Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Further along the road watch (and sniff) for the whitish-yellow travertine cone of
Soda
Butte
, the only thermal feature in this part of the park.
The road now joins the mixed sage and grasslands of the
Lamar Valley
, one of the
park's premier wildlife viewing areas. The roadside turnouts between Pebble and Slough
(pronounced 'slew') Creek campgrounds, particularly the stretch between Lamar River
Trailhead and the Lamar Canyon, are prime places to spot wolves from the Agate, Lamar
Canyon and Silver packs. Elk and large herds of bison also make the broad Lamar Valley
their winter range, occupying separate ecological niches alongside coyotes, pronghorns
and bears.
Also here is the former
Buffalo Ranch
, which almost singlehandedly raised Yellow-
stone's buffalo herds between 1907 and 1960. The buildings are now home to the excel-
lent Yellowstone Institute (
Click here
).
About 6 miles before Tower-Roosevelt Junction a dirt road turns off north to Slough
Creek Campground, offering fishing and hiking access. Further along the main road are
several glacially formed 'kettle' ponds, which are periodically closed to protect nesting
trumpeter swans. Just before Tower the road passes the popular Yellowstone River Picnic
Area and hiking trail (
Click here
)
and bridges the Yellowstone River.
For details of the road between Tower-Roosevelt and Mammoth,
Click here
.
TOWER JUNCTION
Calcite Springs Overlook
This worthwhile overlook 1.5 miles south of Tower-Roosevelt Junction offers vertiginous
views of a section of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone known as the Narrows. A
short trail leads to views north of the gorge's sulfuric yellows and smoking sides. All
around are vertical basalt columns, part of a 25ft-deep lava flow that covered the area 1.3
million years ago. Below the basalt are glacial deposits; above the basalt are layers of vol-
canic ash. More hexagonal basalt columns hang above the roadside a little further along
the main road, though parking here is limited.
You'll find dramatic (and crowd-free!) views of Calcite Springs and the Narrows from
the Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail (
Click here
)
.
OVERLOOK
Tower Fall
Two-and-a-half miles south of Tower- Roosevelt Junction, Tower Creek plunges over
132ft Tower Fall before joining the Yellowstone River. The fall gets its name from the
volcanic breccia towers around it, which are like a demonic fortress and earn it the nick-
WATERFALL
