Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - page 149

NORRIS TO MADISON JUNCTION
The 14-mile Norris to Madison Junction road quickly enters aptly named Elk Park , a
fine place to spot elk and bison and you'll likely have to navigate a car jam here.
Just under 5 miles south of Norris Junction an easy 1-mile trail leads through burned
forest to the fun mud pots and springs of Artist Paint Pots . The best mudpots are in the
far right-hand corner.
The road crosses the Gibbon River three times, past the trailhead that leads to little- vis-
ited Monument Geyser Basin ( Click here ) and then pretty blue-green Beryl Spring
(where the rolling action of the water comes from escaping gases rather than boiling wa-
ter).
As the road and river descends off the Solfatara Plateau, you pass Gibbon Falls , one of
the park's prettiest. For the best views of the falls you'll have to park and walk downhill
along the road. Like so many of Yellowstone's waterfalls and cascades, the falls flow over
hard rhyolite that marks the edge of the Yellowstone caldera.
Five miles further west a parking area on the right gives access to Terrace Spring , a
large pool with a rolling geyser in the corner. Two lovely hot springs above form the
namesake terrace. You could safely miss both Terrace and Beryl Springs if you are tight
on time.
From here the road drops down to Madison Junction, with its campground and junior
ranger station. The station is a good place to stop if you have kids; there are plenty of kid-
friendly activities, bear skins to stroke and talks every half-hour. Spotting scopes offer a
close-up look at the elk that frequent the Madison Valley. For details of the road heading
west to West Yellowstone, Click here .
NORRIS TO CANYON
The 12-mile Norris-Canyon road connects the two parts of the Grand Loop Rd across the
burnt forest and cooled lava flows of the Solfatara Plateau. Just past the junction the
pleasant Norris Meadows Picnic Area offers some fine birdwatching over the plain of
the meandering Gibbon River.
About 2 miles into the drive a one-way side road branches off past Virginia Cascade ,
which like Gibbon Falls lies on the caldera boundary. One story goes that the superintend-
ent wanted to name the falls after his wife, Virginia, but the NPS was against naming park
features after living people, so they compromised by naming the fall after the state of
(ahem…) Virginia. The narrow 2.5-mile road follows the old stagecoach road along the
Norris Cutoff and is closed to buses, trailers and RVs.