Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Family Trip to Yellowstone

Teaching them to read the water!

It’s honestly amazing how much time flies, before you know it your kids are grown up and moving out of the house. With owning our own business we honestly, we just have to schedule our vacations otherwise they would never happen.

Our kids, Austin age 11, and Maddie almost 14 years old had never been to Yellowstone before. We not only wanted to see all of the sites but to also get some fishing time in the park. Travis was able to get a few days booked at an RV park just outside of the West Entrance. So we packed up and headed out.

On our second night over to Yellowstone we were invited to stay at Winston Factory, Fish Beaver Creek, which included a factory tour the next morning. I will write more about our factory tour soon.

After our tour we finished the rest of our drive and settled into camp for the night.

We were the mean parents that made our kids get up early, we were in Yellowstone park by 7 am. Our first day in the park we made it down to Old Faithful then all the way up to Lamar Valley. Then back to West Yellowstone. We used a full tank of gas and checked off many things that we wanted to see, already in the first day.

In the hunt with Korkers

Our second day in the park was strictly for fishing in the morning and using our binoculars looking for “critters” that night. Hitting Yellowstone in July many of the rivers at this time of year are a bit warm for fishing. We fished the Gibbons River Meadow and found many fish. There were other palaces we could have gone but after the talks about Grizzly bears the kids were a bit scared to walk into the woods to fish. So with the kids and bear spray in tow Travis lead us to the beautiful stream where the kids had a blast catching fish, they got to the point where they were casting, catching and releasing all on their own. Watching Travis passing his knowledge to our children is heartwarming. Even though I think we (me) tested his patience a few times. But, that is what family is for!

Our last day in the park included driving up to the North Entrance and visiting Gardner then lunch in Mammoth. Which ended with a little swim time in the Firehole river…..boy this is not like our rivers at home. It was warm and gin clear!

There is so much to see in Yellowstone and on our way out of the park for the last time of this trip we asked the kids what they thought. They both had envisioned a small forest with a few small rivers and maybe an Elk or Bison would be all they would see. They were in awe of how amazing it was and loved their time in the park and you know what….except for picture taking are electronic devices were off for the entire trip.

Trips with your children are priceless and I hope they remember these times together as they grow up and hopefully do the same with their children.

- Lyndsey Duddles

The Duddles Family Yellowstone trip 2018!