Yellowstone #4
Day 11, at Old Faithful — exploring the geology
We had one final wolf vigil at the Institute in the Lamar Valley but, alas, a sighting there would not be. We spoke with some people who were in radio contact with the wolf project team and they told us that no wolves had been seen since we arrived in the area. We did get rather excited as we got out of the van as we could hear distant howling but it turned out to be a small group of four coyotes. After watching them for a while we went back for breakfast before setting off to Old Faithful.
We stopped at Norris for lunch then went on to Norris Geyser Basin, where we enjoyed a walk round the boardwalk trails.
The Steamboat Geyser
at the Norris Geyser Basin
The Steamboat Geyser is the tallest of any active geyser in the world. During a major eruption water may be thrown more than 300 feet (91 m) into the air. The intervals between major eruptions range from four days to fifty years. Minor eruptions of 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) are much more frequent.
When we were here the previous major eruption had been September 3, 2014. However, since March 15, 2018 Steamboat appears to have entered an active phase.
Here is a short video of a minor eruption.
Next, we headed on to Fountain Paintpots to see more geothermal features.
Before we really wanted to, we had to leave there to continue on to Old Faithful, where we spent one night at Old Faithful Lodge Cabins. As we arrived we found we had just enough time to check in before the geyser was due to blow, perfect timing.
< Days 8 to 10, based in Cooke City, Montana — looking for wolves in all the wrong places
Days 12 to 15, back at Jackson Hole — bears and beavers >