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Yellowstone National Park (16)
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Tower-Roosevelt Area
The park has many attractions located in its north central section, near Roosevelt Lodge, Tower Fall, and the Lamar Valley.
The aspens below are shown in the Tower-Roosevelt Area in late fall, south of the main park road between Tower-Roosevelt and Mammoth Hot Springs. The aspen, one of the few deciduous trees in the park, is a poplar which is a member of the willow family. It is the most numerous of the broad leafed trees which are found in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. The aspen grows about 10 feet in three years and mature in about 100 years. The "quaking aspen" tends to grow in sunny places on the side of hills where ground water is abundant, and after the fires of 1988 they spread into some of the burned over areas. These trees serve as food for elk, which gnaw on their lower trunks as well as aspen seedlings.
Another of the many places for lodging in the park is Roosevelt Lodge. This lodge is located at about 6270 feet. The lodge is named after President Teddy Roosevelt who camped here when visiting the park in 1903, although there is some question about whether he camped in this exact location or not. There was originally a tent camp on this site, later an auto camp. The lodge itself was built in 1920. The area contains a lodge, cabins, and a general store.
The Pinnacles are an outstanding sight in the Tower-Roosevelt area.
Just east of Roosevelt Lodge is the Petrified Tree. The Petrified Tree is a remnant of a living redwood tree which became fossilized after being covered by volcanic ash some 50 million years ago. This site once featured many trees on the hill, but by 1914 only 2 of the petrified trees were left as the result of pillaging by souvenir hunters. One of the remaining two was ultimately carried off by souvenir collectors. Such actions explain the iron fence which surrounds the surviving tree. The tree is reached by a 1/2 mile side road from the main park road.
The mountains in this section of the park are very scenic.
To the east of the Tower-Roosevelt area the Lamar Valley can be found. The valley, carved by glaciers, is seen below on a foggy, misty day in mid-autumn. The Lamar River runs through the valley. It was named for Lucius Lamar, the Secretary of the Interior under Grover Cleveland.
The Lamar Valley is seen below.
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