In 2012, we visited Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. By the time we got there and ran to the visitors center, we only had about 20 minutes to explore before we had to head back to West Yellowstone for a previous appointment. It looked pretty awesome and we were definitely disappointed. So we made a revisit a high priority this year. We even stayed in Gardiner, just outside the north gate to make sure we had time to visit and explore.
First of all, you don’t really get the sense of this place until you visit it. There is a whole town there at Mammoth Hot Springs. Houses with lawns and swing sets, places to stay, a gas station, even a post office. In fact, my grandfather worked at the Mammoth Hot Springs Post Office back in the 40’s.
The US Army was the first caretakers of the park, and there were buildings constructed to house them and their operations before the Park Service took over. Those buildings are still there–there is a short, self-guided walking trail you can take to learn about the US Army’s stint there.
There is also a herd of elk that frequent the area and can often be seen just west of the visitors center. They seem to like the lawn in between the roads there.
There is a collection of boardwalks to take you all around the terraces. Make sure you get a self guided map before you start. You can go all the way to the top of the terraces from the bottom. There are some excellent spots with some fabulous views of the terraces.The Mammoth Hot Springs terraces are obviously the main attraction. These terraces are created when limestone laden waters rise to the surface and are exposed to the air. The limestone escapes from the water and is deposisted as travertine, forming the terraces. These are changing regularly and growing higher and in different places as the limestone deposits grow.
You can actually see the process in work more closely where this branch has fallen and is slowly being coated with limestone deposits from the water.
One of our favorite areas of Mammoth Hot Springs was the Canary Spring trail from the top. Drive south out of Mammoth Hot Springs, head up the hill and after you come around a big curve there is a road to the right where you can find parking and walk to the Canary Spring area. There are some beautiful terraces there and water features there.
There are a few areas in Yellowstone that are places you must see, and Mammoth Hot Springs is definitely on that list.
