Old Faithful & Upper Geyser Basin Area
The first visit of the day was the Old Faithful, the most famous geyser in the park. We wanted to see an eruption, they normally occur at intervals of 60 to 110 minutes. We had taken into account that there would be a lot of people watching the spectacle, so if we wanted to have a good spot for taking pictures, it was necessary to be there on time. Times can be checked in some of the lodges or in the visitor centre (as well as online), so it was not difficult to plan it.
After witnessing the eruption, we did the boardwalk tour where other geysers could be seen. For some of them, the estimated eruption times were also available. I really enjoyed this walk, it is like visiting another world!
On our way back to the Old Faithful Inn, we saw a bison that was not that far from where we were standing. We kept as still as possible, took a photo and walked quickly towards our car. I still remembered the bison encounter from a previous trip to the park. The animal came a bit too close to my liking when it decided out of nowhere to cross a big pond straight in my direction. I got the shock of my life!
Before we drove towards Norris Basin, we stopped at some other basins and springs in the area (Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin, Morning Glory Group, …). Seeing a signage of bears frequenting the area also adds an extra dimension to the visit. A pity that we did not see any in real live (from a distance…). Here some of the photo’s :
On our way to Norris Basin
We made another stop at the White Dome and Great Fountain Geysers. The latter one was my favourite. It is also the reason why I used the picture as the featured image of this blog…
After the Madison Junction, we stopped at the Gibbon Geyser Basin where we did a walk to Paintpot Hill. From there we had a fantastic view over the area. So picturesque !
We continued our drive and finally arrived at Norris Basin. It was the hottest spot in the park with temperatures above boiling point. This area had also more silica in the water, which made the blue colour stand out. We learned that it was not uncommon in this part of the park, to discover new geysers and hot springs due to the seismic activity. The water gets its colour from the oxidation of the iron but also from micro-organisms. One of the most beautiful coloured geysers was the Whirligig Geyser, situated in the Porcelain Basin area. The emerald green colour comes from the algae.
At the Norris Back Basin we visited the Steamboat Geyser, known for its colourful crater, and the Cistern Spring. The spring’s green colour changes into blue when the temperature of the water rises.
Final stop of the day was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. The Lower Falls were the biggest falls in the park and could be seen from the Brink of the Lower Falls, the Artist and Red Rock Point.
Yellowstone Lake
At the end of the day we drove to Yellowstone Lake where we booked a room at Lake Lodge. We were very happy to have found this accommodation few days before leaving as everything was already fully booked months before our trip. We followed the guidance received from posts on Tripadvisor, i.e. to check the availability 2 weeks before the trip… and it worked!
For dinner, we drove to the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, which had just been renovated. We were almost there, when we had to stop because there was a wolf in the middle of the road. We were so surprised that we did not even think of taking a picture. But we were so happy to have seen it!
The hotel was stunning and we would certainly consider staying there during a return visit. The lobby of the hotel was so cosy that we decided to enjoy it a bit before going to dinner.
A wonderful end to a wonderful day !
