Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bison may seem placid but can be dangerous if approached too closely.
0.6/16.4
Firehole Canyon Drive begins. This narrow road is now one way north to south, but
until it was damaged during the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake, it was part of the Grand Loop
Road. It's about the same length as the newer main road and well worth taking.
Firehole Canyon Drive*
NOTE: The mileage from the beginning of this side loop is given in parentheses. Grand Loop Road
mileage continues at 2.4 miles from Madison Junction, where Firehole Canyon Drive rejoins it.
(0.4) The small spring at the left was a favorite spot for refreshing oneself, but now Yellow-
stone's water cannot be guaranteed safe for drinking untreated.
Near here occurred the last of five stagecoach robberies in the park. In July of 1915, one
highwayman stopped five coaches and robbed passengers of some $200. One of the victims
happened to be Bernard Baruch, statesman and advisor to U.S. presidents for nearly half a
century. According to Jack Haynes's booklet,
Yellowstone Stage Holdups,
Baruch later com-
mented, “It was the best 50 dollars I ever spent!” The robber was never brought to justice.
(0.7) As the road climbs away from the river, look for a rhyolite flow to the left. Rhyolite
lava, a rock rich in
silica,
is commonly found in Yellowstone in the form of tuff or
obsidian,
and occasionally as pumice.
(1.0) Firehole Falls and an interpretive display about the rhyolite flow around you. Before
1889, there were no fish occurring naturally in the Firehole River above the falls, but in that
year the river was stocked with brook trout, and soon the upstream reach became a favorite
with many park fishermen.
