Category: Free Roaming Photography

When you hear it (so to speak), it transcends you. It’s an immediate zen moment that only the most remote reaches of nature can provide; away from people, away from chattering, away from road noise and cars trying to sound much bigger than they are. It even comes when you’re away from air traffic overhead if you’re lucky enough to have such a window. And it’s not just artificial noises you need to escape from. Flowing water, birds chirping, and bugs buzzing all contribute to some kind of interference with pure silence, something that roots you into your environment. This is probably why I have become so fond of Capitol Reef National Park in recent years. The silence is so easily found in such an underrated parks that you can’t help but feel more human just by being up on top of the Waterpocket Fold, the prominent geologic wonderland for which the park was created. In fact this reminder came to me while on top of the Waterpocket Fold overlooking Cassidy Arch, hundreds of feet above the surrounding landscape.

Most people when experiencing true silence for the first time (and even subsequent times) immediately flood the silence with the exact opposite sensation: yelling and screaming and testing echoes, never actually allowing themselves to be immersed in the stillness of the environment. They’re missing out on something that is inevitably and innately human that millions of people don’t even realize. It’s actually a very similar subject to light pollution. You may be able to experience silence in a room, but it’s infinitely more rewarding when it’s outside, just like you can see an amazing photo of the night sky, but you can’t really comprehend what’s in the photo until you see it with your own eyes. The problem is that both are hard to find for most people, even though each was always an essential part of human existence. Now they’re so rare, people are required to go to great lengths just to get a sampling of them.

With an absence of noise comes something unexpected. When the only sound is the faint ringing in your ears, it becomes amplified, an experience incomprehensibly far from the normal day to day routines of life. With the mind so accustomed to hearing something in the background, it begins to search frantically for something to listen to. Anything. Is that normal, or is that the effect of hearing too much noise each day? I don’t have that answer. Under those conditions though, you can hear a fly buzzing from dozens of yards away. Your sense of hearing becomes exemplary. In moments like those you wonder if there’s a side-effect to human health in hearing constant noise on such a permanent basis.

It’s easy to think of non-natural sounds creating stress on the natural world as a loud bang or a loud engine roaring by. What goes more unnoticed is the stress from always hearing something and never getting a break from it, not unlike constantly being exposed to light and never getting to experience true darkness. It’s no wonder people tend to link noise pollution and light pollution together. Perhaps this is why I always feel the need to get back to the desert southwest fairly regularly. Silence and real night skies can be so easily found there.

Whatever the case, there’s definitely something cleansing about not just experiencing pure silence, but being aware of it too and actually relishing in it.

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Elevation change for Specimen Ridge Along the Canyon Rim
Elevation profile and route courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: 2 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Easy
Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall

The Specimen Ridge Trail is a lengthy 18.8 miles long trail that starts by the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and travels nearly the entire length of the Lamar Valley high above. Along the way you pass the canyon, as mentioned, as well as Amethyst Mountain, amethyst and opal deposits, a petrified forest, and a plethora of wildlife. For this post, I only hiked the first 2 miles, but hope to have the full trail documented in the next season or two at most.

The trail begins at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area, which can make parking tricky depending on the time of day you arrive. The trailhead is easily found at the south end of the parking area and begins a gradual ascent up the canyon’s rim. Along the way, excellent views of Junction Butte on the other side of the road come into view. Those with keen eyes could possibly spot wolves or grizzlies on the butte, among other wildlife (especially if there are a lot of cars below also looking).

The trail crests the ridge, and from this point on, it’s all pretty easy going with some incredible scenery of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. An unmaintained trail heads back in the direction you came from via the ridge. You can take this on your way back if you’d like to see a bit more of the canyon and follow a steep (probably older) wildlife trail will bring you back down to the picnic area. The main trail begins to head southward, up the canyon.

Different views looking straight down into the canyon at times make this one of the slower two mile hikes, despite the trail being easy-going. Most people will be distracted by the many different vantage points and jaw-dropping vistas looking up and down the canyon. It doesn’t take much hiking before the Calcite Springs stop along the highway on the other side of the canyon comes into view with people high up on the edge of a protected cliff. Farther up the trail a view of the Tower Falls area comes into view as well.

Small ups and downs are found along the trail as it gradually climbs higher, ultimately reaching the base of Specimen Ridge where it joins with another trail and begins its ascent upward. For the purposes of this short hike, this makes for a good turnaround point with a great view up into a relatively open area of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Getting there: From the Tower/Roosevelt Junction, head toward the Lamar Valley for 1.25 miles, crossing over the Yellowstone River and turning right into the Yellowstone River Picnic Area. The trailhead is located at the south end of the picnic area.

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Elevation change for the Norris Geyser Basin
Elevation profile and route courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: Varies: < 1 mile or up to 3 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Best time of year: Year-round

The Norris Geyser Basin should be high on everyone’s list of sights to see in Yellowstone, or at least part of it. It’s not only the hottest geyser basin in the park, but it’s also home to the world’s tallest active geyser, Steamboat Geyser. Unfortunately, eruption times for Steamboat are completely unpredictable, so if you catch it erupting, count yourself as one of the luckiest visitors to Yellowstone.

The path from the parking area will take you past a Yellowstone Association Bookstore and then to a small museum. A pop-in to the museum is a good idea before starting on the trail so you can have a better appreciation for what you’re about to see, whereas visiting the bookstore on your way out will make sure any unanswered questions you have get answered thoroughly, or will provide you with more activities and trivia.

My preferred route is to save the best for last and to explore the whole system. To do this, from the museum, head back out toward where you came in and make a right. This will bring you down a trail where you first past Emerald Spring, a beautiful green pool that stands out remarkably from the green of the trees around it thanks to sulfur in the water. Just past Emerald Pool is the enormous Steamboat Geyser, if you’re lucky enough to see it. If you have the time, you can sit and wait for a little while and hopefully see a much smaller eruption from it. Smaller eruptions tend to be a bit more frequent, but just as unpredictable. There’s an upper platform for those feeling optimistic, whereas the main boardwalk will also continue past it.

The trail then winds downward to Cistern Spring, a colorful hot spring thriving with both bacteria and algae near its edges to give it incredible color.

Tip: If you see Cistern Spring’s water receding, head back up to Steamboat Geyser! The two are linked and an eruption at Steamboat Geyser will drain Cistern Spring.

The trail also forks at Cistern Spring. Right will bring you on a shortcut through the Back Basin Loop. Those short on time can head that way. For those with the time to see more, there are some fantastic features waiting to the left.

Around a few turns is Echinus Geyser, tucked away at the back end of the trail system. It’s one of the oddest and unique geysers in the park. It’s the largest acid-geyser in the world, most of them found in the Norris Geyser Basin, but at the same time, its eruption times have varied drastically in recent decades. It was quite active in the 1990s, but has seemed to calm down since then. With each eruption, a shower of iron, arsenic, manganese, and aluminum rain down on the area surrounding the source, creating the unique formations and colors you see around it. Activity has been fairly low in recent years, so once again, if you get to see it erupt, you are very lucky! …provided you’re a safe distance from the water.

After meandering down from Echinus Geyser, you’re brought past a number of scenic and interesting formations, Puff ‘n’ Stuff Geyser being one of them, and eventually winding up at Green Dragon Spring. The sulfur rich water and steam have left the cave stained yellow, making the water appear green. For those that have been to the Mud Volcano trail, this will be very reminiscent of the Dragon’s Mouth Spring, with more color but less sound.

The trail continues through some more scenic features and then passes around Porkchop Geyser. There’s a unique history here. In 1985 the geyser began to constantly erupt for over four years until it finally blew itself apart in the fall of 1989. Rocks were sent flying over 200 feet away! Now, it’s a quiet hot spring surrounded by remnants of its disastrous explosion.

Past Porkchop Geyser is the colorful but simple, Pearl Geyser, and beyond that is Vixen Geyser, which shoots a needle of water up in the air quite regularly. It’s worth a stop for a couple of minutes to see it in action.

Minute Geyser is just a bit farther up the trail beyond the shortcut trail from Vixen Geyser and is a sad testament to how poorly the park was treated in its early days. Early visitors clogged the geyser with rocks (among other things) that have now left a remarkable geyser dormant. It used to erupt every 60 seconds to heights of 50 feet. It’s now nearly inactive, though its eastern vent does still produce some activity.

Beyond Minute Geyser, the trail begins to head back up toward the museum and main area. Along the way, you’re teased with views of the Porcelain Basin through the trees. Like I mentioned earlier, going this route saves the best for last.

Head left at the junction to be brought down toward the Porcelain Basin. Along the way downward is the Black Growler Steam Vent, a fumarole that is constantly ejecting scalding steam into the air, and accompanied by Ledge Geyser, a rarely erupting geyser that actually shoots water outward rather than upward because of its unique angle.

Just beyond Ledge Geyser is a fork in the trail leading off to the right. Following that will lead you to a view that can easily make you feel like you’re on another world entirely. Passing Hurricane Vent on your right, continue just past another fork (which will loop you back around to the top of the walk you just started) for an incredible view of the Porcelain Springs. This is a massive area of constantly changing terrain and bright white geyserite deposits covering the landscape. What initially sounded like wind in the trees or lots of highway traffic can now be seen as intense fumarole and hot spring activity below. The view stretches for hundreds and hundreds of yards with dome mountain rising above the trees on the other end. “Siliceous sinter” is responsible for the milky color (and the name) of many of the springs below.

From here, you can head back toward the main trail until you’re back on the loop you started prior to the detour. The trail loops past many other hot springs and sparkling features coated with colorful bacteria before winding around to Crackling Lake, a colorful blue and green lake with many popping and hissing sounds that gave it its name.

Continue up the trail back to the main area where you can pass through the museum again (this time to put it all into perspective) and into the bookstore if you wish to further your education.

Getting there: From the Madison Junction, head north on the main highway for 13.3 miles until you reach the Norris Junction. Make a left turn and follow the road into the parking area. Look for the walkway on the west end of the parking lot.

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Elevation change for Ribbon Lake and Point Sublime
Elevation profile and route courtesy of the HAZ Tracks App

Distance: 6 miles (round trip)
Difficulty: Moderate
Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall

Artist Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River has some of the best views of the canyon, or even anywhere in the park itself. For those wanting a bit more with an extra detour to a remote lake, Ribbon Lake and Point Sublime make for great destinations!

The trail begins at the back side of Artist Point and begins to wind its way around a large curve in the canyon. Inspiration Point overlooking the north rim soon comes into view as you begin to wrap around it from the south rim. Along the way, there are many different views of the canyon, each of them just as mesmerizing, if not more so, than the previous.

At nearly .75 miles, the trail will fork, allowing you the opportunity to head back to Ribbon Lake. The trail to Ribbon Lake heads through a thick forest dotted with an occasional meadow. On its way to catch another junction to Ribbon Lake, the trail will pass over a small bridge followed by Lily Pad Lake, a quiet lake covered with lily pads. The trail continues south to the next junction.

At the junction, head left to reach Ribbon Lake. The trail continues through the dense forest, gradually increasing in elevation here and there. After about a mile, the trail will begin to drop noticeably in elevation. At the bottom of the hill, the trail joins meets another junction and just through the trees is Ribbon Lake, a more majestic lake than expected surrounded by lush meadows. Poke around for a bit and enjoy the peace and quiet. When you’re ready to head back, make sure you catch the right trail! You’ll know because you should start climbing back up that hill within just a few hundred yards.

Heading back out and passing Lily Pad Lake on your way back out, you return to the original junction at the canyon. Left will bring you back to the parking lot, whereas right will bring you to Point Sublime. Naturally along the way, there are also many more views of the canyon. Point Sublime itself is about another .75 miles from the junction, then a 1.5 mile return trip back to the parking area, so if time is an issue take that into account, otherwise, proceed!

The actual view from Point Sublime isn’t quite as dramatic as the views along the way or as the name implies. Of course that doesn’t mean it’s not worth visiting. It’s still a great view and makes for an excellent spot to relax and enjoy a break. To head back whenever you’re ready, just follow the canyon trail back to the parking lot.

Getting there: From Canyon Village, head to the main highway at the 4-way stop sign and take a left. Head south for 2.25 miles and make a left at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone South Rim Drive. Cross over the Yellowstone River immediately after the turn and proceed to the end of the road, which dead ends at a parking area at Artist Point.

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