The northern approach to Yellowstone National Park is along US 89 in southwest Montana, which follows the Yellowstone River valley, through the Gallatin National Forest, and enters the park at the small town of Gardiner. The valley is wooded and quite steep sided, and just north of town are several places for free camping, along short side tracks off the highway. The Gardiner entrance is the only one of the five that remains open all year, since it has the lowest elevation, and the town provides all necessary facilities including plenty of accommodation, though sometimes this is quite expensive and needs early advance booking. One notable historical feature is Roosevelt Arch, dedicated in 1903 by the 26th president, marking what was at the time the main entrance to the national park.
Mammoth: East of town, the Yellowstone River enters a rather deeper canyon (the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone), though this is not accessible by road and instead requires a hike of at least 2 miles to reach. The entrance road heads due south, following the Gardiner River for 5 miles to Mammoth, site of the only major thermal area in the north of Yellowstone National Park. The formations here are different to all others, with no geysers or large springs, instead the warm, subterranean water has created large areas of beautiful terraces; staircase-like structures made of deposited travertine, stained a variety of bright colors by bacteria and algae that live in the acidic waters. Mammoth has a small village that includes a hotel and the historic Fort Yellowstone built in 1891, a visitor center and shops. The road forks here - west is to the Tower and Canyon areas while south passes the terraces and formations then on to Norris Geyser Basin.
Mammoth Formations: The main highway affords a fine view of the terraces as it winds up a steep hillside, but trails, boardwalks and a one-way loop drive give much better access. The formations occur in 2 main areas - the Lower and Upper Terraces. The lower region has the largest deposits, over an area half a mile across, principally Palette Spring, Canary Spring, the Jupiter, Minerva and Cleopatra Terraces plus various other pools and springs. The Upper Terrace is a less geologically active region and its features are more dispersed, the surroundings more wooded. A narrow road, not for vehicles over 25 feet, passes formations such as Prospect Terrace, Angel Terrace and Orange Spring Mound, and has good elevated views over all of the Mammoth formations. To the south and west are various hiking opportunities including Bunsen Peak, Osprey Falls and Sepulcher Mountain - see the hiking index.
Tower: East of Mammoth, the Grand Loop Road re-crosses the Gardiner River, climbs quite steeply up a side valley then enters a mostly treeless plateau en route to Tower Junction, site of a ranger station, picnic area and the venerable Roosevelt Lodge, which has cabins, a store, restaurant, gas station and horse rentals. The main attraction hereabouts is the 132 foot Tower Falls, where a tributary of the Yellowstone River (Tower Creek) flows through a group of unusual, sharply pointed volcanic spires then cascades down into a narrow, wooded canyon. The falls have a short trail leading to an overlook and a longer path down to the base, though this is currently closed. Like all Yellowstone waterfalls, the amount of flow is greatest during the snowmelt season in early summer. A variety of other trails start nearby.
Beyond Tower Junction: There are no geothermal areas anywhere in the northeast of the park since this lies outside the region occupied by the former volcano; instead, the road east of Tower crosses more forests and meadows, running alongside the Lamar River for 10 miles then turning north, exiting the park at the Wyoming/Montana border. Like Hayden Valley to the south, the Lamar Valley is a wide open, grassy expanse which offers a good chance of spotting wildlife, and is the best place for wolves and grizzly bears, as well as being the least visited and least developed section of the national park. South of Tower, the loop road heads south, climbing into the foothills of 10,243 foot Mount Washington then down through forested land to the Canyon region.
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