Firehole River upstream from Ojo Caliente bend, 1872
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The Firehole River is one of two major tributaries of the Madison River. It flows north approximately 21 miles (34 km) from its source in Madison Lake on the Continental Divide to join the Gibbon River at Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park. The Firehole flows through several significant geyser basins in the park to include the Upper Geyser Basin, which contains the world-famous geyser Old Faithful. The river was named by early trappers for the steam that makes it appear to be smoking as if on fire.[1]
The Firehole contains three of Yellowstone's major waterfalls: Kepler Cascades south of Old Faithful, Firehole Falls and the Cascades of the Firehole in Firehole Canyon.[2]
The river is surrounded by geothermal features which empty water into it. One effect of the input of this water is to increase the temperature of the water. Temperatures in the river have been measured as high as 30 °C (86 °F) and average 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F) higher than areas upstream of geothermal influence.[3]
Water entering the river from geothermal features contains dissolved chemicals and minerals. Levels of boron and arsenic have been found to above the standard limits for protection of aquatic organisms. Despite these levels, rainbow trout live and spawn in these waters.[4]
Firehole River has been a fishing mecca since the late 1800s and is known today for its excellent fly fishing.[5][6]
The River is also home to an invasive species, the New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum), that is being heavily studied to determine its impact on the river's ecosystem.[7]
The Firehole River is a famous and storied destination for serious fly fisherman. When it was discovered in the 1830s by American explorers, the Firehole was barren of trout above what is now called Firehole Falls. Brook trout were first introduced to the upper Firehole in 1889, while brown trout, the river's most plentiful trout today, was first stocked in 1890. Rainbow trout were not introduced until 1923. Mountain whitefish are native to the Firehole below Firehole Falls. By the late 1800s, the Firehole and Yellowstone National Park in general was a popular destination for fisherman. In 1955 all stocking programs in the park were discontinued and today's Firehole trout are completely wild populations. In 1968, based on increasing pressure on the Firehole, the Gibbon and Madison rivers, the National Park Service designated these waters as Fly Fishing Only.[8]
| Section | Description,[9][10] |
|---|---|
| Biscuit Basin to Midway Geyser Basin | As the Firehole crosses the Grand Loop Road South of Old Faithful, it joins the Little Firehole river in Biscuit Basin. The upper reaches of this section are classic meadow water. When the river leaves Biscuit Basin it parallels the Grand Loop Road for about 3 miles (4.8 km) and is generally less that 1/2 mile away from the road until it reaches the old Fountain Flats Freight road at the Old Iron Bridge. This stretch flows through sparsely forested lodgepole pines. Just before the river reaches Midway Geyser Basin it makes a very distinct U turn in an area know as Muleshoe Bend. |
| Midway to Ojo Caliente Spring | There is a long riffle from the lower end of Muleshoe through Midway Geyser Basin. It is right beside the road and is an excellent piece of water for the beginner. It is loaded with insect life, mostly small, and the rough, but not too uneven bottom offers good footing. Below Excelsior Spring, which pours a steaming cataract of 200 degree Fahrenheit water into the river, there is a long, shallow stretch of relatively fishless water leading into the head of Goose Lake Meadows, a long piece of mostly gliding dry fly water. From mid-July till late September this is a grasshopper stretch par excellence. A small falls and plunge pool terminates the stretch and gives way to a continuing succession of shallow cataracts. This ends in a narrow chute sliding under the Lower Iron Bridge and on into Ojo Caliente Bend, a deep, weed-filled curve that hosts more big trout than any stretch on the Firehole. The fishing on this section is generally very poor during the warmest months of summer—July and August. |
| Ojo Caliente Spring to Nez Perce Creek | In Ojo Caliente Bend itself the abundant weeds make fishing difficult. This is true of all the weedy stretches, which includes all the slower, deeper waters from Biscuit Basin to the lip of the canyon. This section is loaded with caddis and scud. Below Ojo Caliente begins a long piece of water which traverses Fountain Flats. It is fairly even bottomed and its depth is also even, but there are some potholes and broken places in the bedrock bottom, though no really deep spots. The grass-covered banks are undercut throughout and this plus the potholes and some weeds furnish more holds for trout than at first appears. The water is a bit cooler than that of Ojo Caliente Bend. In spring this is a favored piece of water, especially for the nymph fisherman. In summer the Fountain Flats are the dry fly fishers bane—and delight. The water is truly wonderfully propitious for the dry fly, but this open meadow is often assaulted with winds up to fifty miles an hour. It has always been so. Ray Bergman, in the thirties, speaks of winds so strong that he had to aim his cast 45 degrees away from the river's edge in order to drop the fly along the bank where the fish were holding. But wind or no, this is a very popular piece of water in summer and early fall—grasshopper time and the wind is a help here, blowing these ungainly creatures into the water and bringing the fish to feed. |
| Nez Perce Creek to Madison Junction | Shortly after the Firehole leaves Fountain Flats, Nez Perce Creek enters the river from the East. The first three miles (5 km) of this section is mostly riffle and boulder water through Lodgepole forest to the breakover above the canyon head, is smooth, well weeded, very tempting to the dry fly fisher. These are the Broads of the Firehole. Ernie Schwiebert claimed that they must have been so named by some of the Englishmen who fly-fished these waters in the early history of the park. The Broads section parallels the Grand Loop Road and is rarely out of sight. At the three mile (5 km) point, the river drops into two mile (3 km) long Firehole Canyon, over Firehole Cascades, and over Firehole Falls. This is very rough and rocky terrain, but paralleled by the one-way Firehole Canyon Drive. When the river exits the canyon, it is a mere 2,000 feet (610 m) from the National Park Meadow and its confluence with the Gibbon at Madison Junction. |
Images of the Firehole River
![Firehole River, 1894[11]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FireholeRiverExcelsoirGeyser1894.JPG)
Media related to Firehole River at Wikimedia Commons
Significant tributaries of the Firehole are the Little Firehole River, Fairy Creek, Iron Spring Creek, Sentinel Creek and Nez Perce Creek. All these tributaries bring cool waters to the Firehole and provide refuge for trout in the mainstem during mid-summer high temperatures caused by geothermal activity.[12]
In 2005, Raymond Keift published Firehole River Murder: Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Mystery Series--a story about a wealthy, but obnoxious businessman who was murdered on the banks of the Firehole River in Yellowstone.[13]
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Yellowstone National Park - Lower and Midway Geyser Basins
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Geothermal features, geography, historic structures and other attractions in the Lower and Midway Geyser Basins | ||
| Lower Geyser Basin |
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| Midway Geyser Basin |
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| Structures and history |
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| Geography and geology |
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Yellowstone National Park - Upper Geyser Basin
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Geothermal features and other attractions in the Upper Geyser Basin | ||
| Geysers |
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| Hot springs |
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| Structures and history |
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| Geography |
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