Yellowstone National Park

Steam, hot pools and strange shapes Yellowstone has much more than geysers, so allow time to take in a huge variety of features - predictable and unexpected.

Almost every view in the park features some steam... it vents out of holes in the ground, bubbles up through rivers and lakes, seeps out of cracks and sometimes fills the whole scene.

Poolls may look tranquil, but don't venture too close; they are probably hot. Almost every year someone takes a chance on them and pays with their life. Repect the beauty and the power of water, which can also create strange shapes, like these terraces at Mammoth (above right)

And the same chemical 'miracle' that builds the terraces and, elsewhere in the world, creates stalactite and stalagmites, creates fantastic mounds here in Yellowstone; mounds that constantly seep hot water... and steam.

Steam, hot pools and strange shapes