Yellowstone – Grand Prismatic Spring, Fairy Falls, & Imperial Geyser
The Fairy Falls hike is one of the most popular and rewarding hikes in the park. The trail begins with a 0.5 mile steep climb to the Grand Prismatic Overlook. The remainder of this 5 mile roundtrip hike is relatively flat to first, Fairy Falls, then Imperial Geyser.
What is there to say about this spring? It is spectacular with all the colors of the rainbow that are so bright and vivid. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the US and the third largest in the world.
Fairy Falls has about a 200 ft drop and we enjoyed a nice snack here on our way back from Imperial Geyser.
We were able to get really close to this geyser and could feel the immense heat it generates. It made the air around it very humid. (My hair was not happy.) The sulfur smell was overwhelming as we stood and took pictures.
Yellowstone – Grand Canyon
When I started planning this trip, I knew I wanted to see bison and Old Faithful. I had no idea that there was a Grand Canyon within Yellowstone’s borders. The park was actually named after the yellow stones that are within the canyon walls.
The canyon length is 20 miles and more than 1,000 feet deep with a width of 1,500 – 4,000 feet. The Grand Canyon is made more impressive by the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.
View from Artist Point. This is one the most photographed views in Yellowstone. Framed by the canyon walls with forests for a backdrop, the Yellowstone River thunders more than 308 feet over Lower Falls. We saw several artists painting and drawing the views.
View of the Lower Falls from Lookout Point
Brink of the Lower Falls View
Brink of the Upper Falls (see the rainbow)
View from the Grand View Overlook of the Lower Falls
View from the Red Rock Point of the Lower Falls
View of Lower Falls from Grand View Overlook
There were several trails along the South Rim that we would’ve liked to hike, but were closed due to construction. Next time.
Yellowstone – Geysers Galore
We spent the day exploring the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone. We had expectations of watching Old Faithful, then touring the area. Quick in and out – nope. Walking through the area engages your brain to consider both the science and the beauty of what is before you. But first the manmade stuff…
It’s hard to imagine how any work could have been accomplished with snow and ice blanketing the region, but the historic Old Faithful Inn was constructed over one winter in 1903. It is a massive log structure, with an open-beam lobby, and rock fireplace. Room rates start at $300/ night.
On to nature…
In the early morning, the steam from the geysers can be seen from far away. It appears like there are dozens of camp fires that are on the verge of burning out.
Beehive Geyser is magnificent. Eruptions usually occur twice each day with displays lasting 4 – 5 minutes. During an eruption, the narrow cone acts like a nozzle, projecting the water column to heights of 130 – 190 ft. The higher the sediment build up around the geyser, the older it is.
Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. Its average interval between eruptions varies from 60 – 110 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 – 8,400 gallons of boiling water, and reaches heights of 106 – 184 feet. It was named for its consistent performance by members of the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Its average interval has lengthened through the years (due to earthquakes and vandalism). The crowds to see Old Faithful are thick. Jockeying for bench seating near the front is common. We went around the side to avoid the chaos and were able to get an unobstructed view. You can see Old Faithful Inn in the background.
Castle Geyser has the largest cone and may be the oldest of all geysers in the basin. Its eruption pattern has changed considerably throughout its recorded history. Castle is currently erupting about every 10 – 12 hours. A water eruption frequently reaches 90 feet and lasts about 20 minutes. The water phase is followed by a noisy steam phase lasting 30 – 40 minutes.
Truly deserving its name, Beauty Pool is noted for its rich, blue water framed by rainbow-colored bacteria.
Grotto Geyser erupts about every eight hours. It splashes to a height of 10 feet for 1 1/2 to more than 10 hours. The weirdly shaped cone, that gives this geyser its name, may have resulted from geyserite covering the trunks of trees that once grew there.
Giant Geyser was dormant for many years after the energy shift in 1955. Since then, it has slowly become active again. This spectacular geyser’s eruptions last about an hour and can reach heights of 180 – 250 feet. During eruptions small geysers (Bijou, Catfish, & Mastiff) nearby may also erupt.
Crested pool is 42 feet deep and is constantly superheated. At times the temperature drops to a mere simmer but it occasionally comes to a full rolling boil as well. When boiling violently the water may dome to heights of 8 – 10 feet.
Long a favored destination for park visitors, Morning Glory Pool was named in the 1880s for its remarkable likeness to its namesake flower. However, this beautiful pool has fallen victim to vandalism. People have thrown literally tons of coins, trash, rocks, and logs into the pool. Much of the debris subsequently became embedded in the sides and vent of the spring, affecting water circulation and accelerating the loss of thermal energy. Through the years Morning Glory’s appearance has changed as its temperature dropped. Orange and yellow bacteria that formerly colored only the periphery of the spring now spread toward its center.
An eruption of Grand Geyser, the tallest predictable geyser in the world, occurs every 7 – 15 hours. A classic fountain geyser, Grand erupts from a large pool with powerful bursts rather than a steady column like Old Faithful. An average eruption lasts 9 – 12 minutes and consists of 1 – 4 bursts, sometimes reaching 200 feet. With Grand Geysers eruption you also view the nearby Vent and Turban Geysers. Grand was by far more spectacular than Old Faithful. For that reason we included the video of Grand in lieu of Old Faithful. (Thanks Bill for the background music.)
Yellowstone – Lamar Valley
One of the best scenic drives in the park is Lamar Valley. This area is in the north west part of the park and is the least visited. While tourist season was still in full swing, we wanted to explore an area that was less crowded and we are so glad we did.
The Lamar Valley has the richest diversity of landscape in the entire park.
Scientist believe that this petrified tree is 45 million years old. Anatomically it is no different than present day California Redwoods.
When we were researching Yellowstone National Park, we came across videos on youtube which showed people stuck in their cars as a herd of bison crossed the road around them. We talked about how awesome it would be to have that experience. While driving back across the park from the Lamar Valley, we saw a herd of bison in a field that seemed to be moving towards the road. We made a quick u-turn and pulled off in a roadside turnout. Watch the video below to see what happened next.
We sat in the car with the top down and it was like being in the middle of the herd. Dream come true!!!! That was a most amazing experience and one that we will not soon forget.
Yellowstone – Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone National Park is big – larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. If you are going to see it, you need a plan. We are going to be in the area for a month so we don’t need to rush, but still need to pick what is essential to visit. So how do we begin? We begin at the top. Literally the top, as in, the north west corner of the park.
As you enter the park from Montana the Roosevelt Arch looms high above to greet visitors. Named for Theodore Roosevelt, the Roosevelt Arch was the first entrance to the park.
Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone. It was created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flow into Mammoth each day in a solution). Because of the huge amount of geothermal vents, travertine flourishes. Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
The different shapes and colors makes you think you are on a different planet or somewhere in the Arctic with icicles on every surface. It is amazing to see this and know that hot water from the ground and algae have combined to create this wonderful and strange terrain.
Yellowstone – Avalanche Peak
This is where our journey to Yellowstone begins everyday – our campground. There are beautiful mountains here and so much sage that we can smell it from inside our coach. There are free roaming cattle all around us. However being in rural areas has its price, our AT&T signal is non-existent. We need to drive up the road 5 miles to make a call.
Today we are hiking Avalanche Peak. The hike is rated difficult but promises great views of the Lake Region of Yellowstone. Rangers discourage hikers from this trail in September and October due to bear activity. It’s late August and we have bear spray!!
Lake Yellowstone from the summit.
Lake Yellowstone views from the shoreline
On our way back from hiking, we saw a small herd of bison just lounging along a field next to the road.
This guy was on the road’s shoulder and right next to our car as we slowly drove by.
You can always tell when there is something to see in Yellowstone. The traffic jams that ensue upon wildlife sitings put Houston traffic to shame (not really). Some attempt to pull over, but most just stay in the roadway until the rangers come and move traffic along or the animals move away. You can see the beginnings of the snarl in the background.
