Thing #19 – See and hear the geyers explode in Yellowstone
Ever since watching the BBC documentary series ‘Yellowstone’ I’ve wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park.
When I watch these shows occasionally there is a part of me that wonders if these places are truly that colour, truly that vast and truly that beautiful. Yellowstone is everything you’ve seen on TV and in magazines.
The trees go on forever, the waterfalls thunder down into epic canyons, the bison roam the planes as free as a bird and the Old Faithful Geyser is ready to make the crowds ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ by firing water and steam high up into the beautiful sky very 90 minutes.
There was still snow on the ground when I visited. Look out for the photo of the big lump of snow with people on a viewing platform above it. That’s how deep the snow gets in the winter! Yikes!
I managed to spend two days there thinking that would be enough but I was completely wrong. This place is MASSIVE! Covering an area of almost 3500 square miles and stretching into three states it is something that would take months to explore properly.
Founded in 1872, Yellowstone is the world’s first ever national park and the idea of protecting our natural environment spread around the world. There are now almost 7000 national parks around the world.
I didn’t do any hiking when I was there but I now really want to come back and trek and camp for a week or so. I only really saw the places you can get to via road so next time I plan to go deep into the wilderness and hopefully see a bear or two!
Yellowstone is regarded as a super volcano and is centred over the Yellowstone Caldera which consists of hot molten rock which rises to the surface. When the pressure gets too much the geysers erupt shooting steam and hot water high into the air. The Old Faithful geyser is the parks most famous due to its predictability as it erupts every 90 minutes. This was the thing I wanted to see the most and I wasn’t disappointed.
Myself and my American friend Dia watched Old Faithful erupt at sunset and it was truly amazing. I would definitely recommend seeing the geyser at sunset when the air is cooler, the light dimmer and the crowds far fewer.
As the we drove out of the park with just a bit of light left in the sky we could see the geysers for miles around steaming in the distance. This was probably my most favourite part of the visit. No cars, no other tourists, a beautiful sunset and the realisation that I had just visited one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Definitely one for your lists!
(The last four pictures were taken in and near The Grand Teton National Park and the amazing place I was generously given to stay in for the past 10 days by my friends Brain and Chaleen. The picture of me underneath the antler arch was taken in a place called Jackson Hole. Each spring the Elk shed their antlers and some of them were used to make these amazing arches).
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