Last Updated on: 29th August 2024, 06:52 pm
Just about every corner of Yellowstone National Park is home to something special. And the northern part of the park is no exception. It’s here that you’ll find the stunning travertine pools of Mammoth Hot Springs. Though largely formed over the course of thousands of years, the area remains in a constant state of change.
About ten minutes south of Mammoth Hot Springs, meanwhile, is Bunsen Peak, a scenic hike that takes a couple of hours to complete. And while covered in a separate guide, you should also be able to add in a visit to the fascinating Norris Geyser Basin on the same day.
For more general info on Yellow Stone National Park entrance fees and the best places to stay, be sure to check the end of the article.
Hiking Bunsen Peak
Yellowstone National Park isn’t quite known as a hiker’s park. The park does, however, have a few interesting hikes, with Bunsen Peak being one of them.
The roundtrip hike to the top of the mountain is 4.2 miles (7 km) with an elevation gain of 1282 ft (391 m). Expect the hike to take you around 2-2.5 hours.
When hiking in Yellowstone, always be sure to have a can of bear spray on you (and also research how and when to use it).
To let any potential bears know of your presence, it’s best to talk loudly with your hiking companion, or perhaps occasionally clap if you’re by yourself.
Locals who live in bear country generally discourage the use of bear bells, even nicknaming them ‘dinner bells.’ With that said, you’ll still find bear bells for sale at some of Yellowstone’s gift shops.
While bear encounters in Yellowstone don’t seem to be nearly as common as in parks like Glacier, I did read about a few recent bear sightings on the trail not long before my hike.
While I wouldn’t end up encountering any, I had to remain constantly alert, as few other hikers were on the trail at the time.
Hiking Bunsen Peak is a constant uphill climb. But thanks to the presence of numerous switchbacks – especially near the top – it’s not terribly steep. But even experienced hikers will probably find themselves breathing heavily at points.
After a little over an hour of hiking, I made it to the top, upon which I immediately encountered a radio tower. Nobody was inside, and the porch made for a great place to rest my legs.
As I sat down and took another look at the AllTrails map (be sure to download the trail map in advance to view offline), I realized that the trail hadn’t actually ended!
It went all the way to a nearby hill. I did decide to walk there, but I’m not sure which section actually counts as the peak.
In any case, walking along the summit will allow you to take in more beautiful views.
While I didn’t try every well-known hike in Yellowstone, Bunsen Peak was easily the most impressive of the several short hikes I did try. But I couldn’t linger at the top for long, as the sky was growing increasingly overcast.
I ended up getting caught in the rain for 5-10 minutes during the descent, but fortunately, the rain would subside for the rest of the day.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs consists of two main areas: the Upper Terraces and the Lower Terraces. A majority of both areas can be explored on foot via a complex network of boardwalks. But given how big the overall area is, you’ll want to park in at least two different spots.
Your visiting strategy will largely depend on whether you’re coming from the south or from the north. In my case, I came from the south. And though exploring Mammoth Hot Springs was rather confusing at the time, I’d recommend the route I took to most other visitors.
The Upper Terraces
When approaching from the south, you’ll encounter the Upper Terrace Loop Dr on your left. Confusingly, you’ll immediately encounter a small parking area next to a boardwalk right off the main road.
However, I’d recommend turning right to partially drive along the Upper Terrace Loop Dr. But rather than complete the drive, you should soon find another parking lot at the upper level. If you’re able to find a spot here, be sure to take it.
It’s from this upper parking lot that you’ll have immediate access to a few different boardwalks that take you to the Upper Terraces’ most scenic spots. (You could also access them on foot from the lower parking lot mentioned earlier, though you’d have more walking to do).
Among the first landmarks you’ll encounter are Cupid Spring and Grassy Spring. As you’ll notice, while hydrothermal features can be found all throughout Yellowstone, formations like these are unique to this area. But how did they form?
Here, hot water rises up through the limestone located below the surface of the earth, transporting calcite with it. Eventually, the calcite hardens, turning into a rock called travertine. Basically, wherever such water flows, travertine can form.
As can be seen here and elsewhere throughout the world, travertine often takes on the shape of stepped terraces as the mineral-rich water continually flows and hardens.
Formations such as the Canary Spring, for example, reminded me a lot of the travertine terraces of Pamukkale, Turkey.
Returning to the parking lot, I checked out an additional small boardwalk of the Upper Terraces, though the views here weren’t quite as impressive. But perhaps they sometimes are, as Mammoth Hot Springs is said to be continually changing.
When finished with the boardwalks of the Upper Terraces, you have a few different options. One option is to keep your car where it is and proceed to the Lower Terraces on foot via the boardwalk system.
Don’t walk all the way down to the road level, however. As there are a couple of parking lots near a must-visit landmark called Palette Spring, it would be wise to head there later after exploring much of the Upper and Lower Terraces on foot.
The Lower Terraces
As mentioned, a vast network of boardwalks extends throughout the Mammoth Hot Springs area. And you can access the Lower Terraces either by walking down from the Upper Terraces, or up from one of the many parking lots situated at road level.
In my case, I chose the former option. But as we’ll cover below, I’d later park again near Palette Spring, as it would be quite a trek there from the Upper Terraces parking lot and then back again.
One of the top highlights of the Lower Terraces area is the Mound Terrace. It’s one of the largest travertine mounds in the area, consisting of countless layers of pools.
But rather than white, it appears ‘stained’ with an unappealing shade of green. This is likely the result of thermophiles, microscopic organisms that can survive in extreme heat and often change the color of the landscape.
Fascinatingly, the water here originates at Norris Geyser Basin before running through an underground fault line.
While Norris Geyser Basin is recognized as the hottest part of Yellowstone, the water slightly cools off by the time it reaches Mammoth Hot Springs. The average water temperature here is 170 °F (80 °C) – obviously still dangerous to touch.
Even with an abundance of on-site maps, the maze-like boardwalks of the Lower Terraces can be disorienting to explore. Not wanting to miss anything, I’d repeatedly walk to the end of a certain path, only to realize that it ultimately just led to a parking lot.
And at the time of my visit, certain paths were also closed, with some landmarks requiring detours to visit. Having an offline map app like Maps.me could be very helpful in this situation.
Before returning to the top I made sure to check out the Minerva Terrace. While one of the area’s highlights, it was dry at the time of my visit and didn’t look much like the photos. As mentioned earlier, Mammoth Hot Springs can look different from year to year – or even week to week!
Another interesting landmark you shouldn’t miss is the Cleopatra Terrace. Some of its ‘frozen waterfalls’ reminded me of features I’d seen at Hierve el Agua, Oaxaca.
The Upper Terrace Loop Drive
Making it back to the parking lot, it was finally after seeing most of the Upper and Lower Terraces that I proceeded to complete the Upper Terrace Loop Drive.
One of the main highlights here is the Orange Mound, which is a perfect example of how mineral-rich water emerging from the ground can gradually form a large mound over the course of millennia.
Its color, meanwhile, comes from heat-dwelling microorganisms.
In the center of the loop is an even larger mound called the White Elephant Back Terrace. You’ll find a small parking lot just in front.
All in all, the loop drive isn’t quite as interesting as what you’ll find in the rest of Mammoth Hot Springs, but it’s still worth driving around if you’ve already made it to the area.
Palette Spring
Finished with the Upper Terrace Loop Dr, I returned to Grand Loop Rd and proceeded north. If you’re following these directions, look out for a monolithic spite called Liberty Cap on your left, after which you should seek out a spot in the nearest parking lot.
From here it will be an easy, flat walk to Palette Spring.
Palette Spring is arguably the most impressive part of Mammoth Hot Springs. In one single spot, you’ll find countless terraces, frozen waterfalls, and a myriad of different colors – at least at the time of my visit. Things may already look different by the time of your trip.
Another interesting feature here is the large monolith known as Devil’s Thumb, which oddly sticks up through the middle of the terraces.
If you only have time for a single part of Mammoth Hot Springs, stop at Palette Spring. In addition to being impressive, it’s also one of the most accessible landmarks to reach.
Historic Yellowstone
While in the northern part of the park, don’t miss the opportunity to check out a slice of historic Yellowstone.
Yellowstone was declared the country’s (and the world’s) first-ever National Park in 1872 in order to better protect its wildlife and natural landscape. But that didn’t mean the situation had improved overnight.
Considering how massive Yellowstone is, park staff still had to contend with poachers. And the problem got so bad that the US Army was sent here in 1886!
And the army, of course, needed a place to stay, so they constructed Fort Yellowstone just across from the Mammoth Hot Springs.
One of the buildings is now home to the Albright Visitor Center, which now houses an informative museum about the history and geology of the park.
When exiting or entering Yellowstone National Park from the north, also be sure to make a quick stop at the Roosevelt Arch, located in the town of Gardiner, Montana. Erected in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone himself.
Even today, Roosevelt is still regarded as one of the biggest proponents of the National Park system.
Additional Info
If you’re not in the mood for long drives each day of your trip, you might want to break things up by taking a tour. But most Yellowstone day tours focus on the Lower Loop in the southern half of the park.
This popular tour, departing from West Yellowstone, is an exception. Not only does it take you to Mammoth Hot Springs, but also to Lamar Valley for wildlife spotting, among other interesting locations.
At around 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is absolutely massive, and there are few cities or towns right by the park. And even if there were, you’d still want to change locations at least once to easily make it to all the main areas.
Rather than present an exhaustive list of all the different options and variables, I’ll explain what my travel companions and I did. In the end, I’m very pleased with the way the trip worked out. What follows is a brief summary, but you can learn more details in our comprehensive Yellowstone Itinerary.
Yellowstone should be explored over the course of three or four days. Assuming you can spend four nights in the region, it’s best to camp within the park and to do so at two different locations.
Not only will this save you money, it will also save you a lot of driving time. It also makes it possible to observe wildlife at dusk and dawn.
Note that driving in Yellowstone in the dark is not advised due to the lack of lighting and presence of large animals on the road. As such, you can count out staying in a nearby town and getting a head start by departing before sunrise.
Coming immediately from Grand Teton National Park, I entered Yellowstone via the South Entrance and headed straight for the Grant Village Campground. The next day, after exploring the geysers of southwest Yellowstone, I spent another night at the same campsite.
The following morning, we packed up our things and explored Yellowstone Lake and nearby areas. That night was spent at the Canyon Village Campground, located in the east part of the park where the two main loop roads intersect.
Again, we spent two nights in total at the same campground, allowing easy access to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It was also within reasonable driving distance of Mammoth Hot Springs on the final day. (We’d then head north into Montana).
Yellowstone’s campgrounds are run by the Xanterra Corporation, and you can make reservations at this link.
Both campgrounds I stayed at had shower areas, though they unfortunately weren’t within walking distance of the campsite. There were plenty of bathrooms in the main camping areas, however.
Note that you can also find proper hotels/lodges at both Grant Village and Canyon Village. But not only can they get very pricey, you’d have to book many months in advance to secure a spot. On that note, even camping sites should be booked several months ahead of time.
At the time of writing, Yellowstone costs $35 to enter (learn more here).
If you’re visiting from abroad, note that in contrast to many other countries, US parks typically charge per vehicle rather than per person. However, if you’re traveling by bicycle instead, they’ll charge you for an individual pass which costs $20, while those on motorcycles will be charged $30.
Considering how many National Parks and National Monuments there are to see in the Southwest alone, the best option for most will be to buy an ‘America the Beautiful’ Annual National Parks Pass.
These cost $80 for the year. In most cases, you’re already saving money by just visiting four National Parks/Monuments anywhere in the country within a full year.
What’s more, is that only one person in your vehicle needs to have the pass. Additionally, seniors can buy the pass for just $20. So if you have someone over 62 in your party, just have them get the annual pass and everyone else will be set.
As for where to get the pass, you can purchase it in person at most National Parks or Monuments. But you can also order it in advance online.
Fortunately, a park pass/entry ticket is all you need to visit Yellowstone right now, as the park has not implemented any permit or timed entry systems like other popular parks have.