Our short stay in Yellowstone National Park was fascinating. It was impressive and unique and we only scratched the surface of a small part of the Park.
First of all, we were shocked to learn that Yellowstone was at such a high elevation. We had not anticipated the cool weather! We crossed the Great Continental Divide and learned that some water as far west as the Rockies flows east to the Atlantic Ocean. What a long way to go! We camped near Yellowstone Lake and learned that it is at 7700 ft, making it the largest high elevation lake in North America. The water temperature rarely goes above 45 degrees.
Having visited the geothermal areas in New Zealand 15 years ago, Mike and I were excited to explore the mud pools, hot springs, fumaroles and geysers that Yellowstone is so famous for. It did not disappoint.
Mammoth Hot Springs
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Old Faithful
We visited the Old Faithful Geyser and were lucky to see it shoot its 4000-8000 gallons of steam and water high into the air. Over 1/4 of the world's geysers were visible from the Old Faithful Visitor Centre. It was rainy and the kids weren't keen on walking the trail so we didn't get up close to any of the others.
Midway Geyser Basin
Yellowstone Park is also known for its wildlife. Unfortunately, we did not make it to Hayden and Lamar Valleys, two hot spots for spotting wolves and grizzlies. We did, however, get up close and personal with this roadside bison on our way out of the park. He was huge!
First of all, we were shocked to learn that Yellowstone was at such a high elevation. We had not anticipated the cool weather! We crossed the Great Continental Divide and learned that some water as far west as the Rockies flows east to the Atlantic Ocean. What a long way to go! We camped near Yellowstone Lake and learned that it is at 7700 ft, making it the largest high elevation lake in North America. The water temperature rarely goes above 45 degrees.
Having visited the geothermal areas in New Zealand 15 years ago, Mike and I were excited to explore the mud pools, hot springs, fumaroles and geysers that Yellowstone is so famous for. It did not disappoint.
Mammoth Hot Springs
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Old Faithful
We visited the Old Faithful Geyser and were lucky to see it shoot its 4000-8000 gallons of steam and water high into the air. Over 1/4 of the world's geysers were visible from the Old Faithful Visitor Centre. It was rainy and the kids weren't keen on walking the trail so we didn't get up close to any of the others.
Midway Geyser Basin
Yellowstone Park is also known for its wildlife. Unfortunately, we did not make it to Hayden and Lamar Valleys, two hot spots for spotting wolves and grizzlies. We did, however, get up close and personal with this roadside bison on our way out of the park. He was huge!
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