It was getting on toward late afternoon; we were starting to get hungry and were debating whether to visit the Canyon area or not. "Well, let's stop for a few minutes, at least," one of us said.

We certainly were glad we stopped. The sun shining on the canyon walls glowed golden; it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Our "few minutes" turned into "quite a while."

The canyon walls are very steep; you certainly wouldn't want to try to climb down them. But the trails down are pretty easy. (Remember, you are at 8,000' elevation.)

The Yellowstone area is the remains of a vast volcano, apparently. Some say it is the site of an ancient meteoric impact. I'll accept either one of those theories.

Here are some stats: Elevation, 8,000' above sea level. Depth: up to 1,200'. Age: Half million years, more or less. Present appearance: 10,000 years. Length of the canyon: 20 miles.

Several trails of medium to short length and easy to hard difficulty traverse the area.

 

 

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