Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble (Part 2)

When early geologists were exploring Yellowstone, nestled between its two warring continental plates, they were certain that there must have been a volcano in the vicinity at one point in time. After searching in vain for the site of said volcano, they were forced to the uncomfortable conclusion that the entire combined basins were in fact one giant caldera; the world had its first super-volcano.

Evidence of this phenomenon is inescapable and everywhere. Mud pools spit and splatter inbetween the spectral hot pools, whose billions of thermophilic bacteria happily photosynthesise in every hue imaginable. Fumeroles hiss and roar as if they are harbouring hidden mythological beasts. The strong aroma of Sulfur mixes with the sweeter scent of pines to create an intoxicating fragrance, or stench depending on your point of view!

What’s truly unique, and a little disconcerting, is that several basins in Yellowstone sit atop such an extremely thin crust of earth that they actually rise and fall imperceptibly with the magma underneath. It’s this proximity to the hot, boiling core of the planet that fuels the perpetual special effects show that plays out day and night.

As with any show, there is always a lead character, and for Yellowstone it is Old Faithful, the geothermic metronome of the park. Unfortunately, upwards of 30,000 people a day stop by to witness her performance, so we devise a plan to avoid the circus crowds. A 4:45AM start to the day gets us an (almost) intimate performance on a cool and clear morning. With dawn breaking as the backdrop, Old Faithful leaps into life with a virtuoso display of power and beauty, in stark contrast to the stillness of the breaking morning. There is disagreement within the troops about whether it was necessary to get up quite so early, but the consensus is that it has been worth the effort overall to get this reward.

The bonus of a dawn start is that you have the entire Upper Geyser Basin to yourselves, with the exception of the occasional sleepy bison. While the main act begins to draw crowds out front, we explore the backstage area and are privileged to witness a few more side acts that have less reliable schedules; Daisy, Grotto, Turban and the incredible Riverside all add to the vaudevillian spectacle. By midday, the place is a seething mass of humanity, and we happily head in the other direction to cool down with a swim in the clear and clean waters of the campside river.

Our advice for enjoying this phenomenal park is to plan your activity around dawn and dusk, when the crowds are absent and the wildlife is most active, and to not limit yourselves to the main draw cards. There are many minor basins to explore, and you won’t get the full range of geological and geothermal wanders if you only do the main basins.

We leave with sense of regret that we were not able to trick Steamboat geyser into action, despite faking our leaving on multiple occasions! But that’s all part of the intrigue and mystery here, and we will head to Grand Teton well satisfied with what we were able to witness.