I'm a little lost for words after our time in Yellowstone! I think it takes the crown from Joshua Tree as the most intriguing and interesting place we've visited so far. I’ve never seen such a range of colours, textures, wildlife, and landscapes all in one place. It's difficult to even put into words everything we witnessed during our few days in the Park, so I think I'll let the photos do most of the talking!

The Colours and Textures of Mammoth Hotsprings

"Walk on boardwalks above the steaming hydrothermal features or take a drive around the vibrant travertine terraces. In the winter, ski or snowshoe among the whiffs of sulfur along the Upper Terraces." - NPS

Main Terrace Boardwalk

We experienced one of the most surreal sunrises ever at Mammoth Hot Springs. As the sun rose above the distant mountains, it shone through the steam, turning the whole place red and yellow. It was the moodiest of all moody mornings and made for some of our favourite photos from any trip!

Main Terrace Boardwalk

After the light show began to fade, we continued down the boardwalk until it ends at Canary Spring. Here you can get a close-up view of this incredible natural wonder.

Take a zoom lens to capture more detail of the endless colours and textures that cover the springs.

The Colours and Textures of Canary Spring

The Endless Layers of Minerva Spring

Wildlife in Lamar Valley:

"An excellent place to view wildlife, with it being one of the major summer grounds for bison and elk, which attracts predators like wolves and grizzly bears." - NPS

We went to the Visitor Centre at Mammoth Hot Springs to ask where the best places to view wildlife were. Other than the fact that the whole park is a wildlife haven, they mentioned that Lamar Valley was a great spot to start.

We spent the day slowly driving around and stopping every now and then for the Yellowstone traffic AKA herds of bison crossing the road! We saw bighorn sheep, elk, deer, cranes and foxes.

As the weather took a turn, we spoke of a photo we had dreamed of capturing where a bison was standing out in the pouring snow. That crazy dream became a reality right in front of our eyes. This big guy seemed to be enjoying the cold as much as we were, as he stood completely still for a good twenty minutes while we captured this moment by the roadside!

Bison Braving the Cold in Lamar Valley

To finish things off, we spotted a bald eagle off in the distance as we drove back to camp through the snow. It was too far away to get a good shot of this beautiful bird, but I loved the layers of trees hiding behind the pouring snow with the eagle soaring above.

Bald Eagles Soaring in Lamar Valley

Hydrothermal Features at Fountain Paint Pot:

"Along Fountain Paint Pot Trail you will see various hydrothermal features that are expressions of Yellowstone’s still active volcano." - NPS

Other than everything else that's awesome about Yellowstone, we loved how the amount of steam rising into the sky created endless sun rays. Our heads were on a swivel as we explored the different trails.

A few metres in either direction and the rays in this shot weren't visible. A few steps in the right direction and this was our view. Silex Spring is hiding among the mist in the bottom right corner.

Silex Spring

Walk a little further down the boardwalk from Fountain Paint Pot and you'll find a number of active geysers. Our favourite was Spasm Geyser, with a constant and sporadic spurt of steam and water. If nothing else, it required less patience than waiting for Old Faithful to go off!

Spasm Geyser

Smoke and Colours at Grand Prismatic Spring:

"The park’s largest hot spring. It measures approximately 370 feet in diameter and is over 121 feet deep." - NPS

This is the largest hot spring in the United States and possibly the busiest spot in Yellowstone. We didn't have long to explore and discovered that you don't actually get much of a view of this huge, multi-coloured spring from the boardwalk. Plus, during the cooler, early morning hours (or late evening), there will be considerably more steam. Even if there was a good view of the spring, we couldn't see it for more than a second through the plumes of smoke!

For better views of Grand Prismatic Spring, head to the Fairy Falls Trail. After about a mile, take a left at the fork. You'll walk steeply up to the top of the hill where you can get an overhead view of the spring in all its colourful glory. We'll definitely be giving that a go next time!

Crowd Alert: as one of the most popular spots in Yellowstone, it can be nearly impossible to get parking between 9:00am to 6:00pm during the summer months. Avoid the crowds by visiting before or after those peak times.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Wait Around for Old Faithful:

"Watching Old Faithful Geyser erupt is a Yellowstone National Park tradition. People from all over the world have journeyed here to watch this famous geyser." - NPS

Our final stop in Yellowstone was Old Faithful. Another very popular location which now has rows of benches almost as if you're sitting in an outdoor theatre!

It's worth checking when it last erupted, as it can take up to 2 hours before it goes up again. The good thing is that the eruption lasts for a number of minutes, shooting up to 32,000 litres of boiling water to heights of 185 feet. That gives you plenty of time to take as many photos and videos as you want.

The boardwalk is located quite a distance from the geyser (due to the size of the eruptions) so it's difficult to capture it well without a zoom lens. Also, it was overcast for us, so the spray and smoke merged with the sky behind. On a clearer day, go at sunrise or sunset for better results than we got!

Old Faithful

THANK YOU FOR READING!

I hope this helps you plan your trip to Yellowstone! This was our ninth National Park on The Big Trip. Follow us to see the rest of our journey as we spend 3 months exploring America’s most beautiful National Parks.

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