3. Cliff Geyser and Black Sand Basin
Old Faithful was impressive, but it was an umarked side attraction, Black Sand Basin, that really caught our eye.
After we left Old Faithful, we made a wrong turn that turned out to be very fortunate. First, it brought us face-to-face with a small group of bison who were slowly crossing the road. We stopped the car and let them cross at their own pace. We snapped a few photos, but we were so close that we had to focus on not angering them as we inched along. Then we pulled into a side road to turn around. We saw some steam rising to the sky down the road a bit, so we drove down to it.
What we saw was absolutely amazing. Bubbling pools of crystal clear blue boiling water and steaming ponds were just a few steps away. We had stumbled upon a field of dozens of geothermal features. The most dramatic was a medium-sized geyser called “Cliff Geyser,” featured in the video below.
About the Author
