They called it “Colter’s Hell” when John Colter, the first white man to explore what later became Yellowstone National Park, told tales of steam bursting from the earth. Today it’s a vacation paradise, where trout rise as freely as eruptions from Old Faithful. For the angler, there’s Yellowstone Lake, the Yellowstone River, and Slough Creek for cutthroats; the Madison, the Firehole, and other waters for browns, rainbows, and brookies. Sightseeing leads to cascading waterfalls, bubbling cauldrons, spouting geysers, and a wonderland of wildlife, including gray wolves. Rest in campgrounds or in any of the lodgings in and outside the park. 307-344-7381; www.nps.gov/yell.
