Days 1 & 2: Getting there via Billings and the Beartooth Highway
Day 3: visiting the Norris Basin and the Artist Paintpots; hiking the Beaver Ponds Trail
Day 4: Exploring Mammoth Hot Springs; visiting Lamar Valley and hiking to Slough Creek
Day 5: Conquering Mount Washburn; visiting the Mud Volcano; leaving Mammoth for Yellowstone Lake
Day 6: hiking the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Day 7: visiting Old Faithful and the other geysers; leaving Yellowstone Lake for the Grand Tetons
Day 8: hiking to Two Ocean Lake; visiting Signal Mountain
Day 9: hiking to Taggart and Bradley Lake; leaving Colter Bay Village for Grand Targhee
Day 10: running the Grand Tetons trail marathon
Day 11: Leaving Grand Targhee for Bozeman, MT
Day 12: returning to Boston
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So, by now, I’m blogging a full two weeks after the fact… and it has been a hectic two weeks!
I believe we woke up in our new cabin by Yellowstone Lake and had a totally unceremoniously breakfast involving in-room coffee, bread, cheese, fruit? next to our beds, since our new cabin did not have a front porch. Perhaps Little Boy rallied against the agenda of the day: Yet another hike. That day, it was a six-miler along the lower rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, one of the park’s famed features. And justly so!
Upper Falls of the Yellowstone, Via the Lower Rim
We drove to the trailhead and found the route for the lower rim. This afforded us a view of the upper falls — a smaller waterfall and less scenic than the lower falls, but since there was no adjoining parking lot and required at least a half-mile hike to view, we had it all to ourselves.
Different story for the lower falls. For one thing, we had to descend a steep series of see-through steps. I was a little freaked out (I pathologically fear the void) and was forced to turn around shortly after this picture.
On Uncle Tom's Trail to view the lower falls
Mr. P has no fear of the void and got a fab picture replete with rainbows:
Lower Falls with Rainbow
Oh yes. It was magnificent.
Lower Falls of the Yellowstone
The trail continued to several viewpoints accessible by car, so we had to fight the crowds for viewpoints.
The rusted walls of the canyon
Shortly after leaving the tourist-congested area, we entered a totally different universe featuring the geothermal features (steam vents, acidic ponds, volcanic rock) that created the canyon many many years ago.
Continuing along the lower rim trail
About a mile later, we finished the hike and had a picnic. The rest of the afternoon, everyone relaxed while Mr. P and I went for a trail run near the lake. We returned, went for a casual dinner, then ventured to take in the sunset by Yellowstone Lake.
- Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone Lake
