il parco nazionale di Yellowstone / Yellowstone National Park

Old Faithful at the end of one of its eruptions

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A little while ago, I wrote a post on Grand Teton National Park. During the same trip, we also visited Yellowstone National Park.

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park.

Yellostone was not the main destination of our trip and therefore I consider our visit only an appetizer (antipasto). I would like to go back and explore the park further. Grand Teton was absolutely beautiful. Yellowstone, however, was almost unbearably magnificent.

Yellowstone Caldera is one of the largest and most active calderas in the world. The spectacular geysers, boiling hot springs, and mud pots that have made Yellowstone famous -- and even the strikingly beautiful Grand Canyon of Yellowstone through which the Yellowstone River plunges -- owe their existence to the tremendous volcanic forces that have affected the region during the past 2 million years. Cataclysmic eruptions 2.0, 1.3, and 0.6 million years ago ejected huge volumes of rhyolite magma; each eruption formed a caldera and extensive layers of thick pyroclastic-flow deposits. The youngest caldera is an elliptical depression, nearly 80 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide, that occupies much of Yellowstone National Park.

My first taste of the volcanic phenomena that occur in Yellowstone was during an afternoon drive from Grand Teton to Old Faithful. (Grand Teton is south of Yellowstone: here is a map.)

"despite the myth, this geyser has never erupted at exact hourly intervals, nor is it the largest or most regular geyser in Yellowstone. However, it does erupt more frequently than any other of the large geysers."

Castle Geyser

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Untitled Punch Bowl Spring [I believe]

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The beautiful Yellowstone River.

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Bison grazing along the Yellowstone River

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Seeing bison was one of the highlights of the trip.We actually saw many up close and personal, as they share the road with cars. As far as I could tell, they know about driving walking on the right. However, they are not ready to change their speed to accommodate cars, so you must be ready to slow down to their pace.

I get very emotional when I approach animals, so my close-up photos are not very good. The most thrilling encounter was with a wolf (lupo) that crossed the road and ran alongside our car for a brief moment. I was driving and could not take a photo. We also saw a couple of grizzly bears having fun in the woods, lots of deer, a beautiful male elk proud of his antler and pretty pronghorn (no moose, which was a disappointment and another reason I want to go back).

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was another highlight of the visit.

The Lower Falls (cascate) viewed from Uncle Tom's Trail
"The trail drops 500 feet (150 m) in a series of more than 300 stairs and paved inclines."

Clepsydra Geyser (Fountain Paint Pot)

Throughtout the park there is signage explaining what causes the different phenomena visitors can observe, from geysers to mudpots, to hot springs.

Celestine Pool (Fountain Paint Pot)
"As in many of the pools around Yellowstone, the water in this pretty pool is usually within a few degrees of boiling."

Grand Prismatic Spring (Midway Geyser Basin)
Microorganisms called thermophiles cause this incredible display of colors.

Excelsior Geyser Crater (Midway Geyser Basin)

"Yellowstone contains approximately one-half of the world’s hydrothermal features. There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features, including over 300 geysers, in the park."

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

il parco nazionale di Yellowstone

or launch the il parco nazionale di Yellowstone audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

Comments

[Astrofiammante]

Santo cielo, lupi, bisonti, orsi........ dovrei premunirmi di qualche mutandina in più se un giorno ci andassi ;-)) e voi due sempre da soli? Dalle tue foto comunque il parco è molto affascinante! Ricordo bene?......è il parco di orso Yoghi e Bubu? Ciauzzzzzzz

[fabdo]

STUNNING!

[bellini]

I remember descending down Uncle Tom's trail, and walking the very well marked trails of Yellowstone National Park. It really is one of the natural wonders of the world. I saw grizzly bear, moose and the famous buffalo.

[Paz]

i'd love to visit this wonderful place, one day soon. i want to see the bisons and other animals there. thanks for sharing your inspiring photos with us.

paz

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Astro. L'importante e' essere cauti. Il parco e' magnifico e vale davvero la pena di visitarlo. Yoghi e Bubu abitano a Jellystone, che praticamente e' Yellowstone.

Esattamente, cara Do: la realta' supera l'immaginazione e le mie foto sono solo indicative.

Ciao Val. It's a really nice trail. I am so disappointed I missed seeing moose. Next time, I hope.

Ciao Paz. You are welcome. It is indeed a wonderful place and the animals are just amazing.

[Ivy]

Spectacular and breathtaking. It must be an amazing experience.

[bake in paris]

Happy new year!

This is a wonderful post that I enjoy reading and seeing so much due to my passion for National Parks... but the way you tell the story makes me feel as if I am actually there. Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience!

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Ivy. It is really a special place and it's not easy to describe in words.

Happy New Year to you, Kris, and thanks for the kind words. I am also passionate about our National Parks (and also California State Parks) and I like to share the emotions that visiting them elicits.

[Lori Lynn @ Taste With The Eyes]

Gorgeous! We love it there!
Maybe the name of your untitled is the ojo caliente (hot eyeball)??
LL

[Simona Carini]

Thank you so much for your comment, Lori Lynn: it prompted me to look for a clue in the Old Faithful tour and there I found the missing piece of information, I believe.