This morning, my Dad and I headed over to the Canyon area of the park to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. On the way, we saw a sign for the Artist's Paint Pots, a thermal area with thermal springs and geysers and the paint pots, gurgling muddy pits. The paint pot areas in the park are caused by acid in the water that breaks down the rock into clay, which bubbles up from the ground.
Pools along the trail
The Paint Pots
The view from the paint pots
From Artists' Paint Pots, we went to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where we hiked the steep switchbacks of the Brink of the Lower Falls Trail down the canyon and next to the Lower Falls. The view from this area was absolutely amazing.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from the bottom of the Brink of the Falls Trail
My Dad at the Grand Canyon
After our little hike, we drove to some lookouts to see the canyon from some more angles. I thought the Lookout Point and Grand View areas were both especially beautiful.
Lookout Point
Lookout Point
Grand View
After we left the Grand Canyon area, we decided to head back to West Yellowstone. As we entered the Norris area of the park on the way home, we saw a sign for the Norris Geyser Basin, so we decided to check that out before heading to the hotel. We discovered that Norris was a large geyser basin with boardwalk trails through the thermal areas. My Dad and I walked both loops of the Norris Geyser area, the Back Basin and the Porcelain Basin.
Porcelain Basin
Pools in the Porcelain Basin
Geysers in the Porcelain Basin
Algae growing in the Back Basin
Thermal pool in Back Basin
Geyser erupting in the Back Basin
When we got back to West Yellowstone, we went to dinner at the Wolf Pack Brewery here in town. The Wolf Pack brews their own beer and also offers a lot of great local microbrews. We decided to try a sampler, which included Wolf Pack Wapiti Wheat, Moosedrool and Scapegoat from Big Sky Brewery, Grand Teton Old Faithful Ale, and a local IPA (I forget the name). I really liked the Wolf Pack Wapiti Wheat, and drinking Moosedrool and Scapegoat brought back memories of working in Glacier.
Wolf Pack Brewery - West Yellowstone, MT
Tomorrow we are leaving West Yellowstone for Gardiner, MT. We hope to check out the museum in West Yellowstone before we leave, and also plan on doing a hike somewhere in the Mammoth Hot Springs area, about 5 miles from Gardiner. It should be another big day, and I am excited!
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You're blog has helped me choose many enjoyable hikes during my summer working for Xanterra! However, I take issue with one aspect of your blog. You fail to address A VERY PERTINENT AND PRESSING ISSUE: 9/11 and whether you believe it was an inside job. For this reason, I will not link to your blog from my site or share it with friends, family, coworkers, OR GRANDMAS. Until you post an article on 9/11 or go on INVESTIGATIVE HIKE AT GROUND ZERO you can no longer expect me as a visitor to this GOVERNMENT RUN BLOG or consider me a like minded friend in the WET N' WYLD blogosphere. GOOD DAY TO YOU SIR!
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