{"id":3252,"date":"2016-08-10T08:10:56","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T14:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3252"},"modified":"2019-03-16T10:10:10","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T16:10:10","slug":"norris-geyser-basin-mammoth-hot-springs-in-yellowstone-national-park-wyoming-8-13-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3252","title":{"rendered":"Norris Geyser Basin & Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (8-13-12)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 6 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yellowstone National Park is big.\u00a0 Even on just a very quick tour through the park, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP had only made it as far as the Lower Geyser Basin on the first day.\u00a0 After the sun had set, Lanis drove to\u00a0the town of\u00a0West Yellowstone just outside the park for the night.\u00a0 The next morning, Lupe returned to Yellowstone National Park\u00a0to complete\u00a0her tour.<\/p>\n

The day before, Lupe had been very good about being willing to wait in or near the Honda Element, while Lanis and SPHP took turns exploring sights along\u00a0short trails off the\u00a0road.\u00a0 She had been perhaps a bit tired from her prior fabulous long day in the Beartooth Mountains going to Beauty and Becker Lakes.\u00a0 After a day of rest, though, SPHP wasn’t sure how much longer the active Carolina Dog was going to be happy with this arrangement.<\/p>\n

The main\u00a0attraction SPHP still wanted to see was the Norris Geyser Basin.\u00a0 There could be other stops along the way for Lanis to get out and look around, but SPHP would have to skip taking a turn on the trails at some of those stops to save time.\u00a0 Hopefully, there would still be time later in the day to exit Yellowstone National Park and it’s not-too-dog-friendly rules, so Lupe could get to a trail where she would be free to explore and run around.<\/p>\n

The first stop was Gibbon Falls, an 84 foot high waterfall on the Gibbon River.\u00a0 It was visible from right next to the highway, so Lupe got to see it.<\/p>\n

\"Gibbon<\/a>
Gibbon Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were a couple of other stops along the way prior to reaching the Norris Geyser Basin.\u00a0 Lanis toured the Artist Paint Pots.\u00a0 He returned to\u00a0report that they were pretty similar in most respects\u00a0to the Fountain Paint Pots at the Lower Geyser Basin.\"Yellowstone<\/a>\"YellowstoneThe Norris Geyser Basin is pretty big.\u00a0 SPHP was disappointed to learn that a former highlight of the Norris Geyser Basin, the Echinus Geyser (privately known as the “Big P’tui”), rarely erupts now.\u00a0 There were still plenty of pretty steaming hot springs and\u00a0noisy steam\u00a0vents to look at.\u00a0 SPHP judged the tiny Minute Geyser, which was very active, the best display on this day.<\/p>\n

Both SPHP and Lanis took turns staying with Lupe to allow the other to tour the Norris Geyser Basin.\u00a0 Lupe had to content herself with squirrel and chipmunk watching from the parking lot.\"Norris<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Norris<\/a>
Norris Geyser Basin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Norris<\/a>\"Norris<\/a>\"Norris<\/a>\"Norris<\/a>\"NorrisSPHP had been to the Norris Geyser Basin before.\u00a0 It had seemed considerably more active years ago.\u00a0 However, it was now nearly mid-August.\u00a0 The weather was hot and dry for Yellowstone.\u00a0 The steam from all the vents, hot springs and geysers is always more impressive on cooler, higher humidity days when it hangs in the air longer and forms bigger clouds.<\/p>\n

The last big stop in Yellowstone National Park was at Mammoth Hot Springs.\u00a0 SPHP stayed with Lupe.\u00a0 It was really hot and sunny by this time.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP amused themselves as best they could while waiting for Lanis to return.\u00a0 It seemed like he was gone a long time, but eventually he did appear again.<\/p>\n

Lanis\u00a0had gotten so entranced with looking at Mammoth Hot Springs he had gone a long way down the stairs on the wooden trails.\u00a0 He hadn’t realized how huge Mammoth Hot Springs was, or how much elevation he had lost until it was time to return.\u00a0 Without any water with him, it\u00a0had been\u00a0a long, hot, slow climb back up to where the Element was parked.<\/p>\n

Most of Mammoth Hot Springs was dry and dead looking at this time of year.\u00a0 The hot springs were most colorful and beautiful where there was still water.\u00a0 Interestingly, the water that surfaces at Mammoth Hot Springs comes underground along a fault line all the way from the Norris Geyser Basin.<\/p>\n

\"Mammoth<\/a>
Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest travertine terrace in the world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Mammoth<\/a>\"Mammoth<\/a>Yellowstone National Park has the world’s largest collection of amazing geothermal features.\u00a0 Lupe would have been glad to stay there longer, if she had been allowed out on the trails.\u00a0\u00a0Park rules were against it, though, so it was time for Lupe to move on, content with the wonders she did have the good fortune to see.<\/p>\n

Lupe, Lanis, and SPHP returned to the Beartooth Mountains E of Cooke City, MT.\u00a0 There was still time for a hike on a trail Lupe could explore.\u00a0 Before setting out on a trail to Kersey Lake, there was a quick rest stop at a campground.<\/p>\n

The restroom there featured a rather sturdy looking lock.\u00a0 It looked brand new.\u00a0 It operated perfectly.\u00a0 The odd thing about it was that the lock was on the outside<\/em> of the restroom, a\u00a0cause of considerable mirth to Lanis.\u00a0 It would be so easy<\/em> to lock someone in there!\u00a0 Neither Lanis nor SPHP could fathom why there was a lock on the outside that only prevented anyone inside from getting out.<\/p>\n

\"Umm,<\/a>
Umm, let me out, please?\u00a0 Someone NOT named Einstein did a beautiful job of installing a sturdy new lock on the wrong side of the door.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After nearly 2 days, Lupe finally got to go on a trail again.\u00a0 The most interesting part of the trail to Kersey Lake was at almost the very start, where a bridge crossed the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone.\u00a0 Before even crossing the bridge, there was a bench from which to observe a pleasant bend in the river, plus a little side spur off the main trail with a view of the river below after it went over a waterfall in a narrow gorge.<\/p>\n

Lupe, Lanis, and SPHP followed the trail all the way to Kersey Lake, only to find that it didn’t go down to the shore.\u00a0 It was hard to find anywhere, even\u00a0off the trail,\u00a0with much of a view of the lake.\u00a0 Lupe didn’t care.\u00a0 The trail went through the forest.\u00a0 That meant squirrels!\u00a0 The shrill bark of a very happy American Dingo echoed through the trees.<\/p>\n

\"Kersey<\/a>
Kersey Lake from the SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone rushes into a narrow gorge. Photo taken from the bridge near the start of the trail to Kersey Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2012 West Coast\u00a0Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 6 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast. Yellowstone National Park is big.\u00a0 Even on just a very quick tour through the park, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP had only made it as far as the Lower Geyser Basin on the first day.\u00a0 After the sun had set, Lanis drove to\u00a0the town of\u00a0West … Continue reading Norris Geyser Basin & Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (8-13-12)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[429],"tags":[105,106,26,471,473,104,474,472,275,465],"class_list":["post-3252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2012-west-coast","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-gibbon-falls","tag-kersey-lake","tag-lupe","tag-mammoth-hot-springs","tag-norris-geyser-basin","tag-wyoming","tag-yellowstone-national-park"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/WP_0020121.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3252"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20764,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3252\/revisions\/20764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}