This part of Yellowstone was affectionately called: “The Earth’s Fart Closet” by my boys.
Oh my. Yes. It did smell, but you’re outside, so it’s not so bad – well in small doses at least. You don’t see people lingering in this area for long!
The Dragon’s Mouth was really cool! It’s a hot spring that boils out of a deep cave. Gasses and steam are released deep in the cave, creating pressure bubbles that explode against the roof of the cave. As this occurs, it creates a kind of booming and gurgling noise that is echoed through the cave and can be heard from the boardwalk. The sound resembles the growling of an animal. Due to the high temperature of the water, large amounts of steam rise from the mouth of the cave, giving the impression of smoke billowing from the mouth of a dragon.
I loved the bubbly mud cauldron & mud volcano! It was so cool to see the mud bubble like that – not sure I’d ever seen mud bubble before! Plus it’s right off the parking lot, so very easy for anyone to see!
Basically across the street is Sulfur Springs. We terrified our kids telling them that the springs could dissolve people. It’s true though – just goggle it. It does help keep kids well behaved though!
We really enjoyed this area of the park! It’s a great stop later in the day, as the crowds aren’t bad and people don’t linger long, so it was easy to find parking! Everything was easily accessible for people of all abilities as well. It’s an easy stop when going to the Hayden Valley area for wildlife viewing.
