Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Geothermal features create warm, odorous steam.
Before setting out for the canyon itself, visitors are advised to visit the new
Canyon
Visitor Education Center
(307/242-2550, daily late May-mid-October), which has an out-
standing and vast exhibit on Yellowstone's supervolcano, geothermal activity, and other
natural history. In fact, this should be a mandatory stop for every visitor who might other-
wise have no real understanding of the region's fascinating geology.
On the
North Rim,
don't miss
Inspiration Point,
a natural viewing platform that gives
a bird's-eye view both up and down the river. Nathaniel Langford, who would go on to
be the park's first superintendent, stood in the same spot with the Washburn Expedition in
1870. He wrote:
Standing there or rather lying there for greater safety, I thought how utterly im-
possible it would be to describe to another the sensations inspired by such a
presence. As I took in the scene, I realized my own littleness, my helplessness,
my dread exposure to destruction, my inability to cope with or even comprehend
the mighty architecture of nature.
