So at this point we had to decided to go left or right....one loop took us back down towards the lake & campground. The other loop took up all the way to the top of the park and to Mammoth Hot Springs. This loop would let us see most of the rest of the park, even though it was about an extra 3 hour drive. But, we came to see it all, so figured we better do it!
I was excited to see Mammoth Hot Springs, which was at the very top of the loop. However, it was PACKED when we got there & people were waiting for spots. Which, for Brent, meant - keep driving! Haha! We didn't really want to wait in line to park, and we could see most of it all from the windows of the van....so I snapped some pics on the drive. Yes, we can say we went to Mammoth ;)
The Mammoth Hot Springs are unique because they lie outside the caldera boundaries that fuel the other hot springs of the park. There is a large fault system that runs thru Mammoth to Norris Basin that allows thermal water to flow between the two areas, which is what creates the thermal activity in this area. Mammoth is one of the only areas in the northern end of the park that exhibits the geyser and hot springs activity.
There was little town here too, where some of the people who stay in the park all winter live. There were houses, hotels, campspots, etc. A cute little self-contained town. Super cute!! At least it seemed as so, as we drove by!
We continued on our route which took us towards the northeast end of the park, then it looped south again. We didn't see much wildlife through this area. Sweeping views, gorgeous rock formations, and big meadows. Strange how certain areas of the park are more conducive to specific wildlife.
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| Mammoth Hot Springs |
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| Water was flowing down the rock formations |
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| Looks like snow... |
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