Yellowstone 2025: To the Grand Teton National Park

On September 17th, our Off the Beaten Path group headed south towards the Grand Teton National Park. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

One of our first sightings was a grizzly bear grazing.

We were leaving geyser territory behind, but I took one last photo through the van window.

After two hours, we reached the northern end of Jackson Lake, greeted by the astonishing mountains across the water. A panoramic shot was required.

Let's zoom in a bit.

Really close (zoom).

Down the road a bit, fall colors were emerging,

and various streams flowed down toward Jackson Lake.

After lunch there were activity options -- the east side of Jackson Lake is loaded with them.

Joan and I joined the group that chose to orbit the Two Ocean Lake. (The red arrow in the upper right of the above map points to it. Click on any image to enlarge.)

It's a 6.4-mile loop, which we chose to take counterclockwise.

Steve guided our hike, giving us an overview of various plants, berries, and trees. And animals, including a tree clawed by a bear. 

At one point, we could see a beaver structure across the lake.

On the return leg we caught sight of a resting moose. Fortunately, he wasn't blocking the trail.

Woods, meadows, and sun. Contentment with a hike of just the right length.

The sun was getting low. It was time to rejoin the group at the Jackson Lake Lodge, check in, and get ready for a wonderful dinner. The next day promised an aquatic adventure, a float trip down the Snake River.

Yellowstone 2025: Old Faithful and a Grand Circuit

The previous post (here) recounted our morning activities on September 16th. Our next stop was the Old Faithful complex, where we arrived about noon. The Inn's exterior was impressive!

That bus is not us!

We had a little while to explore the astonishing interior,

and then had our lunch al fresco. The famous geyser "Old Faithful" is visible in this photo from our balcony perch.

We lingered and caught one of Old Faithful's eruptions. They last for several minutes; this video clip isn't that long.

Then we took to the paths to other features. Quite a few, there are! (Click on any image to enlarge.)

One of the first pots we encountered. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Iron and sulfur-rich waters flowed here.

What do we have here in these blue waters?

Let's zoom in and see ... bones!

Our explorations are taking us gradually away from the lodge.

Next, we reached the Anemone geyser.

There was interesting action here: at the eruption's end, all the water drains away.

This pool had translucent blue depths.

Further away stood the Castle geyser.

Zooming in:

Here's a video of the Castle geyser.

Next, the Spasmodic geyser. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

We waited a while at the Grand geyser, but it didn't make an appearance in the time we had. In this photo, Jack, one of our two Off the Beaten Path guides, is pointing out some features. (His missing hand is a quirk of taking a picture in panorama mode, where the photographer sweeps out the photo desired and the camera does the combining.)

Then it was time to move on: today we were engaged in a long loop from Canyon Village. You'll find Old Faithful in the bottom left corner of this map; at this point, we've completed almost half of the journey.

The route became mountainous; we even crossed the Continental Divide at 8,391 feet, or 2,556 meters. Needless to say, we were not zooming along! There was plenty to see, including some resting elk.

We arrived at the shores of Yellowstone Lake and had time to take a driving tour of a section of lakeshore. By now, the day's light had become more horizontal.

Our auto tour along the shore continued; later in the evening I took this photo of waterfowl cruising close to shore.

We had dinner at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Our group broke into several separate tables, but the food was among the best we'd encountered. That makes up for a lot!

Needless to say, by the time we returned to our rooms at Canyon Village, it was lights-out almost immediately. Next, we'll head south to the Grand Teton National Park.

Yellowstone 2025: Lower Geyser Basin

July 16th was a steam-filled day. It began early; our group left Canyon Village and reached the Beryl hot spring, our first stop, at 7:45. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

A walkway keeps visitors away from the road and extremely hot water.

A different angle on some of the vents.

Close-up of another vent.

Our next destination was the Paint Pots complex. (A link to a detailed description of each geyser is here.)

A locale with innumerable vents came into view.

First, Jack Noll, one of our two Off the Beaten Path guides, gave us the obligatory warnings and an overview.

A circular hot pool!

Blue depths, salt-encrusted borders.

The fountain paint pot. It's still only 9:00.

How does that work? (Click on any image to enlarge.)

And this one, the Red Spouter ...

 

Another kind of photo-op.

What's that ... a bison rubbing against a tree!

Walked away in profile.

The trail took us to a somewhat higher view, including the Grand Prismatic Spring.

Zooming in reveals its paths and walkers.

Then it was time to shove off -- and head for Old Faithful and the myriad other sights in its complex. Next post!