Mount Washburn and West Thumb Geyser Basin

This day started early with a focus on hiking to the summit of Mount Washburn. There are two trails that lead up, both being roads, only one of which is still used as a road. We took the trail up from Dunraven Pass, which we learned from some random guy on the way down used to be a road used by busses to take people to the summit. Here’s a view of the “road” as it passes up the ridge to the summit of Mount Washburn.

A view of the road up to the Mount Washburn Summit from the Dunraven Pass trail head in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

The whole hike up provided ever-prettier views of primarily the eastern direction from Mount Washburn. Here’s a shot from the road up. I can’t believe they actually drove busses on this road.

A view of the road near the summit of Mount Washburn on the trail from Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

The summit was an absolutely amazing location. There was a tower at the top containing bathrooms and a two-story visitor center. The upper level of the visitor center was a balcony where you could take in the sights to the north, east, and west of Mount Washburn as seen here:

After descending from Mount Washburn, we decided to head back down toward the Grand Village area, but before we could get to our destination, we encountered a large herd of bison along the Yellowstone River.

A herd of bison along the road and Yellowstone River between Fishing Village and Bridge Bay areas in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Our destination near Grand Village was the West Thumb Geyser Basin. This is really the first time we’ve gotten to see any of the numerous hot springs and geysers here in the park (aside from Mud Volcano yesterday, but those really aren’t springs). Here’s a good sampling of a hot spring in this area:

A hot spring pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin area of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

What was really interesting is that there were active springs and geysers right along the shore of the lake, and even inside the lake as you see below, which you would think would interfere with the geothermal feature due to the large body of water.

A geyser out in the Yellowstone Lake at the West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Here’s another of the beautiful hot springs in this area:

A hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

This one gets its name genuinely from the depth, which you might be able to see in the picture below. These pools show a deeper blue the deeper the pool is from the minerals in the water.

Abyss Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

One thing we thought was quite interesting was how life in this area is very difficult due to the heat and chemicals in the ground. These trees and shrubs here show how much of a struggle it really is.

A view of the struggling vegetation in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

The remaining interesting feature we saw here is the Thumb Paint Pots, which shows some of the variety in color, particularly in this case with a teal color and the murky water making it look just like a bowl of paint.

Thumb Paint Pots in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

After we finished up at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, we had dinner at Grant Village and proceeded to do one remaining trail, the trail up to Elephant Back Mountain. We really didn’t like this trail as much as we have the others, and it was raining or threatening to rain the entire way, but there was at least an interesting view of the lake from the top.

A view of Yellowstone Lake from the top of Elephant Back Mountain in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

This concluded our activity from today, and as we reflected on it, we both agreed that Mount Washburn was one of the most beautiful experiences we’ve had the whole trip. Here’s to hoping we continue to take in such beauty at Yellowstone National Park!

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