Yellowstone...some things not to miss







Hey ...this map is wonderful..Showing places where geysers are located ......Be sure to stop at a few of the basins during your trip.....



Ponder this:
"Yellowstone" most likely comes from the Sioux Indians, who coined the word "Mitse-a-da-zi" for the yellowish bluffs along the river mouth. Canadian French trappers translated the Indians' term into "Rive des Roche Jaune" (Yellow Rock River).

At 2.2 million acres or 3,472 square miles, Yellowstone is the largest park in the lower 48 (larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined!)

Over 1100 miles of trails are available for hiking, with 300 miles of public roads for driving

Yellowstone has over 300 species of animals, including 60 different mammals, 18 types of fish and over 225 species of birds

Elevations range from approximately. 5,300 feet at the North Entrance to nearly 12,000 feet at Eagle's Peak on the park's East boundary (most roads lie at 7,500-8,000 feet)

The park has 9 visitors centers/museums/information stations, 97 trailsheads and 49 picnic areas





I think that I will start by putting some pics that I like..and telling you why I like them..and why you should not miss them on your next trip to the park......


If you want to see geysers....go straight to that page...
Take me to the Geyser page


If you want to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and any waterfalls.....go straight to that page..
Take me to the Canyon and waterfall page




Hayden Valley

 This is a wonderful place to stop and view wildlife..I have never seen it this bare.. usually many bison..in herds and lone bulls...off in the tree lines we have seen elk and deer.. down on the river bottom we have watched coyote and different birds - including eagle..Some people have even been lucky enough to see bear in the foothills.... I have just read that, although we now see many animals here, perhaps they are not 'native' to the area..perhaps we have forced them to live here...For there is little evidence of them being here in the valley for long periods of time..... We try to get here early in the morns or early in the evenings, the dawn and dusk hours..













MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS
**note**..these pictures were taken in the fall, much brighter, than we usually see in the spring time**

 A visit to the park must include Mammoth Hot Springs....Over the decade that we have been visiting the park, we have seen changes.. not as quick as in other areas in the park...But watching the springs take on life in a new area..and seeing another area going dormant..is exciting to watch....
and a few years ago we happened to see a mother black bear and her two cubs on the drive above the hot springs...It was a wonderful experience..
And we have seen presentations at the Old Army Headquarters, all dressed in full regalia...for a tour of the area.....
and in the spring, the mother elk and their calves all over the terraces and lawns..and in the fall the sound of the males bugling....wonderful...
We have yet to stay here at the park facilities..but they have cabins and rooms at the lodge there...




..
Morning Glory

 If you went to Yellowstone as a child, you might remember the main road traveling right past this hot spring, but when the road was changed, and a clover-leaf created at Old Faithful, this hot spring, is now found near the end of the boardwalk in the Upper Geyser Basin...*where Old Faithful is found*..a nice easy walk, but the hot spring is not the same as we we knew it... each year they have to remove many things that people have thrown inside, cooling the temperature and making the color not as vibrant..*sigh*...but still well worth the walk




...
Fire Damage

Some of you may be interested in the recovery of Yellowstone after the fires of 1988...
These few pictures were taken in 1994 when we had our Japanese exchange student, Hisae with us


A Note on the Fire Damage
When the mass media covered the Yellowstone fires of 1988, many of them stood on this very spot, to show the devestation...how awful and bad the fires were.... What the media failed to tell any one, was that on this very spot, several years previous, a wind storm had rushed through this area, downing all the trees causing them to lay like kindling, when the fires came through... This area, will take longer in the re-growth period, since there were no pine cones, to open when the temperatures reached their peak....
**remember, you can't really believe all you see on tv...*grin*




Playmill Theatre

Although this theatre is found in West Yellowstone, a trip to Yellowstone, would not be complete without at least one night spent here....viewing plays, musicals, or melodrama's put on by college youth
We have seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, Into the Woods, Barnum, Robber Bridegroom, Forever Plaid, plus numerous others...
If in the area, be sure to stop in, and get a front row seat....





The song you are hearing is called, Blue Jeans, and is from The Constance Forward Collection An amazing collection of popular and classical sheet music from the 1800's to the 1940's and beyond. Visit this site, for monthly updates..and the history of the music....Truly wonderful..




Return to Home page

1