Nearly 3000 visitors enter via the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park - a day. The greater percentage never see the 'little treasures' hidden just off the beaten path. If you'd like to escape that crowd, take a ride with us. We'll show the well-known and the little-known!
Join the 3000 daily visitors as you enter the Park from this most popular entrance in West Yellowstone. Your route will begin by passing through burned out forests, leavings of the 1988 fire. Soon the Madison River will come into view. A famous nest will catch your eye just a few miles down the road. A few miles further the valley opens to reveal beautiful views of Mount Jackson and Mount Hayden. You should be spotting your first elk and bison shortly.
Soon your route will turn north. You will follow the Gibbon River to Norris Geyser Basin. Watch for the wildlife which lives in the valley and in the river draws.
Examine the 'Hoodoos'. Explore Sheepeater Cliff's natural amphitheater. Walk the 1925 massonary steps to Apollinaris Spring - once thought to contain 'healthful waters'. Marvel in the light refracting off Obsidian Cliff or puruse the Cliff's exhibit in a unique gazebo built from columns of quarried volcanic rock in 1931.
Follow this by a stop at Mammoth Hotsprings. Here you can stare into the face of 'The Howler'. Take the little side trail which leads to Canary Hotsprings - once extremely yellow it is the most active hotspring today at Mammoth. Wonder at the water and chemicals which built this magnificent multi-layered terrace. Watch the elk nap where boiling water used to flow. Stop to visit an old stone chapel built in 1913. Gaze in awe at the painted and stained glass windows which depict Old Faithful, Lower Falls of the Yellowstone, and the area's flora and fauna.
Leaving Mammoth your route crosses the Sheepeater Canyon Bridge - at one time the largest bridge in Wyoming. Gaze in awe at the Gardner River 200 feet below. A little while later a short walk will take you to Wraith Falls - especially beautiful when the wildflowers are in bloom. A few more miles and you can drink in the 120 degree panaramic views near Hell-Roaring Creek and even follow sections of the old Bannock trail. Then stop for a look at the lone surviving petrified tree.
At this point, a short side trip is worth the few extra miles. Here you can spot a wolf in the Lamar Valley or catch a glimpse of a black bear near in Tower Junction. Stop briefly to examine a large travertine cone created by an extinct hot spring. And, hike a short but rewarding trail to a little visited mountain lake - once a major source of food for Cooke City.
Before heading south once again, you can follow an unmarked trail to a falls described in a 1903 guidebook as providing 'a scene of quiet beauty rarely found in so wild and rough a country.' Drive on past basalt columns which dwarf your car. Stop to view a collection of fantastic rock formations. Of course Tower Falls, although crowded, is worth the short walk. Back in your car you will cross over the highest paved point in Yellowstone National Park. Keep your eyes pealed for the bears which often frequent the area. Dropping back down to the valley floor watch the Washburn hotsprings panorama unfold before your eyes.
The next 11 miles you can sit back and relax, but don't relax too much. Keep an out for wildlife as you traverse this short section to Norris Junction.
The final leg of your journey begins with a stop at the Norris Geyser Basin. Here you can easily take in about 50 interesting hot springs, geysers, and mud pots - although with more time you could explore all 180 area features! This basin is generally both hotter and more acidic than other Yellowstone geyser basins. It reflects the underground forces by constantly changing. Additionally, some special springs exist in this basin. One deposits a material which may be a previously unknown form of arsenic sulfide. And, if you happen to visit in mid-July to early autumn, you may witness some unique disturbances which occur seasonally in this incredible basin.
At least two further 'must-sees' will delight your eyes as you finish your exploration of this less-traveled northern section of Yellowstone National Park. Watch for elk as you pass through Gibbon Meadows and traverse the winding road alongside the Gibbon River. Many bulls have been spotted in the meadows and along this river. Stop to view the oranges, reds, pinks, greens, and yellows in Artists' Paintpots. A litttle further and you will pass Gibbon River Falls - an 84 foot high and unusually wide waterfall which often has a 'lacy' appearance. A popular spot for photographs, the lighting should be good for a final shot of the day.
Don't put your camera away, you'll be passing back through the Madison River meadows soon. You'll surely see more wildlife there. Then it's back to West Yellowstone and the lovely drive back over the Continental Drive - twice - to your comfortable home-base at Elk Lake Resort.
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