Yellowstone National Park
Spanning three states, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 as America's first national park. The park is an internationally famous landmark and is one of the most visited parks in the United States. Yellowstone is home to a large variety of wildlife, extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.Since the south entrance to the park is not open until mid-May, we headed from Jackson over Teton Pass into Idaho to hit the opening day of the west entrance. We immediately saw elk, bison and even a couple of wolves.
We stayed near Mammoth Hot Springs in the only campground in the park open year-round, which although nice, was situated a bit too close to the road for my tastes. However the campground put us within walking distance of the geothermal features in the area, which can be accessed from a series of boardwalks. At Mammoth Hot Springs, a rarer kind of spring is born when the hot water ascends through ancient limestone deposits to produce a strikingly unique landscape of flowing waters sculpting magnificent travertine limestone terraces.
We were thrilled to find the road to the canyon overlooks open to vehicle traffic. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is an astounding sight, with rushing waterfalls and the vast canyon showing off the yellow rocks that give the park its name. The colors in the canyon are also a result of hydrothermal alteration which is, in effect, oxidation; the canyon is rusting. Most of the yellows in the canyon are the result of iron present in the rock rather than sulfur, as many people think.
Of course a visit to Old Faithful is a requisite of almost any visit to Yellowstone. With half of the earth’s geothermal features, the park holds the planet’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. These amazing features combined with the everpresent wildlife make Yellowstone is a place like no other and a magical park to visit and enjoy.
We were thrilled to find the road to the canyon overlooks open to vehicle traffic. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is an astounding sight, with rushing waterfalls and the vast canyon showing off the yellow rocks that give the park its name. The colors in the canyon are also a result of hydrothermal alteration which is, in effect, oxidation; the canyon is rusting. Most of the yellows in the canyon are the result of iron present in the rock rather than sulfur, as many people think.
Of course a visit to Old Faithful is a requisite of almost any visit to Yellowstone. With half of the earth’s geothermal features, the park holds the planet’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles. These amazing features combined with the everpresent wildlife make Yellowstone is a place like no other and a magical park to visit and enjoy.
Old Faithful
Posted by Rebekah at 5/4/2010 12:56 PM 
Categories: National Parks, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Lower 48
Categories: National Parks, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Lower 48
Comments