Yellowstone National Park – II

The second day was very memorable but before writing what we did on the second day let me write about the first night in the campsite. This was my very first camping experience. We made the tents. And it is a must to practise making the tents. We did that and even after that we took sometime to do a tent there. The first day was a totally different day. When we were near the Tower falls, there was a hailstorm and we had to park our cars. The night at the campsite was absolutely different. It was a bright day but we got ice rain and the night was too cold for us even with the sleeping bags. We got some help from the people in the nearby campsites and got a campfire.

Bison in front of our car

It was too cold and we had planned to go on a drive toward “Hayden Valley” from the “Canyon Campground” before sunrise. We (3 of us out of 12) just slept for just 3-4 hours and left early in the morning. And  it was worth the experience. We saw a bison herd crossing. We saw lots of deers and elks. The beauty about the early dawn is that the animals are active and they are in groups. It is a great sight for any wildlife lover. Then we got back to the campground and we saw yet another bear on the way. Then we headed towards the shower rooms and the old lady there told me that she has been in the park for quite a long time and she had never seen a bear yet and told us that we were lucky.

A view near Artist point

Then all of us took the second loop the bottom one. We went to see the “Grand canyon of yellowstone”. There is a north rim and south rim drive and to my memory it is a one way loop. It is really good. It may not be so great as the Grand canyon itself but it is a nice canyon. And to know the source of the water cutting the canyon, you have to see the “Upper Falls” and the “Lower Falls”. The upper falls is pure white from a distance and the ferocity is just too much. The lower falls is taller than the upper falls and is one of the best waterfalls I have ever seen. There is a viewpoint called “Artist point” and it is worth going to that place.
Then after seeing the canyon area, we drove along the “Yellowstone river” and made quick stops at “Sulphur Caldron” and the Mud Volcano area. We just quick ran through the Mud volcano trail and saw the “Mud Volcano” and there is something called “Dragon’s mouth spring”. These are really great to read and see but standing near them is yucky. They stink because of the high sulphur content. We saw the places and read about them on the board nearby and came running to the car.

Old Faithful geyser

Then we just went to the “Fishing bridge” enjoyed the views there, took some snaps and then went towards “Grant Village” for lunch in the lake view hotel. Then we had the highlights of the trip still left to be seen. So we headed straight towards “Old Faithful” and saw it erupting perfectly on time as per prediction (they say they do not schedule but their prediction is as good as show timing schedule ). Then we went to the “Midway Geyser Basin” where we saw a lot of springs. The very first one “Excelsior” is the best to me but everyone would say “Grand prismatic spring” as the best. The point is that the Grand prismatic spring is covered with the steam and you might not get to see a prism of colors, I was just able to see 3 colors.
The above was the best part of the day. Then we wrapped up our day by seeing all the remaining geysers which were quite similar. We saw some eruption of a geyser black in color in the “Biscuit basin”. We also saw the “Fountain Paint pot” and also the “Firehole canyon” area. They were becoming boring at the end of the day. You can skip some less famous geysers unless you know they are going to erupt in some time soon. You can collect some information from the Old Faithful area on the various eruption timings of the various glaciers and know the error +/- timing for the prediction they give. Then for the end of the day, our stay was planned in the “Flag Ranch campground”. We drove towards that area and this drive is quite scenic. We stopped in many places and the “Lewis Falls” is one of them. It is a small falls but it is really beautiful. And just before entering the campground, I had to brake for the black bear which crossed in front of our car.
So these words are just my memories of the trip we did and on the whole, “Old Faithful” should be given the pick of the day award and “Yellowstone” is an experience on its own. It is a different world altogether. And let me end it with more pictures.

The baby bisons and the herd

Other wild animals

Grand Prismatic Spring

Excelsior spring - Midway geyser basin area's first spring

Yellowstone National Park – I

Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is one of the big volcanic areas on earth. The area is simply amazing and full of hot springs. You can feel that there is a super-volcano under your feet. There is an absolute complete blend of nature in this area. Water in the hot springs, smoke with sulphur, bubbling soil – all the states of matter; green grass, big trees, nude trees; insects, birds, herbivores, carnivores – name it you can see it. This area exhibits diversity at the best.

The trip I made to Yellowstone was quite a one of its kind trip. This was a long drive from Seattle. We reached West Yellowstone in a 14 hour drive. We stayed on the first night in a hotel called Stage coach inn. http://www.yellowstoneinn.com/ – The hotel was very good than we had expected. It is not a forest yet! The town is very lively. The next morning we entered the Yellowstone national park. Yellowstone National Park has two loops where you have almost all the main attractions. You will get this map http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/images/YELLmap1.pdf, when you enter the national park. There are too many things to see and you need to time your trip accordingly. Spending more time in the main attractions is definitely worth it.

Bison in Yellowstone

We took the west entrance and moved towards Madison beside the “Madison River“. After Madison, this becomes the “Gibbon River“. And if you think there is nothing in this area to watch, trust me you will see the first bison in this area. So watch out for the bisons.  After crossing Madison, the first attraction which you will see right by the side of the road is the Gibbon falls. Then comes the first geyser “Beryl Spring“. There will be quite some more tiny geysers on the side of the road. These are signs which would tell you that you are entering the “Monument Geyser basin“. Monument geyser basin is a very colorful area and a nice hike. Always beware of the fact that sulphur stinks really badly.

Black bear in yellowstone

After the monument geyser basin, we went to the “Artist Paint pots“. This is a really superb hike and it is worth going to the view from the top. You can see the palette formation and for the pots you can see paint bubbling and the paint would be in different colors. Those are some chemicals like the white one being CaCO3. After this you can reach the “Norris geyser basin“. This area has one of the tallest geyser called “Steamboat Geyser“.  After this area, you can head towards the must see place “Mammoth hot springs“. While going towards the Mammoth hot springs, I saw a Black bear.

Then there are some waterfalls on the way which we skipped and went to the “Petrified Tree” area.  And after that we saw the “Tower Falls“. Then, for the end of the day, we went to the “Canyon campground” area and camped there in our tents. This loop can be seen in 1 day where the day is long summer day! If you can spare more time, try to see the “Undine falls” and “Wraith falls” and the “Blacktail Ponds“. And the must see area is “MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS“. And if you think why, see the pictures below.

End of the Mammoth hot springs trail

Mammoth hot springs

Grizzly in Yellowstone

Tree in Petrified tree area