Yellowstone National Park

16th July 2012 - Yellowstone National Park

On the advice of the rangers from the Park Information Centre, we decided to head out to YNP(Yellowstone Nat. Park) bright and early - as in 5.30am from the West Entrance, Montana.  It was pretty cool - around 6 deg. C. Elevation: 6667ft.

 We opted for a weeks pass at $25 which is really quite reasonable. The pass also allows access to Grand Teton National Park in Idaho. The majority of YNP is in the state of Wyoming with Montana claiming possesion of a small portion of  the western side of YNP.

As our priority was to see as much wildlife as possible, we decided to bypass Old Faithful on our first foray into YNP. We were rewarded with this spotting of some deer grazing at the river's edge at around 6am.

Yellowstone with 2.2 million acres of scenic beauty is renowned for its spouting geysers, bubbling cauldrons of mud, rivers, lakes and wildlife. Be prepared to walk - to truely enjoy the geysers close up, there are boardwalks miles long.

It is quite humbling and exciting at the same time to be able to witness this amazing place on earth.

The sun just about to rise on Yellowstone Lake.  Elevation: 7,773 ft above sea level. We were not the only early birds - there were many avid fishermen fly fishing in the rivers.

One of the many mud cauldrons at  Mud Volcano.

The mud is composed of clay minerals and fine particles of silica.

The Crow Tribe used to paint their tipis with this mud.

In as much as YNP has stark beauty in its monolithic, craggy mountains, it is softened in many areas by clumps of pretty blue bells and other flowering plants.

Tom at the entrance to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River - what glorious colours!The multi-hued canyon walls are a result of hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is 20miles or 32kms long.

 It is worthwhile doing the Brink of Upper falls and the Upper Falls Viewpoint.

Midway Geyser Basin - we took a photo of this geyser(one of numerous) from the truck and was surprised at how it turned out. The rich orange colour of the volcanic rocks gave one the impression of lava flowing into the river - outstanding!

 

This thermal feature can be found at Mud Volcano-the water is scalding, it probably will boil eggs in half the normal time.

On entering from the west, we took the Grand Loop which is approximately 142miles (229km) long. Geysers galore - it is as if one is transported into a giant Steam Laundry Shop!

Unlike Rotorua in New Zealand, the geysers at YNP didn't appear to be as pungently malodourous.

Bison, happily grazing along the roadside - well, I'm assuming he is happy,how do you tell when a bison is happy?

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in the background - quite magnificent! Scientists believe this canyon was formed after a volcanic eruption about 640,000 years ago.

Glacial water rushing down the Yellowstone River.

It was about a 1/8 mile walk from the car park to this beautiful vista. The steps will be challenging for those who are not able bodied.

Our friend Robie and Betty at Fire Hole Canyon with the Firehole river cascading over rocks.  3 large geyser basins can be found along this river.

A male elk wondering which blade of juicy grass he should have first. At this time of the year food is plentiful but it is a totally different picture in winter.

7am and7 deg. C at Artists' Paint Pots - another wonder of YNP. Although much of the hot springs was shrouded in fog, we could still see a plethora of colours; from aqua blues to orange, greens,browns. There are warnings to stay on the designated safe trails as the crust of all the geyser basins is very fragile and unpredictable. In 2008 a visitor received burns to her ankle and lower leg when an established trail she was on gave way - she had discovered a hitherto unknown pool of hot water.

It is a 1/3 mile walk to the Paint Pots -the fog, skeletal remains of lodgepole pine trees gave the place a "Hound of the Baskervilles" feel.....whooooo...

One of many mountains at Yellowstone.

On our second foray into YNP we were blessed with sightings of elks, deer and bisons.

What can I say-more geysers. Which isn't surprising as YNP is home to 10,000 hydrothermal features, including 300 geysers! That's one Hot Mamma, in a manner of speaking!

On our way to Mammoth Springs, we came across this Bison just mosying along the double yellow lines.

He was not in a hurry to move away - causing traffic to slow to a crawl, and tourists to hyperventilate at the thought of having to overtake the beast.

Mammoth Hot Springs at the northern tip of YNP.

We were surprised to see a hotel, justice building and residences at Mammoth Hot Springs. It would be a daunting task to evacuate from this place should the seismic activities culminate in another eruption.

This place is just cooking-spectacular and at the same time worrisome.

A bit of info about Mammoth Hot Springs.

Hot water carries dissolved calcium and bicarbonate to the surface of the terraces where pressure lessens. Carbon dioxide then escapes as gas and the carbonate combines with calcium to precipitate as travertine.

The Mammoth Terraces are constantly changing shape and color. Springs which were active one to five years ago may be dry and lifeless now, yet activity may later resume. Along with changes of thermal activity come changes in color. Fresh travertine is bright white in color and as it weathers it changes to gray. Bright colored cyanobacteria and algae mats which were dependent upon a stable temperature and a flow of water also change as the microorganisms die creating a stark, bleak landscape.

LIBERTY CAPHeight 45 feet. It received its name from the 1871 Hayden
Expedition for its resemblance to the caps worn by colonial patriots in the Revolutionary War. The cone formed from a steady flow of hot water emerging from a single source, depositing dense layers of travertine. The cone continued to grow as long as there was a source of water. Either the hot water spring found a more convenient underground channel to escape through or the orifice became sealed by travertine deposits. It is now an inactive spring and it is not known when Liberty Cap became extinct. The weathered outer surface now supports a plant community of lichens, grass and even a small tree.

Herds of bisons by river-we saw them further uphill as the day progressed.

More deer by the river banks as we drove past.

 

Ah....the biggie, Old Faithful. We decided to take a second run into YNP at around 6pm to avoid the hordes of tourists - hence the Park Ranger's advise to visit before 9.30am and after 4pm.

Old Faithful blows its top every 90 minutes or so, give or take 10 mins. You can call a hotline to get an estimated time of eruption (from the Park Rangers office on entry). This performance was at 8.35pm. Apparently this Grand Old Lady is not shooting as high as it used to and also the time between each eruption is getting longer due to natural causes and vandalism, as in people throwing things into the geyser. What a dreadful shame it would be if this great treasure stops enthralling us and generations to come because of the actions of a few lousy people.

A board walk surrounds this geyser basin with benches provided for viewing the eruption. Old Faithful calming down after its furious and hot performance.

It is almost 8.45pm and this deer was having a quiet "me" time.

Sunset at YNP and sadly, our last journey into this magnificent landscape and its unparalled beauty. The lone lodgepole pine tree could almost be a sentinel on a castle parapet.