Firehole Lake Drive, a scenic road through a thermal area
Located in the Lower Geyser Basin area near Fountain Paint Pot, in the Yellowstone National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming, Firehole Lake Drive is a one-way road through a thermal area. In 2014 the road was closed temporarily because the ground under it got too hot, and melted the asphalt.
The road is totally paved. It’s a 5.31km (3.3 miles) loop road that passes geysers, hot lakes, hot springs—even a hot cascade. The scenic loop drive is located off the park’s Grand Loop Road, halfway between Old Faithful and Madison Junction. This side road travels through an active thermal area with normally high ground temperatures. The addition of high air temperatures resulted some years ago in damage to the blacktop surface. The one-way Firehole Lake Drive takes you through the woods and back to a place where hidden geysers and thermal features that can't be seen from the road, are found. Several pullouts and parking areas along your drive make it easy for you to get out of the car and take your time admiring these natural wonders. This is also where Great Fountain Geyser is located. It is one of the few places in Yellowstone that you can watch geysers and hot springs from your car.
Located off the Grand Loop between Old Faithful and Madison, this infamous short one-way road is closed in winters. RVs, buses and trailers are not permitted on this road due to narrow sections along the way. Road closures from heat damage aren't unusual in Yellowstone, which has more than 10,000 geothermal features and 500 geysers. Yellowstone National Park has an extremely dynamic ecosystem. In 2014, this road was closed temporarily because the ground under it got too hot, and melted the asphalt. The melting road has helped renew theories that the supervolcano underneath the park could erupt sometime soon.