Yellowstone National Park

On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law and the world’s first national park was born. At the heart of Yellowstone’s past, present, and future is a supervolcano which last erupted about 631,000 years ago. The center of what is now the national park collapsed forming a 30-by-45-mile caldera, or basin. The 2.2-million-acre park preserves the largest collection of hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles on Earth. There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features in Yellowstone, of which more than 500 are geysers. Most of Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, but portions of the park are also located within the boundaries of Montana and Idaho.

This is actually my second trip to Yellowstone, but this time I got to experience with my son, Jack, which made it extra special. When I visited in June 2000, there were a lot fewer people in the park and the animals were much easier to spot from the extensive roadway in Yellowstone: the grand loop is 188 miles. We found the park to be quite crowded and at times it was difficult to find parking for an RV. However, we adjusted and began our days early and that seemed to be the right move with an oversized vehicle. We thought early morning starts would help us find more wildlife, but it didn’t work out that way as the animals seemed to be avoiding the crowds too!

Although the hydrothermal features are a major feature of Yellowstone, the park is very diverse with towering mountain peaks, alpine lakes, rushing rivers, dense evergreen forests, cascading waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. The Yellowstone caldera is rimmed with mountains, especially in the north where peaks rise over 10,000 feet. Because the Continental Divide traverses through the park, water flows in multiple directions and that leads to numerous rivers like the Yellowstone, Firehole, and Madison rivers. Probably the second major draw to Yellowstone is the abundant wildlife which includes bison, black bears, grizzly bears, moose, elk, deer, and wolves.

No animal symbolizes the West more than the American bison and Yellowstone played a major role in their survival. Once sixty million bison roamed the plains of North America until hunters began slaughtering them in the 1860s for nothing more than their hides. A bison herd of about one hundred took refuge in the national park and became under the protection of the US Army once Yellowstone was declared a national park. From this last wild herd of bison in Yellowstone, breeding programs were established throughout the country to aid in the recovery of this majestic animal. They truly are spectacular in the wild and one of my favorite sights to see. Another success story is the grey wolf which had been exterminated in the park, but were successfully reintroduced back to Yellowstone in 1995 and are now flourishing as an apex predator.

Located centrally in the park, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is an impressive sight. Here the Yellowstone River has carved a 24-mile canyon through the softer rhyolite rock which has been weakened by continuous hydrothermal activity which continues today as you can see steam venting from the walls of the canyon. The canyon varies between 800-1200 feet deep and is up to 4,000 feet wide. The upper 2.5 miles of the canyon are the most breathtaking because here the varying levels of iron in the rock creates a spectacular color palette. There are trails that traverse both rims, and we took a nice hike one morning along the North Rim which offered us breathtaking views of the canyon and river below.

As the Yellowstone River approaches the canyon, there are two breathtaking falls as the river flows over more erosion resistant rock. The Upper Falls are 109 feet in height and there are numerous overlooks that afford the visitor great views of the water flowing over the ledge. Although less accessible, the Lower Falls are 308 feet in height and are one of the most photographed and painted features in Yellowstone. A steady mist rises up from the base of the falls and soaks the canyon walls as up to 60,000 gallons per second of water flow over the Lower Falls. While in Yellowstone, we stayed at the Canyon Village campground and we could actually hear the roar of the falls from our campsite.

The most visited area of the park is the Upper Geyser Basin which is home to the most famous sight in Yellowstone, Old Faithful. This iconic geyser erupts predictably about ever 74 minutes to a height of 90-184 feet. The park service has a spacious boardwalk and benches around the geyser, and they post eruption times in the Visitor Center. There is an extensive boardwalk that leads out into the Upper Geyser Basin from Old Faithful and there are many noteworthy hydrothermal features along that hike. While Jack and I were on the trail, we were treated to a spectacular eruption of Beehive Geyser. At the end of the trail is the picturesque Morning Glory Pool which has a rainbow of colors. The colors are actually caused by thermophiles which are microorganisms which thrive in hot water. The colors represent different thermophiles that live at different temperatures: deep blue being the thermophiles that like the hottest water, brown cooler water. Riverside Geyser erupts into the Firehole River that runs through the basin and we saw some bison resting in that area. In the winter months, bison frequent the geyser basins to escape the cold and find grass free of the snow: they also sometimes perish in the hot springs. Other noteworthy features in the Upper Geyser Basin are Castle Geyser which wasn’t erupting while we were there and Grotto Geyser which was quite active.

The historic Old Faithful Inn is also located in the Upper Geyser Basin. The iconic hotel was designed by architect Robert Reamer and built in 1903-1904 using local logs and stone, the inn is considered the largest log structure in the world. The inn is known for its towering, open beam lobby with a hand-built stone fireplace and copper clock. During the winter of 1904, blacksmiths setup shop in the lobby creating all the door hardware, fixtures, and room numbers for the inn out of wrought iron.

On the day Jack and I visited the Upper Geyser Basin, we also took a scenic bus tour of the Firehole River area. This allowed us to get to places that were inaccessible by RV. Our bus was a historic 1936 White touring bus that held twelve passengers. Our guide, Tim, was awesome and we had a great time touring the Firehole River area in this historic vehicle.

Located between Canyon Village and Yellowstone Lake, the Hayden Valley is known for its abundant wildlife as the Yellowstone River flows northward. In the spring, the bison herds are over in the Firehole River area where they give birth to their calves. Once the weather begins to warm and the tourists arrive, the bison migrate east and spend the summer in the bountiful Hayden Valley. As you drive into the valley, you begin to see lone bulls and then finally the vast herds of hundreds of bison broken up into sub-herds for the breeding season. There were dozens of calves in the herds and are easily recognized by their tan color. It was a spectacular sight to see the bison roaming freely and rolling in the dirt as well as hearing the low bellowing rumbles of the males.

Located in the Hayden Valley is an area called Mud Volcano which is rich with mudpots and cloudy, churning hot springs which fill the air with a foul sulfur smell. With names like Dragon’s Mouth Spring and Churning Caldron, this area is more about the raw power of inner Earth versus beauty. While we were at the Mud Volcano area, there was a male bison that was roaming around the boardwalk and parking lot like he owned the place.

In the northern region of the park near Gardiner, Montana is Mammoth Hot Springs. Unique to this region are the travertine terraces which result from the interactions between the hot springs and limestone found here to form chalk-white travertine. These terraces are among the fastest changing features in the park, emerging quickly and drying up just as fast. Iconic features at Mammoth Hot Springs include the Upper and Lower Terrace areas as well as Liberty Cap.

Fort Yellowstone is also located up in the Mammoth Hot Spring region of the park and traditional has been the park headquarters. Decades before the establishment of the National Park Service, the US Army had a strong presence in the park overseeing road construction, infrastructure improvements, and protecting the natural resources of the park including preventing poaching of that last wild bison herd. Today, the historic buildings are used to house national park employees.

Located 19 miles north of Canyon Village is the Tower-Roosevelt region of Yellowstone. Named after my favorite president, Theodore Roosevelt, the lodge which bears his name is known for its stables and horseback excursions into the Lamar Valley. We encountered our only “bear jam” while driving through this region one afternoon. Along the side of the road was a black bear mother and her cub that were foraging up in the forest near the road. Jack was able to snap a few photos from the car as there was nowhere to park an RV. Tower Falls is known for its spires that flank the brink of the falls and is a popular stop for visitors to the park. Located at the northern end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, here Tower Creek falls 132 feet to eventually join the Yellowstone River.

The Norris Geyser Basin lies just outside the 631,000-year-old Yellowstone Caldera, but inside the 2.1-million-year-old caldera that existed before the last major eruption of the supervolcano. It is a very volatile location with frequent earthquakes and is the hottest and most acidic hydrothermal areas in Yellowstone. This hydrothermal area is where three fault lines meet and it is ever changing and difficult to predict. Extensive boardwalks provide safe hiking over the hot surface for visitors and within the Norris Geyser Basin there are two sub-regions: upper Back Basin and lower Porcelain Basin. Days, months, or years pass between eruptions of Steamboat Geyser which is the tallest active geyser on Earth when it throws water over 300 feet into the air. Unpredictable Steamboat Geyser erupted ten days before we arrived in Yellowstone and was in the news when it coated vehicles in the parking lot with damaging mineral rich water. Scientists have discovered that nearby Cistern Spring is connected to Steamboat Geyser underground because following an eruption the water drains out of Cistern Spring. While we were hiking in Back Basin, we were treated to a lengthy eruption of Vixen Geyser. Springs and pools in the Porcelain Basin are an emerald blue in color which is due to their high silica content which is demonstrated by Crackling Lake.

The Midway Geyser Basin is located just north of Biscuit Basin which suffered a hydrothermal explosion a few days before we arrived. Located along the banks of the Firehole River, it is a small but mighty geyser region boasting some of the most spectacular hot springs in the park. One of the most photographed features in Yellowstone is Grand Prismatic Spring which has bright bands of orange, yellow, and green ringing its deep blue waters. The beauty of the spring is difficult to appreciate from the boardwalk, sometimes obscured with the dense steam in the morning. A short hike to an overlook offers the fantastic views of Grand Prismatic Spring that it is known for around the world. If you continue on that same trail for about 2.5 miles, you come to Fairy Falls which is where the creek drops 200 feet over the cliff to a beautiful pool at the base.

Situated at 7,733 feet above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest high elevation lake in North America and the biggest lake in Wyoming. The lake is 20 miles long and 14 miles wide with a maximum depth of 410 feet. Although Yellowstone Lake is a beautiful body of fresh water, it is very cold year-round (average temp of 41F) and not suitable for swimming even in the summer. The lake is also home to the largest population of wild cutthroat trout in North American, however that population is threatened by evasive species like the lake trout. The park service is currently spearheading a gill netting program to eradicate the lake trout which prey on the native cutthroat. The lake drains north through its only outlet into the Yellowstone River at Fishing Bridge which is known to have an active grizzly bear population that like to feast on the trout which swim up the river to spawn. The inn located at Yellowstone Lake is a stately structure with porches overlooking the lake and is the oldest lodging in the park.

Jack and I had a wonderful time visiting both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks where we made some great memories. At the conclusion of our Yellowstone stay, I returned Jack to Jackson Hole Airport for his flight home to Pennsylvania and headed to my next destination: Cody, Wyoming.