Yellowstone Getting Ramped Up For Centennial Celebration

Yellowstone National Park was the first in the world to hold the designation National Park. The park celebrated it's centennial in 1972 marking 100 year of protection and preservation. This year marks another big event, the centennial of the National Park Service whom protect and preserve Yellowstone and all of the other sites under their care. I'm sure that there will be celebrations happening in all of the satellite communities. I also expect the biggest to be in Gardiner, Montana which is the closest community to the parks headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs.


I have read that community leaders in Gardiner are trying to attract president Obama to the community for the celebration that will take place on August 25th, 2016. I would expect big things to happen in Gardiner as well as all of the other communities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Here's what Arch Park looked like back in the day, I wonder how it will look in 2016.



2016 will bring amazing events to all of these amazing places. I sure hope that you get out and explore your National Parks in 2016 for the Centennial.


For more information please join the Facebook group National Park Service Centennial at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/579427665532340/

Find Your Park!

BOILING RIVER RE-OPENS!!!

This one goes out to all the coeds that come down to Yellowstone National Park to enjoy the thermal waters that are legally soakable.  It's time to bust out those bathing suits and get some soaking in.

The Boiling River has re-opened for the summer!

I personally never go the the Boiling River in the summer because the crowds are too large. I prefer the extra push of speeding back to the car with wet hair when it's 20 below zero, but that 's just me.

Come on down and enjoy the hot and cold.  I would get there in the EARLY morning if you want any bit of privacy.

 

 

Just make sure you look out for the locals that frequent the area, they can get a little cranky.

 

Enjoy your soak!!!

Yellowstone National Park's Boiling River Closed Until Further Notice

Sometimes things happen that we don't like, this is the time of the year that coeds from Montana State University in Bozeman take that 75 mile drive just to be dissapointed. The Boiling River in the northern part of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is CLOSED until further notice. The reason being a simple one or course, spring runoff from the mountains. It swells the rivers and makes them more dangerous and cold, it is in fact melting snow.  If you do decide to go around the AREA CLOSED sign you will most likely receive a citation...

Here are a few pics of the Boiling River so you can see what people will be missing for a while.



This is where the Boiling River comes out of the ground.

Watch your step, sandals are your friend.

This is what it's all about.

 

Best time at the Boiling River, Winter! Small crowds and warm water.

So you can't go soak in the Boiling River, there are always the pools at Chico and White Sulphur Springs, the later being my favorite because it's less crowded.

 

Well guess what, there is more to to YNP than the Boiling River! Yellowstone is the first national park on the planet Earth, and for many good reasons.

 

1.There is a Super Volcano which is set to go off, well no one actually knows and please don't believe the internet hype that it's going to explode. If it did I'd be the first to know.

2. YNP is home to more geysers than anywhere on the planet. They are like inverted waterfalls caused by superheated water and pressure build up. Most of the big geysers are located in the Upper, Middle and Lower geyser basins near and around Old Faithful.

3. There are grizzly and black bears, bison, elk, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, lynx, wolverines and many more animals that you might see if you are lucky.

4. There are over 1,100 miles of hiking trails in YNP!!! Yeah 1,100!!!

5. It's YELLOWSTONE!!!

 

So all of you Boiling River enthusiasts from Bozeman keep on coming down to YNP and hit the trails or go for a drive and get beyond the two mile mark!

Yellowstone National Park Road Openings

On April 17th 2015 the first set of roads opened in the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) 

We drove down on the 18th and had a grand old time. To begin I'll give you a synopsis of when the rest open.

 

The road openings are as follows:

(Sourced from the Yellowstone National Park Sping Newspaper)

Open year round:

 Mammoth to Cooke City

 

April 17th:

Mammoth to Old Faithful

Madison to West Entrance

Norris to Canyon

 

May 1:

Canyon Junction to Lake

Lake to East Entrance (Sylvan Pass)

 

May 8th:

Lake to South Entrance

Tower Junction to Tower Falls

 

May 22nd:

Tower Falls to Canyon Junction (Dunraven Pass)

Beartooth Highway

 

June 11th:

Old Faithful to Grant Village (Craig Pass)

Now that we have that taken care of lets get to the fun part. We took a drive on the 18th of April with our ultimate destination Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin which is only accessible during  the Winter months via snowmobile guides and concessionaire rides which are not in my budget ($95 each way from Mammoth per person with only a one hour layover which equals not enough time to check out the geysers). We were very happy to get down in the early part of the year when there are less tourists but plenty of large mammals.

 

Bison jam in the road construction area betwen Mammoth and Norris

 

After getting through this little bison jam we decided to skip Norris due to time restrictions and our need to see the majors go off. But we did decide to take the trip up to Canyon Village to check out this masterpiece of nature. We started with the South Rim Drive being that its an in and back and the fact that the North Rim Drive loops back to the village. It was amazing as usual! We got come great views of the canyon from both sides but we got some wildlife on the north side.

The Upper Falls of The Yellowstone River from the South Rim



The Lower Falls of The Yellstone River from Artist's Point

On the north side of the canyon we got to watch the Ospreys dive into the canyon in search of fish in its depths. Osprey always catch fish in their talons with their heads facing foreward like an attack from behind and they always ear fresh fish, never dead. 

Osprey nest in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River from Lookout Point on the north rim.

Further down the road we made it to Inspiration Point which is located just past the Glacial Boulder a favorite with rock climbers. You get a partial view of the Lower Falls but I was lucky enough to see this wonderful coyote. I'm wondering if he was interested in our dog Delilah a nine year old German Shepard... she's fixed so... I was actually the only one lucky enough to see him. Maybe coyote is my spirit animal.

Coyote near Inspiration Point on the north rim.

 

After these encounters we headed back to Norris and down the road to Old Faithful. On the way we passed many thermal areas in the distance and some not to far away from the road. Yellowstone is home to more thermal features than anywhere else on the planet including over 300 geysers which we were on the hunt for. Luckily we headed past them all and made it to Old Faithful when we did we caught the namesake geyser eruption within 20 minutes, Delilah got to see it too (not from the boardwalk but from afar. Always keep your pets on leash in Yellowstone, don't take then on trails, it's illeagal, they can only be 100 feet off the road, and please pick up their droppings). We checked the predictions in the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and they were great. Riverside, Daisy and Castle set basically an hour apart, with Grand off a couple more hours.

 

Two american icons, the bison and Old Faithful Inn.

 

We took the tar path down to Riverside to catch it and this is what we saw. The only thing that we wish we had done is brought our bikes.  

Grotto Geyser is always fun when in eruption which can last over 24 hours.

On the way to Riverside we saw a great performance by Spa Geyser, one that is not as predictable as others, a treat.



Riverside is always an amazing performer and on a sunny day you usually get some rainbow effect.
 

 



Most people that do go further on the boardwalks usually make it to Morning Glory Pool.

 

At one time the color of Morning Glory was much more magnificant but due to people throwing items in as if it were a wishing well the color has changed dramatically though it is still beautiful.

 There was a sign that said there was bear activity past Morning Glory. Always make noise and carry bear spray in the backcountry of Yellowstone. If you purchase bear spray and are finished with it you can donate it to any entrance station or backcountry office in the park. Hiking past this point there are a few geysers and hot springs including Artemisia which is very beautiful. This path will eventually lead you to Biscuit Basin.

 

Artemisia Geyser is a beauty with amazing geyserite formations surrounding its pool.

We called this one the Iron Heart.

Next on the agenda was Daisy Geyser which is one of the more predictable geysers. It was really nice. I had only seen Daisy twice before so it was pretty neat, nevermind all geysers are really neat.

Daisy Geyser is pretty cool.

These are some pretty cool thermophiles, heat loving organisms that live in the runoff channels of Daisy Geyser.


After Daisy put on a show for us we headed back to the boardwalk to get a glipse of the pools along the boardwalk from Grotto to Castle Geyser. We are always wishful that the Giant will give us a show but it has not done so for anyone since 2010. It's still pretty.

Giant Geyser cone.

 We did however catch some of the fun little geysers between Grand and Castle. Including Spasmodic and Penta along with some more interesting thermophiles.

Penta,a small but amazing geyser.

Spasmodic is super sweet with its many vents and constant play.

 

Some more interesting thermophiles, with ephyrid flies that live on the thermal mats.

As the day was coming to an end for us we made our way to Castle Geyser. The sun was going down and it was getting ever so chilly by the minute we waited for over an hour and were about to give up and we (the lady friend and I) and one other gentleman were the only people that lasted, got a private show, totally worth the wait!!! A Castle major!

 

Castle Geyser is one that is predictable to a point but can be finicky.

 

We wanted to stay for Grand but it was getting cold out and the sun was going down. So we decided to hit the road for the long ride home. On the way back we got stopped in another bison jam which could have lasted longer but my superior hearding skills paid off and we got off easy. Thanks for reading and until next time. Sleep tight, be safe and always be bear aware, they're just waking up!

 

 



OTO Ranch Entrance Revamp

If you are heading to Yellowstone National Park from the original jumping off point you may notice a sign on the east side of the road that talks of no National Forest Access, there has been a change in the way that one can access this area.  If you continue south for a short while there is a new access road that heads up to the northeast and eventually to a parking lot. This road is definitely a one lane so hope that you don't meet another car when heading up or down. I would not really even drive a recreation vehicle or a trailer up there as there are some sharp turns. Anyhow enough with the access lets get to the trail.

 

As the photo above suggests this is the access point of the Cedar Creek Trail, but it is also the access point for the OTO Dude Rance, the first in Montana. The trails starts up a road that heads eastwards into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and the Gallatin National Forest. The great thing about trials in these areas is that you can take your pets with you, but ALWAYS be BEAR AWARE! The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to Grizzly and Black Bears as well as Cougars (Mountain Lions), Lynx, Bobcats, Wolves, Coyotes, Badgers, Wolverines and other predators, just be careful if you are not accustomed to hiking in this area. Carry bear spray, be loud and always alert. 

 As you head up the road eventually you will hit a trail on the north side of the road, then you will end up back on the gravel, eventually you will find a sign that says trail on the south side of the road. If you wish to head into the wilderness and get some solitude this is a beautiful walk. If you wish to check the OTO Dude Ranch out keep heading down the road. There are many different trails out here including a shuttle to the Joe Brown Trailhead, just drop one car down there and loop around, that is if you have two vehicles. 

Eventually is you keep heading down the road you will come upon some old buildings. There is an old barn (may be on private land, not quite sure but there were no warning signs that we saw besides the private residence east of the lodge), there is also a cabin near this. As you continue east on the road you will come to the historic lodge and cabins. Please be respectful of this place as there are restoration processes going on.  Practice Leave No Trace ethics, if you find something please enjoy it where you found it and leave nothing but footprints.

There are beautiful views in all directions. Its a great place for anyone from a novice to experienced hiker, just take your time and enjoy the scenery. 

 Cabin with the roof caved in, OTO lodge in background.

 Bridge over Cedar Creek.

 Ice on Cedar Creek.

 

OTO South entrance, Lions guarding the place!

 OTO lodge looking east.

 Old cabin!

Looking west heading back to the trailhead.

Eventually you will probably head back to your car and look back on photos of you and your hiking mates having lunch on the steps of this historical Montana ranch. I hope you enjoy this brief look at this amazing place in photos and I hope that you can visit someday! 

Looking east into the wilderness! 

Thanks for reading and have a great hike!!!