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.