The hydrothermal features are varied. Below, on the left, is Abyss Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin. This is the deepest pool in the park, hence its name, and actually erupted as a geyser in 1987. On the right is the "cooking hillside" near Mud Volcano. This barren area, once covered with trees and other vegetation, changed as a result of a number of earthquakes in 1978-1979 which radically increased soil temperatures to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

  

 

One of the most interesting locations which contains hydrothermal features is the Mammoth Hot Springs area in the far north portion of the park. Here water containing calcium and bicarbonate rises to the surface where carbon dioxide escapes and the remaining carbonate is combined with calcium to form travertine, which is deposited on the surface in fantastic shapes and formations.

There are many other pictures of Yellowstone's hydrothermal features that can be viewed in a separate document.

Wildlife

Yellowstone's wildlife is as spectacular as the hydrothermal features. Because of the park's remote location, and because of its large size, animals roam freely and are able to live in a natural way much as their kind have lived for centuries. Large animals in the park are not hunted, herded, or fed. Because there are many areas within the park with panoramic views or where meadows break up forested areas it is relatively easy to see the wildlife in its natural state. Many kinds of animals have little fear of people and can be approached fairly closely.

 

The animal which comes first to mind when Yellowstone is mentioned is probably the buffalo, the largest land mammal in North America. These animals, such as the one below peacefully munching grass, can be seen all over the park, in herds with many other animals or alone.

Moose can also be seen along waterways and in clearings. These large animals may weigh up to 1400 pounds, stand 7 1/2 feet at the shoulder, and have antlers which may spread up to 5 feet. They feed on willows and aquatic vegetation such as water lilies. The bull below was sighted in the northern section of the park.

Wapiti, or elk, are also numerous; about 38,000 of these animals currently roam the park, as their progenitors have done for 12,000 years. Male elk typically weigh 600-1100 pounds and stand 5 feet at the shoulders. Females weight from 450-600 pounds. The female below is browsing on seedlings which form part of the normal elk diet.

 

Plants and Trees

There are lots of wildflowers in the park, particularly late in the spring and early in the summer. The patch of flowers below includes lupine and other flowers.

 

These close-ups include what may be a Heartleaf Arnica (left) and a Northern Fairy Candelabra (right).

  

 

The picture on the left is lupine, seen throughout the west in many national parks. On the right are some examples of the lodgepole pine, the most numerous of various species of trees in the park. Lodgepole pines constitute 75% of all the trees in Yellowstone, which itself is covered 75% covered by forests, and are among the first to colonize open areas after fire. In this picture in a thermal area only the lodgepole pine seems able to survive in adverse conditions.

  

 

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

One of the most impressive areas of the park is the deep canyon of the Yellowstone River, featuring the upper and lower portions of Yellowstone Falls. The picture below shows the canyon and Yellowstone Falls from Artist's Point on the south rim.

There are quite a few other pictures of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone Falls, and the Yellowstone River available on separate page.

Rivers, Waterfalls, Lakes

There are lots of creeks and rivers in the park. On the left below is the Firehole River as it flows towards the Upper Geyser Basin. Because of the abundant runoff from the geothermal features in this area the river is very warm year round. Never freezing during the winter, it is a popular gathering place for wildlife during that season when the park is dominated by freezing temperatures and deep snow. On the right is Lewis Falls, 37 feet high, on the Lewis River in the south central portion of Yellowstone.

  

 

Cascades and waterfalls are abundant as well. On the left below is Kepler Cascades on the Firehole River not far from the upper Geyser Basin, and on the right is Gibbon Falls on the Gibbon River midway between Madison and Norris.

 

 

 

In the central portion of the park is Yellowstone Lake, the largest lake in the world over 7,000 feet (its exact altitude is 7,733 feet). The coast of this lake is over 100 miles in length.The view below looks southwest across the lake toward the Absaroka Mountains in the background.

 

Although the lake was once twice its present size, it still averages 137 feet in depth with a maximum depth of 320 feet. It is so large that it takes 11 years for all of the water in the lake to be completely recycled! A view looking east across the lake is shown below on the left, while the right picture shows a portion of the coast of West Thumb Bay.

  

Isa Lake, in the pass between Yellowstone Lake in the east and the Upper Geyser Basin in the west, lies precisely on the continental divide. Water flows out of the lake both toward the Pacific as well as the Atlantic, although surprisingly (because of the orientation of the lake and the divide here) it is the water at the west end which heads toward the Gulf and at the east towards the Pacific.

There are other interesting views along the route of the Yellowstone River in addition to those shown above and in the Yellowstone Canyon page. The canyon and cliffs below are on the Yellowstone River, a few miles below the Grand Canyon section. These pinnacles are basalt columns which are formed as lava cools and contracts.

 

Tower Falls, where Tower Creek joins the Yellowstone River southeast of Tower-Roosevelt, is another impressive cascade on the Yellowstone. The water drops 132 feet in this location.

The Madison River flows west through the Madison Valley and out the western border of the park. Attractive to birds and wildlife, it is a well known fishing river with whitefish, rainbow, and brown trout. This view of the river and the Madison Valley looks northwest toward the Gallatin National Forest west of the park itself.

 

Mountains

The mountains of Yellowstone are beautiful and varied but lack the precipitous vertical features of the Teton Range south of the park. This picture, from Shoshone Point, looks south toward the Tetons themselves, approximately 30 miles away. Visible in a hollow in the center of the shot is Shoshone Lake, second largest in the park. Shoshone Lake is also the largest lake in the lower 48 states without any kind of road access.

 

The picture on the left below shows the mountains in the northern portion of the park, taken from the Mt. Washburn area, looking northwest, while the one on the right looks directly east from Dunraven Pass, just south of the mountain.

  

 

The next picture also looks east from the Washburn area, where the highest mountains are Saddle Mountain (10,670 feet), Parker Peak (10,203 feet), and Pollux Peak (11,067 feet).

 

The highest of the Yellowstone mountains are the volcanic-formed Absaroka Range, named for an Indian term for the Crow tribe, in the southeastern portion of the park. Below a portion of this range is pictured from across Yellowstone Lake, looking southeast. This range contains the highest point in the park, Eagle Peak, at 11,358 feet.

 

Fire!

In recent memory the event which had the greatest effect on Yellowstone National Park is undoubtedly the great fires of 1988. Following one of the driest summers in park history, a number of separate fires were ignited, largely by lightning. These fires burned across approximately half of the 2.2 million acres in the park, and their remnants are visible everywhere. Amazingly, none of the park's famous attractions were damaged in the fire. The two pictures below, the first near the 600 foot deep Lewis River canyon and the second of the canyon itself, give some small idea of the magnitude of the devastation. The fires were so powerful they were able to leap across breaks such as provided by this canyon.

  

9500 firefighters participated in the effort to quell the conflagration, which finally burned out largely from natural causes and the onset of winter. In addition to the loss of vegetation, some 257 wapiti, 9 bison, 4 deer, and 2 moose were killed, a surprisingly small number given the magnitude of the blaze. However, it is important to understand that forest fire is a normal, natural event and one which is necessary for the health of the ecosystem. Fires of this magnitude occur periodically, if infrequently (the last comparable one occurred in the 1750's). Some vegetation, such as the lodgepole pine, thrives in burned over areas. The seeds of trees like the lodgepole pine are actually released by the heat a fire brings. The degree of regeneration of burned over areas in the time since the fire is very impressive. As a result a huge number of logepoles have sprouted, and the clearing of forests have created opportunities for plants to grow which in turn has created food for elk, moose, bison, and other animals.The picture below shows a burned area which is well on the road to recovery and regeneration. Burned trees may remain standing as long as 40 years and provide habitat for a variety of animals.

The aftermath of a forest fire provides snags for birds, recycles nutrients and kills pathogens in soil while changing its properties.
 

Buildings

There are many historic buildings in Yellowstone, befitting its long time as a national park. The most famous is unquestionably Old Faithful Inn, pictured below from the Upper Geyser Basin across the Firehole River. The Inn was originally constructed in 1903-1904, and enlarged in both 1913 and 1928.

 

 

The Inn area also includes restaurants, shops and other facilities. In fact, Yellowstone includes the most elaborate system of museums, visitor's centers, and other facilities in the National Park System. The following picture provides a different view of the Old Faithful Inn, with the Firehole River in the foreground.

 

 

Another historical center is the Mammoth Hot Springs area, where the remnants of Fort Yellowstone are located. The Army cavalry which protected and administered the park in its early days was quartered here. These buildings are now under the administration of the National Park Service and include NPS headquarters.

 

 

While not historic, the picture below displays a less pleasant aspect of the park where civilization intrudes on wilderness. The town of West Yellowstone, Montana, is located immediately outside the West Entrance to the park.

 

Other Views

One of the most beautiful areas of the park is the meadow grassland of Hayden Valley north of Yellowstone Lake. This open, unforested area is a excellent place to view wildlife, including herds of buffalo such as those pictured below.

 

The Yellowstone River meanders through the valley, with little hint of the violence it will encounter a few miles downstream in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

 

The pictures below give a good indication of the size of grasslands of Hayden Valley..

  

 

 

In several areas within the park petrified trees, preserved and petrified after being covered by ashfall from volcanic activity, can be found. This tree is visible west of Tower-Roosevelt. The fence was erected to prevent damage of the sort which occurred decades ago when it was normal practice to take home portions of such trees as souvenirs and mementos.

 

References

Information about Yellowstone has been drawn from personal experience, maps and other information available in the park itself, and a number of other sources, including:

 

• Bryan, T. Scott. Geysers: What They Are and How They Work. Niwort, CO: Roberts Rinehart, Inc., 1990.
   

• Cottrell, William H. Born of Fire: The Volcanic Origin of Yellowstone National Park. Boulder, CO: Roberts Rinehart, Inc., (1987).
   

• Crandall, Hugh. Yellowstone: The Story Behind the Scenery. Las Vegas: K.C. Publications, 1977.
   

• National Geographic's Guide to the National Parks of the United States. National Geographic Society, 1992.
   

• National Parks of North America. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 1995.
   

• National Parkways Photographic and Comprehensive Guide to Yellowstone National Park. Casper, WY: Worldwide Research and Publishing Co., 1976.
   

• Robinson, Sandra C., & George, B. Yellowstone: The Continuing Story. Las Vegas: K.C. Publications, 1990.
   

• Schreier, Carl. A Field Guide to Yellowstone's Geysers, Hot Springs, and Fumaroles. Morse, WY: Homestead Publishing, 1992.
   

• Scofield, Susan C. Fascinating Facts About Old Faithful and Other Hot Spring Wonders in Yellowstone National Park. Wayfarer Publications, 1990.
   

• The Sierra Club Guide to National Parks: Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 1984.
  
  Wuerthner, George. Fire Power. National Park, 69(5-6), 1995, 32-37.

 

All photographs ©Pat Holleran, Shannon Technologies, 1994-2003   Commercial use of the images contained in this document without express written consent is strictly prohibited.   Comments and other remarks can be sent via e-mail to parkvision@shannontech.com