Yellowstone NP - Hiking

Ever since I arrived in the US I had wanted to see Yellowstone NP and to finally be here was a dream come true.…

So why wasn't I feeling anything….  my usual excitement escaped me. Then I realised I needed to relax. It would take time to comprehend the vastness and wildness that makes up Yellowstone and we would have plenty of time to see everything. I'm sure it must have been the documentaries that made it seem like everything would be on show as soon as we drove into the Park.

I stared at the dense forest lining the road as we drove towards Lewis Lake Campground. I had never seen a forest as dense as this before it was impressive and overpowering at the same time.  

Shoshone Lake Trail

In no time we ventured out into the wilderness hiking an 11 mile loop to Shoshone Lake. We were walking through trees 10 to 20 feet tall, making their slow and steady recovery from the devastating 1988 fires. We arrived at the Lake in time to see a group of scouts paddling towards the Lewis Lake Channel and hurried over to have a chat with them as they briefly stopped on the shore to discuss tactics on navigating the Channels 12 foot descent. We watched them as we made our way to Lewis Lake where they were met with a vast expanse of white caps from a strong headwind. I hope they made it back okay.

Lewis Lake Channel

At West Thumb we walked by a sign "bear frequenting this area" as we ventured up to the lake overlook, with our bear spray in hand.  We met a couple of geologists who had been working for the Park for over 20 years and chatted with them for some time. As we parted they said “when you reach the junction below look up at the tree on the right”, and we did.

Looking up into the tree at the junction

Then one wet, chilly, windy and misty morning we summited Mt Washburn. We were glad to take shelter in the observation deck below the Fire Tower away from the cold and blustery wind. It was well worth the hike because on the way down we came across a herd of female Bighorn sheep grazing with their young and further down we watched several yellow Bellied Marmots scampering around the rocks.

One afternoon while hiking along the Gardiner River we came across a bikini clad girl on the trail. We looked at each other bemused and mystified. Our minds were set abuzz.....the water's freezing, why would anyone be going swimming and then the answer came into view. We had stumbled across a place called "boiling water". Fantastic, just out of Mammoth Hot Springs a hot spring runs into the river. People we flocking here to soak in rock pools of hot water..... Needless to say we came back every afternoon for a soak in the hot water.

Boiling Water

Valleys, mountains, forests.......and a Grand Canyon. We rode our bikes from Canyon Village and explored the north rim of the "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River" and we weren't disappointed. The colour of the Canyon Walls was amazing and watching the power of the water cascading over the upper and lower falls was mesmerising and intense. The day just disappeared as we soaked up these natural wonders. 

Lower Yellowstone Falls

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River