Fort Yellowstone was originally built in 1891 for a US Army Cavalry company who took over the park after the previous 20 years of management failed to keep poachers, souvenir hunters, and developers at bay. The army used Fort Yellowstone as their main base of operations over the 27 years they managed the park, until turning it over to the newly created National Park Service in 1918. The policies and procedures the army put in place saved Yellowstone, along with numerous other national parks, and created a lasting platform which the National Park Service readily adopted. Mammoth Hotel and other concessionaire buildings were built later on and still provide visitor amenities to this day.
The lower terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs can be explore by walking along a loop of boardwalks. The springs’ flow can change dramatically, even day-to-day. Some springs have deposited travertine at such a fast rate that they have overtaken the boardwalks. The trail system is now built to be movable in order to adjust for expanding terraces. Explore the set of roughly 1 mile of boardwalks as it winds through Minerva, Cleopatra, Jupiter, and other terraces.
The upper terrace is accessed by a 2-mile driving loop (one way, counter-clockwise). Numerous pullouts and quick trails provide a closer view of these thermal features. Check out the skeletons of trees at New Highland Terrace, the colors of Orange Spring Mound, and other unique deposits.
