After spending four days backpacking in the Tetons, we spent a night in a KOA Cabin near Jackson. The next day we woke bright and early and made the long drive into Yellowstone. Our plan is to hike a variety of tourist hikes and then spend the night backpacking to Firehole Falls. We’ll do more tourist stuff the next day and will return to Jackson that evening.

The drive up went fairly well. We followed the main highway and made good time. Along the way we passed a large herd of bison just off the road. We continued on and had to pass through a portion of Teton National Park and then on to Yellowstone. I had an NPS Pass which was very convenient. Once we entered Yellowstone we continued north and headed right for Old Faithful where we picked up our backpacking permit. It was quick and easy getting our permit. The ranger asked if we needed to see the bear safety video and we said no. We spoke about our four days in the Tetons so he was comfortable with us not watching it.

After that we headed over to the general store and then walked over to Old Faithful where the crowds were massing for the eruption. We ended up having to wait 20 minutes for it blow but it was worth it. The geyser launches water into the air roughly 50 feet. We watched for about sixty seconds and I said that’s enough let’s go! So we pulled a Clark Griswold and walked away as Old Faithful continued to erupt. From there we drove over to Biscuit Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring and then Fountain Paint Pot. We made several short stops and did some very light hiking. The geysers and hot springs are amazing and this place is crowded for a reason. We found it best to park on the road and then walk to the attractions. The parking lots were jammed pack especially during the afternoon.

Once it hit mid-afternoon we drove back to the Old Faithful area for lunch. There were only a few options for us. We waited in a very long line at a grille by the general store. The food took a while but it was nice to chill after the go go go the past few days. After lunch we picked up some supplies and headed back to Biscuit Basin where we planned on backpacking to Firehole Falls.

Fast forward to Day 2… We completed our backpack and returned to the rental car parked at Biscuit Basin. We packed up our gear and headed north. Our goal is to complete a loop with short stops along the way and a long stop at The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We did a quick drive by along Firehole Lake Drive where we saw several more geysers including White Dome Geyser. From there we continued driving and saw several cool features from the road.

We eventually arrived at the Yellowstone Falls areas and spent an hour eating lunch and doing some shopping. After that we drove over to the very crowded Lower Yellowstone Falls parking area. The area was a zoo and took about ten minutes to secure a parking spot. Once we were parked we spent a couple of hours hiking along the rim and also hiked to the top of the lower falls. The area was very crowded but most people are slow and easy to pass. Once we had our fill we returned to the car and started the return to Jackson Hole. We timed it just right because a moderate rain fell on our drive back.

Our short trip to Yellowstone was over. The geysers and hot springs are amazing and I’m so glad we made the trip up here. Yes it crowded but it’s worth it. Just park off the road and spend the five extra minutes hiking to the start of the attractions. It’s well worth your time and effort.

After our adventure on the Teton Crest Trail, I realized I had opted to prepay for a full tank of gas on the rental car. It seemed stupid not to use it, so we set out on a 400-mile driving adventure through the land of Boo Boo and picinic baskets.

Not much to say. Pictures don't do it justice. As much as I dislike touristy spots, they tend to be that way because they are in fact pretty impressive to see. I'd put this place in that category. I bet it would be nice in winter though...

Driving here from Norris Basin we got to see steam rising over the golden plains that had some bison scattered about. We were on our way to Old Faithful but this is a must-stop. Finding a place to park was a little tricky but we managed to squeeze Snowball into one of the longer spots available at Midway Geyser Basin, our third stop/hike of the day.

Hydrothermal features are fragile rarities of nature. Yellowstone preserves the largest collection of hydrothermal features on the planet. At Midway there are two of those major features. You first get to walk across a bridge over the Firehole River where the Excelsior Crater runs off into the water. It's rather dramatic but not nearly as dramatic as what we would eventually end up seeing.

First on the right of the boardwalk loop is the Turquoise Pool named by the 1878 Hayden Expedition. Suspended mineral particles in the water also add an opalescent iridescence to the gem-like blue colored water. Interesting: Turquoise Pool has no apparent overflow channel; instead water drains through seepage. There is an underground connection with Excelsior Geyser. When Excelsior was active, Turquoise lowered nearly ten feet and took nearly a year to recover.

The Opal Pool on the other hand is just a hot spring so not nearly the color drama here, though it does have a pretty green pool after it refilled itself in 2008. The highlight of this basin is Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in Yellowstone and is considered to be the third largest hot spring in the world. New Zealand has the two largest springs. Artist Thomas Moran made water-color sketches depicting its rainbow-like colors. Altho I don't think these colors remind me much of a rainbow but they were dramatic !

The colors begin with a deep blue center followed by pale blue. Green algae forms beyond the shallow edge. Outside the scalloped rim a band of yellow fades into orange. Red then marks the outer border. Steam often shrouds the spring which reflects the brilliant colors but lucky for us, there was a pretty good breeze blowing so we got to be blown away by the deep colors of Grand Prismatic The spring discharges an estimated 560 gallons per minute, has a temperature of 147-188°F. I guess you can see it above the hill but we didn't realize that at the time... and with the breeze blowing, today would have been a good time for that.

The last item on this loop is the Excelsior Geyser, once the largest geyser in the world. However, the last known major eruptions occurred during the 1880s, when there were numerous eruptions up to 300 feet. Excelsior is now a productive thermal spring, discharging 4050 gallons per minute. Numerous vents boil and churn the water within the crater, covering it in a dense layer of steam which is pretty cool looking as it swirls about revealing its turquoise 199°F water.

Because of the breeze, I had to use music for my videos that have movies and pictures. I got one really awesome photo of Grand Prismatic among the many that I took.

Part 1 including the drive from Norris Basin: https://youtu.be/1t ... ugk0
Part 2 at Midway Geyser Basin: https://youtu.be/Lr ... K-qE