Mammoth Terraces, including beautiful Palette Spring, is not the only reason to visit this area. Coming through Yellowstone’s North Entrance, we drive up almost 1,000 feet along five miles to Mammoth Hot Springs. This is the home of historic Fort Yellowstone, still the park’s administrative headquarters. The significant conservation policies developed here lead to establishing the National Park Service in 1916. From 1886 to 1918 the US Army administered the park, turning those duties over to the fledgling Park Service in 1918. Enjoy Yellowstone’s fascinating history by taking the virtual tour. Delight in the stories that gave us the world’s first National Park.
Today, though, we are driving by the Visitor’s Center, hotel, dining areas, gas station, and the only heated restroom along the Norther Tier road–you have no idea how welcomed that is in winter! Our destination is the massive rock mound call Mammoth Terraces. Palette Spring is the colorful introduction to Yellowstone’s unique hydrothermal area called Mammoth.
