Jason and I pulled into the Grant Village Campground on “National Parks Day”, so the admission was free. That evening, we took a stroll through the West Thumb Geyser Basin and saw several elk browsing near the steamy hot pools. The following morning we paddled on Yellowstone Lake and watched the boiling water from the geysers cascade down the shoreline. Jason tried a little fishing but without success.

After our morning paddle, we took a hike along the boardwalks of the Upper Geyser Basin. This area holds the largest concentration of geysers in the world, including “Old Faithful” which erupts every 92 minutes or so. Many of the hot pools display vivid colors produced by the heat-loving algae and bacteria that thrive in this environment.

Yellowstone Park was named for the yellow cliffs that form the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We took a hike along the North Rim trail, and had many spectacular views of the Yellowstone River far below. The canyon and many other features of Yellowstone were made famous by the watercolor paintings of Thomas Moran, a member of the 1871 Hayden Expedition. These paintings played a significant role in making Yellowstone America’s first National Park in 1872.

Later, we drove through the Hayden Valley and saw many herds of Bison. Elk were also in abundance. We watched a coyote hunt for mice, and ospreys hunt for fish, but our binoculars didn’t come across any wolves or bears.

The canyon views, the thermal features, and the wildlife are all good reasons to visit Yellowstone, but, alas, most of the park’s scenery was destroyed in 1988 by raging wildfires. The fires burned over 1.4 million acres – an area that is 10 times larger than the Mount St. Helens blast zone!

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