The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
at Yellowstone National Park

North Gate - Gardiner, Montana
September 5, 2009

North Gate - Yellowstone's only year round entrance - Gardiner, Montana, situated in Southwest Montana, at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The town is nestled in breath-taking Paradise Valley, with the Yellowstone River running right through town. Gardiner has the atmosphere of a quaint western town.

The Roosevelt Arch is the most famous structure in Gardiner. The Yellowstone Entrance Gateway or Arch was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt on 24 April 1903. The arch is visible from two miles north of Gardiner on Highway 89.

Roosevelt Arch
Roosevelt Arch
sign - Yellowstone National Park
sign - Yellowstone National Park
entering Montana sign
entering Montana sign
first scenery from north entrance
first scenery from north entrance
Karen Duquette at the 45th paralled of latitude
river
Below: Lee Duquette liked the tree shown below because of the "hole" in it
first scenery from north entrance
first scenery from north entrance
Hymen Terrace
Below: Lee Duquette checked the temperature of the water - "Cold" - what a surprise!
Hymen Terrace
Lee checks the water temperature
Hymen Terrace
For hundreds of years, people collected minerals from Mammoth Hot Springs for white paint. These minerals contribute to the beautiful terrace structures, along with heat provide by volcanism, a natural plumbing system that allows hot water from underground to reach the surface, water from rain and snow, and limestone deposited here millions of years ago when a vast sea covered this area.
sign - Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace
Below: The 37 foot tall Liberty Cap - a dormant hot springs cone estimated to be 2,500 years old, and created by a hot spring that was active in one location for a long time. Its internal pressure was enough to raise the water to a great height, allowing mineral deposits to build slowly for hundreds of years. Liberty Cap was named in 1871 because it resembled the pealed knit caps symbolizing freedom and liberty during the French Revolution.
Liberty Cap
Below: Opal Terrace - Maximum water temperature here is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Glad the water Lee Duquette touched earlier was not hot like this.
Opal Terrace
Opal Terrace
Below: Karen Duquette thought this part of Opal Terrace looked like pumpkins.
Opal Terrace

Below: Killdeer (a bird species) nest on bare ground and will call out in alarm if visitors are too close by.

a pretty bird
a pretty bird
a pretty bird
a pretty bird
sign about the colors in the hot spring
Karen Duquette just loved photographing the texture and color in this area, Thermophiles (heat-loving microorganisms) create tapestries of color where hot water flows among the terraces. Colorless and yellow thermophiles grow in the hottest water. Orange, brown and green thermophiles thrive in cooler waters. Colors also change with the season.
Below: Devil's Thumb at Mammoth Hot Springs
Devil's Thumb
Devil's Thumb
Below: Great colors and texture
texture and color
texture and color
Below: Minerva Terraces
Minerva Terraces
Minerva Terraces
Minerva Terraces
Minerva Terraces
color and texure at Minerva Terraces
color and texure at Minerva Terraces

Below: Karen Duquette at Minerva Terraces in Yellowstone National Park

Karen Duquette at Minerva Terraces
Below: A mountain, overlook, and lots of stairs
mountain and stairs
Lee on the stairs
mountain and stairs
Below: The view from the top of the same overlook shown above.
view from the top
view from the top
view from the top
history booksign - the Golden Gate
Golden Gate
Golden Gate and cliff
Below: Looking down the cliff at Golden Gate

Below: Sheepeater Cliff

sign - Sheepeater Cliffhistory book
Sheepeater Cliff
Sheepeater Cliff
 
hot thermal area
hot thermal area
hot thermal area
hot thermal area
history booksign - Roaring Mountain
history booksign - Fumaroles
Roaring Mountain
Roaring Mountain
Roaring Mountain
pretty colors in the sand
sign - hazaardous thermal area
thermal area
thermal area and steam
thermal area
thermal area
look below

go to the next adventure of the two RV Gypsies Please continue on to page 2 - Thermal Geysers at Yellowstone - 2009