Memorial Day Openings In Yellowstone

In Yellowstone National Park Memorial Day weekend marks a few different milemarks for the year. Yesterday marked the opening of two favorite drives in the Greater Yellowstone. Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway are now accessible to area visitors. These roads open so late in the season due to unpredictability of weather and the fact that most years there is a ton of snow late into the Spring and even Summer. They are both subject to closures at anytime due to these factors.

 

Starting on Monday, Memorial Day the backcountry permits for the park will have a required fee that will run through September 10th.

The fees will be $3 per night, per person with a maximum $15 fee per party. 

If you plan to stay over 8 nights in the backcountry there is a frequent user card available for $25.

Stock (horse) parties will pay a fee of $5 per person per night with no breaks. 

This is the first year the Yellowstone has enacted backcountry fees.

All the proceeds from fee collection will go directly into the backcountry program.

There are no fees to dayhike just to camp overnight.

Hiking the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River. 2007.

Today marks the opening of the 2015 fishing season in Yellowstone National Park.

 There are 3 day passes available for $18, the 7 day pass is $25 and season is $40.

Be sure to check out the regulations because they are different depending on where you would like to fish.

 

Follow this link to the regulations.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/15FishReg_revisionTW.pdf

 

Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish and Arctic Grayling are all native species and are native species and are catch and release only. The saying relating to Cutthroat Trout is, "if it has a red slash, put it back". 

 

Below are photos of three native species of Yellowstone National Park, catch and release only.

Cutthroat Trout. Source www.tripadvisor.com

Mountain Whitefish. https://wgfd.wyo.gov/fishexam/species/frmMoutainWhitefish.aspx

Arctic Grayling. www.fws.gov



Non-native species in the park include Rainbow, Brown, Brook and Lake Trout.

The regulations are different per watershed in the park.

 Make sure that you know the regulations for the specific waterbody you are fishing!

Always have your permit when fishing in the park. You can get them at any of the backcountry offices.

 

Summer is just ramping up here in the northern Rocky Mountains! Come and play, be safe and know the rules of engagement. This place is wild and amazing! I'm glad it has been preserved for generations to come! Keep up the good work America!!!  Oh and NO the Boiling River is not open yet.  

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!!!