West Thumb, Yellowstone

Early in the morning I found myself on the road. I'd left the small town of West Yellowstone, MT and was now in Yellowstone National Park. I'd been on the road for about 30 minutes and had already zipped past the Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful and the lesser known beauty of Kepler Cascades. I continued my drive with a mission, visiting West Thumb Geyser Basin. Long before I'd made my trip to Yellowstone, this was a site I'd had my eye on. It looked like it would be a fascinating place to visit in Yellowstone Park. After crossing the Continental Divide twice, and a forty-five minute drive I finally pulled into the parking lot. That October morning was cold but it was quiet enough that there were few people at the site. I wrapped up in my scarf and warm winter coat and got out of the car to head to boardwalk. At the top of the site I looked down from the parking lot over West Thumb. Its beauty was staggering. In the distance snow covered mountains loomed over Yellowstone Lake. The small thumb of this cool freshwater lake butts right up against geothermic features for which Yellowstone Park is well-known.

I made my way down the boardwalk, stopping at bubbling mud pots, several steam vents, and many pools of steaming and boiling water. One area of the boardwalk was so filled with the sulfur-laden air that I paused to warm up in the hot steam. Thankfully, that particular area the sulfur smell was less intense than others so was less overwhelming that in other spots around Yellowstone Park. When warm enough I walked down toward the lake and was entranced. To my right a vent spewed steam, just a little ways away from that was a stream of water that had frozen over the top during the night. This one area of Yellowstone held so many opposites. Geothermic heated features bubbled right next to frozen water. Boiling cones rested along the freshwater shores of Yellowstone Lake.

At one point I stood in awe at the view. On one side was the lake, to the other side was a steaming pool pouring water over ground turned rust, green and brown from bacteria that thrive in the high temps. The water pouring over the ground streamed under the boardwalk to end up in the lake. I kept walking enjoying the views that West Thumb had to offer. I paused at one point when I came across the Fishing Cone.

The Fishing Cone has a fascinating history and tie to Yellowstone Lake. Originally The Fishing Cone was hot enough to be classified as a geyser. Today with the lake level being higher it is now considered a hot spring instead. The waters of this geyser were so hot that men who fished in Yellowstone Lake would take their catch right from the water and drop it into the geyser to cook. Of course, that practice is dangerous and now it is illegal to do. I just found it fascinating to think back to a time when wild mountain men or those native to the lands would use the cone to cook their catch right from the lake without ever moving from their fishing spot.

I continued my trek around West Thumb, taking in the beauty of the Black Pool hot spring and more bubbling mud. I don't think I'll get over the views of West Thumb. This little portion of Yellowstone National Park is a small world of so many opposites. Life of all forms thrive in the area, from the bacterial mats of the heated water to the elk. In the distance as I headed to my car I could hear an elk bugle, shortly followed by a responding call from another elk. I loved seeing the green trees butted up against the gray ground of the geyser basin and seeing the vast lake surrounding what was once a streaming geyser. When I go back to Yellowstone National Park, I'll be sure to keep West Thumb on my list of places to visit. It was an awesome place to visit. One definitely to keep on the list for anyone who is planning a trip.