Yellowstone Canyon

We headed to Mud Volcano for a ranger talk. On the way, we found out that we had just missed a bear, but soon we ran into a herd of bison just off the road. It's rut season, several males were butting heads, others were rolling in the dirt, and of course, some were closely following the females.

The Haydn party in 1852 had heard the trappers say that Mud Volcano could be heard from the river and had 100 foot eruptions every 7 to 8 minutes, but by the time they arrived it had destroyed itself leaving a large crater. Nearby is Painters Palace, a section of colorful vegetation in the hot water. A fungus protects the roots from the 80 degree, acidic water. We learned that mud pools are acidic and clear pools are alkaline at Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Canyon from Lower Falls

Our trip to the Canyon area was shortened because the viewpoint of Upper Falls and Uncle Tom's Trail to Lower Falls were closed for construction. We still enjoyed Artist Point with its view of Lower Falls, the trails to the brink of both falls, and the North Rim viewpoints.