Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park, 9.26.21 - 10.6.21, Part 2 of 11
Going to Yellowstone at the very tail end of September into early October is a gamble. Possibly every person that we mentioned our plan to felt obligated to let us know we could get snowed on. We were well aware of the risk. However, we were so excited about the possibility that it could just as easily be beautiful clear, crisp, autumn weather at the very peak of the fall colors, it was a risk well worth taking. That gamble paid off in huge dividends. We had spectacular weather every day of the trip. Most days there was not even a cloud in the sky. The mornings were cold but crisp and we typically shed layers by nine or ten in the morning. Afternoons were t-shirt weather but temps dropped by late afternoon.
On our second full day in Yellowstone, we had a monster day planned. Leaving at seven, we got to Norris Geyser Basin just around sunrise. This is the most hydrothermal and hottest region of the park with a record setting temperature recorded in a spring at 459 degrees! We were really looking forward to the loop hike through it all but being the coldest morning of the trip (temps were in the teens), the boardwalks that make up most of the loop trail were completely covered in rime ice and it would be impossible to walk on so with a tear in our eye, we moved on.
The only steam vent we were able to see in Norris Geyser Basin
Our next stop was The Artist’s Paint Pots. This area had a short loop hike that went up and around a hillside covered in thermal features. The combination of steam vents billowing puffy white clouds, the low early morning sun almost glowing on every long blade of tri-colored grass, rich in the full deep colors of autumn with drops of dew frozen on each tip was magical.
Such a warm smile on a frosty morning
Above Artist’s Paint Pots
Above Artist’s Paint Pots
Magical morning
Steam vents by the boardwalk trail
Autumn grasses and steam pools
Leaving the Paint Pots we passed by Madison Junction and took a short one way road called Firehole Canyon Drive. This was exactly as advertised. It was a short two mile side road through a narrow section of the Firehole River. Speaking of rivers, there are several major rivers in Yellowstone including the Lamar, The Yellowstone, The Firehole, The Gibbon, The Madison, The Gardner and The Lewis. So far, my favorite is the Firehole River, whose headwaters start in the lower southwestern part of the park before flowing down the western side past Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic until it joins the Madison at Madison Junction. From the color of the almost teal water to the brilliantly colored orange and white rock pouring into the river and steam rising from a myriad of geysers and vents, even right at the water’s edge, the Firehole River is unlike any river I’ve ever set my eyes on.
Firehole Falls
Firehole Canyon Drive reconnects with the Grand Loop Road and soon after we opted to drive through Firehole Lake Drive. This was a wise decision. What a cool area! This area had several cone geysers, geysers that looked like mini volcanoes. Other geysers emanated from large spring pools. It wasn’t a long loop road but it sure had a lot of great features.
Great Fountain Geyser. I later saw a photo of this geyser spouting at sunset and the water in the spring is a blazing orange reflection of the sky.
Pink Cone Geyser
Despite our inability to see Norris Geyser Basin, our timing for the day was working out perfectly. The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest spring in the U.S. and only two other springs in the world are larger. It is 160 degrees and 160 feet deep. The colors are otherworldly. There are two ways to view the Grand Prismatic. Last year on our visit, we logically pulled into the Grand Prismatic parking lot and hiked up the boardwalk to the edge of the Spring. What we found though is that due to the angle and the mist coming off the water, you can only see a small portion of the microbial mats surrounding the spring. I had seen photos of the Grand Prismatic from above and realized that the trail leading to a hillside overlook started from somewhere else. We did not have the time on that trip to explore it so I knew when I returned I had to get to the overlook.
When I mentioned that our timing was perfect, it was referencing arriving at the Grand Prismatic around 11:30AM. The Spring typically tends to have the deepest, richest color when the sun is high in the sky and the light shines down deep into the pool.
Grand Prismatic
Grand Prismatic
Grand Prismatic
We stopped for lunch just south of the Grand Prismatic at Black Sand Basin. We hadn’t planned to stop here but the springs and geysers right next to the Firehole River were really beautiful. I’d like to go back there and see more of it.
Firehole River at Black Sand Basin
Spring at Black Sand Basin
Spring at Black Sand Basin
On to Part 3 of 11!