Author: Dillon Kunz
Dillon grew up near Jackson Hole, going to the national parks so often with his family that he took it for granted. Spending all day on Saturdays studying inside during college taught him how good he had it, and he now spends as much time in the mountains as possible.
Fossils of Yellowstone
Fossils are like the undead--they're dead, but they aren't gone. Yellowstone is known for its hydrothermal features, rugged landscape, and high density of wildlife. But that’s not all it has to offer--many fossils have been found in or around Yellowstone, as well as ancient human artifacts. Petrified Wood Little known fact: Yellowstone had significant volcanic activity millions of years before the current hotspot rested there. The resulting volcanic debris covered trees, blocking out...
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How Did the Tetons Get Their Name?
It’s time to address the elephant in the room. Does “Teton” really mean "breast" in French? Is that what it was really named for? It’s past time to address these questions. The Truth Téton (with the accent) does in fact mean something like “breast” or “small breast” or “nipple”, depending on the translation from French to English. Origin It isn’t documented who exactly named this area, but we do know it was French-Canadian trappers or fur traders, such as t...
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Q&A with a Supervolcano
Everyone knows the Yellowstone Volcano rarely makes itself available for public comment. The Flat Creek Inn Blogging Team accomplished the impossible and procured an exclusive interview with the Yellowstone Volcano. Below is the Q&A with our favorite igneous feature: Where are you from? I grew up near the current border of Oregon and Nevada. As time went on, I spent time all across Southern Idaho and now reside in Northwest Wyoming. The interesting thing is sometimes people make th...
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Why are Yellowstone Hot Springs Colorful?
Yellowstone National Park’s hot springs are absolutely mesmerizing. Yellowstone hot springs can be so colorful, with an incredible diversity and vibrancy—but why are they so unique in this? To understand this better, let’s talk about the two general types of hot springs in Yellowstone: acidic and neutral/alkaline (basic pH). Acidic Hot Springs Acidic hot springs (pH ranging 1 to 3) feature both temperatures too hot and acidity too extreme for animals to survive. These tend to be ...
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Top-Rated Hikes of Yellowstone, Part 2
There’s an interesting phenomenon with hikes on the AllTrails app, namely that it’s almost impossible for a short hike to have a perfect 5-star rating, yet there are far more long hikes with perfect grades than short hikes. There are probably a few contributing factors in this, like that shorter hikes generally have many more reviews and longer hikes are only hiked by dedicated outdoors-people. However, there is one exception to this rule in Yellowstone NP—but there’s a catch. The...
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