Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone Canyon, and Steamboat Geyser

It was snowing in West Yellowstone when we got up on the morning of October 6, 2018, greatly reducing visibility, but so pretty.

Our chief goal for the day was to visit Yellowstone Canyon, particularly the Artist Point overlook, for views of Lower Falls. Our route to the canyon took us past Gibbon Falls, which always requires a photo stop.

Gibbon Falls

A young woman traveling alone asked if we would take her picture at the falls. Of course, we were happy to oblige. And, when she offered to return the favor, we happily accepted. We rarely get pictures of ourselves on our vacations, so it's a treat when someone offers, especially someone with some knowledge of photography and cameras, as this woman evidenced.

As we continued on to the canyon area, we passed through the most beautiful snowy scenery.

Artist Point is almost always crowded with tourists, especially during the warmer months. But I was surprised at how many people were there on this cold and snowy day. We weren't the only crazies.

The view down the canyon, looking away from the falls, is also beautiful.

On the way back to the parking lot, we met a couple that had asked us to take their picture at Gibbon Falls. After we had taken theirs, they offered to take ours; but we didn't accept their offer since the other young woman had already done us that favor. Meeting again here at Artist Point, though, we exchanged cameras and took pictures of each other, with Lower Falls in the background.

Following is a short video clip of Lower Falls.

Yellowstone National Park is home to Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest currently-active geyser. A very unpredictable geyser, it was once quiet for 50 years, between 1911 and 1961. When it became "active" again, there were dormant periods of varying length, some as long as eight years, between eruptions. But, in 2018, Steamboat erupted 32 times, breaking its previous record of 29 eruptions in 1964. 

With Steamboat's increased activity, it was definitely on our list of things to see in Yellowstone on this trip. When we arrived at the viewing area, we found several people bundled up in sleeping bags, protecting, as best they could, expensive camera equipment from the snowy day and steam from the geyser. It was believed that the next eruption was only a matter of hours away, and they were determined to be there when it happened.

We stayed for awhile, each burst of water from the hole giving us hope that we would see an eruption; but we lacked the patience of those with the sleeping bags. Besides, we needed to get back to the motel and pack up to leave West Yellowstone in the morning. So we left, not having been among those who had been privileged to view a full eruption of Steamboat in its most active year in history.

Checking on Steamboat's eruption history later, I learned that the eruption that was expected within a few hours didn't occur until two days later, on October 8. I'm glad we didn't wait.