Yellowstone National Park: A bucket list destination for many. From Cody we drove an hour and arrived at the East entrance. It is a very pretty drive which slowly climbs to higher elevation and then hugs the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Here and there are small hot spots with steam rising or water bubbling providing glimpses of what is to come later.
At Fishing Bridge we discovered that all the visitor centres had all closed for the season, but they had a ranger station set up at a table where we got all the info and maps we needed. We had wanted to book at the Fishing Bridge campground but surprisingly even mid October it was full up. The park has two loop roads where the majority of features are; the Northern loop being 70 miles, and the Southern loop 100 miles. Norris Canyon road goes through the middle east to west. Having two days to explore, the ranger suggested we do one loop each day. Madison campground where we booked is at the western side of the park at the mid-point, so we were perfectly situated to drive one loop and end our day at the campground.
As we have done on previous scenic drives, we let Cedar out of his crate to enjoy the scenery with us. Unfortunately, many National Parks now prohibit dogs from going on any trails, so Cedar had to be left in the van when we explored. He howls in protest, very loudly, but then usually settles down within a minute. We didn’t want to leave Cedar too long or too often so chose to limit our explorations to some short walks in several areas along the way.
On the way to the northern loop, we drove through Hayden Valley which hosts a lot of the park wildlife and provides good fly fishing in the Yellowstone River. Just past this is an area called the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone”. A side road – South Rim drive leads to Artist Point – early paintings of the park were a primary reason why it was designated as the world’s first National Park. In 1872, Thomas Moran was paid $10,000 by Congress to do an oil painting of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. North Rim drive which is a one-way road has waypoints with walkways, trails, and overlooks that provide views of the upper and lower falls and the canyon. The canyon is very colourful and indeed grand – it is 20 miles long, over 1000 feet deep, and up to 4000 feet wide in areas.
Then starts the Northern loop, a drive which follows the distant canyon, and climbs to 10,243 feet at Mount Washburn. There is a trail to the summit which can be accessed from Chittenden Road. Because of the high elevation and winding road, this part of the loop is closed mid-Oct to May. Along the way are many scenic pull-outs. The road slowly descends to a slightly lower elevation and we come to the junction of Hwy 212 which leads to the Northeast entrance and the Lamar Valley which is a popular wolf-watching destination. The valley is also home to herds of bison and elk, and many bears. With so much to see, we skip this detour. Continuing along the loop we enter Blacktail Plateau which is a high desert, then arrive at Mammoth Hot Springs village. Here sits the junction to the northwest entrance. The village is large and has a large visitor centre, restaurants, accommodations, grocery, fuel, historic sites, and the very beautiful travertine terraces.
In early days of the parks history, a lot of exploitation, looting for souvenirs, and poaching was taking place and it was decided by Congress that the park was in trouble and supervision urgently needed. In 1886, Fort Yellowstone was established in Mammoth Hot Springs, and for 32 years the army patrolled the park and enforced its regulations.
The travertine terraces are an amazing sight. Formed from limestone the terraces are constantly changing as hot volcanic water rises through fissures creating and shaping the terraces. There is ample parking and accessibles boardwalks all along, with a bit of incline. As we walked upward, we both remarked how tired and out of breath we were both feeling, and then it dawned on us that it is the high elevation and thin air affecting us.
Near the end of the loop sits Norris Geyser Basin. It is the park’s hottest, most dynamic geyser basin and has the world’s tallest geyser. Getting late, we thought we would check it out next morning and continued onward to the campground.
Madison campground is large – it has 8 loops (2 for tents only) and every site has a metal bear cache – there are warnings all over to NOT leave food out. It is rustic and the washrooms outdated and not very clean, but with everywhere being full, we were happy to have a booking.
Day 2 – South Loop
At Norris Geyser Basin we were unable to check out the sights due to a thick morning mist so drove back to the eastern side to start the south loop. Our first stop of the day was Mud Volcano: Here we saw a large mudpot which are acidic hot springs with a limited water supply – perfectly named, and fumaroles which are steam vents and the hottest features in the park.
Shortly after, on the south loop road which starts out following Yellowstone Lake, we stopped at a pull-out to let Cedar chase sticks on the beach, then at a picnic area for a quick bite. At the junction to the southern entrance and the road to the Grand Tetons lies West Thumb Geyser Basin. Here, on the shores of Yellowstone Lake is a boardwalk showcasing mudpots, boiling springs, and geysers that discharge into the lake.
And……. now for the main event: Old Faithful. The village and most renowned geyser had to be seen of course. There are several very large parking lots – from the size one can only imagine the crowds in peak season. Being the most predictable geyser we were able to determine timing, and set out to find a spot to view the event (from a distance since dogs are not welcome). The geyser was steaming away, and then at the time predicted, water came forth and shot up into the air – even from a distance we could feel droplets. We both remarked after though, that it was not as spectacular a show as we had envisioned.
On the last stretch of the loop heading back to Madison are a series of three geyser basins each providing unique features. As we would be travelling back on that bit next day, we decided to check it out in the morning.
Again in the morning a mist covered the terrain but we stopped at one area that was pointed out by the ranger as a must see. At midway geyser basin is the world’s largest geyser, Excelsior (resting peacefully for now) and the world’s largest hot spring Grand Prismatic. A boardwalk with interpretive signs takes you around these features and above for a better view. The hot springs are all unique and named for their colours – Opal and Turquoise are two of them. The crust looks fragile and thin and the colours must be quite spectacular in the sunlight (our pictures could not do them justice). At one spot we could see animal tracks, hopefully it made a safe passage across.
