The Park Yellowstone was founded in 1872 as the
first National Park. Why a National Park? Because Wyoming and Montana weren't states yet!
But what a great place to start the National Park concept, the first of its kind in the
world. Yellowstone is unique as the home of the world's largest concentration of geysers,
bubbling mudpots and other geothermal phenomenon.
In a Word "Delightful"
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Park Review
Our Visit My family, including my wife, mom, dad, aunt, brother and
sister, all took a week long vacation to northwestern Wyoming to visit Yellowstone and
Grand Teton National Parks during July. We actually stayed in a nice cabin in Victor,
Idaho to save money, and after a day in the Grand Teton NP,
we packed 7 adults in a 7 passenger van and headed to Yellowstone.
Our Weather Couldn't have been more beautiful! Blue skies and high 80s both
days.
1. Old Faithful (July)
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Overall Impression Yellowstone is one of the most amazing places on earth.
Nowhere else can you find the concentration of geothermal phenomenon that exists in this
small corner of the world. Every day, all day long, Yellowstone's delightful geysers put
on a show more incredible than anything manmade. If this weren't enough, there are enough
deer, bison and bear to ensure everyone can get up close and personal with wildlife. The
days you spend in Yellowstone will make you beam contently for weeks and leave you waiting
to return someday.
Favorite Spot Upper Geyser Basin
Minimum Time Required In about 4 hours, you can drive a quick loop through the
park and stop for a couple of sights along the road, but having only 4 hours would be
tragic. If you only stop one place, make it the Upper Geyser Basin, home to Old
Faithful, the Old Faithful Lodge and several beautiful thermal pools.
2. "Porcelain Basin" area of the Norris Geyser Basin (July)
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A Longer Visit We would recommend two days minimum. Even two days wasn't enough
time to see everything. The first day, we came in the West Entrance and headed immediately
for the geysers. We visited the Norris Geyser Basin first. At each geyser basin is
a series of pathways which allow you to get up close and personal with the geysers, which
come in many shapes and sizes from gushing 60-foot behemoths to little spitting fountains.
Norris Geyser Basin was the least impressive, but it also changes more than any of the
other basins, many times overnight, so what was unimpressive for us may be amazing for
your visit. Norris is also home to Steamboat Geyser, the tallest active geyser in
the world--unfortunately, major eruptions are rare and totally unpredictable.
The next stop was the Upper Geyser Basin, home to Old Faithful. Old
Faithful lives up to its reputation. It isn't the biggest geyser in the Park, but it is
the biggest one that erupts several times per day (about every 70 minutes). In between
visits to the Old Faithful grandstands, you can wander the pathways through the Upper
Geyser Basin which take you by smaller geysers and several stunning blue, gold and orange
pools, the most spectacular of which is Morning Glory Pool. We finished our first
day with a quick jaunt through the Grand Prismatic Spring area and Lower Geyser
Basin where we saw (and smelled) the Fountain Paint Pots and watched the highly
active Clepsydra Geyser sputter for the entire time we were there.
3. The impressive Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (July)
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On the second day, we visited the impressive Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
with its Upper and Lower Falls, Hayden Valley to see some wildlife and the West
Thumb Geyser Basin. The neat thing about the geyser basins is that each has
significantly different feel. West Thumb lives on the edge of Yellowstone Lake, so
many of its features mingle with the lakewater. If we would have had one more day, we
would have gone to Mammoth Hot Springs and the North end of the park and the Lower
Geyser Basin.
Suggestions Get off the road! To really see the wonders of Yellowstone, you have
to hike just a little. The hikes are short, not too challenging and very rewarding. You'll
be happier if you plan at least two days. If you have to cut your trip short, the
"must see" is the Upper Geyser Basin. Not only is this home to Old Faithful and
the magnificent Old Faithful Lodge, but the area is littered with smaller geysers and
beautiful colored pools. Although the geysers are certainly the focus, the second
"must see" is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with it's magnificent Upper
and Lower Falls--this is well worth the detour.
One note about the geothermal features--they are extremely delicate! Today's Park
management does a good job of warning visitors of the delicate nature of the pools and
geysers and strictly prohibits any foreign objects from being thrown into the pools and
geysers. For some areas, it's a little too late. For example, the Minute Geyser in the
Norris Geyser Basin used to erupt every 60 seconds until some visitors threw debris into
its vent decades ago; now it just sits and sputters. Also, the Morning Glory Pool,
arguably the most beautiful in the Park, is cooling and changing colors gradually because
its throat has become partially blocked with coins and other debris thrown in by ignorant
visitors. Don't add to the mess, respect the signs, and don't be afraid to say something
to other visitors who might not be as courteous.
Don't worry too much about finding the wildlife, they'll find you, especially the bison. Bear sightings, while regular, are
certainly not gauranteed. News of bear sightings travels fast, so if you see 100 cars and
people all parked on the side of the road, chances are there's a bear to be seen nearby.
Just stop and see what the fuss is all about.
Just a warning, one of the things that never comes through in pictures is the smell of
Yellowstone! When you first hike out to a geyser basin, your nose is assaulted with a
strong sulphur smell. After a while, you get used to it and it doesn't bother you, but
just be prepared. If you want to familiarize yourself with some of Yellowstone's features
before you go, take the virtual tours under the "nature tours" section of the Yellowstone
multimedia page on the official NPS site.
Stories Sorry, This Car is Full!
Nearby Towns West Yellowstone, Gardiner, Pahaska, Jackson, Cody (Wyoming)
Other Nearby Attractions Grand Teton NP, Jackson
Hole Ski Area, Grand Targhee Ski Area, Snow King Ski Area, Snake River (white water
rafting)
Official NPS Website Yellowstone
NP
Photos
Click on thumbnails to view larger image
5. This is where Steamboat Geyser makes its very rare and unpredictable eruptions to over
300 feet making it the world's tallest active geyser. . . we didn't get to see it (July)
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6. Castle Geyser, one of the many sights in the Upper Geyser Basin. Its eruptions can be
enormous, but not on this day (July)
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7. Yet another picture from Upper Geyser Basin, this is Morning Glory Pool. There were
several pools like this, and they were all otherworldly (July)
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8. This is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and while it's not as massive as its
namesake, it's beautiful nonetheless (July)
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9. The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River is a sight to behold along with its nearby
twin, the Lower Falls (July)
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10. The bison are everywhere, and they'll let you get quite close, but be careful--they're
still wild! (July)
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11. Looks just like the back of an old nickel (July)
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12. Too bad they haven't invented smell-o-photos yet. While the Fountain Paint Pots are
neat to watch, the sulfur smell is nearly overwhelming (July)
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13. This little geyer, known as the Clepsydra Geyser, sputtered and spat for the entire
time we roamed the Lower Geyser Basin (July)
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14. This is the area around Grand Prismatic Spring. Even though we visited Yellowstone in
more than 10 years after the massive 1988 fire, damage was still evident throughout the
Park (July)
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