Three Seasons In Yellowstone National Park - The Fall

Yellowstone is an active super-volcanic park and boasts a grand display of vivid geothermal features, perhaps the only one of its kind in the world. As noted on the park website, it's home to more than 10,000 features of which more than 300 are geysers.  With all its spectacular flora, fauna, and natural wonders, this park has been given a deserving place in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. 

West Thumb Geyser Basin

The geothermal features in the park are:

Hot springs: Hot Springs are formed when superheated groundwater surfaces into a wide pool without any constrictions in its plumbing system. The hot water cools down on reaching the surface and gets replaced by hotter water from below and this cycle continues till someday the water depletes from the ground reservoir or there are constrictions formed in the passage which results in the formation of fumaroles or geysers.

Image Source: Internet

Geysers: Geysers are Hot Springs with constrictions in the passage of groundwater rising to the surface. The constrictions, usually near the surface, prevent the water from circulating freely. The hot water fails to cool and high-pressure steam is formed below the surface which eventually explodes outwards in the form of a geyser. Water is expelled faster than it can enter the geyser's plumbing system, and the heat and pressure gradually decrease. The eruption stops when the water reservoir depletes or when the system cools down.

Fumaroles in the Mud Volcano basin

Fumaroles: Fumaroles or steam vents, occur in openings like cracks and fissures in volcanic regions when superheated water (with temperatures as high as 280 F (138 C) vaporizes before reaching the surface due to a drop in pressure or due to the short supply of water in the underground reservoir. Steam and other gases often toxic emerge from the vent, with hissing and whistling sounds similar to a pressure cooker.

Mudpots: Mudpots are acidic hot springs or fumaroles. Microorganisms convert hydrogen sulfide, rising from the depths of the earth into sulphuric acid, which breaks down surrounding rocks into clay thus forming a muddy acidic bubbling pot.

Travertine Terraces: Travertine Terraces are staggered terrace-like formations, formed from limestone or calcium carbonate deposited by the water flowing from the hot springs.

Mammoth Hot Springs Travertine Terrace

Microbial Mats and Thermophiles: Microorganisms called thermophiles (heat lovers) or extremophiles (lovers of extremity), inhabit the volcanic regions. These microorganisms when clustered together in millions form microbial mats. These microbial mats contribute to the colors of the geothermal features. An article explaining this phenomenon.

So, our third visit to Yellowstone was during a fall, long weekend after a year of our second visit. We planned to fly to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then drive down to the park through the South gate via Grand Teton National Park.

Must mention, the flight landing in Jackson Hole is one of the most spectacular I have ever seen. It's a big regret that I was too mesmerized to click a photo or take a video :(

While the oblivious 'me' was gazing aimlessly out of the aircraft window, the flight in gradual descent emerged out of the dense cottony veil of clouds, swept smoothly down through a sky passage between two snow-peaked mountains into the lap of a green grassy bowl surrounded by a tall majestic range. An unforgettable stupendous experience.

The tiny but busy airport of Jackson Hole is located amidst the breathtaking Teton range and that makes it one of those exclusive airports with the most beautiful flight landings. Anyone visiting Jackson Hole must take the flight experience at least once.

Flight take off at Jackson Hole airport

We stayed in Jackson Hole for a day and I thoroughly enjoyed its picturesque locale. The hole part of the name is quite apt. The town, indeed is located in a hole between the mountains. It is a small, cozy, laid-back, peaceful town with a lively downtown and lots of fun stuff.

Early next morning, we drove down to Yellowstone National Park. The scenic drive took almost a couple hours. On the way, we stopped at a viewpoint at Grand Teton National Park, the Jackson Lake Dam and Reservoir, and Lewis Lake. The glimpse of Grand Teton National Park was quite impressive and we were tempted to hang around longer but Yellowstone was our primary destination and we had to curb our detour having made the promise to come back later for the Teton experience.

Jackson Dam 

Lewis lake

We stayed at a lodge in Yellowstone Park for the next two days. On the fourth day, we flew out of Jackson Hole to our respective destinations. All three of my Yellowstone visits were short weekend trips and that definitely did no justice. There's lots to do, and lots to see, and it's never enough.

Geysers submerged in Yellowstone Lake

Fishing cone geyser (inactive)

One of my favorite destinations in the park is the lake. It is absolutely gorgeous and I can just sit at the beach for hours doing nothing but gazing and daydreaming :) and I really did that for a while.

Some fascinating features around the lake are the submerged pools and geysers like the fishing cone. 'The name Fishing Cone can be traced back to tales told by mountain men of a lake where you could catch a fish then immediately dunk it into hot spring and cook it on the hook.' - source: Wikipedia. 

I was told, that in the early 20th century, the park visitors could actually fish trouts in the lake and then cook them in the hot spring but since 1911, this activity has been strictly prohibited. Visitors started clogging the vents of the geysers and springs and disturbed their ecological system. Well, cooking may not be allowed today but canoeing, kayaking, and boating are and are popular activities in the park.

The Grand Canyon of Yellow Stone

 

Brink of Upper Falls

Brink of lower falls

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is another popular attraction of Yellowstone. There are many hiking trails around the area leading to the two falls and the Yellowstone River at the canyon base. We were short on time but still managed a couple of short hikes. Animal sighting during this visit was limited to the usual herds of bison and elks. I think one needs to camp around the valleys and rivers for better animal sightings. Next time.... next time :) Thankfully there's always a next time :)

The lake meets the spring

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Winter - North gate >> Part 1

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Summer - East gate >> Part 2 

So I am told, the west entry is the best since it is centrally located and provides access to all parts of the park easily. This entry is closest to Idaho Falls, Idaho. I have not stayed in the park as yet and have yet to visit it in Spring. Definitely this time it will be the West.

Three Seasons In Yellowstone National Park - The Summer

Yellowstone is one of my favorite holiday destinations. It is an active volcanic park and one of the most exotic destinations in the world. An absolute must for a nature lover. Wanting to fulfill my idiosyncratic wish to enter this volcanic extravaganza from all its five gates, I went back to the park a year after my second visit. This time in summer and through the East gate.

"Nothing ever conceived by human art could equal the peculiar vividness and delicacy of the color of these remarkable prismatic springs. Life becomes a privilege and a blessing after one has seen and thoroughly felt these incomparable types of nature's cunning skill." - Yellowstone expedition's leader, Ferdinand Hayden (Source)

'Next to the motel we lodged at, was a quaint house on a hilltop. At first glance, Edward Scissorhand's castle flashed in my mind sans the snow of course. It had an eerie magnetism about it. An engineer's unfinished dream, the Smith Mansion in Wapity Valley is an example of unique artistry. Francis Smith had started this project as a house for his family but soon lost himself entirely to the madness of building it (such as the story explained by the motel owner). He single-handedly pieced every part of this five-storied fantasy. Whether it was bringing the partial fire-damaged lodgepole pines from the nearby rattlesnake mountains or designing the fairy tale dining table, shaping the giant swing, crafting the elkhorn door knobs, or constructing the elegant gable roofs, day after day for 12 long years he dedicated himself to this solo task. There was also a little love story attached to the legend and this solitary insane involvement. It is said, that so deep was Mr. Smith's love for his wife, that when she separated from him, he directed all his devotion and energy to build this dream project with such intense passion that even his death came from a fall while working on a balcony during one of the crazy westerlies visit, Wyoming is (in)famous for.'

. The Story. 

So, our summer trip to Yellowstone happened on the July 4th long weekend. We planned to base our trip from Cody, Wyoming. We started our drive from Fargo and it took almost half a day to reach Cody via Billings, Montana. 

On our way to Cody, we were literally chased by a storm. We could see the dark clouds following us with great speed while the radio kept announcing storm alerts. That was one interesting race. Well we did eventually escape it by taking shelter in a small town deli. 

We booked a hotel on the outskirts of Cody since all lodges in the park were already booked due to the peak holiday season. Lesson learned: If planning to stay in the park, plan ahead and book ahead, particularly during national holidays and summers.

'Most scenic 52 miles in the United States' was quoted by President Roosevelt for the 45-minute Buffalo Bill scenic byway drive from Cody to Yellowstone, through the gorgeous volcanic Absaroka range. I would second Teddy Roosevelt anytime. The drive indeed was spectacular. If not the best, it definitely was one of the best. 

Lake Yellowstone which is a part of the Yellowstone caldera is one of the first features one meets when entering through the east gate. 

Map of the main geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park. It doesn't include the Norris Basin in the northwest, which I could not visit during this trip.

West Thumb Geyser Basin with a glimpse of the Yellowstone Lake. 

The Old Faithful is one of the tallest geysers in the world erupting up to a height of about 185 ft. In fact, I had the notion that it is the tallest till I learned at the park that the steamboat geyser in the Norris basin is the tallest shooting up to a height of about 390 ft, though extremely irregular and unpredictable thus, conferring the more frequent and predictable Old faithful the position of being the most popular. The last major eruptions of steamboats were witnessed in 2013 and 2014.  List of the tallest geysers in the world.

Quite by accident, we met a Bullsnake in the upper geyser basin. We were told this snake is aggressive but non-venomous and is the largest snake species in North America. It has a unique skin pattern and is easily identifiable. Black/brown/yellowish stripes on top and three layers of black/brown spots on both sides. Usually, these snakes are 4-6 ft long. This one was almost 5 ft long.

We met herds of bison and elks in Lamar Valley. This particular bison was the largest of the lot.

Sapphire Pool, Excelsior pool, Turquoise pool (left to right, above), and Opal pool are some of the most exotic pools of the middle geyser basin. The exquisite colors of these hot spring pools are due to the varied layers of microbial mats in these basins, the varied depths, and the varied levels of temperature. The spectral reflection depends on the optical absorption by the mats and scattering by the water and the incident solar and diffuse skylight conditions (as explained by a study conducted by Montana State University). One of the most dramatic plays of colors is seen in the largest hot spring in the park, the Grand Prismatic Spring.  It is one of the popular hotspots of the park.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Opal pool

Shell Geyser

The Excelsior geyser was the second tallest geyser in the world spouting up to a height of 300 ft. but after its major eruption in 1890, it has not spouted very high. Many of the tall but unpredictable geysers are located in the western Norris basin, (which I couldn't visit during this visit), the lower basin, and the upper basin.

Jewel Geyser

There is a collection of smaller geysers like shells and jewels in the biscuit basin, which is one of the most volatile and unpredictable basins in the park. It's been so named because of the biscuit-like deposits around the geysers.

Paint pots

Firehole waterfalls

The lower geyser basin is the largest basin in the park and has some popular attractions like the Great Fountain geyser which can unpredictably shoot up to 230 ft. We missed the geyser eruption but it is a predictable geyser and spouts over 200 ft. There are many mud pools, paint pots, and hot springs in this basin as well. Further west from this basin are the Fire hole waterfalls.

Firehole river along the Midway Geyser basin

The Angel 'travertine' terrace of the Mammoth hot springs. 

A beautiful sunset on our way back through South Dakota

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Winter - North gate >> Part 1

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Fall - South gate >> Part 3 

Three Seasons In Yellowstone National Park - The Winter

Mammoth Hotspring

'It had snowed and most of the southern routes in the park were closed. My friend accidentally drove our car into an unpaved, wet mountain trail hardly wide enough for a car. I was pukish, dazed, scared out of my wits. My anxious stare fixed itself straight ahead, hoping against hope that the bad stretch would end and the road would widen but to my utter dismay, the road kept getting steeper, narrower, and wetter. I found my pulse racing as the trail reached a sudden dead end. A snow track meant for snowmobiles lay ahead of us with a big warning sign, 'Do not loiter, wild animals around'. A black bear instantly paid a visit to my already terrified thoughts and before I could voice it aloud, I noticed my friend attempting to take a three-point turn. 'Jeez, is he out of his mind? There's not enough room?, horrified, I blurted out, 'STOP!! I want to walk back. I was late by seconds, he had already made the move. Stupefied, I surveyed the mountain on one side and the deep canyon on the other while my nervous hands clutched onto his jacket, my eyes wide open and my last breath stuck in my throat. A teeny weeny mistake and we might never be found. There was a slight skid on the snowy sludge and I went blank. Surprisingly, my friend remained calm and composed. He seemed to be in absolute control of the car, he had no choice but to be and I am grateful he was. I was a nervous wreck :P The next many minutes were one of the longest and scariest in my life. Miraculously, his remarkable display of sangfroid brought us back to safe ground.' 

One of my favorite places on earth is Yellowstone National Park. Seated on the Yellowstone caldera, the largest active supervolcano of North America, it is the first national park in the USA and one of the first in the world. It had been a silly wish of mine to enter the park through all its five gates. I could manage three gates in three seasons so far. My first visit to the park was in late February when only the North gate through Gardiner, Montana is kept open. 

We traveled by road from Fargo, North Dakota, via Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota, and Billings, Montana, and returned via Mount Rushmore and the Badlands National Park, South Dakota. It was a 17-hour drive from Fargo to Gardiner including the breaks at Billings and Theodore National Park. Of the five-day vacation, we stayed three days in Gardiner and one day in Rapid City, South Dakota on our way back.

The Majestic Rockies

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

The Roosevelt Gate, North Entrance to Yellowstone

The green section of the road is open all year round and the only section accessible in winter. Parts of the other roads are open only to Snowmobiles and Snow vehicles.

Elk, Big horn sheep, and the Pronghorn

A Mule doe, a Bison herd, and a Bison

The winter visit meant lots of animals, probably because there were fewer visitors compared to summer and autumn or maybe we just got lucky. We saw a black bear, a red fox, a bald eagle from a distance, and herds of bison, elks, pronghorns, mule deer, big horn sheep, and also black-billed magpies. 

One of the major attractions of the park is the Mammoth Hot Springs on Travertine Hill. It is one of the largest complexes of hot springs. The white, orange, red, and green formations with bubbling steam are one of nature's magnificent wonders.

Travertine terrace with orange-yellow sulphur melts

The Mammoth Terrace is the world's largest calcium carbonate-depositing spring

From the park, we drove down to Cooke City, a small town of barely 10 families. This town can be accessed, only through Yellowstone's north-east gate all year round and between May and October from the east through Beartooth highway, which is considered one of the most scenic routes in the US. Beartooth Pass remains open for only 5 months a year because of its high elevation and snow blocks. It is the only route to enter Yellowstone through the North-east gate.

Lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta var. latifalia - these pines are twisted in other parts, hence the nomenclature 'contorta' but the rocky mountain variety grows straight) make up 80% of the canopy in Yellowstone. Interesting article on why the forest fires are important in the park: article

Scenic drives to Cooke city

       

Yellowstone River on the way from Gardiner, high sulfur content makes the water yellowish. The early French trappers who discovered the Yellowstone geothermal region, named it roche jaune (yellow rock) and hence, the name Yellowstone.

Soda Butte, an extinct geyser

Most of the park's geothermal basins and the caldera are located in the south and are accessible only after April depending on the weather and road conditions but that does not make a winter trip futile. Yellowstone is nature's treasure trove. Absolutely breathtaking. One can spend time in nature's gorgeous lap, camping, trekking, or animal sighting. There are a few lodges in the park, which should be pre-booked or one can stay in lodges in the entry port towns. We stayed in the Gardiner entry port for the north entrance. We regretted not camping. Perhaps next time. Someday I would love to come camp in an RV :)

The valleys and...

...the creeks

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Summer -  East gate >> Part 2

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Fall - South gate >> Part 3