From the mudpots and hot springs of West Thumb Geyser Basin, the Grand Loop road winds around the west shore of Yellowstone Lake, always staying close to the water, past many overlooks, picnic spots, and two trailheads; one for the short path along Bridge Creek to a rhyolite natural bridge, the other for a loop hike up steep-sided Elephant Back Mountain. The Bridge Creek hike begins at Bridge Bay, site of one of the two marinas on the lake, plus a ranger station and 420 site campground, the largest in Yellowstone National Park. Two miles north of here, Lake Village has a hotel, another ranger station, a post office, a visitor center and other day hikes. The road forks just after the village; the right branch crosses the Yellowstone River over the historic Fishing Bridge, follows the north shore for a while then turns away from the lake towards the East Entrance of the park, through wooded valleys with no points of particular interest. The left fork runs beside the Yellowstone River into Hayden Valley, but first passes through an interesting thermal region.
Mud Volcano: Six miles from Fishing Bridge is a small area of activity characterized by mud and sulphur, and containing a variety of mudpots, fumaroles, sulphurous springs and odorous pools. The Mud Volcano group, on the west side of the road, has a one mile loop trail that encounters features like Dragons Mouth Spring, a small flooded cave were gas noisily pushes aside the water at regular intervals, Black Dragon's Cauldron, a boiling pool of black water, and Mud Volcano, another fermenting muddy pool. There are more springs and vents east of the road, on both sides of the river - a particularly sulphurous, acidic region that is too dangerous for trails but can be seen from several viewpoints beside the road. The centerpiece is Sulphur Cauldron, a large, yellowish pool that constantly bubbles and fizzes. This whole region has been quite variable in activity, and was much more violent when first discovered in 1872 with Mud Volcano at that time a 30 foot high conical vent flinging mud high into the air, but has declined since then though in 1978 and 1995 two new areas of hot pools and fumaroles were formed, on hillsides near the Yellowstone River.
Hayden Valley: North of Mud Volcano, the low hills to the west fall away and the river enters the wide open grasslands and marshes of Hayden Valley, which together with Lamar Valley to the northeast is one of the two best locations for roadside wildlife viewing in Yellowstone, and often traffic is disrupted by visitors stopping in mid carriageway to photograph the bison that graze here. Bears are much less common but both grizzly and black bears may be seen in the distance, in the upper reaches of the valley to the west. Elk and coyotes are also commonly spotted. There are more sulphurous springs and vents, and one geyser, in the Crater Hills towards the north side of the valley though these are two miles from the highway and not signposted.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: After the flat lands of Hayden Valley, hills rise up either side of the river, which drops over two large waterfalls and into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, one of the most spectacular canyons anywhere in America. Its walls are very steep - 700 feet almost vertical at the eastern end and up to 1,200 feet high further west, and partially formed of jagged, eroded, chemically altered volcanic rocks of unusually bright colors - red, pink, orange and white. Most of the 20 miles of the Grand Canyon are out of sight since the surrounding land is too rough for roads or trails, but the upper 4 miles can be viewed from several overlooks along the north and south rims, and a number of trails.
 Map of the Canyon Area, Yellowstone National Park
South Rim of the Grand Canyon: The three mile South Rim Drive passes another overlook of the lower falls, and a steep path down to a viewpoint near their base. Named Uncle Tom's Trail after its creator Tom Richardson (in 1898), this descends 500 feet by means of steps and elevated metal walkways, making for quite a strenuous return climb. The drive ends with more classic views at Artist Point, especially upstream, where the image of the whitewater river flowing over the lower falls and through the Grand Canyon is one of the most photographed in the national park. A three mile trail leads from roads end further east along the rim, ending at Point Sublime, while other trails run alongside both rims of the canyon, and to various lakes in the backcountry to the south.
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