One of my favorite places to visit in all of Yellowstone was The Grand Canyon. Not the famous Grand Canyon of Arizona, but the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This stunning canyon has a little bit of everything.
The crystal blue Yellowstone river carves its way dramatically through the impressive, massive canyon. The brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds are unlike anything I have ever seen before.
And then, of course, there are the two stunning upper and lower falls.
The canyon stretches for about 20 miles and ranges between 900 and 1,200 feet in depth. This is one amazing geological feature you don’t want to miss when visiting the park.
The Grand Canyon of yellow is a recent development, in terms of earth history, within the park. It is predicted to be no more than 14,000 years old. The canyon was primarily formed by erosion as the Yellowstone River. However, it also had some help from faulting caused by the caldera eruption and lava flow.
The unique color is from a process called “hydro-thermal alteration”. This is when the heating of the rocks causes a chemical alteration in iron compounds. Then, when the rocks are exposed to the elements, they start rusting causing the vibrant colors.
More information about the canyon can be found at National Park Service: Yellowstone.