 |
Home |
| Parks | |
| About the Site | |
| News |
|
Yellowstone National Park (12)
|
Rivers
Another of the beautiful waterways of the park is the Gibbon River. This river is located in the west central section of the park, and is one of the two rivers, along with the Firehole River, which join to form the Madison River.
The Gibbon River was named for Army officer Colonel John Gibbon who explored the area with a detachment of soldiers in 1872.
The Gibbon River flows near the Norris Geyser Basin and flows into the Madison River at the Madison junction.
In this picture the Gibbon River meanders through a beautiful meadow.
Gibbon Falls, on the river, is about 84 feet high. At this point the Gibbon River falls over the great rim of the ancient caldera formed in the catastrophic eruption. Gibbon Falls is one of 50 named waterfalls or cascades in park, which contains one of the best collections of waterfalls found anywhere.
Gibbon Falls is found on the Gibbon River east of the point it flows into the Madison River.
Firehole River One of the most often viewed rivers in the park, and one of its most noteworthy, is the Firehole River. This river is famous for the large number of hydrothermal features which are located near its banks. The "fire" part of the name of the river is easy to understand. "Hole" was the word used by trappers to refer to a valley. Actually, the name of the river was derived from a burnt over section of the Madison River Valley.
The Firehole River is heated by the hot springs and geysers along its banks. The warm waters of the river keep it ice free even in frigid Yellowstone winters, making it very attractive to wildlife. It becomes a popular route for travel during the months of deep snows.
The falls of the Firehole River are about 40 feet in height. In 1889, the Firehole River was stocked with fish (brook trout) above the falls.
The Firehole River cuts a gorge through the lava of the Madison Plateau.
The Kepler Cascades are found on the Firehole River just upriver from the Upper Geyser Basin. They are a series of small waterfall which drop more than 200 feet.
Another picture of the Kepler Cascades is shown here
Lewis River The Lewis River flows south into the Snake River and out of the park near the South entrance. This stream was named in 1875 for Merriwether Lewis, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The Lewis River runs through a relatively deep canyon.
Water cascading over the Lewis River Falls drains from Lewis and Shoshone Lakes. The falls are found just south of Lewis Lake.
The Lewis Falls are 37 feet high.
The canyon through which the Lewis River flows is 600 feet deep, with walls of black lava, and is about 1.5 miles long. Interestingly, the great fire which burned through here in 1988 was able to leap 500 yards across the barrier of the canyon .
A beautiful section of the Lewis River is shown here.
Tower Creek This small creek is best known for Tower Falls. The falls is 132 feet high. The pinnacles near the cascade is are formed of cooled basaltic lava. 1/4 mile below the site of the falls Tower Creek flows into the Yellowstone River.
Snake River Just a sliver of the Snake River is found in Yellowstone National Park, flowing out of the park into the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway and on into Grand Teton National Park.
The Snake River eventually enters the Columbia River, and from there its water flows into the Pacific Ocean.
| - Next Page for Yellowstone National Park - |
|