UNION

We woke the next morning to an attack from an alien aircraft. Well, at least that is what it sounded like. It was the most bizarre noise I’d ever heard, hovering above our tent. It sounded exactly like this: https://youtu.be/tAT4Bw9W66c

I dressed quickly and scrambled out of the tent to see what was going on. By that point, the sound had moved off beyond the stand of trees adjacent to our tent. I walked out into a large meadow, and spotted some large birds grazing in the tall grass about a hundred yards away. These birds were huge! The grass was knee high, but the birds stood well above the top of the grass. I’d guess they were chest high. I walked towards them, and eventually got close enough that they bolted. They resumed their crazy calls as they soared overhead. That verified that the birds were the source of the sound. Later, after the trip, I determined that they were sandhill cranes.

We had oatmeal and coffee before packing up for the short hike to our campsite on Mountain Ash Creek. This was an easy, mostly flat hike, though there was a substantial ford of mountain ash creek. The scenery consisted of woods and meadows, with occasional views of the cliffs across the valley to the north.

It took a few hours to reach our campsite. We set up camp and had lunch before heading upstream to Union Falls. Union Falls was a primary attraction for our trip, and the sole reason for including the Falls River drainage in our route. The hike from our campsite was about a mile. We reached a junction just before the final steep climb up to the overlook of Union Falls. We took a detour there and headed over to the North Fork of Mountain Ash Creek. Our goal was the Boy Scout Pool / Ouzel Pool, which we formerly considered to be the greatest swimming hole in the world. A cascade feeds the pool, and there are plenty of rocks for lounging and jumping from. The best feature of the pool is hot springs at the bottom of it. On our previous visit in 2003, we spent hours soaking in that pool, enjoying the perfect water temperature.

This visit was a little different. Water levels were much higher, even though we were here several weeks later than we had been in 2003. Just getting into the pool was a bit challenging due to the strong current. The rocks we had lounged on previously were underwater, and we had a tough time finding a place to sit. The biggest difference though was the water temperature. Because the water was higher, there was more cold water coming from upstream, while relatively less hot water coming from the submerged springs. As a result, the pool was only lukewarm.

We swam for a bit anyway. A bit later a local couple joined us in the pool. They had just hiked back from Morning Falls, which is a couple of miles upstream. I found this interesting, as Morning Falls was one of my top priorities for the trip. Unfortunately there were “area closed” and “bear warning” signs posted along the bank leading upstream from the swimming hole. I was tentatively planning on crossing the creek and going up the other side, as there were no signs over there. However, the couple advised against it. They said it was a long, tough bushwhack with a lot of sidehilling and bad footing. They also said there was fresh bear shit everywhere. So maybe those bear warning signs weren’t a bluff.

That couple eventually left, but another couple arrived a few minutes later. Christy and I decided to leave the pool to them and head up to the Union Falls overlook. After a short, steep climb we reached the brink of a cliff overlooking Yellowstone’s second-largest waterfall. Union Falls is one of the most incredible waterfalls I’ve ever seen. An unnamed tributary of Mountain Ash Creek creates the bulk of the waterfall. That stream splits around an island before tumbling off the cliff, its water fanning out over a massive cliff face. A short distance down Mountain Ash Creek joins in from the side, contributing its volume to this massive waterfall.

We lounged around the overlook for a bit and took a few photos. Then I headed to the base. There is a steep, slippery scramble path that provides a relatively safe route if you are careful. Visiting the base of Union Falls was an awesome experience. The power of this waterfall is beyond description. Unfortunately photography was nearly impossible down there due to the immense amount of spray. I took a bunch of photos, but only one of them was worth keeping.

I ventured as close as I could get to the falls before retreating. I was mildly hypothermic at that point despite the warm, sunny day. Fortunately the climb back up to the overlook warmed me up. I rejoined Christy, but then bushwhacked over to the cliffs at the top of the falls for a different perspective. From there it would be easy to bushwhack upstream along Mountain Ash Creek. However, based on the topo map, it doesn’t look like there are any additional significant waterfalls upstream.

I rejoined Christy at the overlook and we discussed our options. I was still determined to bushwhack up to Morning Falls, but she was spooked by the bear warnings. She decided to skip it. I decided to do it solo and gathered my gear. I started back down the trail but pulled up short. Was this something I should do solo? Christy didn’t try to stop me, but I knew she didn’t really want me to go. I weighed my desire to see Morning Falls with all of the risk factors and decided against it.

Christy was surprised and relieved when I returned. We spent the next couple of hours at the overlook, enjoying one of Yellowstone’s most amazing sights. And we had it all to ourselves.

We returned to camp that evening and enjoyed dinner and a campfire. We slept well that evening and packed up early the next morning.

I had originally planned to make a partial loop on the return hike by using the Falls River Cutoff Trail and the South Boundary Trail. We would backtrack to our campsite for night 4, ford the Falls River, and then loop around to Cave Falls Road. That would be a shorter route with some new scenery, but it would require fording the Falls River twice. The upper ford looked easy enough, but I was highly concerned about the lower ford. That crossing is downstream from Cave Falls, below the confluence with the Bechler River. The river is massive down there, and water levels were high everywhere. I discussed it with Christy and told her I wasn’t comfortable risking a mishap there at the very end of the trip.

Our only other option would be to backtrack all the way to the Rocky Ford of the Bechler River at the downstream end of Bechler Meadows. We’d cross there and then follow the route we had hiked on day 1 back past Bechler Falls to Cave Falls. That would add a couple of miles to the hke out. Christy wasn’t crazy about that plan because it meant that we would have to cross the beaver pond again. I told her I’d put more effort into find a way around it if we took that route. Surely there had to be a way around? She reluctantly agreed.

We made fast time back to the beaver pond. We took a break there, and Christy waited with the packs while I scouted. I bushwhacked downstream and eventually got below all of the beaver dams. Crossing the stream still required wading, but it was shallow and clear there. I found Christy and we took that route. It was a bit roundabout, and there were a lot of fallen trees and brush, but it was still more pleasant that wading through the beaver pond.

We returned to the trail and made good time to the Rocky Ford of the Bechler River. This ford is well named, as the entire crossing is over a semi-smooth submerged rock face. Unfortunately there are irregularities in the rock, so you really have to watch your step to keep from walking into a hole or stumbling over a protruding rock. For the most part though, it is an easy crossing.

We had lunch on the far side, in the same spot as lunch on day 1. We made fast work of the hike back past Bechler Falls and Cave Falls and returned to the car by mid-afternoon. Although it had been hot and sunny all week, our Yeti cooler had delivered. The ice was gone, but the beer was in still-cold water. We each enjoyed a refreshing beer, and then another one, before heading to Ashton, Idaho. We stopped at a private campground where we paid $5 each for hot showers. Then we picked up a few groceries and enjoyed a filling dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. Afterwards we headed back towards the Tetons in hopes of finding a campsite along Ashton – Flagg Ranch Road. We had a couple of free days in our schedule before our 8-day backpacking trip in the Wind River Range.

Continue reading about our trip as we dayhike to Yellowstone's Terraced Falls on the Falls River.

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