We enjoyed the quiet morning with camp-provided oatmeal and coffee, and took the rest of the provided breakfast to go. The Yellowstone north entrance gate queue was close to nil and we were soon on the Grand Loop, the park’s figure-eight primary road. The plan was to cover the northwest portion, ending at Old Faithful.
Our first stop was the Mammoth Terraces, a fantastic geothermal area that precipitates travertine. Most of the geothermal features are seen via boardwalk, and this first hour-long wander already made me appreciate the maintenance crew. A new section of boardwalk had been added since the (relatively recent) publication of our guidebook.
From Mammoth we headed to the short hike at Sheepeater Cliff Trail. While the primary reason for this stop is to see the basalt columns, the hike itself was great. The trail was close to deserted and we first heard, then saw our first adorable pika. Afterward we had our first of many picnic lunches: tuna from pouches spread as sandwich filling. Pouch tuna: palatable. Pouch pickles: a clear winner, good as snack and sandwich-enhancement. Yogurt: warmish, but edible. Bread: terribly stale. Mandarin oranges: TripAdvisor gold-star recommendation.
One of the surprising things about Yellowstone is how quickly it alternates landscapes. From the forested, river hugging Sheepeater area we drove to the steamy, alien landscape of Norris Geyer Basin. It took around an hour of boardwalk time to see everything. Then in a beat we were back to forest and waterfalls, first at Gibbon Falls, then Firehole Falls on the Firehole Canyon Drive scenic side road.
We were vacillating on one more hike when the rain made the decision for us. A double rainbow bejeweled the landscape as we checked into our tiny cabin at Old Faithful. Rain over, we had some curry, salad, and ice cream at the primary cafeteria. The wifi was barely strong enough to load a couple of sites, and I couldn’t check email because it was unsecured. There’s also no signal strong enough for data over cellular in the park. We were prepared with a paperback guidebook and AllTrails offline but it was still surprising to not have service at an area with high visitation.
The timing was good to head out for a stroll after and see Old Faithful go off. There weren’t many people around on the side path, and the multi-minute spectacle was illuminated by the setting sun.
22 932 steps
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