Upper Terrace Drive

Beyond Orange Spring Mound, the road descends a steep hill. Below and to the right was Bath Lake, where early tourists bathed. It has dried out and refilled sporadically over the years; the bathhouse was removed about 60 years ago. Bath Lake has been dry since 1984. Across the road from Bath Lake, a new spring broke out in 1978. Park Historian Lee Whittlesey christened it Aphrodite Spring, for the Greek goddess of love and beauty, but it’s now called Aphrodite Terrace, since it’s been inactive for many years. Many of the small evergreen trees along Mammoth Terrace Drive are Rocky Mountain junipers (pictured on 272). Limber pine trees, their needles in sets of five, also grow along the drive. According to dendrologist John King, Mammoth has the oldest trees in the park, 1200 and even 1500 years old. Two more features along this twisting road are worth your attention: White Elephant Back Terrace and Angel Terrace. White Elephant Back Terrace is another.

Upper Terrace Drive Photo Gallery



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