This shot was taken from the Storm Point trail looking across Yellowstone Lake to the southwest. This 2.5 mile trail is an easy, level hike and takes you through a dry, grassy plain, then along the shore of Yellowstone Lake before plunging into a dark conifer forest. The variety of ecosystems in Yellowstone is amazing!

The Storm Point trail starts just three miles southeast of Fishing Bridge on the East Entrance Road.

Another shot from the Storm Point trail. A Lupine on the shore of Yellowstone Lake - looking west.

Sylvan Lake - on the East Access Road about 16 miles east of Fishing Bridge.

Norris Geyser Basin - This is the Porcelain Basin Trail. The boardwalk passes over some of the hottest areas of the park. Underground water temperatures of 706° Fahrenheit have been measured. This part of the basin is relatively calm with numerous quiet springs. The Back Basin has a number of quite active geysers, including Steamboat Geyser, at 380', the highest active geyser in the world. The last major eruption was a year before my visit. Minor eruptions of 40-50' are frequent.

The Norris Geyser Basin is at Norris Junction.

The Mud Volcano area - about 6 miles north of Fishing Bridge. The acidic hot springs in this area have reduced the underlying lava rock to a fine clay - resulting in a number of mud pots, mud pools and mud volcanoes.

In the foreground is Black Dragon's Caldron. This mudpot exploded into existence in 1948, blowing trees out by their roots. For the next several decades it blasted 10-20 foot bursts of black mud. Over the years, it moved 200' to the south and became relatively quiet. Sour Lake is in the background - so called because the water in this lake has a ph about the same as battery acid.

When Travertine is formed it's white. The orange, brown, yellow and green colors are a function of what's growing on the rock - bacteria. Each color is a type of bacteria adapted to survive in a specific range of high temperatures. White and yellow bacteria thrive in water measuring about 167° Fahrenheit. As the water cools, you'll see the darker oranges, browns and greens.

This is called Hymen Terrace and is located right at the beginning of the Beaver Ponds Trail on the Mammoth-Norris Road.

This is Narrow Gauge Terrace - This particular feature can be reached after an easy half mile hike. While most geologic changes occur over a period of years or even eons, travertine is deposited at a rate of up to 22" a year. So what you see now, may be totally different next year or may not even exist. Compounding this rapid change in the Mammoth area is the movement of the springs creating the features. Each year, some springs stop flowing and new ones appear.

This is Angel Terrace, another feature on the Upper Terrace Drive, southwest of Mammoth Village.