Exploring an active supervolcano

Yellowstone National Park is an outdoor area that is an active volcano. The park is mostly in Wyoming, USA, but it also expands into Montana and Idaho. It is geographically diverse, as there are canyons, rivers and lakes, hot springs and geysers, and forests.

This is the Old Faithful geyser, the most popular geyser in Yellowstone. It is a cone geyser that was named due to its predictable eruptions, as it has erupted every 44 minutes to two hours since 2000. There are prediction times in the area, so be sure to pay attention to those when you are there so that you can find a vacant place on the boardwalk to watch the geyser erupt. As the geyser gradually erupts, it’s not a sight you want to miss!

Hot springs form when warm water emerges from the earth’s surface. A lot of the springs have unique colors that make them stand out from the others. From an up close perspective, some of them even looked like paintings.

Around Old Faithful, there are walkways where you can view the other geysers in the area. There are so many other ones, so you can spend a good amount of time in this area of the park if you’d like. In Yellowstone altogether, there are more than 500 active geysers. Therefore, this park alone is home to more than half the world’s geysers.

In the area where the surrounding geyser’s are around Old Faithful, you can take a half mile hike up to a viewing area where you can look down on Old Faithful from afar. Since the geyser erupts at certain times, it’s best to time the hike accordingly so that you have at least a few minutes to spare after making it to the viewing area. Otherwise, you will miss the eruption and have to wait a while up there for the next one. Thankfully, I had about ten minutes to spare before it erupted after reaching this viewpoint.

This is what the geyser looks like from the viewing point when it erupts. From this lookout point, you can really tell how massive the eruption is as well as how much of a crowd it draws in.

This is Sapphire Pool, a hot spring in the Old Faithful area. Its average temperature is 159.8°F (71°C). It does resemble a pool, but this water is way too hot to be safe for any swimming.

This is Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest hot spring in the world. Around the blue water, there are orange, yellow, and green rings that are formed as a result of thermophile, which is a bacteria or other kind of microorganism that grows best in hotter temperatures.

This is another elegant looking hot spring right by Grand Prismatic Spring. The area is open and flat with plenty of opportunity to see other hot springs.

This is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the waterfall is known as upper falls. The canyon is about 24 miles (39 km) long and was formed by erosion due to the river running over weaker rock. You can hike around the canyon to the Brink of the Upper Falls, or you can walk down to the waterfall from a parking lot nearby.

The colors in the canyon show the presence or lack of water in the different iron composites. As a result, the rock is rusting. Not only that, but it’s interesting to see how trees grow on the incline of the rock.

This is the Brink of the Upper Falls. To see and hear the rushing water up close is beautiful, yet intimidating. Seeing how fast the water flows, it can easily be life threatening. Although the view of the falls from afar is incredible, seeing it from the brink is just as worthwhile.

In my experience, the best time to walk on the boardwalks and see the geysers in the different parts of the park is in the evening. There was barely anyone on the walking trails. You get to take more time to see the geysers erupt and take photographs and videos of them. From afar, you can look out and see the steam emerge from the geysers.

Located in Gardiner, Montana, the Roosevelt Arch is the original entrance to Yellowstone. The plaque on the top reads “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People,” a phrase that comes from the 1872 legislation that made the park.

This is Lamar Valley, an area of northeast Yellowstone that is well-known for its abundance of wildlife, including bison, gray wolf, elk, pronghorn, and grizzly bears. Driving through the valley is a great place to see the mountains and wildlife. When I was there, I saw lots of bison. There were lots of people watching for a wolf that had been spotted earlier in the morning, but it didn’t come out again while I was there.

Here is a picture of the bison up close. There were also a couple calves. There are plenty of opportunities to pull over and get some pictures, but at the same time, be careful and mindful of invading their space too much.

When you’re in Lamar Valley, you can see bison crossing the street too. There are plenty of times where you will have to stop on the road until they decide to fully cross. Nonetheless, it’s a great time to get some photographs.

If you have a day, two days, or even more time, making time for visiting Yellowstone National Park is worthwhile, as the park has so much to see. Whether you want to see wildlife, mountains, or forests and rivers, this place is great for all of the above. I hope you enjoy my highlights!