Terraced Falls is a 120 foot triple plunge waterfall in the Bechler Region of Yellowstone. The Bechler is in the southwest corner and it also called the Cascade Corner due to the high number of waterfalls there. This waterfall is accessed from the Grassy Lake/Reclamation Road by a 4 mile roundtrip hike.
As thermal water flows over the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, hot water loving bacteria called thermophiles thrive in the hot water. These thermophiles are photosynthetic, which means they need sunlight in order to survive. These thermophiles are responsible for the colors in this photo. Where hot water has recently flowed, the limestone terraces are white. As they age, the limestone turns grey and starts to slough off. I shot this photo with a telephoto lens to focus on the patterns and pale color.
On a cool late autumn morning, the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces peek out from the steam. The steam acts as a giant softbox casting the golden glow over everything. The terraces are a travertine limestone deposit. Scientists measure deposition in feet per year whereas the Old Faithful area is measured in feet per century. This was taken with a telephoto lens to get in closer to some of the details that might be lost in the larger picture. Telephoto lenses (a 100-400mm lens in this case) aren't just for wildlife photography.
