Mystic Falls Hike

This was another short but excellent hike close to home, located in Biscut Basin just north of Old Faithful (which is in Midway Geyser Basin). Biscut is another group of geysers and hot springs much like Old Faithful. However this hike only briefly skirts the basin and heads out to Mystic Falls (140 ft) and then circles up on to the Madison Plateau where you can see the entirty of Midway Geyser Basin. The deep blue water of Sapphire Spring (first picture), is due to the extreme heat. All colors in hot springs indicate the general temprature of the water, blue and white being the hottest, brown and green the coolest. The waterfall formed due to the strong rhyolite (volcanic rock) being more resistant than the surrounding rock to erosion from the Firehole River, leading to the massive cliffs forming.

Dogshead Trail to Shoshone Lake

This was my first hike to the backcountry in Yellowstone, it was about ten miles round trip and ended at the largest backcountry lake in the lower 48. This trail gave me a good introduction of what to expect while out here in Yellowstone. The major feature of this hike (other then the lake), is the damage caused by the fires of 1988. These burned hundreds of thousands of acres throughout the park, and the forest is slowly recovering from the fires. The majority of trees which you see are Lodgepole Pines, whose seeds are only released from pine cones in the intense heat of fires. This is why you see a number of small pines among the burnt out trees that still stand. The other thing of note is that the Lodgepoles lack a strong tap root and easily blowdown, hence the number of fallen trees. These two issues lead to many parts of the park seeming devastated, however the fires and dead trees lead to all sorts of new life growing out of the devastation. It also opens up amazing views of the surrounding countryside. The mountains which you see are the Absarokas which run throughout the eastern edge of the park north to south. (again click the pictures for full size images)

Day One, Quick Tour

This first post will only cover where I managed to hit driving around on my first day in the park. I arrived early and was able to spend a decent amount of time exploring the park and checking out some of the bigger sites within the park. This included Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, and the Grand Canyon. There was no extreme hiking here just very touristy stuff.

The drive up Paradise Valley into Gardiner MT (the northern entrance to the park). This was a great morning drive from Livingston, and a great primer for what to expect once I got within the park. (click on pictures for full size images)

After arriving in Gardiner I checked in and was sent on my way into the park, my first destination being Mammoth Hot Springs. This was my first exposure to hot springs and the scenery which they create.

View of hot springs from the Lower Terrace:

The remains of a dormant hot spring:

Views from Upper Terrace (Absaroka Mountain Range in the background:

Next was Norris Geyser Basin which is broken into two areas, Porcelain Basin and Back Basin. Both were equally beautiful and fascinating to explore:

Porcelain Basin:

Back Basin:

Finally, I hit the Grand Canyon before returning to Mammoth Hot Springs. I did not get much of a chance to explore it but hopefully will return later in the Summer.

From here I will attempt to catch up on hikes I have gone on since arriving, it will take awhile to catch up but once I do I should be able to post hikes soon after I finish them.