Springtime Hiking in Yellowstone

Springtime in Montana is fickle.  You really don't know what you're going to get until the day actually arrives.  One day it will snow and blow, and the next you'll be enjoying sun and maybe 70° weather.  You just have to plan for everything to occur on the same day.

Despite the drastic weather changes of this northern desert climate, I hiked last week quite a bit—about 19 miles altogether.  It's good to get out of the house and be outside.

On Tuesday, April 23, I hiked about 7.4 miles along the Lava Creek Canyon Trail between Mammoth and Undine Falls.  I was by myself, which isn't usually advised in Yellowstone Park at this time of year, but I didn't have anyone that was able to go with me at the time.  I really hoofed it too, because I got back to my car in about three hours.  Fortunately there wasn't any snow on the ground on the trail.  I saw some elk, bison, and mule deer along the trail, and I saw old paw prints of other animals too.  It was a little tough finding the trailhead in Mammoth because it's kind of hidden, but once I did, everything else fell into place.

One book I read said that there was a wooden bridge across Gardner River.  Well, that bridge has been replaced.  It's now metal, so it really swings and bounces like a "real" suspension bridge!

Lava Creek

The Grand Loop Road bridge over Gardner River; Bunsen Peak in the background

I went to Boiling River with Greg on Thursday, April 25.  Round trip, the walk is about 1.3 miles.  The water was super hot that day!  While we were soaking and talking, we watched as an osprey dove into the Gardner River and pulled out a small fish.  That was a really nice treat.

An osprey flies away with a small fish.

Boiling River is very colorful this spring!

My longest hike though, was this past Saturday, the 27th.

Mike and Lynn came from Idaho Falls to see the park, and we've been friends for a few years.  We first met at the hotel where I work.  My first real hike in the park was actually with them to Grizzly Lake in 2007.

We started at the Hellroaring Trailhead and walked in a counter-clockwise direction on the loop.  We enjoyed seeing black bear, porcupine, wolf, and coyote sign along the trail, and we saw a herd of bison with calves on the trail too.  A couple pronghorn and a small group of deer ran past us, which was nice to see.  We walked a short distance on the Yellowstone River before getting back to the trailhead.  It was such a perfect day!  I actually got a little sunburned on my ears.  In all, we hiked about 9.8 miles that day in less than 5 1/2 hours.

Garnet Hill Loop Trail

A buck pronghorn walks past us.

Bison tend to their calves.

Bison are near a pond in front of Mount Washburn.

I'm hoping I can do a lot of hiking this summer and am looking forward to those adventures too.