The Drive from Mammoth Hot Springs to Yellowstone Lake Hotel

June 3, 2015

Today we left Mammoth Hot Springs to head south to our last destination in the park: the historic Yellowstone Lake Hotel, right on Lake Yellowstone.  We didn't plan to stop on the first leg of the route to Tower because we had seen it earlier.  However, we ended up stopping along with many others on the side of the road.  I figured if I didn't see a bear, wolf or coyote on this trip, that was okay, but this black bear was down in a meadow 25 feet down on the ravine at the road.  So it was safe.

 Our first planned stop was at a viewpoint of the cliffs along the Yellowstone river, which we caused by volcanic eruptions long ago, as well as the cuts down the cliff by the river.

In the other direction is Bumpus Butte.

This is Overhanging Cliff, which hangs out over the highway and is formed of the same basalt as the cliffs above. 

Not much further down the road is the lovely Tower Fall, where the water drops straight down.

We walked all the way down the mountain side (about 1/4 mile) to just above the Yellowstone River, where the creek from the fall joins the river.  Here are the views in both directions.

On the way back up, I got a lucky shot of this yellow rumped warbler!

 I also saw these Rocky Mountain Iris, which were reintroduced to the hillside by the park.

Our next stop was Dunraven Pass, but along the way, we saw these views of Antelope Valley:

This mountain is Mount Washburn which is just over 10,000 feet high.

This mountain is not in the Antelope Valley but further down the road to the west.

When we got to Dunraven Pass (8800 feet), we decided to climb up the hill for additional views.  Here's Chuck starting up Mount Washburn Trail.  There was a lot of snow around!

Here's a view of the valley about 100 feet up:

We assisted a family in getting a group photo, and they returned the favor.  The view behind us is just a bit east of the photo above.

We continued the climb for another half mile and were rewarded with this view.

I also got photo of this little guy, who is a golden mantled ground squirrel (yes, he does look like a chipmunk!).

We travelled on with a stop in Canyon Junction for lunch and then some time to do our wash. As we made our way to Lake Yellowstone, we passed through meadows with buffalo herds.  This photo shows just how close they often are to the road.

In and around Mammoth Hot Springs

Tues, June 2,2015

We needed a break from all our driving so we decided to see sites in and around Mammoth.  There was a short hike along a trail five miles south of Mammoth, so we drove to the turnoff, parked and headed off.  The trail, called the Eaton trail headed through a wooded area as these photos show.

There were lots of lovely flowers here including this bearberry bush.

The hike went uphill and led to this wonderful view of the Rustic Falls on Glen Creek.

A bit further on the trail headed down and this is the view towards Mammoth.

On our way back to Mammoth, we stopped to view some of the terraces and springs that make them.  This terrace is formed from the tiny jet of water near the top of the photo.

Right nearby I saw these two flowers:  death camas (highly poisonous) and an aster.

In Mammoth, we decided to visit the Visitors Center and learn about Fort Yellowstone.  Yellowstone became a national park (the first) in 1872 with the act of Preservation of Pres. Grant.  Management of the park turned out to be more challenging than a superintendent and a few employees could handle (vandalism poaching and other problems were significant). So in 1886, the US Army sent a cavalry troop to bring order.  Mammoth Hot Springs was the site for Fort Yellowstone because it is the most accessible year round due to being lower in elevation by 1500 feet from the rest of the park.  The cavalry only expected to be around for a year, but their stay lasted 30 years!  The Army Corrps of Engineers built most of the roads in the park.  During that time, the Army built permanent structures such as the Visitors Center, which was, at that time, the bachelor officers quarters.  In this photo, you can see it, as well as the first of the homes of the senior officers to the right.

We walked around the old buildings. In the lawn about ten feet from the pavement were these elk.  The closest one is a young male.

This building was originally the barracks of the Fort and is now the offices of the Superintendent of Yellowstone Park.  The National Forest Service was instituted in 1916, and thereafter the US Army ended its jurisdiction over the park.

To see just how freely the elk wander around the village of Mammoth Springs, here's one right in front of our hotel.

For dinner we decided to try a restaurant outside the park.  Gardiner, Montana is 5 miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs, just at the entrance to the park.   So we can now say, we've been to Montana!  There are wonderful sites along the way.

The creek in this photo is Lava Creek.

This is the town of Gardiner, about 900 people strong. 

The North Entrance Arch to Yellowstone was built in 1903.  Teddy Roosevelt laid the cornerstone, and it bears his name.  It cost $10K, quite a sum in 1903.

We had dinner in a little restaurant called The Raven, which the hotel staff in Mammoth recommended.  They had a terrific chef who made such creative dishes as Bison Ragout, Chicken Sausage Gumbo, Salmon with watermelon Salsa, and several elk recipes plus decent wine and a long list of beers.  We had huckleberry creme brûlée for dessert, and Chuck, who doesn't much like creme brûlée,  thought it was great.

Here's a view on the way back to Mammoth:

Mammoth Hotel deserves a special call-out for the evening slide show and talks (we attended one on each of our three nights) by Randy Ingersoll.  I learned a lot from his presentations (which informed my blog) and enjoyed his piano playing as well.  Note: the hotel dates back to 1883, but a wing added in 1903 is the only remaining portion and where we stayed.  One of the amazing features in the hotel is this map of the U.S. made of wood inlay.

Here is an old water fountain designed in 1910 by a lady named Elizabeth Burton, who specialized in copper and shells.

From Mammoth to Tower Junction and on to the Lamar Valley

June 1:  Today our wanderings took us east from Mammoth Springs to Tower Junction.  The landscape includes hills such as these and many open valleys.

Our first stop was unplanned--bison in the road.  Here they are close to our car.  

The man in the car in front of us did what every sign in the park about animals says not to do: get yourself closer than 20 feet (unless you are in your car).  Bison are now considered the most dangerous animals in the park (more than grizzlies!) because people are immensely stupid around them.  Just yesterday a girl was gored in Mammoth Springs, so I was relieved when the man unharmed got back in his car as the bison came our way.

We stopped next to see the Undine Falls (named in the 1800s for water sprites from mythology) on Lava Creek. 

I also found these three types of flowers: bluebells, which I saw only in this spot, balsamroot, and alpine forget-me-not, both of which were widespread in this area.

At a stop along the road, I could see the meadows and hills:

At the Forces of the North guided trail (created by the park with lots of signs to provide information), I caught these views.  

Also this flower which I saw several times today.  It is Prairiesmoke.  

This quaking aspen is surrounded by pines that died in fires and by new growth pines.  Fire is important for the renewal of the land in Yellowstone.

At this overlook, the small river in the distance is Hell Roaring Creek, which feeds into the same Yellowstone River that we saw when we first entered the park.  It flows north past the northern part of the park and into Montana.The second photo is a view slightly further along the valley.

While we didn't plan to do any hiking on this trip, walks in the woods were fine, and we found a short (1 mile) trail to and from Lost Lake.  I discovered some more flowers here including these two, which are sugar bowl (also called hairy clematis) and silky phacelia.

The walk in included this meadow:

When we got to the lake, I took this photo of Chuck.

Near where we had parked is the only petrified tree in the park.  There were two in 1912, but visitors took parts of it away til there was none left.  The remaining one is protected with fencing and signs warning not to touch.  It is believed the tree is a redwood, which is surprising for this area.

Once we reached Tower Junction (which has a gas station with some food), we got some lunch and headed further east into the Lamar Valley.  This valley has the most plentiful large animals in the park.  It is where the Lamar Buffalo Ranch (now the Yellowstone Institute) is located.   At the ranch starting the early 1900s, the remaining 40 buffalo (!) in Yellowstone were bred with ones from elsewhere in the country in an attempt to save buffalo in the park from extinction. The breeding program was very successful, as today there are about 4300 buffalo in the park, most of which winter in the Lamar Valley.  

The first animal we saw was the pronghorn, a kind of antelope and the second fastest animal in the world. Cheetahs are faster in a sprint, but pronghorns can keep running for distances at 30-40 mph!

We did enjoy stunning views, including one of the Lamar River.  

Close to the Yellowstone Institute is this meadow, where you can see large herds of buffalo in the distance, and this fellow closer up (he's not so close to me because I was using a telephoto lens!).

At the Institute, we turned around and went back the way we came from Mammoth Springs.  We enjoyed all the views again.  I look this view of the Terraces (white ridge in the center of the photo) as we approached the village.

And in the village across from our hotel was this lady elk.  There is a small herd that resides in the village to enjoy the lawns of planted grass (which are a holdover from when Mammoth Springs was a US calvary post---but more on that tomorrow!).