Monument Geyser Basin

While we were visiting Yellowstone National Park, we ran into a bit of a dilemma.  The park's most spectacular areas are its unique geothermal features, all inside a volcanic caldera.  Roads were built to most of these features beginning before the park had any federal protection (and fear for the destruction of these features lead to the creation of the world's first national park system).  Parking areas are convenient, and boardwalks have been built to keep park visitors safe.  Venturing away from the trail is a very bad idea.  The ground can reach over 200 degrees, can be acidic enough to eat away at the soles of your shoes, and can cave in or erupt without warning.  I was reminded of this when my husband took Jasper back to revisit a mudpot Jasper had particularly admired, and I decided to rest and enjoy the view.  I sat down just beside the trail, only to rapidly discover that the dirt under me was very warm, and hot steam was breathing on my ankle from a fumarole!  Hiking in the backcountry has its hazards as well.  Cougars, wolves, black bears, and grizzly bears have to be taken into account.  Still, staying on the well beaten path soon makes me feel a bit like a hamster in a habitrail. 

We decided to solve this with a day hike, and chose Monument Geyser Basin.  We decided to start mid-afternoon, when bears are generally enjoying a nap.  Fortunately our little chatterbox must have warned all the wildlife for miles around of our presence, and we saw no signs of bears.  The trail was completely deserted, so for the first time we got to be alone in Yellowstone.  The trail goes steeply uphill for a couple of miles, through an area that must have burnt to the ground roughly 8 years ago.  The trees are young and relatively thin, providing excellent visibility and gorgeous panoramic views.  It arrives at the peak where there is a "dormant" geyser basin, hissing steam skyward through strange conical formations.  We were joyfully free to discover it all by ourselves.    Although there were days when we got to see many more incredible sights, our visit to Monument Geyser Basin was my favorite afternoon.