Yellowstone NP Wyoming

Spectacular, Awesome, Exciting, Breathtaking – there are not enough adjectives to describe the United States first National Park. We stayed in the Park 5 nights, planning our days carefully to see as much as we could of the 300 plus miles from the south to the north end. I could go on & on describing our visit. But I suppose the best thing to say, is we intend to go back!!! Our only disappointment was not getting to see any bears. There had been several sightings but they were no where to be found when we drove through those areas. Next time, though, we will make the time to patiently wait for them!!! The photos are pretty much in the order of our travel log throughout the Park.

: Yellowstone – Without a doubt, the most amazing place to visit!!

: Yellowstone Lodge – Upper Geyser Basin is all around the Lodge with many Geysers, Pools, & Springs including Old Faithful

: The new Yellowstone Educational Center is located near Old Faithful & the Yellowstone Lodge

: Inside the building is beautiful and displays are well done

: Old Faithful starting to erupt

: It starts out as a small spring

: Eruptions can shoot 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet

: The eruptions last from 1.5 to 5 minutes

: Old Faithful will erupt 65 minutes after an eruption lasting less than 2.5 minutes or 91 minutes after an eruption lasting more than 2.5 minutes

: The reliability of Old Faithful’s eruptions can be attributed to the fact that it is not connected to any other thermal features of the Upper Geyser Basin. We watched its eruptions twice

: First at 4:00 pm, then ate dinner and came out just in time to watch it again. This photo was taken then & not zoomed in as far & the distance of the trees from it are more accurately shown

: Upper Geyser Basin hosts not only Old Faithful but has the largest concentration of geysers in the world – Over 250 across this 2 mile Basin

: Upper Geyser Basin – The majority of the geysers in this Basin are on both sides of the Firehold River

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Beauty Pool”

: In these last 4 photos of Upper Geyser Basin you can see Yellowstone Lodge in the background. From the Lodge a 1 & 1/2 mile track plus other paths lead to the many geysers in this area

: Upper Geyser Basin Drainage Channel with water runoff flowing into the Firehole River

: Upper Geyser Basin colorful view of the Drainage Channel

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Chinese Spring”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Blue Star Geyser”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Depression Geyser”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Heart Spring”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Chromatic Pool”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Belgian Pool”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Liberty Pool”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Spasmodic Geyser”

: Upper Geyser Basin – “Beach Spring”

: Black Sand Basin – It was originally called the Emerald Group because of its many colorful pools

: Tourists began calling it Black Sand Basin because of the fragments of obsidian sand that covers much of the basin

: Black Sand Basin – Spouter Geyser Close Up View

: Black Sand Basin – Cliff Geyser

: Black Sand Basin – Another view of Cliff Geyser

: Black Sand Basin – Rainbow Pool

: Black Sand Basin – Emerald Pool

: Black Sand Basin – Green Spring

: Black Sand Basin – Spouter Basin

: Black Sand Basin – Opalescent Pool

: Iron Spring Creek in Black Sand Basin

: Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin – Biscuit-like sinter deposits once lined the edge of Sapphire’s crater, and in the 1880s it received its name for the knobby formations.

: The Lewis River is 18 miles long flowing through the Lewis River Canyon – this photo shows the destruction of the Canyon’s forest due to fires.

: Lewis Falls is located on the Lewis River. Its drop is approximately 30 feet.

: The Lewis River flows into Lewis Lake, then flows out & merges with the Snake River before leaving Yellowstone

: Artists Paint Pots – located in Gibbon Geyser Basin – The hike around the Paint Pots takes you through Lodgepole Forest partially burned from the massive 1988 fire that burned huge sections of the park

: The Paint Pots area is one of Yellowstone’s most interesting geologic areas

: In addition to its colorful Paint Pots it has a group of over 50 springs, geysers, vents & especially mud pots

: The area is filled with many different colorful Paint Pots

: Blood Geyser is one of the most stunning of Artists Paint Pots – it gets its name from the bright red-orange sulphur deposits surrounding the vent

: Grey-Blue Paint Pot

: The Paint Pots unique geologic features enables it to display a rainbor of colors

: Hayden Valley is centrally located & the first place to go to see wildlife in Yellowstone.

: Though Pine Forest covers much of the Yellowstone Plateau, this Valley is treeless grassland, great for the Bison to roam

: There are many roadside turnouts as you go through the Valley giving you great views of both the valley & its wildlife

: Hayden Valley straddles the Yellowstone River & you never know what you’re going to see

: I sat on the edge of the river and took many shots of this coyote

: As he stalked this muskrat from one side to the other side of the river

: Until he finally captured his prey!!

: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River.

: Located below the Lower Yellowstone Falls, it was at one time the site of an Old Geyser Basin which was the result of rhyolite lava flows that contained a variety of different iron compounds.

: When the Old Geyser Basin was active, it caused the “cooking” of the rock which resulted in chemical alterations causing the rocks to oxidize; in effect, the canyon is rusting.

: Lower Falls from Lookout Point – since it was a popular lookout for many early visitors to the park, in 1880 Superintendent P.W. Norris built a railing here and the location has been called Lookout Point ever since

: “Brink of Lower Falls” taken from Lookout Point – The Lower Falls are 308 feet high, almost twice as high as Niagra though the volume is not comparable to Niagra since the width is only 70 feet and Niagra is a half mile wide

: Close up view of Brink of Lower Falls taken from Lookout Point – You can see the platform & people on it viewing the “Brink” of the Falls

: Upper Falls, 309 feet high, as seen from Lookout Point

: Close up view of Upper Falls taken from Lookout Point

: Midway Geyser Basin’s Grand Prismatic Spring. Prismatic Spring is a huge oval pool 370 feet across & 120 feet deep.

: Midway Geyser Basin contains a small collection of mammoth-sized springs.

: Close up view of a crater in Excelsior Geyser once the largest geyser in the world erupting up to 300 ft. Since its last major eruptions in the 1880s & a 2 day eruption of only 20 – 80 feet in 1985, it has become a thermal spring with many vents boiling & churning water within the crater

: Turquoise Spring known for its dark blue Color

: Rudyard Kipling, visiting Yellowstone in 1889 referred to Midway Geyser Basin as “Hell’s Half Acre”

: Steam & water from the geysers flowing into the Drainage Channel to the Firehole River

: View of the Grand Prismatic Spring & the Firehole River.

: Mud Volcano Area’s Sizzling Basin – the area is composed of mud pots and steam vents, called fumaroles.

: Steam and gasses like hydrogen sulfide—the source of the smell that most people compare to rotten eggs—bubble through the mud

: Dragon’s Mouth Spring – Water frequently surged from the cave like the lashing of a dragon’s tongue – The rumbling sounds are caused by steam & other gasses exploding through the water, causing it to crash against the walls of the hidden caverns

: Mud Geyser – a trail once shaded by trees now criss-crossing the ground around it . Before 1978 Mud Geyser was hidden by forest except from a platform beyond this point!

: Grizzly Fumarole named for it’s Grizzly looking footprints

: The Natural Bridge was formed from the drainage of Bridge Creek cascading over the edge of a rhyolite plateau.

: These waters carved a small natural bridge – an opening 30 feet across, topped by a narrow span of dark-colored lichen-covered rock,where a lone tree grows

: The trail to the bridge is about 1.25 miles and then a short switchback trail leads to the top. Going across the bridge is now prohibited to protect it.

: Marmot along the Natural Bridge trail

: Sulphur Caldron sits on the edge of one of the most active areas of Yellowstone’s buried volcano

: Sulphur rich gasses fill the Caldron with sulfuric acid creating one of the worst odors you can imagine so it’s definitely not a place you stay at very long

: Artists Point is known for its spectacular view of the Lower Falls

: One of the great things about it is the opportunity to get a great view of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as well

: Many people thought that this was the point where Thomas Moran made the sketches he used to produce his famous painting of the canyon in 1872

: The name Artist Point is believed to have been given to this location around 1883 by Park Photographer F. Jay Haynes

: It was always exciting to come across an Elk along the road

: The roads had no boundaries for them!

: Making sure his family got across safely – A good zoom lens helps you to obverse from a safe distance

: The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcanic caldera in Yellowstone National Park & sometimes is referred to as the Yellowstone “Supervolcano”

: The major features of the Caldera measure about 34 miles

: “Supervolcano” has been used to describe volcanic fields that produce exceptionally large volcanic eruptions. The Yellowstone Supervolcano produced the latest three supereruptions from the Yellowstone hotspot.

: The Yellowstone Plateau lies over the hotspot where light, hot, molten mantle rock rises towards the surface

: The last eruption was 70,000 years ago

: The Yellowstone River flows 671 miles. It is the longest & one of the last major undammed river in the US

: The River flows from Wyoming’s Shoshone Mountains through Yellowstone & winds its way northeast through Montana to its eventual merger with the Missouri River & the Atlantic Ocean

: LeHardy Rapids is situated 3 miles north of Fishing Bridge on the Yellowstone River.

: The Rapids fills each spring with cutthroat trout journeying to Fishing Bridge for their annual spawning. The platform in the previous picture allows visitors for a safe closeup view of the trout.

: Uncle Toms Trail is a long steep trail that drops in to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The trail leads to 328 metal stairs that bring you to the base of the Lower Falls for a spectacular view

: View of Grand Canyon of Yellowstone & Yellowstone River taken as I was descending stairs of Uncle Toms Trail

: Lower Falls Rainbow from UncleTom’s Trail as I was descending the stairs

: These pictures of the Lower Falls were all taken at the base of the stairs on Uncle Toms Trail

: Yellowstone’s Lower Falls is its most magnificent and the view from the bottom of the stairs is awesome

: Lower Falls taken at the base of the stairs on Uncle Toms Trail

: Zooming in the top of the Lower Falls from the base of the stairs on Uncle Tom’s Trail

: Upper Falls view from Artists Point

: Closer view of the Upper Falls from Artists Point

: Tower Falls located in the north eastern region of Yellowstone on Tower Creek

: Just another Bison clogging up traffic as we traveled through Yellowstone

: Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone – It is up to 400 feet deep & has 110 miles of shoreline

: Yellowstone Hotel located on Yellowstone Lake

: Yellowstone’s own “Golden Gate” is located just south of Mamoth Hot Springs – the first paths into Yellowstone were laid through this canyon

: It was named the “Golden Gate” because of the color of the rocks, some of which is due to native lichens

: View looking back at Fort Yellowstone & Historic Sights from the upper level of Mammoth Hot Springs just inside Yellowstone North Entrance

: Angel Terrace is a huge area in the Upper Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

: It is known for its pure white formations & colorful microorganisms of its active periods

: Hot water flowing down a considerable distance from the top of a hill

: Once dry and brittle, Angel Terrace is now showing new signs of awakening thermal activity.

: Canary Spring is part of the Main Terrace of Mammoth which includes several Terraces & Main Springs

: Canary was named in reference to the yellow filamentous algae growing along the edge of the spring

: Now Canary Spring is known for its ultramarine-colored pool. Blue Spring is part of Canary’s Main Terrace

: Terraces of Canary Spring

: Travertine Terrace below Canary Spring with dead trees permanently entombed in the hardened surfaces

: Orange Spring Mound – it’s orange colors are due also to heat tolerant bacteria

: The backside of Orange Spring Mound showing the steam & water flowing down

: Water flows down a steep ridge creating a colorful hillside of brown, green & orange due to the presence of diferent heat-tolerant bacteria

: Palette Spring is created by flowing water and heat-loving bacteria which grow on the surface of the hill.

: Liberty Cap is a 37 foot hot spring cone in Mammoth Hot Springs. It was created by a hot spring lasting for a long time & depositing minerals to build the cone. Today it is dormant

: Norris Geyser Basin below the peaks of Gallatin Mountains accumulates water underground, is heated by the Yellowstone Volcano, then erupts from acidic geysers

: Steamboat Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin

: Steamboat Geyser erupting – You never know how high the eruptions will be

$Calcite Springs Overlook view of the "Bleached Cliffs" of Yellowstone River that flows above a volcanic fracture allowing geothermal discharge to reach the surface$: Calcite Springs Overlook view of the “Bleached Cliffs” of Yellowstone River that flows above a volcanic fracture allowing geothermal discharge to reach the surface

: The Geothermal Chemicals from the hot water vents turn the cliffs to a whitish, yellowish color

: Just another Bison wanting to share the road!

: Lower Falls as seen from “Brink of Falls Trail”

: Lower Falls from Platform at “Brink” of Lower Falls Trail

: Rush of water going over Falls taken from “Brink”

: Falls view from Platform at “Brink”

: Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River with Mist coming off Falls at “Brink” Platform

: Mist coming off the Falls & Rainbow on the Canyon Walls from “Brink” Platform

: Upper Falls View from “Brink”of Lower FallsTrail Platform

: Close up view of Upper Falls as seen from the “Brink”

: Elk Outside our Cabin

: Elk outside our cabin

: Family of Elk outside our cabin

: Elk outside our Cabin

: Coyote Hunting for prey

: UndineFalls located in the northern part of Yellowstone

: Roosevelt Arch located at the north entrance in Gardiner, Montana. President Theordore Roosevelt in 1903 laid the cornerstone. A Time Capsule contains a Bible, picture of him, local newspapers & other items

: Encounter with more Bison on the road going out the East Entrance as we were leaving the last day

: It’s a good think they decided to take the hill route or we would have been there for hours!!!

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