On our trip to Yellowstone, after we left Grand Prismatic Spring, we were starving. The day before, when we arrived in West Yellowstone, we picked up picnic food and a small styrofoam cooler at the market and packed a lunch for the next day. Knowing that there were few restaurants or cafes in the park, we needed the freedom to eat whenever and wherever we wanted.
Soon, we found a pull-off with several picnic tables next to Gibbon River. We picked out a table in the shade, laid out a small tarp to cover it, and lugged the cooler and drinks over. By then, it was after 1:00, and I was grateful for my simple ham sandwich and chips.
Our daughter finished eating first and headed down to sit by the river. I kept vigilant for bears or any wildlife—all those caution signs everywhere had made me cautious. But it was a beautiful spot for a picnic, with the bright-blue sky, green trees and grasses, and the river flowing gently. That peaceful time by the river is a favorite memory for us.
Back on the road, I thought I saw a sign for Gibbon Falls, and after a couple of wrong turns and some faulty directions from other tourists, we came to the turnoff. It’s a big area, nicely done with a large paved pathway starting at the top, with a view of the falls on the left.
Then I turned my head to the right. Ahhh. The way the river winds through the trees, reflecting the blue sky above, and then flows off to the right and out of sight. Just gorgeous.
Looking at these photos makes me grateful all over again for the opportunity to see the amazing beauty of Yellowstone with my dear ones and now to be able share it with you.
We continued walking along the paved area downhill and around, where we got a great view of the falls from the bottom and a good spot for a selfie or two.
After leaving Gibbon Falls, we headed to Artists’ Paintpot, about 10 miles down the road. Artists Paintpot didn’t seem as popular as some of the other sites we saw, because the parking lot wasn’t full. We walked for about a mile on a flat dirt trail to get there and then followed others onto the boardwalk that wound through the features.
Every feature at Yellowstone has informational signs about the site as well as safety warnings: stay on boardwalks and designated trails, hydrothermal water can severely burn you, stay away from wildlife, etc. This site had a new caution we hadn’t seen before: watch out for flying mud. Hmm…
As we approached, we realized why the area got its name: the mud and hot springs are quite colorful, especially the reds and yellows.
We also caught the smell of rotten eggs. From the National Park Service website: “Mudpots are acidic features with a limited water supply. Some microorganisms use hydrogen sulfide, which rises from deep within the earth, as an energy source. They help convert the gas to sulfuric acid, which breaks down rock to wet clay mud and creates the area’s smell. The pungent odor of rotten eggs is caused by the hydrogen sulfide gas.” The smell made sense when we saw the effects of all that acid on the landscape.
These two thermal pools, with their milky-white blue water, surrounded by red clay mud were my favorite features there. Then we saw this.
On the left is Blood Geyser, which is set in the hillside and spouts continuously from a pool at the bottom. It’s an orange-red color, with grass growing around the pool.
This is the last view we had before heading back up the trail to the parking lot.
Here the ground looks almost like a yellowish-green river flowing between swathes of green grasses. Blood Geyser is just beyond it and the red area with the two milky white and blue pools are to the right.
It was a strange and fascinating (and smelly!) place, for sure. I’d never seen anything like it, and there was much more to come.
Have you ever been to Yellowstone? I would love to know! Leave me a comment below.
If you missed my earlier Yellowstone posts, start here.
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