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Mammoth Hot Springs are the main attraction of the Mammoth District. These features are quite different from thermal areas elsewhere in the park. Travertine formations grow much more rapidly than sinter formations due to the softer nature of limestone. As hot water rises through limestone, large quantities of rock are dissolved by the hot water, and a white chalky mineral is deposited on the surface.
Although visitors are sometimes confused by the rapidly shifting activity of the hot springs and disappointed when a favorite spring appears to have "died," it is important to realize that the location of springs and the rate of flow changes daily, that "on-again-off-again" is the rule, and that the overall volume of water discharged by all of the springs fluctuates little.
Albright Visitor Center & Museum
The Albright Visitor Center and MuseumÑopen seven days a weekÑwill be closed on Saturday, November 11th for Veterans' Day and Thursday, November 23rd for Thanksgiving. The visitor center is located at Mammoth Hot Springs, five miles inside the North Entrance and at the northwest corner of the upper loop of the Grand Loop Road. The visitor center and all the red-roofed, many-chimneyed houses down the street from it were built by the U.S. Cavalry during a time when this was "Fort Yellowstone," an Army post dedicated to protecting the national park. Although the soldiers left after the Park Service was created in 1916, outwardly the old fort has changed little from the time of Army residency. Fort Yellowstone, comprised mostly of this block and the two rows of buildings behind it, is one of the best remaining examples of a 1900-era cavalry post.
The visitor center (formerly bachelor officers' quarters) now houses a museum with its major theme being history: Native Americans (pre-1800), the mountain men (1807-1840), early exploration (1869-1871), the Army days, and early National Park Service. In early 1998, new exhibits with a predator-prey theme were installed upstairs.
Of special note are the Moran Gallery where fine reproductions of watercolor sketches by the painter and expeditioner Thomas Moran are displayed and the Jackson Gallery where original photographs by William Henry Jackson, also of the 1871 Hayden Survey, are exhibited.
There is a theater in the visitor center where Park Rangers show film and video presentations every half hour in summer and on request in winter. Films include The Challenge of Yellowstone(1979, 25 min) on the history of Yellowstone and the evolution of the national park idea and Thomas "Yellowstone" Moran (1997, 12 min) on Moran's contribution toward the establishment of Yellowstone National Park and are shown year-round.
Lodging:
Mammoth Hotel -
Rooms: All hotel rooms can be accessed via a ramp or elevator, however bathrooms within the rooms are not accessible. The public restroom off the hotel lobby is accessible.
Cabins: Cabin units require a climb of 2 steps, and no portable ramps are available. The bathrooms are not accessible.
(Accessible rooms are available in the Aspen dormitory of the Mammoth Hotel during the winter season only.)
Food Service - Terrace Grill and Dining Room (accessible through Terrace Grill entrance). There are no accessible rest rooms in the Dining Room, although rest rooms are available in the adjoining Terrace Grill.
Stores - Gift Shop in Mammoth Hotel.
Restrooms - Restroom building located just south and west of the Service Station and General Store buildings; Visitor Center (third floor acess via elevator at rear); Terrace Grill; and Hotel lobby.
Parking - Next to the Terrace Grill. On the west side and rear of the visitor center.
Visitor Center (Museum) - Access in rear with assistance. Press the call button marked at the top of the ramp for assistance.
Medical - Clinic (accessible in rear). No accessible rest rooms are available.
Wheelchairs - West Park Medical Services, the concessioner that provides medical services in Yellowstone National Park, has rental wheelchairs available at their medical facilities located in Mammoth. They require a $300 deposit and charge a rental fee of $10 per day. The deposit is refunded when the wheelchair is returned.)
Scenic Areas near Mammoth:
Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces - A great deal of the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces can be seen from your vehicle as you drive the main road and the Terrace Loop Drive. Obtain interpretive brochure at the Albright Visitor Center. As you drive up to the Terrace Loop Drive from the bottom of the terraces, there is a pullout from which you can get a good view of Canary Springs.
Source: NPS
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