Today started at the Visitor Information Building in West Yellowstone, Montana. Even though this was located just outside the National Park there were still Park Rangers working here. The girls picked up their Jr. Ranger books and we picked up information to help us plan our time. There was a table with skulls and pelts from wildlife in the Park on display. The girls were very interested and spent time checking it out while we talked with the Ranger.
Yellowstone is the world's first national park and full of geological wonders. It is set atop a supervolcano and provides opportunities to visit geysers, hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, canyons, rivers, waterfalls, forests, mountains, valleys and a wide variety of wildlife. It is a much bigger park than most others we've visited on this trip. The roads through the park consist of two major loops. The upper loop is 70 miles and the lower loop is 96 miles. Today we decided to focus on the lower loop.
One of the big features throughout the lower loop is the occurrence of geothermal activity. It didn’t take long upon starting the loop to see evidence of this. In the distance we could see a cloud of white smoke coming up from the ground.
Shortly after that we noticed a turn for Fountain Flat Drive, followed this to a hot spring and parked. As we got out of the truck we realized Lily had fallen asleep. We let her finish her cat nap while we went to get a better look.
We finished the tour along Fountain Flat Drive and returned to the main loop. In the distance we could see many areas of steam rising from the ground. This was coming from the first big destination on the loop, Fountain Paint Pots.
Nerves set in as we pulled up to the parking lot because at first glance it looked very full. Thankfully our concerns went unfounded and we were able to get a spot without too much trouble. Next to the walkway from the parking lot sat the most incredible downed tree root “sculpture”.
The Fountain Paint Pots trail was a great spot to start because on this .5 mile trail we were able to walk along a boardwalk to experience geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mudpots. The very first thing we did was have the girls read the safety sign so they understood just how important it was to stay on the boardwalk. Below are some pictures of stops along the trail.
Celestine Pool - hot spring with a beautiful sky blue color
Bacteria Mat - bacteria and other microorganisms form ribbons of color on the ground
Silex Spring - hot spring
Fountain Paint Pot - mudpot
Fumaroles - Gases from the earth rush through a natural vent making hissing and roaring sounds
Clepsydra Geyser - Erupts almost constantly
Once we finished this incredible trail we headed to the truck to continue the lower loop. The next stop was Firehole Lake Drive a 3-mile, one-way road off the main loop. Below are some pictures of stops along that road.
Firehole Spring - hot spring
A couple hot springs with no name
While looking at these two springs we met a nice family with a dog that Ella and Lily fell in love with. We spent quite some time talking with them while the girls played with their dog.
White Dome Geyser
Firehole Lake, Black Warrior Lake & Hot Cascades
The next big destination of the day was Midway Geyser Basin which is a small collection of very large sized springs. There is a short 1/2 mile boardwalk trail that winds through these features. Below are some pictures of stops along this trail.
Excelsior Geyser - Rare and erratic eruptions but constantly pumps out boiling water at a rate of 4000 gallons per minute over the crater rim into the Firehole River.
Grand Prismatic Spring - Yellowstone's largest hot spring.
370 feet in diameter and more than 121 feet deep.
Hoof marks from animals that have walked into the spring
Our next stop was Old Faithful, a geyser that erupts like clockwork about every 90 minutes or so. This is a popular destination in the park that draws very large crowds. The area has a visitor center, two lodges, an inn, gift shop and a cafe. Fortunately there is a large parking lot and we grabbed the first spot we could find. It was already 2pm and we did not eat lunch yet so we brought our cooler with hopes to find a picnic table. As we walked through the parking lot the sky opened up and it began to pour. We quickly ran into the gift shop. Inside we found a pub table and stood around it to eat our lunch and wait for the storm to pass. Many others also escaped the rain in this same area making it very congested. We browsed the gift shop after eating until the rain let up and moved on to the visitor center.
We arrived at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center about 30 minutes prior to the next eruption. As we were walking out to this enormous geyser we stumbled upon a Ranger Talk and stayed to listen. It was very windy and overcast so the girls and I stayed right there since there were benches and 2/3 of the back wall was made of windows. Adam went outside to take pictures. When Old Faithful erupted it was truly one of the most fascinating sights I have ever seen. The geyser started to spit out plumes of steam at quicker intervals at first. Then it started to steam continuously. And slowly the eruption started. At it’s peak the eruption shot extremely high into the air and then slowly went lower and lower until it went still and dry.
After the eruption we explored the visitor center. There was a large museum with many exhibits and activities for the kids.
Next we watched the visitor center movie. After it ended the geyser was expected to erupt in about 20 minutes. We all agreed we wanted to see it happen one more time. It had turned very cold outside so Adam went and moved the truck closer to the visitor center. Since it was late in the evening there were many spots available. The kids and I explored more exhibits and information while we waited. Then we all went back to the window to watch it again and it was just as amazing to see it the second time.
During one of our stops today I struck up a conversation with a very kind woman who frequently visits Yellowstone. She told me to make sure we do not miss the Old Faithful Inn. After the second eruption finished we followed her advice and were very glad we did.
They had a casual bar restaurant here called the Bear Pit. It was perfect for a quick dinner and some hot drinks. The girls each got hot chocolate, I got coffee and Adam got a hot apple cider. We all shared burgers and wings.
We meandered around the lodge’s gift shop after dinner. I found dark chocolate huckleberry truffles and bought one for each of us to have for our dessert. As we walked back to the truck we witnessed another spectacular sky changing as the sun set. Driving out of the park we had a hard time believing that we did so much today yet didn't even finish one third of the lower loop.
