Day 8, September 7, 2019 -- Northwest Mountain Expedition

Day 8, September 7, 2019 … North End of Yellowstone

Once again we were up before sun rise to book it down to Yellowstone National Park at the North Entrance just outside of Gardiner.  It was a beautiful drive from Livingston, of course, and we spent the day exploring much of what nature has to offer in the northern loop.

First a little geology lesson.  Yellowstone hosts four types of thermal features, and we had the opportunity to view them all today.

       1)    Fumaroles (steam vents) – Fumaroles are vents in the earth’s crust. When some groundwater comes into contact with hot underground rocks, steam is created and is forced through cracks and vents, sometimes creating a loud hiss or roar.

2    2)    Mudpots – When microorganisms helps convert hydrogen sulfide into sulfuric acid. The acid dissolves the surrounding rock into clay, which mixes with rising steam and groundwater to form mud of varying colors and consistencies.

3     3)   Hot Springs – These are similar to geysers but there is no constriction in their plumbing. The beautiful colors are caused by light refraction, suspended mineral particles and heat-loving microorganisms.

4     4)  Geysers -- These are hot springs with the habit of tossing underground water and steam into the air like a giant pressure cooker.  Pressure from the underground plumbing pushes water up through narrow, constricted places in the rocks sending up both water and steam into plumes of up to 300ft.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs – This was our first stop today, which was particularly enjoyable because there were few tourists.  We also delighted in seeing cow and calf elk in the Visitor Center area, plus another bull elk with a few more cows right next to the Hot Springs.  As they walked up the side of the mountain, we could hear the bull sing his mating call, as this is the rutting season! And … as we climbed up the stairs and walked the boardwalk on the Hot Springs, we spotted another bull elk and quite a few more cows along the ridge more than 500 yards away. Quite exciting.  Of course, the Mammoth Hot Springs is an amazing phenomenon in itself with its terraces, its steaming vents, colored water and various colors of travertine rock, formed by the mineral rich water.  It is a constantly changing mound that is quite a sight to behold.  Above the Hot springs we took a little side trip of twists and turns to overlook the top of it, as well as marvel at the smaller Orange Mound with its vivid colors and little, constantly bubbling fountain on the top of one corner.

Hoodoo Boulders – These are mostly free-standing columns of rock that gives the

Hoodoo Boulders

appearance of a land of giants.  Driving between them was fun – different!

Sheepeater Cliff – This is an interesting formation of basalt columns named after The Eastern Shoshone local Indians. They were formed by lava that flowed across the area about half a million years ago, and then Mother Nature wore the deposits down to create the unique pipe-organ look.  Interesting!

Sheepeater Cliff

As we continued traveling south along the west edge of the Park, a lone bison decided to take the same route. Unfortunately for him, this particular portion of the road was a steep cliff upward on one side and a steep cliff downward on the other side.  His solution – walk down the middle of the road!  Of course, this stopped all traffic for some time until we could slowly inch past him. An exciting experience!

Roaring Mountain – This mountain got its name from the raging fumaroles that at one time could be heard from quite a distance. It is not as loud today both because the thermal activity beneath the mountain is not as intense as it was 100 years ago.  and modern noise pollution mutes the impact of the fumaroles. Another interesting beauty.

Emerald Spring

Norris Geyser Basin – This is an amazing area of hot springs, geysers and fumaroles. Steamboat Geyser is the world’s tallest currently-active geyser. It has two vents about 20 feet apart with the north vent exhibiting the tallest water columns, about 300 feet erupting for anywhere between 4-30 minutes.  The geyser was inactive for about 50 years, but since 1961 it has erupted sporadically. The most recent was three days ago!  In between major eruptions, there are smaller eruptions shooting up 6 – 40 feet every 2 – 5 minutes.  Very impressive.

Steamboat Springs

Another interesting geyser was Echinus, the park’s only acidic geyser. We hiked past many, many more geysers and hot springs, each a little different and unique, yet the same.  Pictures don’t do this justice, as one must actually see the vastness of the area and its kaleidoscope of colors, view the many scattered eruptions of steam coming from the earth, hear the hissing, bubbling and gurgling coming from the ground and smell the sulfur in the area!  Simply awesome.

Porcelain Basin -- Many geysers in Norris Basin

We enjoyed a picnic lunch along the river bank of Gibbon Creek, along with two

Blood Geyser

monstrous ravens, who keep the entire picnic area immaculate. What a beautiful, peaceful location!

View of Artists Paint Pot

Artists Paintpots –  This little gem hosts several colorful hot springs, a large percolating mud pot, some fumaroles and a couple of geysers. Another beautiful spot!

We now head east across the Park to Canyon Village where we had an opportunity to shop, rest a bit and enjoy some ice cream before continuing our exploration of the Park.  From there we head north along the eastern ring of the park and encounter some jaw-dropping vistas from elevations ranging from 6,000 to 8,859 feet at Dunraven Pass.  We also ventured up a side dirt road to view Mt. Washburn, 10,243 feet, and the surrounding mountains and valleys.  So, so stunning!

View of Dunraven Pass

In Antelope Valley we spotted a few lone bison. Bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds but can run as fast as 30 mph … so we don’t mess with them!  There are about 3,500 in the park.  We also saw a couple more lone bulls as we rounded to the Northern Range.

Tower Falls

Tower Falls – This falls along Tower Creek drops 132 feet into a narrow valley before joining the Yellowstone.  Surrounding the creek at the top are several rock pinnacles which adds interest to the scene.  A little further along we stopped to view the northern edge of the gorgeous Yellowstone River Canyon.  Another beautiful vista.

The northern end of the Yellowstone River Canyon

One of the best recommendations we received when visiting Yellowstone is to download the Gypsy Guide App on our cell phone.  It costs a few $$, but we found the information given during our drive, guided by our GPS location, to be very helpful and informative. Just a few tid bits of info about the park –- 

Pronghorn Antelope

The Pronghorn Antelope is the second-fasted animal in the world (the cheetah being the first), being able to run up to 46 mph.  There are about 300 bears, both black and grizzly, in the park. Wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone in 1995, and scientists have noted several ecological benefits to bringing back those predators.  Approximately 80 percent of the evergreens in the Park are Lodge Pole Pines, which can live up to 200 years. Intense heat is needed to release the seeds inside its pine cones.  Since the devastating 1988 fire which destroyed almost a million acres in the Park, Rangers have changed their approach to fires, recognizing that they are a necessary benefit to the forests. The new growth of lodge pole pines since the fire is impressive.

As an added bonus, we saw more Pronghorn Antelope as we left the park and more elk in the adjacent town of Gardiner.  It’s been another great day for viewing wildlife and an awesome day for our expedition to the sights and sounds and smells of our nation’s first National Park!