Yellowstone: Canyon & More Geyser Goodness

Nick

-
.
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
12,949
Hope I'm not dragging this trip report out too much and boring everyone. Too many photos! This is the second of 4 trip reports from my 5-day trip to the Yellowstone area. Links to the other trips are below:

Part 1: Grand Teton National Park
Part 2: Upper Geyser Basin
Part 3: Canyon & More Geyser Goodness
Part 4: Lamar Valley, Mammoth & Fairy Falls

On our second day in Yellowstone, we decided to sleep in and drive over to Canyon Junction to check out the waterfalls in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River. It was a very cold morning and not very many people were willing to hike far from their cars. We first hiked down to the Brink of Lower Falls to get a close up view.
yellowstone-canyon-2.jpg

It was a steep hike down and then back up from the Brink but well worth it. From there we went a little further down the road and got a shot from another view point.
yellowstone-canyon-3.jpg

And after that we got even further away for a view from Artist's Point.
yellowstone-canyon-4.jpg

We thought about hiking Uncle Tom's Trail but we were kind of done with the waterfalls and so we decided to drive up towards Dunraven Pass and look for wildlife.
yellowstone-canyon-5.jpg

The road was closed right at the turnoff for the north trailhead for Mount Washburn so traffic was light. We'd hoped to maybe see some bears but turned up nothing but a couple bison off in the distance.

But on the way back down the pass, Audra spotted a Coyote just standing under a tree along the road. It must have been stalking something in a hole because it just sat there and kept staring at the ground for a while, tilting it's head from side to side.
yellowstone-canyon-6.jpg

After a couple of minutes, the coyote walked away from us into the brush. It was amazing how perfectly the colors of it's coat blended with the environment. Look for the ears and you'll be able to see the general shape of the coyote.
yellowstone-canyon-7.jpg

It circled around and took a look at us before heading off. I've seen coyotes elsewhere, but never so calm like this and never so big and strong looking.
yellowstone-canyon-9.jpg

Our next stop was at the Artist's Paint Pots. I was stoked to see this spot after seeing @Bill's photos. It did not disappoint.
yellowstone-canyon-10.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-11.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-12.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-13.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-16.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-17.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-18.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-19.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-21.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-22.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-23.jpg

After the Paint Pots, we went back over to Old Faithful to walk the trail down to Morning Glory Pool. There weren't many people out there which made for a fantastic walk. I can imagine this place gets a lot busier.
yellowstone-canyon-24.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-25.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-26.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-27.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-28.jpg

We caught Castle Geyser erupting.
yellowstone-canyon-29.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-30.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-31.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-32.jpg

The end of the hike: Morning Glory Pool.
yellowstone-canyon-34.jpg

From Morning Glory, we raced back to the car to go searching for wildlife in the late hours of the day. We decided to try out the Firehole Lake Loop again but saw nothing. There was some great light on some of the geysers up there though. I believe this is Fountain Geyser. It could make a sweet place to shoot sunset up there.
yellowstone-canyon-35.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-36.jpg

We ran into more elk along the Firehole River but no bulls!
yellowstone-canyon-37.jpg

Back along the Madison, we stopped next to a large meadow and were able to watch two bull elk bugle and fight eachother for a while. They were just spikes and it was very far away, so none of the photos turned out that great. But once again, the sunset did.
yellowstone-canyon-38.jpg

yellowstone-canyon-39.jpg

Links to all trip reports in this series:

Part 1: Grand Teton National Park
Part 2: Upper Geyser Basin
Part 3: Canyon & More Geyser Goodness
Part 4: Lamar Valley, Mammoth & Fairy Falls

Featured image for home page:
slide.jpg
 
how beautiful!!
But I'm amazed, all of your shots look totally different than I remember it. So the whole geothermic area changed its appearance a bit.
I really love the little details you showed in the pictures and without the hint to look for the Coyote's ears I wouldn't find him in the thick grassy area. :thumbsup:
 
Very nice Nick! You were very lucky to see Castle Geyser go off. I have never seen it go off in all my years there. I love the way you captured those thermal features. The brink of the lower falls is awesome in the spring with the runoff. You can really feel the power of the water.
 
Excellent pictures! I can hardly wait to go there again. I only live a few hours from the natural beauties of Yellowstone. I should make it an annual trip. Thanks for the flashbacks.....
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
scatman Yellowstone's Thorofare, Headwaters of Thorofare Creek, Majo Pass, Younts Peak, Bob's Canyon, and Cub Creek - August 9, 2023 - Days 7 through 10 Backpacking 34
scatman Yellowstone's Thorofare, Headwaters of Thorofare Creek, Majo Pass, Younts Peak, Bob's Canyon, and Cub Creek - August 9, 2023 - Days 1 through 6 Backpacking 56
travel2walk Yellowstone: Bechler Canyon, Aug 12-15 2022 Backpacking 21
marquis20 Day 1: Grand Teton Wilderness and Black Canyon of the Yellowstone - June 2021 Backpacking 0
Bob Rappelling into the Yellowstone river canyon General Discussion 1
Joey Yellowstone's Pitchstone Plateau, Ferris Fork, Bechler Canyon Loop Backpacking 8
isaac Yellowstone NP Campsite Reccs Trip Planning 2
Bob Island Park / Yellowstone Private Airport Development General Discussion 8
TheMountainRabbit News Release: Yellowstone National Park increases protection for bears and visitor safety by implementing changes to two bear management areas General Discussion 14
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Gallatin River -- September 7-9th 2023 Backpacking 12
wsp_scott Yellowstone Lake to Brooks Lake (Aug 2023) Backpacking 16
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Nine / Day Nine + Ten! Backpacking 20
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Eight / Day Eight Backpacking 14
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Seven / Day Seven Backpacking 13
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Six / Day Six Backpacking 28
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Five / Day Five Backpacking 16
LarryBoy Select Peaks of the Greater Yellowstone - Second Edition (coupon code for pre-order) General Discussion 12
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Four / Day Four Backpacking 15
scatman The Gallatin River, Bighorn and Fawn Passes, Yellowstone National Park - September 7, 2023 Backpacking 14
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 Part Three / Day Three Backpacking 10
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 -- Part Two / Day Two Backpacking 6
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Thorofare and the Teton Wilderness 08/09/2023 - 08/18/2023 --Part One / Day One Backpacking 10
F Hat Recovered-Yellowstone Backcountry General Discussion 0
J South Crandall Creek and the Hoodoos Wyoming and Yellowstone? Trip Planning 3
RockyMntCol Trip Planning Younts Peak / South Fork Yellowstone Trip Planning 12
F Shakedown - Yellowstone Thorofare Trip Planning 13
Rockskipper @Bob or anyone know why they closed down part of the forest near W. Yellowstone? General Discussion 6
I Rescue Creek - Yellowstone National Park - June 3, 2023 Backpacking 15
Bob Bear charge - Yellowstone General Discussion 1
scatman Rescue Creek - Yellowstone National Park - June 3, 2023 Backpacking 56
I Slough Creek - Yellowstone June 5 & 6 Meet Up (Members Only) 19
Bob Yellowstone 5/8/23 - UPDATE General Discussion 9
Parashakti Late July in Yellowstone Trip Planning 9
scatman Rescue Creek - Yellowstone National Park Meet Up (Members Only) 19
E Weeklong+ backpacking recs in Yellowstone NP? Trip Planning 11
Jackson Yellowstone Backcountry Lottery Results General Discussion 45
BobFink Yellowstone South Entrance to Fox Creek via Basin Creek Cutoff - Labor Day 2022 Trip Reports 4
Bob Snakes in Yellowstone General Discussion 11
shredhiker Yellowstone Heart Lake September 2022 Backpacking 9
Janice Yellowstone Yurt Camp - Feb. 19-23, 2023 Trip Reports 15
TheMountainRabbit Northern Yellowstone NP - January 2023 Winter Sports 6
Ymyr Suggestions in a Yellowstone and a Beartooth trip Trip Planning 29
scatman A Yellowstone Love Story (Bog Creek Euphoria) - September 12, 2022 Backpacking 28
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. The Second Half. Backpacking 15
Georgia Yankee Where to see/hear wolves Yellowstone NP backcountry in September? Trip Planning 16
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. Part One of Two. Backpacking 61
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Hayden Valley, Trout Creek, Beach Lake, and Arnica Creek Meadows. September 11, 2022. Hiking & Camping 7
TheMountainRabbit Pitchstone/Bechler Loop (Yellowstone NP) - September 2022 Backpacking 17
P Summer night in Yellowstone Backpacking 4
P Yellowstone, one night by a lake Backpacking 19

Similar threads

Back
Top