OLD FAITHFUL TO WEST THUMB GEYSER BASIN (17 miles):

The road climbs steeply from Old Faithful to the top of the
Madison Plateau, past Kepler Cascades, and then over Craig
Pass (elevation 8,262’asl,) then down to the West Thumb Geyser Basin. The visitor crosses the continental divide twice on this journey and the bridge at Isa Lake allows the imagination to wander because this little body of water drains both east and west, feeding water into both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Restrooms located at West Thumb.

The West Thumb Geyser Basin is better known for its pools than its geysers. Although there are about a dozen identified geysers in a concentrated area, their activity has declined greatly since the 1970’s. Additionally, the tectonic activity of the Yellowstone Lake region has conspired to inundate and drown several significant thermal features here. The north shore of the lake basin is raising and the water is moving to the south and filling the West Thumb basin as it does. Many of the inundated features lie within sight of the shore and as deep as 10-20 feet. Activity in the form of bubbles can be seen when the lake is calm, and in the winter holes in the ice are occasionally seen.

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There are two main groupings of geysers in this geyser basin:
The Lower Group and The Upper Group. Both groups are
easily accessible in the winter. Lower Group: Twin Geysers, Roadside Steamer Pool, Abyss Pool, Black Pool, King Geyser, Fishing Cone (one of the most famous hot springs in Yellowstone is cooling rapidly,) Thumb Geyser, and Surging Spring are the prominent features of this group.

Lake Shore Group: Occasional Geyser, Lone Pine Geyser, Blowhole Spring, Overhanging Geyser are the significant features of this concentrated group of thermal features.

WEST THUMB TO FISHING BRIDGE (22 miles):
The road provides a pleasant journey along the shore of Yellowstone Lake, through occasionally very dense forest of pine and fir. Vast panoramas are available for the photographer. Restroom located at fishing bridge. Fisherman have a great opportunity here to catch the native cutthroat trout along the shores of Yellowstone Lake. Boat Rentals are availabel at the Bridge Bay Marina. Yellowstone Lake is over 135 square miles, 100 mile of shoreline and considered the largest highest alpine lake in North America. Yellowstone Lake provides excellent summer recreation with its many native cutthroat, shoreline hikes, boating and camping.

FISHING BRIDGE TO CANYON JUNCTION (17 miles):

Six or seven miles north of Fishing Bridge along a scenic climb
and descent into the Hayden Valley is the Mud Volcano Area.
This area is often described by visitors as ‘hot, stinking, violent, scary.’ This region is adjacent to one of the major vents from the collapse of the Yellowstone caldera about 600,000 years ago. This region is so active that the parking area is constantly being repaired. The Mud Volcano Area contains 11 significant features most of which are mud pots of various kinds. There is also a rare feature, the Mud Geyser it is currently experiencing a period of quietude but the turbulence at the south end of the bubbling pool may signify a coming resurgence. The discharge from Sulfur Caldron is about the same acidity as battery acid (pH of 1.2,) and the striking yellow color attests to its high sulfur content. If you want photographs of other-worldly scenes this is the place to take them. Visitors enjoy the memorable names of this area: Dragon’s Mouth Spring, Sour Lake, Churning Caldron, Sizzling Basin, Cooking Hillside (soil temperatures as hot as 200 F.) Continuing north throught the Hayden valley the visitor experiences pastoral winter scenes in this vast and rich valley. Stray coyotes, giant bull bison, occasional ravens, infrequent elk, solitary eagles, and snowshoe hares puntuate the expansive valley. At times the horizons seem endless, at others the Yellowstone River carves graceful curves on its way to the thundering falls at Canyon Junction just eight or nine miles north of Mud Volcano. Restrooms at Canyon Junction.