Yellowstone & Grand Tetons

with Timberline (www.timbertours.com) & The World Outdoors (www.theworldoutdoors.com)

August 2005

Introduction

Note: This was my second trip to Yellowstone with the first being in 1962 and my first trip to the Grand Tetons.  It was also my 3rd trip with Timberline and my 11th with The World Outdoors. I have wanted to see Yellowstone for a long time so I was really looking forward to the trip, and it easily fulfilled all my expectations. In fact I now want to return, and I'm thinking about returning this winter. 

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I have organized 234 pictures, maps, and images of some of the signs that were posted at the sites on this web site, and you can scan the thumbnails and click to enlarge only those pictures that interest you. I hope you enjoy many of them, and I hope you also enjoy some of my explanations. 

On August 14-20 I did the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons Classic of Timberline Adventures then on August 21-26 I did the Yellowstone Hiker of The World Outdoors.

Both trips were great. The Timberline trip was much harder as we hiked 13 miles on day 2, an altered 6 miles instead of 12 miles on day 3, 6 miles on day 4 (but due to the altered hiking agendas we merely saw the yellowstone canyon and falls from two overlooks and did no hiking in that area), 8 miles was scheduled for day 5 but 4 of us chose not to hike since it was raining and there were no views, 14 miles on day 6, and 5.5 miles on day 7.

The second trip was much easier--I was now acclimated to the height, my muscles were ready, and more importantly the hikes were easier. The 2nd day was the hardest with a 2200 foot climb in only 2 miles. On the 3rd day we hiked in the canyon, then on the 4th and 5th day we hiked to the top of small elevations for views--5 miles, on the 4th day and 6 miles on the 5th. On the 6th day we hiked through the upper geyser basin and biscuit basin.

We saw elk and buffalo along the road the first week, but the Timberline guides never stopped. The 2nd week The World Outdoors guides stopped, and I got some great pictures of buffalo, moose, elk, and deer.

The first map below show that Grand Teton is much smaller than Yellowstone and is located directly south with a small corridor consisting of national forest separating the two. The second map is the Fodor Yellowstone map. 

view of the Teton mountains taken from the van 

pictures of Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

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one of the U-shaped glacial valleys 

In geologic time, these mountains are the energetic teenagers of the Rocky Mountain chain: active, growing, yet sculpted by erosion.

Nine million years ago, the earth's crust broke into two rectangular blocks along the Teton fault, a 40-mile-long zone of weakness. Through sporadic movements, the western block hinged skyward to become the Teton Range, while the eastern block tilted downward to form the valley called Jackson Hole. The valley sank four times more than the mountains rose. Displacement continues, and an earthquake-producing movement along the fault can occur at any time.

Erosional forces continually shape the rising mountains. Wind, water, ice, and glaciers, particularly of the last Ice Age, shaped the range into today's skyline. The sedimentary rock layers that covered the central peaks have been worn away, but mountain building continues, counteracting erosion.

The Yellowstone Caldera (pink dashed line)

The story of Yellowstone's thermal basins begins with features deep within the earth. At the center of the earth is the core which is surrounded by the mantle and finally the earth's crust. But what interests us is a feature known as a hotspot. It is a source of immense heat anchored within the mantle. This same hotspot is responsible for volcanic action in a number of areas in SE Idaho including Craters of the Moon National Monument. After millions of years of movement of the earth's crust this hotspot now lies beneath Yellowstone.

Yellowstone has had three large eruptions. Each time this hotspot sent a column of magma toward the surface forming a huge magma chamber. As the chamber filled it pushed up-ward on the earth's crust forming a large dome. As pressure built on the surface, cracks formed around the edge, and a huge eruption expelled a tremendous amount of magma.

With the removal of hundreds of cubic miles of molten rock, the roof of the dome collapsed in one of the most violent explosions the earth has ever known and a large crater or caldera was formed. These eruptions occurred 2.0, 1.3, and 0.6 million years ago. The volume of lava erupted makes the 1980 eruption of Mt St. Helens look very small.

The pink dashed line on the map shows the boundary of the last caldera which extends over an area about 30 by 45 miles, but lava continued to flow into the caldera for the next 500 thousand years filling much of the crater. It is this still active volcanic area that provides the heat source for Yellowstone's thermal features. Geologists warn us that this extremely hot area could erupt again, we'll almost certainly be warned long before that happens--and it may be 100,000 years from now!

This map shows the thermal areas of Yellowstone. My first stop on the Timberline trip was the Old Faithful (or Upper Geyser Basin) area.

(The yellow rimmed area on the upper right is Yellowstone Canyon.)

Built during the winter of 1903-04, the lobby of the hotel features a 65-foot ceiling, a massive rhyolite fireplace, and railings made of contorted lodgepole pine. Wings were added to the hotel in 1915 and 1927, and today there are 327 rooms available to guests in this National Historic Landmark.

Old Faithful Inn is a massive building within a short viewing distance of Old Faithful Geyser, the most famous geyser in the United States. The building is an exposed log and wood-frame structure of rustic design and gigantic proportions: nearly 700 feet in length with a central core seven stories high. The building was constructed in three major phases: the 1903 original section (known as the Old House) with the imposing gable roof, dining room and kitchen wings to the south, and small guest-room wings to the east and west; the 1913-14 east wing presently containing 100 rooms; and the 1927 west wing presently containing 150 rooms. The building was designed by Robert Reamer.

The central portion of the building, with its massive gable roof is the dominant architectural feature on the exterior. The roof comprises six of the seven stories. A widow's walk with flagstaffs at its edges surrounds the top of the roof. The main gable roof is pierced by 3 stories of dormers and multi-light casement windows on the gable ends. 

The original porte-cochere was recessed under the large gable roof of the central portion, along with a second-story porch directly above it. When the porte-cochere was extended out in front of the building in 1927, a portion on the ground floor was enclosed and became part of the lobby. The second-story porch was also extended out to provide for better viewing of Old Faithful geyser; this extension was not roofed. Piers supporting the porte-cochere and porch are surrounded by battered log cribbing, adding distinction to the structure. The two original wings are 3 1/2 stories in height and flank the central portion to the east and west. The second story overhangs the first story by two feet. These small wings have multiple gable roofs.

Undoubtedly the most impressive space in the interior is the seven-story lobby that climbs 92 feet from the floor. The lobby is surrounded by two levels of balconies built on log framing. The lower balcony encircles all four walls of the lobby and provides access to the porches over the porte-cochere on the north side and overlooks the dining room on the south side; the upper balcony is L-shaped in plan and runs along the north and west walls. Supporting the main gable roof are a series of trusses that are in turn supported by the log framing below. Climbing up from the second balcony is a staircase leading up to the "Crow's Nest"--a separate small landing near the roof where musicians played for the enjoyment of guests during the early days of the Inn. The gnarled log brackets attached to the log columns of the framing serve no structural purpose, and were put there for decoration. Similar log work is used for balcony railings, balustrades along staircases, and brackets under the eaves. Stair treads are half-logs. 

A stone fireplace, 16 feet square at its base, dominates the southeast corner of the lobby. The upper portion of the fireplace on the north side holds a massive wrought-iron and brass clock, designed by Reamer. The chimney, exposed on the interior, is of stone masonry. The original dining room to the south of the lobby has a roof structure of exposed log trusses. Ceiling and walls are exposed half-logs and logs. A large stone fireplace is centered on the south wall, constructed of the same rubble masonry as the lobby fireplace.

most are board-walks connecting the various geysers but there are also regular trails such as the 13 mile Fairy Creek trail that we took

A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. The formation of geysers requires a favorable hydrogeology which exists in only a few places on Earth, and so they are fairly rare. About 1,000 exist worldwide, with about half of these in Yellowstone. Geyser eruptive activity may change or cease due to ongoing mineral deposition within the geyser plumbing, exchange of functions with nearby hot springs, earthquake influences, and human intervention.

Eruptions - Geyser activity, like all hot spring activity, is caused by surface water gradually seeping down through the ground until it meets rock heated by magma. The geo-thermally heated water then rises back toward the surface by convection through porous and fractured rock. Geysers differ from noneruptive hot springs in their subterranean structure; many consist of a small vent at the surface connected to one or more narrow tubes that lead to underground reservoirs of water. As the geyser fills, the water at the top of the column cools off, but because of the narrowness of the channel, convective cooling of the water in the reservoir is impossible. The cooler water above presses down on the hotter water beneath, not unlike the lid of a pressure cooker, allowing the water in the reservoir to become superheated, i.e. to remain liquid at temperatures .well above the boiling point. Ultimately, the temperatures near the bottom of the geyser rise to a point where boiling begins; steam bubbles rise to the top of the column. As they burst through the geyser's vent, some water overflows or splashes out, reducing the weight of the column and thus the pressure on the water underneath. With this release of pressure, the superheated water flashes into steam, boiling violently throughout the column. The resulting froth of expanding steam and hot water then sprays out of the geyser. Eventually the water remaining in the geyser cools back to below the boiling point and the eruption ends; heated groundwater begins seeping back into the reservoir, and the whole cycle begins again. The duration of eruptions and time between eruptions vary greatly from geyser to geyser.

Types of geysers - There are two types. Fountain geysers erupt from pools of water, typically in a series of intense, even violent, bursts; and cone geysers which erupt from cones or mounds of siliceous sinter (also known as geyserite), usually in steady jets that last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Old Faithful is a cone geyser.

The intense transient forces inside erupting geysers are the main reason for their rarity. There are many volcanic areas in the world that have hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles, but very few with geysers. This is because in most places, even where other necessary conditions for geyser activity exist, the rock structure is loose, and eruptions will erode the channels and rapidly destroy any nascent geysers. Most geysers form where there is volcanic rhyolite rock which dissolves in hot water and forms mineral deposits called siliceous sinter, or geyserite along the inside of the plumbing systems. Over time these deposits cement the rock together tightly, strengthening the channel walls.

Geysers are fragile phenomena and if conditions change, they can 'die'. Many geysers have been destroyed by people throwing litter and debris into them; others have ceased to erupt due to dewatering by geothermal power plants.  

Grotto Geyser

Temperature 201 °F Interval 1 hour to 2 days. Duration varies (3 hours for short mode and 9-13 hours for long modes). Height 20-30 feet. The 1870 Washburn Expedition named this unusual feature for the "winding apertures penetrating the sinter." It is an unusual shaped formation nearly 8 feet high. The club-shaped pillar and two adjoining arches formed from fallen trees. The accumulation of sinter from eruptions and evaporation has changed their original shape into eerie formations. The transfer of thermal energy from Giant Geyser to Grotto in 1955 has resulted in a productive feature. The eruptions consist of a series of powerful splashes, steam and the discharge of nearly 150 gallons per minute. Deep gurgling and splashing sounds are constantly emitted from the vent. 

Castle Geyser

The massive cone is a sign of old age. Eruption after eruption, probably for thousands of years, scalding water has deposited this silica mineral formation. By contrast, Old Faithful's cone may be only a few hundred years old. 

Castle Geyser has dramatically changed its surroundings. By flooding the area with hot, silica-rich water, the geyser has devoured part of a pine forest and turned it into a thermal desert. Tree skeletons are entombed within the cone. 

Castle Geyser's eruptions are predictable; two per day are typically recorded. 

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Temperature 200°F Interval 9-11 hours. Duration 1 hour. Height 60-90 feet. The large sinter cone is nearly 12 feet high with a diameter of 20 feet at the top. Castle was an irregular geyser, with periods of dormancy, before the 1959 earthquake. Since then, it has been an easily predictable geyser. The water phase of an eruption lasts about 15 minutes and a steam phase lasts an additional 45 minutes.

Firehole River got its name from early trappers in the area, who believed that the steam rising from thermal vents was smoke from underground fires. They commonly referred to a small mountain valley like that in Yellowstone as a "hole," so the stream running through the valley came to be known as the Firehole River. The river begins as a series of small, cold water springs. During its 27-mile course to the point where it flows into the Madison River the Firehole River is fed by hot water from the Upper, Middle and Lower Geyser Basins. This influx of water not only increases the volume of the Firehole, but it is a good example of a "thermally polluted" river, although one that occurs entirely by natural processes. The inflow of water from the geysers basins raises the temperature of the River by 18-47° F. It's been estimated that in runoff from the Upper Geyser Basin alone, the Firehole gets some 68 tons of minerals every day. The Firehole River contains very large amounts of chloride, fluorine, arsenic, silica and tungsten compared with other streams not affected by thermal input.

While it might seem that nothing could survive long in this noxious brew, the rivers in Yellowstone are full of native species, and fishing (under catch-and-release rules) remains a popular activity within the park.

Morning Glory Pool is losing its brilliant color. Through ignorance and vandalism, people have tossed objects into the hot spring, clogging its vent and lowering the temperature. Brown, orange, and yellow algae-like bacteria thrive in the cooler water, gradually turning the vivid aqua-blue to a murkier greenish-brown. All thermal features are at risk. Hot springs and geysers have fragile, complex plumbing that takes centuries to develop.

morning glory pool

Riverside Geyser

Riverside Geyser is a cone-type geyser, and unlike many other geysers and hot springs in the Upper Geyser Basin, Riverside may not be connected to nearby features and, thus, has a relatively constant source of heat and water. It is also uniquely unaffected by other forces such as earthquakes, which can shake up underground plumbing systems by closing old channels, creating new ones, and changing previous patterns of water circulation. Thus, eruptions are very predictable, taking place every 5.5 to 7.5 hours.

Situated on the east bank of the Firehole River, Riverside erupts with a 75 foot column of water arching gracefully over the stream. Riverside is more regular than Old Faithful, erupting at approximately 6 1/2 hour intervals for about 20 minutes. It is one of the few geysers in the park which erupts at a slant instead of straight up.

Giant Geyser

Temperature 202.7°F Interval 6-14 days until dormancy. Duration I hour. Height 150-250 feet. Before 1955 activity shifted cyclically from Grotto to Giant every 4 to 5 years, but since the 1959 earthquake, energy has vented through Grotto. Giant still roars, splashes, steams and has one of the hottest vents in the Basin. The cone is also impressive; broken on one side, it is 12 feet high, with an inside diameter of six feet.

On my 2nd visit the geyser in front of Giant was erupting and Bijou to the left of Giant & behind Catfish was erupting and Giant was considered 'hot.'

Beehive Geyser

Temperature 199°F Interval 7 hours to days (dormancy). Duration 4-5 minutes. Height 150-200 feet. The 1870 Washburn Expedition named this geyser after its beehive-shaped cone. The cone is three and a half feet high with a four foot diameter. Beehive, considered one of the largest active geysers in the world, erupts to a height of 200 feet. However, since its discovery, it has been unpredictable. It has eruptive intervals of eight to twelve hours, but it has infrequent eruptions as long as 3 to 10 days and dormancy of weeks to months. A small vent located a few feet east of Beehive, called Beehive's Indicator, erupts 6-10 feet usually 10-20 minutes before an eruption. An eruption begins with occasional splashing, then small surges. These progress into an eruption as the ground rumbles and a narrow, straight fountain of water jets upward.

This picture shows Old Faithful Inn when it was new and was taken from the Beehive Geyser by F. Jay Haynes. It flew 8 flags at this time, mostly for decorative purposes, compared to the 5 that fly today. Standing beside the cone of Beehive is Jack E. Haynes, the photographer's son, at age 20.

Sawmill Geyser  Temperature 189-207°F Interval 1-3 hours. Duration 15-90 minutes. Height 5-40 feet. A topographer of the 1871 Hayden Expedition named this geyser for its whistling sound, similar to a large sawmill. The crater of this fountain-type geyser is empty between eruptions. A gurgling sound and then a sudden filling of the basin indicates a pending eruption. Pulsating jets of water erupt through the pool producing a whistling noise.

Grotto Fountain

The Grotto Fountain is a smaller geyser located to the left of the Grotto. In the last picture steam is pouring from both the Grotto Fountain and the Grotto.

Old Faithful

(the last picture is from Observation Point)

Temperature 199° Interval 30-120 minutes. Duration 1.5-5 minutes. Height 110-185 feet. The Washburn Expedition in 1870 named Old Faithful for its nearly regular schedule of eruptions. It is the grand old geyser of Yellowstone because of its frequent and predictable eruptions. The intervals between eruptions average between 45-90 minutes and the average duration is about four minutes. To predict the next eruption, its first continuous surge is timed until the final splash. If the total eruption is less than four minutes, the next eruption will occur in approximately 40-60 minutes. If the eruption is four minutes or longer, the next interval will be 75-100 minutes.

Solitary Geyser

In 1915 we did not understand geysers very well. Why not tap water from this hot spring and put it to use? So a pipe lowered the water level 3 feet. The calm spring immediately became a geyser erupting every few minutes. Although the pipe was removed and the former water level restored, geyser activity continued. We learned again that a delicate balance once tampered with often cannot be restored. Solitary Geyser erupts about 4 feet every 5-7 minutes. 

The last picture is a a closeup of the biscuit-like formations at the edge of the geyser.

Aurum Geyser Temperature 200°F Interval 3-4 hours. Duration 60 seconds. Height 10-30 feet. A small geyser named for the soft golden colors surrounding the vent. Iron oxides are responsible for the colors. Intricate, scalloped formations and unusual and symmetric patterns have formed around the vent. Since 1985, with the exception of 1988, it has been a regular, active geyser. Splashing begins an eruption.

Heart Spring - Temperature 201°F Dimensions 8x13 feet. Depth 16 feet. This spring received its name because of the heart-like shape of the crater. Heart Spring has had temperature fluctuations from 150-202°F. This wide range has allowed microbial growth to form varicolored patterns. This spring is typical of many of Yellowstone's thermal springs. Nearly 10,000 thermal features exist in Yellowstone and many are alkaline hot springs similar to Heart Spring in size and appearance. One feature which distinguishes each is the bright, colorful cyanobacteria & algae which grow along the edge of run-off channels. Each spring has unique patterns.

Lion Group - Temperature 202°F Interval 2-5 hours (irregular). Duration 2-4 minutes. Height 30-60 feet. Four geysers comprise the Lion Group--Lion, Lioness, Big and Little Cub--and all have subterranean interconnections. Col. Norris named the main geyser in 1881 for its resemblance, when viewed from the south, to the body and maned head of a reclining lion. Lion Geyser has the largest cone and usually has 2-4 eruptions per cycle--lasting from 4 to 36 hours--at intervals of two to four hours when it is active. Often, however, it can be 2 to 14 days between cycles. Preceding an eruption is a sudden rush of steam, like the roaring of a lion. There is a heavy discharge of water for a minute or so which declines into a steam phase for the remainder of the duration.

The Lion Group

and one of the geysers in the Lion Group

Doublet Pool - Temperature 194°F Dimensions 9x25 feet. Depth 8 feet. It is two hot springs together forming a sapphire-blue-colored pool. A sinter ledge extends over the surface of the pool and two feet below another ledge, indicating that the water level was lower at an earlier time. The pool produces a periodic, inaudible thumping which can be felt, more than heard, when standing close to the pool. It has had minor eruptions in the past with boiling activity only two feet high.

Wave Spring

Beauty Pool

Beauty Pool

The vivid colors of Beauty Pool's basin and runoff channels are created by microscopic lifeforms. Incredibly, these organisms survive and thrive in an environment that would be lethal to us and most other living creatures. Scientists are just beginning to understand these lifeforms; amazingly, hot spring environments may sustain a diversity of organisms rivaling that of terrestrial rain forests.

In the geyser basins with alkaline or neutral pH (Upper, Midway, Lower, West Thumb, and Mammoth Hot Springs), color is primarily a function of what lives and grows in a feature. The graph below represents the upper environmental temperature limits for life and the corresponding colors (which vary over the course of a year as a consequence of seasonal change) in the features or runoff channels.

buffalo laying down on the hillside across from the beauty pool

Daisy Geyser - Temperature 192-204°F Interval 78-144 minutes. Duration 2.5-4.5 minutes. Height 75-150 feet. Daisy is the most reliable and predictable of the major geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin. Its average interval is between 85 to 100 minutes. Splashing begins approximately 20 minutes before an eruption from the larger of the two cones, and 10 minutes before in the smaller cone. Heavy splashing leads to an eruption and reaches its maximum height in 45 to 60 seconds.

lone buffalo near Old Faithful Inn

closeup of same buffalo with a bird on its back

Christmas in August

The inns in Yellowstone celebrate Christmas on August 25 partly because they are closed during the winter and their temporary seasonal employees are gone and partly because a group of guests got stranded by an August snowstorm in the early 1900s and celebrated Christmas to relieve the boredom.

Santa & Mrs. Claus came around & talked to each table and here they are talking to our table.

Trails in the Old Faithful Area

On our first full day we hiked the 13 mile Fairy Falls Trails from Biscuit Basin to Midway Geyser Basin. We started at Biscuit Basin and crossed the Firehole River bridge then we followed the Biscuit Basin boardwalk for 1/3 of a mile and saw several geysers and hot springs. After leaving the boardwalk the undulating trail parallels, but does not cross, the Little Firehole River. At the Summit Lake/Little Firehole Meadows junction, we headed upstream into the canyon and soon were at the base of the 70 foot Mystic Falls then a series of switchbacks led to the top of the falls. We then continued on the Fairy Falls trail as shown on the adjacent map.

We hiked through a lot of areas that were burned out in the 1988 fires and most of the burned lodgepole pine trunks were still standing; however, many of them had fallen and quite a few were on the trail. We had to climb over, crawl under, or go around about two dozen. The fires swept across 1.4 million acres of Yellowstone thus torching one-third of Yellowstone National Park. More than 25,000 firefighters battled 51 fires during the driest summer in 112 years.

Before reaching Fairy Falls we passed the Twin Buttes, two conspicuous bald hills severely charred in the fires, and the Spray Geyser. At 197 feet Fairy Falls is the park's 7th highest waterfall, but the volume of water in late summer was very low.

Even the park cars are appropriately decorated. This one has the Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Geyser painted on the car.

Our first big scenic reward was the 70 foot high Mystic Falls.

Mystic Falls

Little Firehole River & part of the thermal area in the background

some of the terrible damage caused by the 1988 fires - there were 51 fires that summer and together they destroyed about 36% of Yellowstone

Spray Geyser

197-foot Fairy Falls

Continental Divide

The Continental Divide or Great Divide is a ridge of mountains in North America, which separates the watershed area of streams and rivers that flow west into the Pacific Ocean from those that flow east into the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The majority of the divide follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide line crosses the SW corner of Yellowstone as shown by the yellow line on the map. We sometimes crossed this line 3 times in a short distance as the highway crossed and then recrossed the looping divide line.

After I got home and was reading the books I bought I discovered that Isa Lake perched on the Continental Divide at Craig Pass flows both east and west. Also just south of Yellowstone in the Teton Wilderness, a stream flows along the Divide and actually can be seen dividing. North Two Ocean Creek divides into Atlantic Creek and Pacific Creek. This is one of only two locations where this phenomenon occurs, the other being in the Canadian Rockies. Most of Yellowstone's water flows to the Atlantic side with Yellowstone Lake and Yellowstone River being the largest collectors of the park's runoff. However, Shoshone and Lewis lakes drain into the Snake River, then the Columbia River, and eventually into the Pacific Ocean.  

Mt. Washburn Trail

The hike to the top of Mt. Washburn is one of the most popular hikes in Yellowstone. Two trails, each 3 miles (4.8 km) in length, switchback to the summit where expansive views of much of Yellowstone unfold below on clear, summer days. An enclosed observation area allows you to get out of the wind. Bighorn sheep are seen quite frequently during the summer on the upper parts of the trails. Harsh alpine conditions contribute to short growing seasons for the fragile alpine vegetation on the mountain. Please stay on the trails and do not approach sheep or other wildlife to help preserve the wildness of this area. The northern trail begins at the Chittenden Road parking area, and this is the one we took. The southern trail begins at Dunraven Pass parking area. More parking is available at the Chittenden Road Trailhead, although hikers using this trail may encounter bicycles and occasionally vehicles accessing Mt. Washburn for maintenance purposes.

Distance: 6 miles (9.6 km) roundtrip - Level of difficulty: Moderately strenuous.

 Elevation 10,243

mountain sheep that were on the trail when we descended

dead trees from the 1988 forest fires were on both sides of the trail

lupine blooming along the trail

Tower Fall - This beautiful waterfall of Tower Creek, height 132 feet, was called "Little Falls" by fur trappers. It was named Tower Fall in 1870 by members of the Washburn party from the towers and pinnacles that surround it.

There is a parking area on the road between Roosevelt and Canyon, but it gets quite crowded in mid-summer. The walk to the overlook is roughly 100 yards, while a more strenuous hike will take the visitor down to the base of the falls. However, when we were there landslides and trail work had closed the approach to the falls and you couldn't see the falls.

Basalt columns - Large eruptions of basalt lava may create deep flows of molten rock. As the rock slowly cools it shrinks slightly. The stresses cause jointing in several different planes, and columns of rock form with a generally hexagonal shape, like pencils. The flow shown here is in Yellowstone canyon where Tower Creek enters the canyon.

I was here 2 nights with each group so I took several hikes in this area in addition to seeing the hot springs terraces. I hiked the Bunsen Peak trail with Timberline and the Beaver Points Loop and Snow Pass with World Outdoors. In addition I had an opportunity to soak in Boiling River with both groups and went into Gardiner on the old stagecoach road for dinner and had a 1 hour horseback ride with World Outdoors.

How did the Hot Springs get there? Rain and melted snow seep underground. A magma chamber left behind after a volcanic eruption 640,000 years ago heats the water.

While most Yellowstone hydrothermal features are made from the mineral rhyolite, Mammoth Hot Springs' formations are limestone, deposited by an ancient sea. Hot underground water contains a weak acid that dissolves the limestone and carries it to the surface through cracks. Limestone redeposits at the surface, forming rock as fast as one foot per year.

As if all this weren't enough, nature adds color to the wedding-cake-white stone layers. Heat-loving organisms called thermophiles, colorless and yellow in the hottest water and orange brown and green in cooler pools, tint the landscape like a watercolor painting.

Although many of the rocks you see in the world were made millions or even billions of years ago, in Yellowstone National Park, two kinds of rock, geyserite and travertine, are forming right now. You can practically watch it happen.

Geyserite is the most common of these rocks. It is formed wherever relatively alkaline hot springs percolate out of the ground. Some places to see geyserite are Upper Geyser Basin (where Old Faithful and Castle geysers are located) and the Fountain Paint Pot area in Lower Geyser Basin. The process of building geyserite deposits starts when hot water dissolves silica from underlying volcanic rocks. When the water reaches the surface as hot springs or geysers, it cools, and geyserite (hydrous silicon dioxide) forms. Look closely at the closeup of the biscuits of Solitary Geyser on page 146to see the biscuit-shaped geyserite knobs.

Travertine is another rock that's forming now. It is relatively rare in Yellowstone, but it makes up the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces, near the park's North Entrance. Travertine is made of calcium carbonate, which the hot spring water dissolves from the limestone that lies below Mammoth. How the limestone got there is itself an interesting story. Over 300 million years ago (now we're into geological ages!) this area was covered by shallow seas rather than by mountains. Living in the seas were innumerable marine organisms with shells. When they died, their shells gradually became cemented together to form the limestone.

Mammoth Hot Springs Area Map

as we were driving up the old stagecoach road to Gardiner we saw a small herd of elk grazing on the lawn and stopped for a picture

Height 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. 

This spring resembles a painter's palette, thus the name. Water flows from the flat area and then down a steep ridge. The microorganisms and bacteria create a palette of brown, green, and orange.

view of Mammoth Junction from the Terraces

Mound Terrace

 Once the area's most beautifully-colored spring, Mound Terrace has been inactive in recent decades. Jupiter Terrace overtook the boardwalk several times in the 1980s, but then dried up in 1992.

New Blue Spring

This spring forms a pool on the top of the terrace. Like geysers, these springs will periodically come to life and spill over the terraces. The cycle can however be unpredictable and dormant periods can last months and years.

New Blue Spring

Temperature 160°F This spring is part of the Main Terrace, which includes Blue, Jupiter, Naiad and Main springs. All the springs have had intermittent activity, but Canary has been the most regular spring in the group. The name Canary was in reference to the yellow filamentous algae growing along the edge of the spring, and may have been named by the 1904 Hague Expedition. But now Canary Spring is known for its ultramarine-colored pool. The water flowing down the face of the terrace has created multi-colored bands of algae and cyanobacteria.  

Hymen Terrace & Cleopatra Terrace

(this photo shows a view near the beginning of the trail

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

view of some hoodoos along the trail & the mountains in the background and looking down on the hoodoos from above

view from the top of Mammoth Terraces & Mammoth Junction

view from the top

a grouse on the trail

Yellowstone Canyon

a deer we saw in the parking lot

my first view of the Yellowstone River

Canyon Colors

Mineral stains mark the sites of hot springs and steam vents in the canyon walls. For thousands of years, upwardly percolating fluids have altered the chemistry of the rocks, turning them yellow, red, white, and pink. From the rim, the bright patches of color are the most visible evidence of hot spots. Puffs of steam, visible on all but the warmest days of summer, mark areas of ongoing thermal activity in the canyon.

the 308-foot Lower Falls from Artist's Point, the Rim Trail, & Uncle Tom's Trail

the 209-foot Upper Falls

Upper Falls from the brink overlook

Northern Half of Grand Teton National Park

We stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge 3 nights

Southern Half of Grand Teton National Park

We hiked 14.4 miles to Lake Solitude one day and  5.5 miles to Taggart & Bradley Lakes on the last day.

to continue viewing the second part of the Yellowstone & Grand Tetons trip,

 click here 

Yellowstone II

for pictures of other vacations return to the Vacation Photos page