Carly Kovacik and myself explored Yellowstone National Park a few days before the start of fall. The park was about what we expected...lot's of geothermal activity, abundant natural beauty, occasional wildlife, and big crowds (though the crowds were probably not as bad as peak summer numbers). Carly and I stopped at Old Faithful, and discovered we just missed an eruption. So we headed north on Highway 191 and walked around the boardwalk next to Grand Prismatic Spring. This is the third largest hot spring in the world, and largest in the United States. The water was boiling, steam was swirling over the landscape, and a multitude of colors covered the soil under the water...a product of thermophile bacteria. There was also an overlook sitting atop a bluff that gave an impressive view of the colorful spring from up high, which we accessed from a trailhead located a mile or so south of the boardwalk.
After Grand Prismatic, we headed north on 191 to Highway 89, and then drove an hour to Mammoth Hot Springs. The most impressive part of Mammoth is the multiple terraces that cover the landscape, which form when acid dissolves limestone that subsequently solidified at the surface. We hiked around the terraces for about 30 minutes, but had to cut things short due to a strong shower spreading east across our location. We decided to eat an early dinner just north of the border in Gardiner, Montana, stopping at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill. That place is awesome, especially when seated outside on the patio which overlooks the surrounding mountains and the Yellowstone River flowing swiftly below. After a fantastic meal and a couple of beers we drove south back into the park and tried to watch the last Old Faithful eruption lit by daylight. We made it to the geyser just in time to watch its last spurt of steam and water. We then explored the inside of the Old Faithful Inn, which is a really impressive cathedral-like wooden inn that captures the setting sun perfectly.
YouTube video is here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWt_PnVqvhY]. Google map location is here.
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