Yellowstone is where I first heard about thermophiles. Thermophiles are heat tolerant organisms that lives in the hot springs. Various groups of thermophiles flourish at different temperature ranges. What is amazing is the explosion of colors they create – just take a look at Grand Prismatic.
The best view of Grand Prismatic is not from the walkways around the hot spring, it is from the closest nearby hill. Looking from above you can truly appreciate the size and the colors.
To get to the hill you’ll need to pack your hiking boots because this is not an official trail in the park and there will be no wooden walkways to follow. Use the parking lot about 1.5 kilometers south of the Midway Geyser Basin and cross bridge over the Firehole River.
Photo tips: Use a polarizing filter on your lens to reduce reflections on the hot spring surface and add vividness to the colors.
If you want to make a full day of it I recommend continuing the hike to Fairy Falls after you have your classical Grand Prismatic photo secured. More to come about Fairy Falls in my next post.
Wow! Beautiful – looking forward to next installment.
Thanks a lot Clay! 🙂
Are you stateside?? Wonderful captures!
Thanks for the sweet comment! No we are not stateside – catching up on posts from our Yellowstone trip last fall:)
That’s incredible and fascinating! Amazing! Cher xo
Thanks you so much for the lovely comment! And thanks for taking the time to drop a line:)
Thank YOU, Inger!! Cher xo
Great colors, stupid people have been walking out on the pools and getting burnt or one died. They are very hot pools. This is also the birthplace of modern DNA testing. An enzyme that lives in the pools is called TAQ and is now used in modern DNA testing called PCR. The enzyme is used to replicate selected areas of DNA and thus can amplify or increase the amount of DNA needed for analysis. Great shot. Jim
Thank for the reflective comment Jim. We purchased a book in the park that had a great overview over the sights and also had a commentary cd – very informative. We heard several stories from the cd about people getting into the pools and dying. It is probably difficult to comprehend how dangerous they are. There is a reason for the wooden pathways and the warning signs. Despite this we more then once observed people wandering off the wooden path to get a better picture… I can’t imagine how a picture is worth risking your life for.
Beautiful post – such incredible colors!
Thank you Inese – Yellowstone left me amazed. What an amazing and out of this earth place!
Wow, Yellowstone Park is wonderful, your photos are sublime, Inger.
I wish you a beautiful Sunday.
Hervé
Thank you so much Hervé, your comment makes me very happy!
Your photos are absolutely gorgeous! I have heard so much about Yellowstone but you are the first person to give tips on how to capture the Grand Prismatic from the viewpoint of a photographer and not a tourist. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the sweetest comment! I actually found a book in one of the shops in Yellowstone on how to best capture the sights in the park – and that is where I found this description. But it seems to be a well known ‘secret’ by know – we were not the only ones on top of this hill:)
🙂
Amazing colors
Thanks a bunch!
Superb spectral colours Inger!Fabulous your images from this phenomenal spot on our planet,even the steam from the hot springs is clearly shown.
Thank you so much Doda! It was a spectacular sight – amazing to think that this place exists on this earth. And as you say – the steam was truly reflecting the blue color of the hot spring. I was amazed by this view! Thank you for your always reflective comment, they are much appreciated.
It’s a really phenomenal place,Inger!Great share,my friend 🙂
Absolutely spectacular photos Inger!
Thank you so much for the sweet comment Maciek!
Magnificent .I never forgot my visit to Yellowstone.
Thanks Marylou! It is for sure a place one does not easily forget:)
Helt otroliga bilder. Underbart att få se dem. Ha det riktigt bra!
Takk så mye! Det er nesten vanskelig å fange hvor stort og fargerikt der er på et lite bilde:)
Blows my mind!
Mine too, Ron!
An incredible opening shot Inger, you show that sometimes the best view can only be obtained by stepping away ~ brilliant. I’ve shot the Grand Prismatic before, but nothing like what you have here…beautiful.
Thank you so much Randall! It is almost not possible to capture the size and the feeling of experiencing this wonder in a photo, but the view from the hill helped a bit:)
Yellowstone is an amazing place. Beautiful shots.
janet
Thanks Janet! I could’t agree more, it is an astonishing place.
It actually seems surreal. As though it couldn’t possibly exist. So gorgeous!
Absolutely Sue! I had seen photos of Grand Prismatic before we got there, but experiencing it in person amazed me even more.
Wow – the shots and colours are gorgeous!
Thanks a bunch, pretty amazing what heat and bacteria can create!
Excellent post and photos.
Thank you very much Belinda!
Splendid !
Thanks Alice!
Another planet…….?
Stunningly beautiful pics!
It sure looks like it comes from another planet doesn’t it? 🙂
Amazing colors. I have to get up there some day!
Thanks Emilie! Yes – you must go! Yellowstone was absolutely amazing, I will never forget my visit there.
Great composition shots. Plan to visit end of summer.
Thanks Alix! I envy you, I’d love to go back again. I’m sure you will enjoy and come home with a lot of great photos! 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions for your visit, would love to help make the best of it!
I was so blown away the first time I saw these in Yellowstone. Great photos!
Thanks Darlene! It is impossible not to get blown away by this sight:)
Incredible colours and beautiful captures – thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the lovely comment Joanne! 🙂
Beautiful colors! It makes me wanna travel again!
Thank you! I always want to travel more:)
Beautiful photos. We plan on visiting Yellowstone in September so these posts are very timely. I look forward to all your suggestions.
Thanks Ingrid! We visited in September as well so you’ll be there exactly the same time of year as us. A good time to visit, not as crowded as during high season summer.
Your photos are breathtaking Inger. Hubby and I were fortunate enough to be able to live in Yellowstone NP for two years. Having the park to yourself in the winter was an experience we will never forget.
Lu Ann, happy to hear from you again! 🙂 And thanks for the lovely comment.
Living in Yellowstone for two year – how did you manage to pull that off? Would love to have that experience! We were looking at going to Yellowstone in the winter this year, but then our move back to Norway came and we sadly had to put those plans on ice.
Thanks Inger! It’s good to be back. We decided after lengthy careers in the corporate world, we would slowly step back from retirement and took jobs at Yellowstone, allowing us to live in government housing in the park, even in the winter. It was a wonderful experience. Hopefully you can visit Yellowstone in the winter sometime.
Amazing Yellowstone photos Inger! I studied that first one especially, wondered, was she in an aircraft for this? I’ve been on that walkway and appreciated this earthly miracle, but from above you really captured it especially nicely. Then I read your wonderful instructions on how you captured it. Great post, thanks very much.
Thank you Jet! It is almost impossible to grasp the size of Grand Prismatic, but getting up on the hill helped a bit. Still not the same as being there in person though! 🙂
so colorful and gorgeous 🙂
Much appreciated Joshi!
Oh my, I’ve missed reading your blog posts! This makes me miss Yellowstone so much. Absolutely gorgeous shots! 🙂
Thanks a lot Genna! Yellowstone is almost impossible not to miss! I often think back at the ‘out of this earth’ experiences we had there.
Wow, this is SO beautiful – Yellowstone is gorgeous – I hope I’ll go and experience this place myself too once!
Thanks Truels! It was pretty amazing, impossible to capture it all in a photo, so I hope you get to experience it for yourself! A place one will never forget.
Inger: A great set from one of the most remarkable places on earth…by the way, I wondered where you’d been…now I know. Again, good work.!
Thank you very much for the lovely comment Dan! Yellowstone is such an amazing location.
FYI – For some reason WordPress had sent your latest comments to the spam folder, luckily I just discovered it. Don’t think it has happened before so not sure why it thought it was spam this time. Just letting you know in case you run into the same problem with others.
So beautiful!
Much appreciated! 🙂
Impressive colours!
I would agree, pretty spectacular what heat and bacteria can create isn’t it?
Incredible colours indeed…
Looks like another planet, straight out of a science fiction book 🙂
Exactly what I was thinking when I saw Grand Prismatic, don’t think there is anything like it elsewhere on earth! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your awesome posts. 🙂
I think this was my favourite in Yellowstone. I couldn’t believe the colours I was seeing!
Thank you so much Anabel! I must agree – the colours where just out of this world. I was amazed:) Don’t think you will find anything like the Grand Prismatic anywhere else…. Sorry for the very late reply:)
This is glorious! I love your travel shots.
Keep em coming.
Eli
Thank you so much Eli! I really appreciate you lovely feedback. Yellowstone had so many exciting photo opportunities, and Grand Prismatic is really something special. Sorry for the very late reply:)
These colors!!! Is this true or is this in heaven???
Really a great place captured very beautiful.
🙂
Yes isn’t it awesome? Grand Prismatic really amazed me, these colours are out of this world! I don’t think there is anything like it anywhere else… I really appreciate your lovely feedback. Sorry for the very late reply:)
So vivid, so pretty. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you so much! The colours of Grand Prismatic really amazed me – I was very happy to have experienced it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! Sorry for the very late reply:)
Candy for the eyes and the mind, and the future… We will get there one day, hopefully next year. 🙂
It really is something worth experiencing, don’t think there is anything like it elsewhere… Sorry for the very late reply:) Are you planning on going there this year Liesbet? 🙂
Wow, lovely place, awesome colors..beautiful captures! 🙂
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! The colour of Grand Prismatic is really jaw dropping! 🙂
Great photos! Never heard of thermophiles before. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much Penne! Me neither, thermophiles was totally new for me as well. I always thought bacteria would die at high temperatures:)
Wow! Such stunning scenery!
Thanks a bunch Jarek! The Grand Prismatic was really something special, the colours are out of this world! 🙂
Wow, wonderful photographs
Thank you so much! 🙂