Comments

Patrick and I recently returned home from another out west national park trip! One of the most memorable national parks we visited on this trip was Yellowstone. Yellowstone national park is the first national park in the country, established in 1872 and the charm and western feel of the park is still alive today. We had two full days in the park and we focused on seeing the major highlights. Here is an overview of how we spent our time in Yellowstone.

Things to know about Yellowstone

Yellowstone is huge! It’s separated into two loops, the northern and the southern. In hindsight, it would make sense to spend part of the trip in the north loop and part in the south loop to reduce drive time during the day. We ended up driving back and forth between the loops throughout the two days which is doable but plan to spend lots of time driving!
There are so many bisons! We were so surprised with how comfortable the bison are within the park. There were bison on the sides of the road throughout most of the park!
Yellowstone national park requires a fee for entrance into the park. It’s $35 for a 7 day period. As always, I’d highly recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful pass. It’s $80 and gets you into national parks for a year!

Day One

On our first day in the park, we decided to start at the most famous geyser, Old Faithful. Old Faithful is one of the oldest erupting geysers in the park and it erupts consistently every hour to hour and a half. We used a website called geyser times to check in on the old faithful’s next predicted eruption before showing up. This was helpful to have a gauge on how much time we would have to wait. After watching Old Faithful, we walked along the boardwalk (upper geyser trail) that takes you to many other geysers and pools in the park. This was a pleasant walk and we went all the way to morning glory pool and back which was about 3 miles total. There is so much to see in this part of the park so make it your own! Some geysers or pools I’d recommend are:

Old Faithful
Castle geyser
Daisy geyser
Spa geyser
Morning Glory pool
Grotto geyser
Grand geyser
Beauty pool

After exploring this part of the park, we took a 15 minute drive to the fairy falls trailhead to hike to the overlook of Grand Prismatic spring. This is an iconic spring because it’s colors are so vibrant. There is access to see this spring up close but we preferred the overlook to see the spring from above. The hike to the overlook is about 1.5mile and a bit steep at times, but the view is definitely worth it!

We stayed at Canyon Campground while visiting Yellowstone and it was wonderful! The reservation here covered a shower a day for each camper and they had laundry facilities for campground guests.

Grand Prismatic spring via fairy falls overlook trail

Day Two

Day two in Yellowstone started at Hayden valley to watch bison! Hayden valley is a well known spot in the park to capture an up close view of bison. I was hopeful we’d see some bison but I was in awe of how many bison we did see and how comfortable they all were walking near the road! Please respect the bisons home and space, we were able to see these incredible animals up close from the safety of our car, it’s not necessary to get out of the car. It’s also not safe to do so, these are wild animals after all.

After a beautiful morning in Hayden valley, we headed to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is such an underrated spot in my opinion! This was a stunning canyon different than others I’ve seen before. I appreciated that the park had several different viewpoints of the canyon and waterfall that are all well marked while driving through this area. We started along the south rim drive at Artist’s point which was beautiful and probably my favorite of all the view points. I’d also recommend:

South Rim drive: Artist’s point and upper falls lookout point.
North Rim drive: brink of lower falls, inspiration point, grand view point, and lookout point

After spending time exploring the various view points of the grand canyon, we headed towards the northern loop of the park to drive through Lamar valley, another famous valley where bison are known to graze. The drive to this part of the park was beautiful, there were so many scenic pull off areas with mountain views. Unfortunately when we reached Lamar valley, there weren’t many bison at all which we believed was due to the construction going on. Regardless, it was still a beautiful drive.

From here, we continued driving to another famous spot in the park, Mammoth Hot springs. This was a crowded spot for good reason! The lower terrace of the hot springs was so unique and stunning we were in shock. This is a fairly quick stop but I’d say it’s a must see while visiting Yellowstone. From here, we continued around the northern loop and stopped at the Norris Geyser Basin area to see more beautiful geysers and springs. This area is similar to the old faithful area, with boardwalks that lead you to view points of the various geysers and springs.

After a busy second day, we ended our last night in Yellowstone by cooking dinner at camp before heading back to Hayden valley for sunset. One of our favorite parts of the park was watching the bison! When we went back to Hayden valley after dinner, there were herds of bison moving together. It was so magical to watch the animals in their natural habit settle for the night. We parked the car on the side of the road and had a front row seat!

Yellowstone Tips

Book a campground early if you plan to camp! There are several campgrounds within the park, all of which seem to fill up pretty quickly. I can’t speak for the other campgrounds in the park but we were very impressed with canyon campground! I’d recommended picking a campground close to sites you’d like to see since the park is so large.
You will do a lot of driving! Regardless of where you stay within the park, if you plan to see many of the park’s highlights, be prepared to drive a lot during the day.
Look up Old Faithful’s eruption times prior to stopping by
Pack your own food. There are several restaurants and “general stores” at major sites in Yellowstone, but the food wasn’t the best and it was pretty expensive.
Check out the park’s website for closures and construction zones. When we visited, there were several spots under construction which caused delays.

Road Trip Film Photo Collection

Published on August 2, 2023December 31, 2024 by Skylar M. Beck2 Comments

One of my favorite ways to capture memories on a trip is through film photography. Last month I went on a two week national park road trip and brought along my Canon ae-1 35mm camera. This is my second film collection shared on the blog, and these are some of my favorite travel photos captured in timeless film. These photos were taken throughout several states and national parks highlighting the beauty of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Film Collection 02 / Summer ’23

Sunrise at Mormon Row, Grand Tetons National Park

Views along the ‘going to the sun road’, Glacier National Park

The high line trail, Glacier National Park

Oxbow Bend look out, Grand Tetons National Park

Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park

Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park

Schwabacher Landing, Grand Tetons National Park

Wild Goose Island, Glacier National Park

Favorite Travel Photos | New Etsy Shop

Published on March 28, 2023 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

I have some exciting news to share, I recently started an Etsy shop to sell and highlight some of my travel photography! I have always been passionate about taking photos and capturing special moments on film. Through travel, that passion has only increased and continued to thrive. Travel and photography are both such big parts of my life and the reason I started this blog so I could share that passion with many others. This post shares some of the photographs I’ll be selling on my Etsy shop. These photographs are from my most cherished memories that include my travels throughout Europe, my time living in Italy and my recent travels out west USA. Feel free to click the link for my shop below to purchase a photograph to print out or simply enjoy the photographs here on the blog 🤍

Etsy Shop: skylarbdesigns.

Hiking Mount Ida, Rocky Mountains National Park

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Published on March 7, 2023January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. Beck1 Comment

Capitol Reef was the last National Park we visited on our road trip last summer. After our time in Zion, we drove 3.5 hours to Capitol Reef. We spent about two days in Capitol Reef and in my opinion that was plenty of time. This is a small National Park that offers unique scenery and a more secluded environment. Here’s an outline of our time in Capitol Reef.

Things to Know About Capital Reef

It’s hot! Similar to many other National Parks in Utah during the summer, the heat is extreme. Many of the trails in Capitol Reef have little to no shade at all.
The park is the main attraction. Capitol Reef is nearby the small town of Torrey, UT. There are limited restaurants and shops in this area. We also discovered the restaurants in the town had limited hours and most were closed during the early days of the week.
There are different regions of Capitol Reef National Park, we spent our time in the most popular area of the park, the Fruita Historic district. Someday I’d love to explore other regions of this park but they are quite spaced out so more time would be necessary.
I would recommend having a park map with you while hiking or using an app like Alltrails. We noticed many hikes were not clearly marked and it was easy to become lost.

Day One

We started our time in Capitol Reef late in the afternoon after a drive from Zion. One of the first things we wanted to do was drive along the scenic drive in the park and check out some scenic overlooks. The scenic drive is called the Capitol Reef Scenic road and it leads all the way to the capitol gorge area.

After taking some time driving along the scenic drive, we decided to check into our hotel. We stayed at Capitol Reef Resort while visiting the park. This resort is more like a nicer motel but offers incredible views of the red rocks in the park. We stayed in one of the hotel rooms but they also offer cabins and other unique accommodations. For dinner we found a local place that was open, and had a relaxing night in after a long day.

Day Two

Our second and really full day in Capitol Reef was actually my birthday and I wanted to hike to Cassidy Arch. The hike to Cassidy Arch is 3 miles round trip and it provides some of the best views within Capitol Reef. The hike to get to Cassidy Arch is steep and pretty strenuous. It was also extremely hot even though we started fairly early in the morning, there was limited shade. This trail was marked more so towards the end of the hike as you become closer to the arch. The beginning of the hike is where we became turned around a few times and we were frequently referring to Alltrails app to find the way.

Once we reached Cassidy Arch we spent time at the top soaking in the view. When we reached the arch, there was only one other family there. One of the most surprising parts of visiting Capitol Reef was experiencing popular areas with no crowds, definitely a nice change compared to other parks we’ve visited. The best part of Cassidy Arch is you can actually walk across it! It’s a lot wider than it appears and is safe to walk across.

After Cassidy Arch, we made our way back towards the historic fruita district to explore. We stopped by Gifford Homestead for fresh pies. Gifford’s is famous for their fresh fruit and pies throughout the year. The pies did not disappoint, we bought two apple pies and they were incredible! Definitely a must see while visiting the park. The pies are baked fresh daily so it’s best to go early as they do sell out fast.

For the rest of the afternoon we spent time at the visitor’s center and exploring the grand wash trail. Unfortunately we did not hike the entire trail due to extreme heat temperatures. We decided to go back to our hotel and spend some time in the pool and cool down before dinner.

For my birthday dinner, we decided to eat at our hotel’s restaurant, The Pioneer Kitchen. I would highly recommend if you want a nice sit down dinner, it was very good!

Film Photo Collection

Published on March 1, 2023 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

Over the summer, I started using the Canon AE-1 film camera. I’ve always loved the unique qualities film provides and the anticipation it brings to wait and see what the photo will look like. I experimented with different rolls of film and different settings throughout the summer to become comfortable. I took the camera with me on my road trip out west this past summer and finally, nearly 6 months later developed the film. This collection is so special to me and captured so many beautiful memories and sights throughout the summer. This will be my first film collection shared on the blog and I’m looking forward to many more!

Film Collection 01 / Summer 22′

Mount Ida, Rocky Mountains National Park

My Favorite New Zealand Adventures

Published on December 23, 2017March 28, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

New Zealand was full of adventure!! Collectively, throughout the three weeks I did more adventurous activities than I ever have! I wanted to share my favorites to keep in mind if you are ever traveling throughout New Zealand:

1. Jumping off the Sky Tower – Auckland, New Zealand

Jumping off the Sky Tower was an incredible experience! It’s one of Auckland’s favorite activities for tourists. The jump isn’t like a free fall at all, the harness keeps you stable and tight the whole fall…which is only 10 seconds. The view of the city is breathtaking from this high up!

2. Snorkeling at Poor Knights Island- Tutukaka, New Zealand

I didn’t expect to enjoy snorkeling but it was a great experience! The fish are amazing at the Poor Knights Island. I was able to swim through multiple school of fish and touch jellyfish!

3. Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hike- Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand

I know I’ve talked about this hike in a previous post but this was definitely my favorite memory/experience from the whole trip!

4. Hooker Valley Track- Mount Cook, New Zealand

This hike was shorter and less intense than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing but just as beautiful! This hike was on the South Island which allowed me to experience the amazing Southern alps New Zealand offers.

5. Ziplining through the Ancient Forest- Rotorua, New Zealand

Ziplining through the Ancient Forest was such an experience. It felt so freeing to be gliding above huge trees. My friends and I wanted to zipline all day, it wasn’t long enough!

6. Horseback Riding- Rotorua, New Zealand

I have never rode a horse before so this was a new exciting experience for me and one that I loved! The views from the trek felt unreal and being on horseback made the afternoon truly feel like a fairytale.