Tower-Roosevelt
Petrified Trees
© National Park Service
NATURAL HIGHLIGHTS OF TOWER-ROOSEVELT REGION
Specimen Ridge
Specimen Ridge, located along the Northeast Entrance Road east of Tower
Junction, contains the largest concentration of petrified trees in the world.
There are also excellent samples of petrified leaf impressions, conifer needles,
and microscopic pollen from numerous species no longer growing in the park.
Specimen Ridge provides a superb "window" into the distant past when plant
communities and climatic conditions were much different than today.
Petrified Tree
The Petrified Tree, located near the Lost Lake trailhead, is an excellent
example of an ancient redwood, similar to many found on Specimen Ridge, that is
easily accessible to park visitors. The interpretive message here also applies
to those trees found on Specimen Ridge.
Tower Fall
Tower Fall is the most recognizable natural feature in the district. The
132-foot drop of Tower Creek, framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles has been
documented by park visitors from the earliest trips of Europeans into the
Yellowstone region. Its idyllic setting has inspired numerous artists, including
Thomas Moran. His painting of Tower Fall played a crucial role in the
establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. The nearby Bannock Ford on
the Yellowstone River was an important travel route for early Native Americans
as well as for early European visitors and miners up to the late 19th century.
Calcite Springs
The Majestic Grizzly Bear
© Vertical Media
This grouping of thermal springs along the Yellowstone River signals the
downstream end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The geothermally altered
rhyolite inspired the artist Moran; his paintings of this scene were among those
presented to Congress in 1872, leading to the establishment of the park. The
steep, columnar basalt cliffs on the opposite side of the river from the
overlook are remnants of an ancient lava flow, providing a window into the past
volcanic forces that shaped much of the Yellowstone landscape. The gorge and
cliffs provide habitat for numerous wildlife species including bighorn sheep,
red-tailed hawks, and osprey.
GEOLOGY OF THE TOWER-ROOSEVELT AREA
The geology of the Tower district is incredibly varied. Major landforms are
expressions of geologic events that helped shape much of the Yellowstone area.
Absaroka volcanics, glaciation, and erosion have left features as varied as
Specimen Ridge's petrified trees to the gorges along the Yellowstone River's
Black Canyon and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Mt. Washburn and the Absaroka Range are both remnants of ancient volcanic events
that formed the highest peaks in the Tower District. Ancient eruptions, perhaps
45 to 50 million years ago, buried the forests of Specimen Ridge in ash and
debris flows. The columnar basalt formations near Tower Fall, the volcanic
breccias of the "towers" themselves, and numerous igneous outcrops all reflect
the district's volcanic history.
Later, glacial events scoured the landscape, exposing the stone forests and
leaving evidence of their passage throughout the district. The glacial ponds and
huge boulders (erratics) between the Lamar and Yellowstone rivers are remnants
left by the retreating glaciers. Lateral and terminal moraines are common in
these areas. Such evidence can also be found in the Hellroaring and Slough creek
drainages, on Blacktail Plateau, and in the Lamar Valley.
The eroding power of running water has been at work in the district for many
millions of years. The pinnacles of Tower Fall, the exposed rainbow colors of
the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at Calcite Springs, and the fearsome gorge
of the Black Canyon all are due, at least in part, to the forces of running
water and gravity.
In the Lamar River Canyon lie exposed outcrops of gneiss and schist which are
among the oldest rocks known in Yellowstone, perhaps more than two billion years
old. Little is known about their origin due to their extreme age. Through time,
heat and pressure have altered these rocks from their original state, further
obscuring their early history. Only in the Gallatin Range are older outcrops
found within the boundaries of the park.
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