Yellowstone National Park, established on March 1, 1872, was the nation's very first National Park. It is an amazingly diverse, yet intriguing place full of wonderful places to explore and learn. Ronnie and I first visited Yellowstone in 1990, we have not been back until now. We vowed when we left that year that one day we would hope to return and stay longer so we could see more. This visit we accomplish that, staying near Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and making seven different day trips. And we still didn't see it all! We truly enjoyed our time and maybe one day again, we hope we can go back to see more of this unusual landscape.
It has taken me a while to go through the hundreds of photographs I made and select those to put on the blog. I combined our day trip photo logs into four different blog posts. We visited a couple of places twice but we finally made our way around on both loop roads seeing a lot of the Park. We did not get to the Lamar Valley region (on the northeastern side) most popular for animal viewing, it was just too far from the West Yellowstone entrance, near our campground home base. We also missed Lake Village, some of the Canyon Village and Lewis Lake (and several small drives off the main highways). That's OK, we need to save something for next time.
It has taken me a while to go through the hundreds of photographs I made and select those to put on the blog. I combined our day trip photo logs into four different blog posts. We visited a couple of places twice but we finally made our way around on both loop roads seeing a lot of the Park. We did not get to the Lamar Valley region (on the northeastern side) most popular for animal viewing, it was just too far from the West Yellowstone entrance, near our campground home base. We also missed Lake Village, some of the Canyon Village and Lewis Lake (and several small drives off the main highways). That's OK, we need to save something for next time.
The official Yellowstone National Park map brochure calls this place "The Restless Giant" because it is a SUPERVOLCANO. Huge volcanic eruptions created this area about 631,000 years ago. What you are visiting today is a very big collapsed caldera (or basin) that is about 30 miles by 45 miles wide. Inside this caldera, the Park's roads travel by a variety of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mudpots, lakes, rivers and mountain vistas with wide, sprawling valleys. To see many of the hot features closely, YNP has built nice, wide boardwalks to give viewers a better look at these unusual landmarks. To read more about Yellowstone National Park its history and features click HERE.
This photograph of my YNP map shows the loop roads, the faint circular area in the middle is the approximate boundary of the caldera.
Most of the geyser basins are on the west side of YNP and since our home base was near them, much of our time was spent exploring there. Our first day's visit to the Park was to the Old Faithful Inn and the Old Faithful Geyser, it was cool, gray and cloudy this day.
This photograph of my YNP map shows the loop roads, the faint circular area in the middle is the approximate boundary of the caldera.
Most of the geyser basins are on the west side of YNP and since our home base was near them, much of our time was spent exploring there. Our first day's visit to the Park was to the Old Faithful Inn and the Old Faithful Geyser, it was cool, gray and cloudy this day.
Old Faithful Inn, built in 1904, has an incredible multi-story log built lobby. It was the first of the great park lodges of the American west and one of the few log hotels still standing today.
Using locally sourced materials, the Inn also opened with steam heat and electric lights. The focal point in the lobby is this massive stone fireplace. To learn more about the history, its brush with the 1988 fires, famous visitors and interior remodeling of the Old Faithful Inn click HERE.
Old Faithful Geyser, a cone type, was the first to receive a special geyser name. The Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition, some of the first explorers of this region, named it in 1870 after noticing its regularity of erupting every 74 minutes. Today it erupts about every 44 to 125 minutes.
Due to impending rains this day, we only drove through the Firehole Lake Drive. This Drive is one of several smaller roads that explore hidden areas off the main Park road. This is Firehole Spring.
Here's one of the boardwalks that lead out to explore more of the Great Fountain Geyser area. We didn't see it erupt this time but we did eventually see it later in our trip.
Note:
Later in the week, we drop back by the Firehole Lake Drive because we see a geyser erupting out in the forest. This was our view of the Great Fountain Geyser as it was just completing its eruption, we were a bit late catching its show. It can spout hot water as high as 100 feet for spurts that can last up to an hour. You might can see the line of cars in the background.
And just up the drive is White Dome Geyser. It was erupting too! This massive cone indicates it is hundreds of years old.
Now, back to our first day's visit..
Beautiful Firehole Canyon Drive with a surprise at the end..
...the Firehole Falls.
The next day's visit dawned clear and sunny. We visit the 84 feet tall Gibbon Falls.
We stop by to see the roadside Beryl Spring. It's loud roar with hot steam vent (fumarole) and boiling water pool (hot spring) gives you a realistic introduction to the volatility of this volcanic area.
Next, we drive to the Artist Paint Pots. This boardwalk area traverses through sections of steam-venting fumaroles, spitting mud pots and colorful hot springs.
Close up of the bubbling whiteish-colored molten mud.
Many of the hot springs here have intriguing names. Unfortunately I didn't keep notes on each one, I just made photographs of those I thought where interesting to me. I liked the red colors here. These colors are created by the thermophiles, microorganisms that thrive in hot temperatures. There are trillions of these and when grouped together they make the mass of color, sort of a microbial mat. Different temperatures of the water make for different types of thermophiles and therefore different colored areas within the hot springs.
Next, we visit the Norris Geyser Basin. This area is quite large so we only walk one of two sections, the Porcelain Basin.
The highlight geyser of the Porcelain Basin is the Black Growler Steam Vent seen here.
Another view of the Black Growler Steam Vent and the boardwalk in the Porcelain Basin.
Ronnie looking over the Congress Pool..I think.
Again different colors mean different water temperatures but all of the pools are very, very hot.
A specially named geyser (unfortunately I don't recall its name) erupting off in the distance.
Interesting green thermophiles growing here..
The Porcelain Basin appears almost like a white sand beach to me.
This day trip's coming to an end but we have one more stop, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We made the north rim overlooks this day. This is a view of the Lower Yellowstone River Waterfall. It plunges over 308 feet into the colorful canyon below.
The pastel colors of Yellowstone Canyon are created from thousands of years of rock being altered by still active hyrdothermal features. You can even see locations of steam vents on the canyon walls. These hot fluids steaming from vents have altered the chemistry of the rock, creating the unusual mineral stains.
As I look closer with my camera lens, I spot these nesting ospreys.
The nest is on the rock spire, in the very center of this photograph. You can just barely see it.
Looking opposite of the Falls, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone displays the pinks and yellows of "rusting rocks" from those steam vents.
At the Inspiration Point Overlook, you can just barely see the Lower Falls at the top here and the Yellowstone River below as it carves into the colorful canyon. This overlook has been rebuilt, the original one of the 1970's collapsed into the canyon after an earthquake. We have enjoyed a great two days, plenty more to explore.
More Later
Mammoth Springs from Yellowstone National Park
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