Red Rock Point – Meanderings & Mind Munchies

Greg decided that today we would tour the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, thinking that it would involve more driving than walking.

Ha!

We have since come to the conclusion that you can’t really do Yellowstone without a lot of walking.

Pictures can’t begin to communicate the impact of seeing the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone in person. It really takes your breath away.

Imagine standing on top of a cliff, looking down 1200 ft to a winding river that looks hardly wider than a piece of thin ribbon. The sides of the gorge walls are beautiful creams, yellows, pinks, and oranges with deep greens and browns delineating the dramatic downward slope of the canyon walls.

We began our day at Artist’s Point on the South Rim.

Photo taken at Artist’s Point of the Lower Falls.

Photo taken at Artist’s Point looking in the opposite direction. This was actually my favorite view. The soft pastel colors were so gorgeous.

Next, we headed to the Upper Falls Viewpoint. We arrived just as a park ranger was about to begin a tour, so we ended up joining it.

He talked about the creation of the canyon, the lodgepole pines and subalpine fir common to the area, and the importance of fires to the ecology of the forest. It was quite interesting.

After touring the South Rim of the canyon, we moved to the North Rim.

One of the more grueling hikes of the day was the one we took to Red Rock Point. It involved hiking down the side of the gorge.

No handrails to keep you from plunging down the side of the gorge made this hike particularly…um, interesting.

The hike ended with a series of staircases down to the viewpoint.

Our reward for that hike. Was it worth it? Eh. I’m not sure.

If I had to name one thing that I loved most about the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, it was probably the color of the rock. In person, the rock pictured below had an alabaster glow that was absolutely beautiful. It looked like white marble.

Of course, what goes down must come up! The slog back up the gorge really tested our stamina.

Of all the pictures I took, this one probably best captures the switchbacks of this hike.

This big fellow alighted on the tree branch above my head. I think he decided to keep an eye on me, as I was a little too close to his mate and nest for his comfort. The nest was about a quarter way down the gorge in front of me.

One last photo of the canyon just for the hell of it.

Before heading back to West Yellowstone, we stopped at The Visitor Center to learn about the supervolcano and the caldera that make up much of Yellowstone National Park. I didn’t know this, but the caldera is moving! Someday it may not even be in Yellowstone National Park anymore.

On our way back to camp, we stopped to get a video and photos of this steam vent. It was loud!

And, of course, there was the expected traffic jam on the road out of the park. Only this time, it was caused by elk rather than bison.

Ever since this trip started, Greg’s dream has been to see an elk. Every time we passed a sign for an elk, he would say, “Look! There’s an elk!” But the elk we saw today did not do it for him. I think he’s hoping to see one with a giant set of antlers, and he won’t be satisfied until he does.