Robert C.
Yelp
1. My wife always liked hot springs and geysers, which is why we traveled 1000 miles to Yellowstone. Me, I've seen enough hot springs through the steam vents in the sidewalks of San Francisco!
2. Our first day in Yellowstone in early June, we drive from the west entrance through Madison and onto Norris, 28 miles and 75 minutes drive. So far so good until we see a sign stating construction, 30 minute delays along the road from Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs.
3. Now we've been to Mammoth Springs in May some 8 years ago, before, and this same road was also under reconstruction at that time. Every year in the late spring the road is being rebuilt after the heavy winter snows. It is what it is!
4. The road is totally torn up, with the upper layer removed leaving a packed dirt road underneath. One way road in several sections, with traffic halted. Road wetted down to keep the dust down -keep your car windows up, your engines off, despite the hot temperatures!
5. It takes us 2 hours to drive the remaining 21 miles from Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northern section of the Park, arriving at 2pm
6. We get to Mammoth Hot Springs, and immediately head for the cafeteria, where I get a chili hot dog, and my wife a sandwich. Decent grub in a clean area at a reasonable price, amid tourists talking all sorts of foreign languages.
7. Mammoth Hot Springs has a good looking historic hotel, restaurants, several gas stations, park headquarters, a visitor center and historic Fort Yellowstone. Tourist mecca!
8. The place also has three huge parking lots next to miles of boardwalks spanning
two very huge terraces on the edge of a hillside.
9. Mists of steam rise from the terraces. Some are active and some inactive. The active ones are orange and white, whereas the inactive ones are gray. Pretty cool my wife says. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day late in the afternoon. The colors would have looked more brilliant in the sunshine earlier in the day.
10. There is an upper terrace and a lower terrace. The upper terrace is accessible by walking from the bottom, as we did, or by car. No buses, trailers or RVs allowed on the upper terrace drive, which is closed in winter.
11. From the upper terrace, the place looks like an orange, grey and white lake, depending on where the terrace is active. Looks more like a waste area of toxic brews!
12. We see crystal shaped white formations where the hot steam has touched the rocks.
13. The wind picks up, and the clouds darken, with raindrops picking up. Very common in the summer for thunderstorms to roll in.
14. Of course, I'm in shorts and sandals, from driving all day, and get a free hair wash on my way down to the car, on the 20 minute walk downwards.
15. It takes us about 2 hours to drive from this remote area in extreme Northern Yellowstone National Park, to Lake Yellowstone hotel. A harrowing drive on the curvy, winding mountain road at Tower Roosevelt to Canyon, and then to our hotel.
16. I told my wife, I only drive the road to Hana in Maui once per marriage. And only once per marriage for the road to Mammoth Hot Springs!