Yellowstone – June 18

This Yellowstone trip was short, but no less spectacular than the rest. It happened to be snowing this day, so I went to the park for a few hours to see what I could see! This time I visited a new area of the park near the Upper Geyser Basin, called the Black Sand Basin.

 

Colorful thermal feature runoff, Redbull can not included.

IMG_0846

 

Emerald Pool

Temperature: 154.6° F 

Dimensions: 27×38 feet

Depth: 25 feet

IMG_0868

 

Cliff Geyser, Iron Creek

Temperature: 191.8°F 

Interval: irregular

Duration: 30 minutes to 3 hours

Height: 40 feet

IMG_0857

Be sure to follow Trent Sizemore Photography on Facebook

Subscribe by email

Yellowstone – June 5

Enjoy some of my favorites from a June 5th trip to Yellowstone National Park!

 

The first shot is a unique angle of the Firehole River in the Upper Geyser Basin, showing tourist walking across the boardwalk above. Processing this image as black and white really makes this look like some other planet!

IMG_0746

 

A bright blue colored pool in the area of the Midway Geyser Basin.

IMG_0759

 

If you know a little about Yellowstone, there’s no mistaking this as the famous Grand Prismatic Spring. This was photographed from a trail that runs along the mountain behind the spring. You can see the boardwalk where most tourists see the enormous spring from a low angle, doing no justice the the actual size and colors!

IMG_0757

 

Here’s another of Grand Prismatic Spring, this time from the boardwalk, showing the mountain from where the last shot was taken. The saturated colors of the inner and outer areas of the hot spring reflect on to the steam with bright blue and orange, respectively. Look closely and you’ll see the ripples of the water being expelled by the spring, eventually reaching the river. 560 gallons of hot water is put out every minute!

IMG_0783

 

Another perspective of Grand Prismatic, showing the scale of the plumes of steam next the crowds on the boardwalk.

IMG_0796

 

By far the most heart dropping sight I’ve ever seen, this is the view from the “Brink of the Lower Falls” on the Yellowstone River. Besides the thermal features, this view IS Yellowstone National Park. The bright volcanic rock walls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the mighty Yellowstone River, the mounds of snow still left over in June, and just the naturally raw quality of all of it together. This is quite the trek down the side of the canyon to a viewing platform above the falls, and this trail has taken lives. People just do not understand  the dangers here, and treat it more like an amusement park than a national park. Another visitor was killed earlier this year on the mountain trail above Grand Prismatic Spring shown earlier in this post, from a falling tree.

IMG_0808

Be sure to follow Trent Sizemore Photography on Facebook.

Subscribe by email by clicking here.

Moving to Big Sky

As many of  you know, and some may not, I moved from working in Grand Teton National Park in May and June to Big Sky, Montana. I’m still working at a lodge, but this one is open year round, including a ski resort in the winter. This place has a much more laid back environment.

The best thing about living here is the easy access to Yellowstone, as well as miles and miles of some of the country’s best fishing. It’s only a 30 minute drive or so to the northwest section of the park, and although this road stays open during the winter, there’s not nearly as much to see as the rest of the park. There should still be great trail access in the park this winter, with a  good chance to see some migrating wildlife that retreats to the outskirts of the park to escape the harshest winter conditions. The famous Gallatin River runs through Big Sky, originating in the mountains of Yellowstone, and eventually reaching Bozeman.

Winters here will be nothing like Georgia since we’re at an elevation of 7500 feet at the lodge. Snow for the season can range upwards of 300 total inches and temperatures can stay below zero for a dozen days each year. If you can believe it, there’s a chance of snow this Saturday night. Snow in August!

If you’re unfamiliar with the location of Big Sky, it’s in Montana, right next to the northwest corner of Wyoming.

Follow Trent Sizemore Photography on Facebook to get the latest updates!

Biscuit Basin, Upper Geyser Basin – May 31

Here are some photos from my Yellowstone trip on May 31, 2014.

The first region I hit on this trip was the Biscuit Basin, just north of the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful.

 

This first geyser is Jewel Geyser, which seems to be pretty active, but not huge.

Temperature: 199° F

Height: 10-30 feet

Duration: 60-90 seconds

IMG_0528 (1)

This colorful feature is the Sapphire Pool, also in Biscuit Basin. The “layers” of different depths showed a deeper shade of blue the farther down you look. The orange surrounding the edges of the pool created a great contrast for the photo below! Sapphire pool was once quiet, but the 1959 Hebgen Earthquake caused the feature to turn in to a 150 foot geyser for about a decade, until it doubled the size of its crater, returning it to this boiling pool today.

Temperature: 200-202° F

Size: 18×30 feet

IMG_0533 (1)

This brightly colored pool is actually named the Black Opal Pool, also in the Biscuit Basin.

IMG_0534 (1)

There’s no mistaking this photo as the world famous Old Faithful, in the Upper Geyser Basin! The black storm clouds contrasted well with the white spray and steam of the geyser, making for an awesome black and white finished piece.

IMG_0536 (1)

The photo below of the Firehole River in the Upper Geyser Basin area does a great job of showing not only the bright colors of the thermal features, but also the scale compared to the visitors!

IMG_0539 (1)

Photos are available as prints at https://trentsizemore.com/prints

Upper Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, Fountain Paint Pots – May 27

Getting back to what may be the best national park in the country just couldn’t wait very long. Here are a few photos from my second trip to Yellowstone National Park. This is just a tiny collection of the 10,000+ geothermal features in the area.

Upper Geyser Basin – Old Faithful Area

This first photo is of Shield Spring. Notice how thin the crust is right around the edges of the water. This is why it’s important to stay on the boardwalks, because you can and will fall through if you get too close!

IMG_0412

Castle Geyser is a larger geyser, erupting up to 90 feet every 10-12 hours.

IMG_0413

Crested Pool is one of the more colorful features, with the sudden change from orange to blue. This is one of my favorite features in the Upper Geyser Basin.

Depth: 42 feet

Temperature: 199 F +

IMG_0417 (1)

Belgian Pool was once named Oyster Spring, but was renamed when someone from Belgium fell in and died in 1929.

Depth: ?

Temperature: 151-180 F

IMG_0421

The size and color of Morning Glory Pool, on the north end of the Upper Geyser Basin make it well worth the walk to get there.

Depth: 23 feet

Temperature: 157-162 F

IMG_0455 (1)

Midway Geyser Basin

North of the Upper Geyser Basin is the Midway Geyser Basin. The grounds surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring are painted with more unusual colors than one could possibly imagine.

Depth: 160 feet

Temperature 160 F

Discharge: 550 gallons/minute

IMG_0461

The Firehole River is the final stop for water from many of the parks thermal features.

IMG_0473

Fountain Paint Pots Area

Silex Spring

Temperature: 175 F

IMG_0477

Follow on Facebook –  Trent Sizemore Photography on Facebook

Subscribe by email – Trent Sizemore Photography Email List