We woke to a white world – almost a foot of snow had fallen overnight and looking out the hotel window, we could see the mounds of white, fluffy snow piled atop the vehicles in the parking lot. We had a quick grab and go breakfast provided by the hotel, eating in our room as we sorted our gear. We ventured out to our vehicle to stash some extra clothes that we wouldn’t need for our three days in Yellowstone, using a small window brush and our hands and arms to push away the snow. Although still dark, it was cold and clear. Covered in a fine dusting of snow, we stood in the lobby waiting for our naturalist from Jackson Hole Wildlife Tours; despite the snow, Julie pulled up in a four wheel drive Suburban right on time, and within minutes we’d loaded our gear and were on the road. We properly introduced ourselves and learned that Julie has lived in the area all her life, has conducted hundreds of tours in Yellowstone by both car and snowmobile (when the park roads close in November) and was undaunted by the snowfall. She was however, monitoring an app to understand road closures into the park.
The roads were snow covered but passable and we headed north out of Jackson Hole towards Grand Teton National Park. What a bonus to have two such iconic national parks in such close proximity – we planned to spend a few days hiking in Grand Tetons after our wildlife tour in Yellowstone. The highway paralleled the Yellowstone River – after about an hour of driving we stopped for a short break to stretch our legs while Julie investigated which entrances to Yellowstone were open. The day was exactly what winter in the west should be – cold, clear and intensely sunny, setting the water and snow shimmering. The only drawback was this was the last week in October!
The south entrance to Yellowstone was closed due to impassable roads so we drove west into Montana to enter via the west entrance, stopping at the overlook on the Gibbon River to view the falls. Despite the ice and snow crusting the banks, the rushing water cascaded down an 80 foot slope, meandering its way across boulders to continue its journey below.
Our plan was to enter Yellowstone from the west and head south to Old Faithful. As we approached the intersection, barricades blocked our south turn and a park ranger informed us that an accident had closed the road. So we pivoted and turned north. It was a cold, clear day and off in the distance we could see clouds of steam billowing out of the ground. We were approaching the Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest, oldest and most dynamic of Yellowstone’s thermal areas. Per Julie, the features in Norris basin change regularly as a result of seismic acitivy and water fluctuations. Not only are water temperatures above the boiling point, but the vast majority of water in Norris is acidic, including some of its geysers.
Our first hot spot stop was Steamboat Geyser. Steamboat is the tallest geyser in the world with eruptions recorded as high as 400 feet. Unfortunately for us, the geyser is on its own timetable and the sign marking the trail showed the last major eruption had occcurred two weeks pior to our visit. We waited patiently for a quarter of an hour wondering if we would win the eruption lottery, enjoying the thermal warmth. Steamboat bubbled and belched occassionally shooting modest 1-3 foot columns of water skyward, creating lots of steam from its two vents; but alas it was not our day to see a major eruption.
We marveled at nature’s snow sculptures created when the hot steam from the thermal pools instantly condensed and iced the surrounding trees. Layer upon layer, an icy crust built up in the subfreezing temperatures. The pine trees were particularly beautiful since the hot vapors glazed each needle individually, accumulating to form ice buds on each branch. Seeing the landscape, trees, vegetation and even some wildlife with a crusty glaze of snow glistening in the bright sunshine made the too early onset of winter worthwhile!
We continued north towards Mammoth Springs stopping to view the Obsidian Cliffs. This columned wall of volanic glass was believed to have formed when magma from the earth’s core came into contact with the glacial ice, instantly cooling and fracturing into discrete blocks. Designated a National Historic Landmark, archeologisits have evidence that prehistoric people quarried these cliffs over 12,000 years ago using the mined obidian for a variety of tools and weapons. A half mile long, the cliffs stand at 7400 ft above sea level, high enough for our sea level conditioned hearts to pump a bit harder as we walked.
The cold temperatures made it easy to see the immensity of the hydrothermal activity along the mountain side as we drove. Vents in the terrain release hot sulphrous gases and the small amount of water contained within immediately flashes into steam. We were in midst of a restless giant, the supervolcano that powers Yellowstones thouusands of fumaroles, geyers, hot springs and mudpots.
Continuing north, the road climbed to a higher elevation zigging and zagging between mountain cliffs. At one point, we stopped at an overlook to assess the condition of the road ahead – we were thankful for Julia and her years of driving experience in the park as we carefully crossed a concrete snow covered bridge hugging the side of the cliff face with a sharp vertical drop.
One advantage of having a driver is never having to circle back to the car. Julie dropped us at the trailhead at the upper terrace of Mammoth Springs, a one mile hike, mostly downhill, along a boardwalk that crossed a hillside of hydrothermal pools, bubbling vents and small geyers, planning to meet us in a parking area below. We set off along the boardwalk, awed as we entered a tunnel of ice encrusted pines.
Created over thousands of years, Mammoth Springs, now a historic district, was formed as boiling water from a large complex of hot springs cooled and deposited calcuim carbonate along a travertine hillside. Today, the subfreezing temperatures quickly cooled and froze the bubling spring water exitting the ground into icy waves.
Carefully piking our way down the icy boardwalk steps, we marveled at the steamy, bubbling hillside. Its travertine rocks looked like giant golden cubes of dry ice puffing steam. We felt the intense heat of the springs and noticed that our jackets and hats had picked up a light film of ice.
The view below was clear and we followed the board walk to the parking lot, where as promised, Julie waited for us. It was time for lunch but because of CovId there were no open concessions in the park so we headed north toward the town of Gardiner, Montana.
Driving toward’s the park’s North gate, we continued to see tendrils of steam venting from the surrounding hillside. Not hard to believe Yellowstone’s claim to having over 10,000 thermal features! Snow covered mounds lightly bathed by steam stood in sharp contrast to the bare patches of ground too hot for snow; both juxtaposed against the bright blue cloudless sky. What a magical landscape!
Leaving the park, we entered Gardiner, Montana population 893, the gateway town that services the north end of Yellowstone. Quiet because of both the time of season and COVID, Julie drove us to one of the few open restaurants in town, Wonderland Cafe. This cafe would become our favorite go to place for meals – a rustic gathering spot with high ceilings, lots of natural light and a fireplace, good locally sourced food and incredible photography of the wildlife of Yellowstone adorning the walls. We were the only patrons in the restaurant, so enjoyed a quiet lunch and good conversation next to a crackling fire. Satiated and warmed, we were ready to discover some of Yellowstone’s wildlife!
