7/4: Helena-Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin

The original idea behind our Pacific Northwest trip this past June and July was to visit our month-old firstborn granddaughter, Max, in San Francisco but it quickly expanded from there given our love of traveling and having had to return home far too soon from our overseas trip in March! Since we were 'in the area,' Steven and I decided we might as well add in a return visit to some of the national parks. That was why this past Independence Day, we were on our way from near Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park, considered the cream of America's national parks.

Rafters and kayakers looked like they were having a whale of a time on the Gallatin River in the beautiful Montana wilderness.

Before entering the northwest section of the park, we stopped in Big Sky at The Soldiers' Chapel. It was in tribute to "those immortal soldiers (from WW II) who with courage and devotion died in pain defending their country and the cause of freedom for all men." What a beautiful place to remember those who gave their lives for all of us. 

We were fortunate to find as pretty a place as you could imagine for a picnic lunch just inside the park's West Entrance by the Madison River. Yellowstone was the first national park, established by an act of Congress in 1872. I had forgotten from our first visit thirty-five years ago that the region got its name from the dramatic gold-hued cliffs lining the river canyon, known by the Minnetaree Native Americans as Yellow Rock River.   

Just beyond Madison as we crossed into Wyoming, we stopped for a short walk on the boardwalk at Terrace Spring so we could satisfy our initial thermal feature craving in the park. The boardwalk took us among the small grouping of hot springs that overlook a meadow in the distance and rolling hills of young lodgepole pines all around.

Bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble!

Yellowstone was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 because "it protects significant geological phenomena and processes."

Though these weren't the most spectacular springs we've seen, it was wonderful being back at Yellowstone, especially on such a sunny, clear day.

More canary-yellow flowers for you to identify, Lezlie or Janina!!

We headed next toward the Norris Geyser Basin in the northern part of the park as we had made hotel reservations just outside the park's northwest entrance in Gardiner, Montana. On the way, we stopped at the Gibbons Falls Overlook where the 'veil of water' plunged 84 feet on its way toward the Yellowstone Caldera about a quarter-mile downstream. As the falls erode the rocks below, the waterfall grows higher and migrate further from the rim of the caldera. When the Yellowstone Volcano erupted about 640,000 years ago, massive amounts of ash spewed forth and intense heat welded the mountains of ash into rock called Lava Creek tuff. 

Road construction through this Gibbon Canyon demanded solid rock and heavy-duty manpower. Tons of rock were quarried and then made into walls by stonemasons. Supports, laid stone by stone, kept steep embankments from collapsing.  Back in 1928, a daily average of 763 vehicles traveled the canyon during the summer. Fast forward to seventy years later, a daily average of almost 7,000 vehicles drove through the canyon!

Just a few miles further on was Beryl Spring where there was a strong sulfur odor at the noisy spring. 

At Artists' Paintpots next, we needed to be on the lookout for flying mud while walking along the one-mile trail that took us through a partially burned lodgepole pine forest and through a meadow and then the hydrothermal area! We were excited about seeing the colorful hot springs, mudpots, and geysers. 

As you can imagine, there were signs cautioning everyone that the ground in thermal areas might only be a thin crust above boiling hot springs or scalding mud and that therefore we must stay on the boardwalks. Some pools were so acidic they could burn right through the soles of our shoes. It was scary thinking that people have been scalded to death or badly burned and scarred after choosing to leave the boardwalk.

Though the name Blood Geyser made us think of a gruesome event or horror movie, it actually got its name because of the high concentration of iron oxide in the water precipitates that stained the surrounding rocks a rich red! This geyser, which can erupt up to six feet high and discharge 150 gallons a minute, had been erupting ever since it was first reported in 1882. 

So many senses to take in here at Artists' Paintpots: the heat of the sun, the cool breeze, the steam from a hot pool, and such vibrant colors and scents! 

Janina: You were on my mind as we walked among the mudpots as I knew how much you liked them! I had forgotten from our previous visits that seasons play a role in the consistency of a mudpot. When there's plenty of water in the spring, the mudpots are soupy and splashy. But, in the latter days of summer when there is less water, the mudpots become thicker and thicker. Think of their being like a bowl of stew then!

It was neat learning that the hydrothermal system at Artists' Paintpots operated like a double boiler. Just as the bottom pot of a double boiler holds boiling water, a hot water system with hot acidic steam was in place under the ground here. This 'super-heated' acidic steam heats the ground above it to dissolve into clay.  When the hot clay receives water from rain and melting snow, it causes mudpot consistency and activity to change with the season and amount of precipitation. 

We headed further north next to the Norris Geyser Basin located just north of Norris Junction on the main park road. It was the oldest and hottest geothermal area in the park with water temperatures above 200 degrees! On the edge of the giant Yellowstone Volcano - one of the largest on earth - Norris Geyser Basin had microorganisms living in such massive numbers they added color to the landscape. When the volcano erupted about 640,000 years ago, it ripped open miles of mountainous terrain that left behind a caldera stretching 45 miles from rim to rim. I read that the area was still active and that there was concern about its possibly re-erupting. Can you imagine how disastrous that could be for the states surrounding Yellowstone, including our own Colorado?

Norris Geyser Basin was so huge it was separated into two distinct areas: the Porcelain Basin and the Back Basin. We started initially with the latter and hoped to see Porcelain the next day. A view of Porcelain Basin from the Norris Geyser Basin Museum:

This map shows you all the fantastic features at Norris Geyser Basin!

The 1.6-mile loop Back Basin trail was tucked into the woods and full of surprising sites, sounds, and smells as it was alive with heat and gases from the volcano. Because geysers and hot springs change all the time, we were in for a new treat even though we'd been here before.

It was easy to see how Emerald Spring had gotten its name! In this clear blue pool, the water had absorbed all the colors of sunlight except one, blue, which was reflected back to our eyes.  The 27-foot-deep pool was also lined with yellow sulfur deposits which combined with the reflected blue light which made the hot spiring look this spectacular emerald green.

The water that accumulated underground the springs and geysers was heated by the Yellowstone Volcano and traveled upward to erupt from acidic geysers, rise from steaming fumaroles, and simmer in shimmering pools. 

We looked forward to following the boardwalk to the Steamboat Geyser Overlook as the geyser was the world's tallest and has reached heights of 300-400 feet but could remain quiet for months or even years in between major eruptions. 

A sign noted it had its last major eruption less than a week earlier but at least it still had frequent minor eruptions of 10-40 feet high. We waited a while but in vain for either another major or even a minor eruption. When people think of Yellowstone, I'm sure you'd agree that the geyser that immediately comes to mind is Old Faithful and not the far lesser-known Steamboat Geyser at Norris Geyser Basin. However, it's Steamboat that erupts at two to three times the average height of Old Faithful and steam roars for twenty-four hours straight afterwar a major eruption. 

A sign by the parking lot had warned drivers coming to Norris Geyser that when Steamboat Geyser erupts, dissolved minerals in the spray could damage glass and paint on everyone's cars. That was definitely not something one normally thinks about when visiting the park!

Although we were naturally bummed not to view Steamboat in all its glory, nearby in the Back Basin was Cistern Spring. Hot springs create different water temperature environments. Though a sign mentioned Cistern Spring's brown, orange, and green colors, we only saw shades of gray. The colors represented species of visible algae and bacteria, each one of which required a different temperature environment. It was remarkable that hardy communities of minute, hot-water-adapted organisms could thrive in temperatures too hot for people to tolerate. 

Did you know that hot water bacteria had a value beyond beauty? Scientists have found that the bacteria in some of the park's hot water runoff channels produces an enzyme used in DNA fingerprinting and testing for the virus that caused AIDS.

A little further on the boardwalk trail was Echinus Geyser that used to be considered the only predictable geyser at Norris. In the last decade, though, its performance has fluctuated. All we saw that late afternoon in early July was steam.

Crater Spring: 

Arch Steam Vent:

I would love to have known how the intriguingly named Mystic Spring got its name.

A panoramic view of the Back Basin from the mile-long boardwalk trail as we walked to the Green Dragon Spring next:

Blue Mud Steam Vent: 

Yellow Funnel Spring: We could hear the bubbling spring here but not actually see it. 

I can't tell you how relieved we were not to have been here at Porkchop Geyser in early September of 1989 when the geyser exploded and threw rocks toward eight park visitors! When its narrow vent became constricted and throttled its flow of water and steam, heat and pressure intensified until Porkchop blew up, throwing rocks more than 200 feet! Thank goodness, the visitors were uninjured. Look at the rocks that had been ejected!

The 1989 hydrothermal explosion changed the size of its vent that had once been as small as a garden hose to approximately seven feet in diameter!

Pearl Geyser: We learned that when ground temperatures rose dramamtically in 2003, park geologists monitored the area carefully. When the temps rose to above the boiling point at this elevation at 201 degrees F, the trail had to be closed for several weeks. Trees beside the trail died because their roots cooked in the super-heated ground temperatures.

Either the temperatures boiled away the Pearl Geyser's water or it drained. Then, after steaming for several weeks, it refilled and resumed uts normal geyser activity after the thermal disturbance. 

There was no big 'show' at Vixen Geyser but at least there was more than just steam this time!

Veteran Geyser: We had to exercise lots of patience waiting for it to emit the geyser! I took about twenty shots in the hope just one would be ok!

I was curious to know the background behind the naming of these military-sounding geysers as this was called Corporal Geyser.

This next one was Monarch Geyser Crater.

It was so sad to read that when the park's main road was just within 70 feet of Minute Geyser too many of the park's early visitors tossed rocks into the geyser. That resulted in its larger vent becoming clogged and altering its eruptions. Minute used to erupt every minute - hence its name - up to heights of 40-50 feet. Now, though, only irregular eruptions occur from its smaller vent. To remove the mineral-cemented rocks would result in severe damage from the use of heavy equipment. 

This was our final look of Porcelain Basin which we planned to save for the next day as it was already 5:30 and our hotel was still a llongish drive away in Gardiner located just outside the park's North Entrance.

Perhaps one of these days I should compile all my photos of Covid-19 signage into one post. This one was oneof my favorites!

The drive north through the park included a view of Swan Flat with Bunsen Peak in the background. 

I was thankful that we didn't have to navigate hairpin turns like this when dark.

We couldn't help but smile upon seeing the masked bear statues in front of the post office in Mammoth Hot Springs, close to the park's northern boundary.

We were glad that we'd decided to stay in Gardiner so that we could  appreciate more of Yellowstone's remarkably varied terrain as we exited the park. 

Next post: No way would we come to Yellowstone without a trip to Old Faithful, a full 90-minute drive away from Gardiner which would mean backtracking through Norris and Madison!

Posted early on November 22nd, 2020, from what we hope will be another sunny day in the Foothills west of Denver. Steven and I hope that you and your loved ones continue to be safe, healthy, and connected during these especially challenging times.