This is part six of a travel series to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks. If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE!
The Heart of the Yellowstone Caldera
After spending the morning of Day Two exploring The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, we got back in the car and continued upwards towards the North Entrance. We weren't in the car long when we spotted a number of cars pulled over at a scenic overlook. We thought "It must be good, or there wouldn't be so many cars here" so we stopped.
If you've been following along on our journey, we have now completed more than half of the lower figure eight loop and we were continuing upward (north) to the upper half of the figure eight loop. The overlook we stopped at is called the "Washburn Hot Springs Overlook" which is not on the map below but is on a more detailed map of Yellowstone which you receive at the park entrance. On the map below, we were about half way in-between Canyon Jct. and Mt. Washburn.
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The scenic view is explained in the photo below. If you click on the photo you can enlarge it and read more about it. From this spot you have views of the Washburn Hot Springs, the Caldera Rim (which resulted from the third cycle of volcanic events) and even the Grand Tetons in the distance.
The steam you see is the Washburn Hot Springs.
The views from this overlook are incredible and definitely worth the stop!
Here's a short video of the area.
I love the wildflowers in the foreground.
Tower Fall
After briefly stopping at the overlook, we then headed to our next destination: Tower Fall. This place was pretty busy and filled with tourists, but the parking lot was huge so we had no problem finding parking.
The Tower Fall overlook is just a short walk from the parking lot. It was kinda disappointing because the overlook was packed with people and I had to wait awhile before I could squeeze in by the railing and get an unobstructed view. We also felt the falls were so far away from the overlook, it wasn't a big wow for us. Visitors used to be able to hike to the bottom of the falls, but that trail was closed due to severe erosion.
This next photo is taken without the telephoto lens, so you get a better idea of what I'm talking about. However, what makes this waterfall impressive is not only its 132 foot drop, but the pinnacles that surround it. The unusual lava columns surrounding the fall were created by lava flow that cracked as it cooled.
Calcite Springs
Back on Grand Loop Road again, still heading north, about 1.5 miles in we spotted another little pull off. There weren't many cars in this area, and I have no idea why people skipped this, because we thought the views were incredible!
If you look in the picture above, you can see a whiteish section above the Yellowstone River. The photo below is a close up of that section and it explains how it is created.
Also at this overlook are more of those pinnacles seen at Tower Fall.
It's so impressive seeing these pinnacles rise above the Yellowstone River.
The photo below explains how these pinnacles were formed from erupted volcanoes.
This area has a short easy loop trail with views of the Yellowstone River, the basalt columns, and thermal springs. You can see the basalt columns in the lower left of the photo below.
Undine Falls
There are two more waterfalls in this area: Wraith Falls and Undine Falls. We didn't stop at Wraith Falls because that involved a hike and we were trying to avoid hiking in desolate areas because of grizzlies. Undine Falls also has a hike where you can view the waterfall unclose, but we just stopped at the overlook.
Undine Falls is a 60 foot waterfall into Lava Creek and has three plunges.
Here is a short video of Undine Falls.
Roosevelt Arch
Well now it was late afternoon and it was time for hubby and I to get some Linner. We headed out the North Entrance. This was the entrance that was destroyed by flooding in 2022. I am happy to report it is open again, but boy, of the three Yellowstone entrances this one was the most scary. It is a long, winding, uphill/downhill climb. I can see why a flood destroyed it; I could just picture water racing down that hill. I was also surprised that this of all the entrances, is the only one open in winter. You would think it would be difficult getting up and down that hill in the winter. But apparently, park employees live in the town of Gardiner and also in the Park Headquarters, which is very near this entrance, so that is why it is the only one open in winter.
The North Entrance has the famous Roosevelt Arch. It is worth going to this entrance just to see this arch. It is so beautiful and it has so much history. They have plenty of place to pull over and park so you can take photos of the arch.
I thought this little door and tunnel in the arch was just the cutest!
The arch was built in 1903 and was named after the president because he happened to be vacationing in the area at the time and was asked to speak at the dedication ceremony.
The town of Gardiner is a cute, western town, but unfortunately I did not take photos. This was the second town outside Yellowstone I didn't take photos of, even though I thought the town was adorable. I think every time we left the park, I would have anxiety because I was worried about getting back to the cabin before dark. Hubby always wanted to leave the park for Linner everyday, whereas I would have preferred to just eat at one of the restaurants inside the park. However, looking back, he made the right choice because the towns were SO STINKING CUTE! Maybe someday we can go back and I can plan a better vacation where we spend the night in the towns instead of in the park, and then we can explore the towns more.
Next week I will continue on with Day Two of our Yellowstone adventure with a stop at Mammoth Hot Springs; now that was incredible!
Have A Great Day! Amy
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For more information on Yellowstone, please check out these posts:
Fountain Paint Pot, Lake Hotel and Cabins, and Hayden Valley
