May 23, 2012 - Northwest Entrance
In October, 2009, Yellowstone was the first Park that Terry and I visited during our Trek thru the Parks. We stayed at the Old Faithful Lodge and did not get the opportunity to visit the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Since we would be heading south from Glacier, I figured we may as well revisit the world's very first National Park and explore the northwestern reaches of this magnificent landscape!
Park #2 - Revisited
Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge - Room #305
The weather forecast for the next couple of days called for snow...so camping became a very unpopular lodging option. Instead, we were fortunate to secure a room at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We were assigned room #305 - a very basic room...however it did have a bathroom! Some of the rooms and cabins do not!
Hot Springs Liberty Cap Cone
A very short walk from the Hotel you'll find the wood walkways that encircle the Hot Springs Terraces. These hydrothermal features were the reason we revisited Yellowstone! I'd seen pictures of the Hot Springs and wanted to get a closeup look. The first object you'll notice is the large finger-like protrusion known as the 37' Liberty Cap Cone that was created by deposits from a long lasting hot spring.
Hot Springs Lower Terrace - Palette Spring
Ah...the main event! The first section of the wood boardwalk takes you to the cascading flow of the Palette Springs. Here hot water flows in a crisscross pattern down a steep ridge where thermophiles create a changing palette of color. A thermophile is an organism that thrives in extremely hot temperatures. (No, we Phoenicians are not considered Thermophiles....yet!)
Lower Terrace Palatte Spring
Lower Terrace Limescape
The thermal action within the earth heats the water as it rises to the surface. The scalding hot water dissolves much of the soft limestone rock as it makes its way to daylight. When the hot slurry reaches the surface a colorful chalky mineral is deposited on the hillside.
Travertine Hill
Travertine is a form of limestone that has been deposited on the hillside or terrace by the hot springs. The hot water found at the Mammoth Hot Springs originates 20 miles south in the Norris Geyser Basin. The hot water follows an underground fault line and surfaces here.
Main Terrace
During our tour of the area, it appeared that many of the Hot Springs had dried up. Very little of the area resembled the Tourist Brochures that depict vast amounts of Hot Springs colorfully spilling over terrace after terrace. I curbed my disappointment when it was pointed out to me that like a geyser, the timing and volume of water emerging from any "hot spring" will forever and unpredictably vary. A Terrace that appears to have "died" today, may be bubbling over with orange Thermophiles tomorrow!
Main Terrace - Canary Spring
The Trail Springs and Canary Spring section of the Main Terrace looked more like a winter wonderland than a thermally active landscape.
Main Terrace Icefields
Main Terrace Thermophiles
Upper Yellowstone Falls
A visit to this Park must include a visit to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. After checking into the Hotel and touring the Hot Springs, Terry and I drove down to Canyon Village. Five minutes into our drive, it began to snow! And it snowed steadily the remainder of the day.
Needless to say, the photo ops were minimal. However, the following morning, as we were exiting the Park, the sun peaked out through the clouds. Terry suggested we swing by the Canyon thus giving us one last opportunity to view the Grand Canyon and its spectacular Falls. We managed to catch the Canyon catching a few early morning rays of sunshine before it began snowing again! Amazing! The weather report for Phoenix today - 104°. Here in Yellowstone - 31° and snowing!
Lower Yellowstone Falls
Terry and Lower Falls
Lower Falls
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The mighty Yellowstone River is carving out a colorful and most impressive Canyon.
Snowing at the Canyon
Norris Geyser Basin
One final stop before departing Yellowstone - the Norris Geyser Basin. Norris is the hottest region of the Park and the waters here are acidic rather than alkaline . Steamboat Geyser is the largest Geyser in Norris Basin. It is not nearly as popular as Old Faithful, however, it spews a larger geyser stream (300 ft) when it decides to erupt. The problem is, Steamboat is very erratic. Intervals of more than a year can occur between eruptions. We did not see it blow its stack!
Park Resident
Our wildlife viewings in Yellowstone were limited to Bison and Elk. I had already taken far too many pictures of Bison at Wind Cave and Teedie so Terry shot an Elk as we departed the Park.
Big Sky Country
A rare moment when the blue sky showed itself in between snow showers!
Truly a National Treasure!
Named after my favorite president, Roosevelt Arch greets each visitor who enters from the northwest with Teedie's famous quote. The beauty of our Parks system is that these amazing landscapes have been preserved for all of us to enjoy! If you have not yet visited our country's (and the world's) first ever National Park, do add this one to your bucket list! It is well worth the effort to get to this wonderland of wildlife, geology and fresh mountain air!
Until we meet again...take time to blaze new trails through this amazing landscape of life!
No comments:
Post a Comment