Y E L L O W S T O N E   N A T I O N A L   P A R K
M U D   V O L C A N O

Northwestern Wyoming

This is Churning Caldron.

"Imagine this frothing pool as a cooler spring covered with colorful mats of micro-organisms. That's how it looked until earthquake activity in 1978-79 superheated the waters and killed some of the mat forming microbes. In 1996, it began throwing water 3-5 feet high."

This is my favorite feature so far on the tour. I spend a bit of time here watching the water churn away, watching with fascination while the hand of nature vigorously tosses the water hither and yon.

During the early part of my tour it had been sprinkling but now it's beginning to let up. Off in the distance a rainbow has bloomed, a pretty sight against a dark and stormy backdrop.

"In 1948, Black Dragon's Caldron burst onto the landscape along a crack in the earth. It uprooted and coated nearby trees in thick mud. This feature has since shifted south 200 feet along the crack. The spring feeding nearby Sour Lake was much more active before Back Dragon's Caldron formed. Perhaps underground changes diverted heat energy from Sour Lake to form this seething mass of mud, which a park ranger named for its color and the apparent lashing of the 'dragon's tongue'."

Interested in a free "face peel?" How about a free "body peel?" Jump in this lake and that's just what you'll get!

"Sour Lake, named for its acidic or "sour" water, may look like a pleasant swimming hole, but its water would burn your skin like battery acid. Most of its acid comes from micro-organisms that create sulfuric acid as they consume sulfur. The micro-organisms also give the lake its color."

"Grizzly Fumarole undergoes striking changes, depending on recent precipitation. You might find a large thin-watered mudpot, a series of smaller and thicker mudpots, or a fumarole (steam vent). During dry periods, it may look like an abandoned collection of mud formations with hot water hissing far below. Take a momemnt to listen to these subtle sounds".

After completing my tour of Mud Volcano I find myself struggling with what rating I shall give it. Compared to the other sights I've already seen in Yellowstone, this sight is just missing all the color I've become accustomed to. But this place is all about "mud" so I not terribly let down.

I give Mud Volcano a personal rating of 4 thumbs-up out of a possible 5 thumbs.