We arrived at Gardiner about 12:30 and got checked into our site in the Rocky Mountain Campground. We decided to go to see a little of the park today.
This is the entrance sign for the north west entrance. This was the original entrance. In the eighteen hundreds the wealthy would ride a train to Gardiner and then take a stage coach tour through the park.
This is Mammoth Hot Springs it is the first stop coming in from the north west. There is a small town here it has a restaurant, post office, visitor center, naturally gift shops and staff housing. The best I can remember when I was here 40 years ago there was more water and less dead spring areas.
This little fellow was right by one of the walk ways. It is a Bull snake and is non-poisonous.
We didn't walk 50 feet when we came upon this one. He is not the same one as in the above picture. Remember we hadn't been in the park for more than an hour and already saw two rather large snakes albeit non-poisonous. Peggy wasn't sure she wanted to see any more of Yellowstone.
This is a view looking back to Mammoth business area. Mammoth and Gardiner are the winter head quarters for the park.
When we left Mammoth and headed south the road stats to climb again, it also climbs as you come into the park. Gardiner is at 5300 feet Mammoth is at 6239 feet. These falls were not named but they are at the top of the entrance to the Golden Gate pass.
Here is an example of the road construction through the Golden Gate pass. The original road was built in 1885 of wood. Since 1900 the original wood trestle was replaced two times by concrete roads. There are additional pictures in the Yellowstone album and as always remember to click on the pictures to enlarge them.
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