I really wanna say yeehaw. Can I say yeehaw?
I grew up in the midwest but now I live in the south and at the time of writing the outline to this post I lived out west. So where do I fall on the line of appropriateness?
Well, this is my blog, so I’m gonna say yeehaw!
So what’s with all the excitement? Well, I’m excited to complete this post because the stretch of road between Norris Geyser Basin village and Madison Junction village has many stops, big and small, to see along the way.
Here’s a rundown of them all!
Gibbon Falls
Gibbon falls is the wedding cake of waterfalls.
By that, I mean it’s a picture-perfect, roaring, and massive 85-foot waterfall that just fills me with joy whenever I stop to see it. Its pure star-power makes it one of the most popular pull-off attractions in the park for tour groups and independent road trippers alike.
The pull-off for Gibbon Falls is about 8.4 miles south of Norris, and 4.7 miles north of Madison Junction.
I never visited at a time when it wasn’t packed, but thankfully, there’s a huge parking lot to the overlook, so finding a space is usually easy.
A short, 0.25 mile paved trail follows along the canyon’s edge so you can see and hear the roaring falls from several viewpoints.
While looking out over the falls, keep a look out for the teal-feathered swallows that make these waterfall canyons their home!
Gibbon River Overlook
If you couldn’t get enough of the Gibbon Waterfall nestled into a sweeping valley, never should you fear!
The Gibbon River overlook is a pull-off offering similarly tranquil views. I like to call these swaths of tree-covered mountains broccoli heads.
Duck Rock
It is literally a rock shaped like a duck.
But it makes me smile.
Especially when ducks sit on top of Duck Rock.
It just seems so apropos, you know?
Duck Rock is visible on the Gibbon River, about 2 miles south of Norris.
Chocolate Pots
A few weeks I after I got to Yellowstone, I hopped aboard a Xanterra van tour of the park to get my bearings. About halfway through, the guide stopped at a seemingly random pull-off because she said there was something we absolutely had to see.
At first, I didn’t even see it, but then, across the Firehole river, I gazed in awe upon an 8-foot tall volcano-looking formation.
Chocolate pots are a type of thermal feature formed from years of mineral and bacterial deposits building up from a hot spring into the shape of a cone. The effect is a chocolate-colored tower with streaks of red and orange flowing from the mouth of the spring.
It’s a beautiful sight and I really hope you get to see one on your trip.
The Chocolate Pot is 2 miles south from Norris.
Beryl Spring
Out of the hundreds of hot springs in Yellowstone, Beryl Spring holds a permanent, photographically clear place in my mind.
Why?
It was one of the first bright blue springs I ever saw in the park. You know, the REALLY blue ones. I was on a Xanterra tour when I visited, and was instantly mesmerized. Unlike many of the boardwalks, this one goes directly OVER the boiling hot water, and walking through the steamy spring, knowing there was deadly hot water below reminded me of the classic “floor is lava” game we all played as kids.
The best time to visit beryl spring, or any of Yellowstone’s hot springs is actually in the heat of the day. This is because when it gets cold outside, the hot spring water vaporizes in the cool air, and the steam can become too thick to see the spring below.
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Well that’s everything you can see between the Madison and Norris Villages of Yellowstone National Park! There are some picnic areas and rest stops too, of course, but I’ve decided to detail those in the posts regarding places to eat.
Next up on this Yellowstone virtual road trip, we’ll continue south to see the sights of Madison Junction.
We previously explored everything to see, what to eat, and where to stay in Norris village, so be sure to click here to check that out, too!