News of the 1988 Yellowstone fires stunned the world, but scientists knew a fire of such magnitude was due to strike Yellowstone. After years of intense study, researchers discovered that a major fire strikes Yellowstone every 300 years and that the park’s lodgepole pine forests have actually become dependent upon this cycle for sustenance. Many of the forests rely on fire’s intense heat to open up stubborn pinecones and expose hundreds of seeds for the birth of new forests.

Despite horrific pictures that depicted the park as a burnt wasteland in 1988, the fire was necessary to ensure the healthy continuation of Yellowstone’s forests. Today, numerous new lodgepole pine forests grace the West Thumb and Grant Village landscape.

Cutthroat Trout
Yellowstone Lake may contain North America’s largest population of wild cutthroat trout, but the area’s streams and rivers are by no means lacking a significant population. Cutthroat trout thrive in the cool waters of Big Thumb Creek and Little Thumb Creek, and the streams provide popular trout spawning habitat. Area visitors should note, however, that grizzly and black bears frequent the streams for its plentiful food during spawning season. Be extra vigilant about bears during this time, and heed all safety precautions!

Heart Lake
Although Heart Lake does feature the shape of the popular romantic symbol, the lake’s name was intended to reference the life of early hunter, Hart Hunney. An associate of famous mountain men, Hunney wandered through the area between 1840 and 1850 before dying in an 1852 battle with Crow Indians. Mountain men and other early explorers subsequently honored the lake after Hunney and his frequent visits to its beautiful shores.

However, the spelling of the lake’s name was altered in 1871 when Captain John Barlow explored the park and assumed the name referenced the lake’s shape. In his findings, Barlow inadvertently changed the spelling of the name to “Heart Lake” instead of its intended “Hart Lake.” Although historian and park engineer Hiram Chittenden pleaded with the U.S. Geological Survey team in the 1890s to correct the spelling’s name, his petition was denied. The lake’s name still reflects this historical error.  

Isa Lake
With its east side draining to the Pacific and the west side flowing into the Atlantic, Isa Lake is one of the world’s only lakes that drains backwards into two oceans. U.S. Army Corps Engineer, Hiram Chittenden, reportedly discovered the lake at Craig Pass in 1891. The lake, however, remained nameless until 1893 when Northern Pacific Railroad officials honored Ohio resident, Isabel Jelke. To this day, researchers know little about Isabel’s connection to Yellowstone, railroad officials, and Chittenden, and the reasoning behind the lake’s naming remains a mystery. 

Craig Pass
Craig Pass rests along the Continental Divide at an elevation of 8,262 feet just eight miles east of Old Faithful. Although most people realize the pass’ importance as a dividing oceanic drainage line, few are unaware of Craig Pass’ history and highway development.

Hired to construct a road leading through the heart of Yellowstone, Captain Hiram Chittenden found Craig Pass in 1891 while surveying for potential highway routes. Chittenden was responsible for naming the pass, but two different stories circulate regarding the name’s meaning. The first story declares that Ida M. (Craig) Wilcox was the first visitor to utilize Chittenden’s road when she crossed over the pass on September 10, 1891. Although Wilcox was married, Chittenden supposedly decided the pass should bear Ida’s familial birth name since she crossed the pass singularly.