Gardiner Montana and Yellowstone NP Part 1

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Our next stop after Rainbow Point near West Yellowstone was a private campground in Gardiner Montana which is the northern entrance to Yellowstone. When we were first making our plans for visiting YNP, we weren’t positive that the park roads permitted big rigs. Not all National Parks do - Glacier NP comes to mind. But we did a little online investigation and found it wouldn’t be an issue. Good thing, because it’s just over a 60 mile drive growing thru the park but be nearly 170 if we couldn’t drive thru the park. Our normal National Park Pass works as long as we are towing the car thru the entrance to the park. There was the standard long line waiting to get thru the entrance at West Yellowstone but once in the park, the drive was fine until we hit some construction on the northern end of the park. Besides needing to wait a long time for the escort vehicle, the road construction was in the “dirt” phase so it was a slow and bumpy drive. Once thru the construction zone, there is a stretch just before and after entering the Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park where the road is winding and a bit more challenging driving something this big.

We made it to Rocky Mountain RV Park which is situated on a hill overlooking the town of Gardiner and the northern mountains within YNP. We had booked one of the standard sites rather than a deluxe site which means the rigs are closer together. But we were parked in site #1 which turned out to be rather nice. We had a fairly large grassy area on the passenger side of the rig since they weren’t able to squeeze one more site in. It was also a pull in site rather than back in. It was a bit unnerving to be directed into a site where the ground just drops off in front of you. However, once we were setup, we came to appreciate the incredible views we had out our front window.

Our Prime Spot in Gardiner Montana

The View from the Rig

The following day we had an actual geocaching event to go to in the nearby Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park. It was setup by another couple traveling to YNP hoping to meet other travelers and locals. We have been to dozens of geocaching events over the years. The smallest had maybe 10 people while the largest had four or five thousand. We were the only one to have posted a “will attend” log but we hoped a few others would show up along with the ones that created the event. The location for the event was a bit odd. Not outside the visitor center or some other building but up on a hill overlooking the area from a small graveyard. The good thing was a hike we wanted to do would work in well with this location.

As we started up the Beaver Pond Trail, we were almost immediately greeted by a few elk. They didn’t seem to be too concerned about us being there and didn’t move away from the trail until we were fifteen feet away. The main trail doesn’t go up to the small graveyard so we had to improvise in order to continue the climb. Once up top, the view was great in all directions. Nobody was there yet, but we were 15 minutes early. The view allowed us to see anybody coming up the trail and after 30 minutes or so, we decided we were possibly the only participants for this event. I would later get an email from the team that created the event (a German couple) informing us they had miscalculated the time changes and arrived an hour later than published.

Beaver Ponds Trailhead

Elk Along the Trail

Overlooking Mammoth Springs

We Pose at Geocaching Event

Once we were back on the main trail, we had a nice hike. The trail proceeds generally north and we actually cross from Wyoming to Montana before we come upon the pretty beaver ponds for which the trail is named. Once we make the turn, we head back into Wyoming and towards the hot springs area. There are a few other trails that branch off of this trail, so be careful which fork is taken at each junction. The Mammoth Hot Springs is very interesting looking but we will take that walk on another day. The complete loop, including our diversion, came in at 7 miles with 1100 feet of elevation. In all the hiking we did along the way in the woods, we hadn’t really seen any wildlife. But as soon as we got to the busy area with tons of people and cars, we found where all the elk hang out. It looks like much of the lawn around the buildings must be watered based on the very green grass, and apparently the elk like the grass enough to overcome the presence of so many people.

Beaver Pond

Interesting Moth?

Passing By Mammoth Hot Springs

Elk has a Private Residence

Our Beaver Ponds Hike Track

We dropped off our Camelbacks at the car and did some other exploring around this bustling area. Besides the visitor center and a few restaurants and hotel room options, there is also a rather large number of houses that are used by rangers while working here in Yellowstone. There is even a very pretty church in the area with a few more elk hanging out. As I was taking pictures from a safe distance, I was amazed at how close some of the people were willing to get in order to get a selfie with an elk. I was convinced someone was going to get charged in the process, but the elk maintained their composure and put up with the intrusions.

Another Grazing Elk at Mammoth

Pretty Fancy Engineer Office

Ranger Housing

Church at Mammoth

Elk at Church

Old Barracks

The following day we headed into YNP to check out the Lamar Valley in the northeast quadrant of the park. This is the second area of the park known to be home to great herds of bison. We were thinking of heading out of the park to drive what is considered one of the most scenic drives in the country - the Beartooth Highway. But after investigating that idea, we realized that would be a long drive and would need to add that to our list of other things to do on our journey. Since we didn’t have a very specific destination in mind for the day, as we headed east between Mammoth and Tower, we took the Blacktail Plateau Drive. We hoped this 6 mile, one way dirt road would bring us closer to some of other wildlife in the park. It was a pretty drive with lots of places to pull over and get out to take in the views. There were more people doing the same drive than we were expecting. While we didn’t see the bears or wolves, it was still a nice diversion over the paved park roads.

Along Blacktail Plateau Drive

Immediately after returning to the main park road is a turn to a petrified tree. Sounded intriguing so we headed that way. A good number of others had done so as well. Just up a short incline from the parking lot is a 15 foot tall petrified redwood tree. It is surrounded by a wrought iron fence to prevent souvenir seekers from chipping off pieces. It also looked like there is a trail heading out from here but that wasn’t in the plans for the day.

Butterfly Near Petrified Tree

Upright Petrified Tree

Looking at Lost Lake Trail from Petrified Tree

After driving thru the Tower-Roosevelt area, we continued east tho the heart of the Lamar Valley. Just beyond the Yellowstone Forever Institute was a large pull out near the Lamar River where a large herd of bison was hanging out. We managed to get a good parking spot with the bison right out the front window of the car less than a football field away. We took the opportunity to eat our lunch and watch the behavior of the herd. Many of them were just laying down in the field while others were grazing. Often we would see one of the bison wallowing in the dirt. They tend to plop down in a area clear of vegetation and roll around rather violently. A cloud of dust forms around them and nearly obscures the view of the bison. After lunch, I got my long telephoto lens out and headed over to take some pictures.

Yellowstone Forever Institute

Bison Chilling

Bison Wallowing

It didn’t take long before we witnessed our first bison fight. Two large males started to go after one another. The skirmish lasted for a couple minutes before the one managed to force the other over a small berm down into the river. The victor watched as the loser slowly walked across the river and wandered off into the distance. I was again surprised (although I probably shouldn’t have been) at how close some of the people were getting to these large beasts. Fortunately nobody got too close to cause a confrontation.

Dust was Flying During Fight

Horn to the Side

Admitting Defeat

Winner Watching Other Bison Retreat

People Getting Too Close

We drove further east and stopped at a pullout for the start of a pack trail that heads across the river and into the backcountry. There were several large livestock trailers and a handful of llamas tied up to a railing possibly waiting to help carry gear on the next excursion. A short distance later, we came upon another large bison herd but this one had decided to make the road part of its range. We sat in traffic for twenty minutes before enough of them left the road and we could drive thru. Just beyond Soda Butte, which definitely has a strong rotten egg smell, is a small parking area with a trail up to Trout Lake. It’s a short (just over a mile) climb up to a decent sized lake with a trail along the perimeter. There were several people out trying their hand at fly fishing. It was a very pretty setting and a great place to start the long drive back to Gardiner.

Llama Waiting Patiently

Male Sniffing Female

Cause of Traffic Jam

Smelly Soda Butte

Trout Lake

Trout Lake

The next day we wanted to do another real hike. The hike up to Mt Washburn looked to be a fairly popular one. There are generally two routes to the top of this 10,219 foot mountain: Dunraven Trail and Chittenden Road. We didn’t need to decide which one we wanted to take. The park had done that for us. The more interesting sounding Dunraven Trail was closed for maintenance. With only the one route available, we were a bit concerned about the parking situation so we head out from Gardiner bright and early to the trailhead. There were probably close to two dozen vehicles there when we arrived but there was room for more than double that number. Even from the parking lot the views are very breathtaking and are looking forward to the 360 degree views we will have up top. There is a rather substantial structure at the top of the mountain so it is easy to know exactly where we are headed. Not all of our hikes are this obvious. Only the first quarter mile or so is a trail. The rest of the hike simply follows the gravel road that heads up to the top. While not as interesting as a single track trail in the woods, the openness of the road allows for views the whole way up.

Nice View from Parking Area for Mt Washburn Hike

The Peak in Center Frame is Our Goal

Chittenden Road with Mt Washburn Dead Center

I guess another positive of this route is the grade stays very constant the whole way up to the top. This route is 2.86 miles long and gains 1511 feet. If you do the math, that works out to be an average of a 10% grade the whole way up! Being up above 9000 feet, the thin air didn’t help. Admittedly we have been camping at over 4000 feet on average for the last 3 months so we should be acclimated to the high elevations somewhat. As we approached the top, we saw a couple piles of snow that still hadn’t melted and this is almost mid-August!

View Along Road

Looking Back on Road with More Hikers Approaching

Small Pile of Snow Remains

The wind had really picked up as we gained elevation. Plus I believe a front is coming thru increasing the winds throughout the course of the day. The building up top is pretty elaborate. There are several levels and it’s covered in all sort of antennas. There is even a small residence in the building although it wasn’t clear why - fire lookout or working the equipment? There is an inside viewing area that was very crowded with all the hikers congregated there in an attempt to warm up from the brisk winds on a cool day. We were glad we had our windbreakers along with us for the return trip where we won’t be expending as much energy. I felt a bit sorry for the people that had decided to do the hike in shorts and a short sleeve shirt.  After checking out all there was to see up top, we started the long walk downhill. I suppose it may be a popular hike because it might be as easy of a hike to one of the peaks over 10,000 feet in the park but I wouldn’t classify it as the prettiest hike we have done.

View up Top

Building and Antennas on Mt Washburn

Inside Warm Viewing Room

On the Way Down Looking Back Up

Our Tracks

After we got back to the car, the parking lot was much fuller but not completely full. Maybe we could have slept in a bit longer. Since it was still before lunch, we decided to continue to explore and headed south to the Canyon Village area of the park. This is the area of YNP known as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River runs through a very deep canyon with two large waterfalls along the way. There are lots of shops, a lodge and another visitor center that was interesting to check out. We made the mistake of sitting down in some comfy chairs on the second floor of the place and had a hard time to getting back up.

View of Large 3D Topo Map at Canyon Village Visitor Center

We eventually moved on and drove down to the North Rim Drive which follows the north side of the river. This is a very busy place and we got lucky to even find a parking spot. Since we were right next to the path to the Brink of the Lower Falls, we decided to check it out. It’s a short bit steep path down to a couple of overlooks right next to the lower falls. The sounds of the water falling over 300 feet was quite impressive. Looking east down the canyon was very beautiful with rainbows occasionally appearing in the mist coming off the falls. Across the canyon we could see the dangerous looking staircase down to an observation platform. This is the end of Uncle Tom’s Trail. Unfortunately it is closed, so I’ll never know whether Chris would have been willing and able to complete that hike.

View Down Canyon at Brink of Lower Falls

Staircase for Uncle Tom's Trail Across Canyon

Another Viewpoint Along Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The following day we skip Yellowstone and head about ten miles north of Gardiner to a place Chris had read about. The OTO Dude Ranch was the first dude ranch in Montana.  The dirt road to the ranch has a locked gate after going part way up the hill but there is a large parking area to start the hike the remaining mile and a half or so. It's also the stat of the Cedar Creek Trail. Like much of this area of the country, there are nice views each direction you look. As we got closer to the ranch, based on a geocache hidden nearby, we found several run down buildings. While they were interesting to check out, we were a little underwhelmed by what we found since we believed this was our destination.

View from Parking Area

Another View with the Road on the Right

Overlooking Old Buildings at OTO Dude Ranch

Up Close to Old Building

Since we were still a few hundred feet from the cache, we figured we would find it and then head back. After the road crossed over a small, fast moving creek, we came around a curve to discover over a dozen more buildings. Most of them were small log cabins in excellent shape. A large main building sat at the end of the compound which was fairly elaborate in its construction. We walked all around the buildings to see what they looked like. The main building has a beautiful stone foundation and even the side porch entrance had some intricately carved lions as part of the railing. None of the buildings were open but we could peak in the windows and found the inside clean and orderly. There was also a private residence behind the compound so I suspect it is looked over and may still be available for use. What we thought had been a bust turned out to be quite a unique trip and well worth the 3 miles round trip to check it out.

Well Maintained Cabin

Main Building at OTO

Side View

The Post Office Needs TLC

Shower Building

Ornate Carved Railing on Side Entrance

Beautiful Setting for Dude Ranch

Peeking Thru Window

Heading Back Down

OTO Dude Ranch Track

The following morning we headed back to YNP to check out Mammoth Hot Springs. A few days earlier, we had hiked past the main springs area but hadn’t really explored them in detail. There are upper and lower terrace areas. We drove to the upper level first. Here you will find a three quarter mile, one way drive that circles around the thermal features. We tried to stop at most of the pullouts to actually get out of the car and walk around. From the looks of it, most of the visitors simply slow down at each stop and maybe take pictures from their car. There is also a boardwalk in the upper terrace that connects with the lower terrace as well. We concentrated on the upper level and figured we would drive to the lower level to do that part separately.

Some of the thermal features in this part of YNP are quite different than those found elsewhere in the park. One of the features was mostly white and if you didn’t know better it would appear to be some sort of ice and snow sculpture instead of a hot spring. Some of the large spring areas have lots of small dam-like build up of minerals that don’t seem to have a rhyme or reason to their shape but produced a terraced shape to the water coming out of the springs above.

Looks Like Snow and Ice

We next drove to the lower terrace and spend some time checking this area out as well. You can easily spend hours just slowly walking around the miles of boardwalk here and we did just that. At one point we came around a corner of the trail to find an elk nearby watching us walk by. And as we headed to the car, we came upon a large group of elk outside one of the private residences. It appears that at least during this time of year, Mammoth is the place to go if you want to see elk - maybe not in their natural environment.

Almost an Infinity Pool

Unnatural Looking Mineral Dam Keeps Area Dry

Watching Us Pass By

Home of the Elk

We headed back to the rig for lunch so we would be ready to go on our afternoon tour. The Heritage and Research Center is a facility in Gardiner that houses the vast collection of artifacts, specimens, manuscripts and other objects related to the oldest national park. The building was opened in 2005 and has temperature and humidity controlled rooms to house the millions of objects that used to be stored at various locations inside and outside the park. Every Wednesday afternoon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the Center is open for free tours. They do limit the number of visitors so we had called ahead to get our name on the list. It probably wouldn’t have been necessary for the day we went, but might be at other times. I suspect most visitors don’t even realize such a place exists and you can get a tour. It’s actually located outside the park but was easy to find. Our tour had about 8 people.

Entrance to Heritage and Research Center

Our tour guide starts us out in the main storage room which has an enormous number of racks lining the walls and aisles. She had pulled out a dozen or so objects to show us the breadth of things stored here. There were some ancient arrowheads, various animal skulls, the original key to the Old Faithful Inn and an ear of corn covered in minerals from Mammoth Hot Springs. For each item, she told us the history or story behind it. I found the ear of corn to be rather fascinating. In the years before Yellowstone became a National Park, there were lots of people that were offering lodging and tours of the area. One enterprising guy had placed racks in the flow of water from a spring at Mammoth. His tour guests brought along some item to be placed on the rack and after their tour was over, the item was retrieved and was covered in nearly a 1/4 inch of minerals from the flow of the spring. Another item that caught my eye an old wooden sign that had two clock faces showing the estimated time range of the next eruption at Old Faithful. At the bottom of the sign was the phrase “Capture this Wonder with Kodak Film” - just like the Kodak Picture Spot signs of a bygone era.

Mineral Coated Ear of Corn

Kodak Picture Spot for Old Faithful

Next we headed to the library area. There is an extensive collection of just about anything related to Yellowstone. Much of it very old but they collect newer books, articles and research papers. The vault that holds some of the older collections has a large rack covered with reels and cans of motion picture film. Having spent more than 25 years working for the motion picture department at Eastman Kodak, I recognized their “state of the art” facility is lacking with regards to film storage! If you’re on a limited time frame for visiting YNP, this diversion might not make the cut, but we found it quite interesting.

Poor Film Storage Technique

Old Poster 

Not far from this building is the entrance to YNP and the Roosevelt Arch. We had driven by and through the arch many times but hadn’t stopped to see it in detail. Built in 1903, the 50 foot tall arch was the entrance that visitors would first see when arriving to the park in horse-drawn stagecoach. It definitely seems to be a big tourist draw as a loaded tour bus came thru while we were there and the thing was swarmed by 40 camera toting visitors.

Roosevelt Arch