WEST
THUMB
We
got up before sunrise on Monday. Our
campsite featured a sweeping view of the eastern horizon, and its sunrise
potential was a big part of its appeal.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. Clouds on the eastern horizon delayed and
subdued it. Once the sun was up I
started on breakfast. We ate quickly,
packed up, and hit the road. We stopped
at a gas station in Wall, South Dakota to use the bathroom, once again deftly
avoiding the local drug store. Then we
headed west on I-90. There was a fair
bit of traffic despite the early hour, thanks largely to the motorcycle rally
in Sturgis. Traffic let up once we
passed Rapid City and entered Wyoming.
Then we exited the highway to take the direct route across northern
Wyoming. This took us through the scenic
Bighorn Mountains. We had enjoyed some
scenery near Badlands National Park the previous evening and that morning, but
this was our first taste of the Rocky Mountains on this trip. The Bighorn Mountains are beautiful, but
somewhat overlooked. Many people drive
right by them on their way to Yellowstone and the Tetons. We were guilty of this on this trip,
too. We did do one hike in the Bighorns
on a previous trip, back in 2006. That
year, we camped at West Tensleep Lake and hiked to Lake
Marion. Unfortunately, we had rainy
weather for that hike, so we didn’t actually see much of the Bighorns. The next time we drive to Wyoming, we will
spend more time there. The hike up Cloud
Peak, the highest mountain in the Bighorns, is one compelling destination.
We
drove through a vast expanse of ranch land west of the Bighorns and passed a
few tiny towns. We passed through the
Yellowstone gateway community of Cody, Wyoming and drove past the massive
Buffalo Bill Reservoir and up the North Fork Shoshone River Valley to the
park’s eastern entrance. It was late in
the afternoon, and there was no traffic.
At the gate, I purchased an annual parks
pass. For $80, it provides access to
nearly all of the National Parks, and it is good through August of 2019. Without it, we would’ve paid over $100 in
park entrance fees on this trip. Plus,
it will probably come in handy again in the next year, or during next summer’s
trip.
We
drove to Sylvan Pass and stopped to check out a roadside waterfall mentioned in
“The Guide to Yellowstone Waterfalls and Their Discovery”. From the parking area, the waterfall didn’t
look very exciting. It is on a small
stream and there wasn’t much water.
Plus, it looked like it was covered in deadfall. Getting a better look at it would’ve required
some serious scrambling. I didn’t think
it would be worth it.
The
book mentions another waterfall a couple of miles farther down the road, but I
didn’t see it. Once I realized we’d
missed it, I decided against going back for another look. It sounded like another waterfall that would
be better in the Spring or early Summer.
Plus, I still hoped to do a real hike that evening, though our time was
limited.
We
drove along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake before hitting one of the major
areas of road construction in the park.
After a bit of a delay we reached the main park road. From there, it was only a few miles to the Bridge
Bay Campground. We had reserved a site
there for two nights months earlier.
It’s a good thing, as all of the campgrounds in the park were full. Some of Yellowstone’s campgrounds operate on
a first come, first served basis, but it can be difficult to get a spot in
them, particularly in the afternoon. The
campgrounds that accept reservations are typically booked throughout the
summer.
We
checked in and drove to our assigned site.
Bridge Bay is a huge campground, and parts of it are nice. Luckily, we got a decent, wooded site in a
nice part of the campground. On the way
in we passed a big, treeless meadow that was crowded with tents. That area looked very unappealing. This campground doesn’t offer you any choice
of sites, so it is just luck of the draw, even if you make your reservations
well in advance.
We
set up camp and assessed our options. My
plan had been to drive to the Old Faithful area to do the 4
mile loop hike from the Biscuit Basin Trailhead to Mystic Falls and an
overlook of the Upper Geyser Basin. We
had done that hike back on our first to Yellowstone in 2003, but it was high on
my list of hikes to repeat. Mystic Falls
is impressive, and the view from the cliff overlooking the geyser basin is
incredible. From that point, there are
dozens of steaming geysers and colorful springs below. Seeing a geyser erupt from above is a magical
experience, and I was eager to revisit that spot. Late afternoon or evening is ideal for that
hike, since that view is primarily to the east.
It
would have been the perfect plan if we’d had enough time for it. Unfortunately, it would take nearly an hour
to drive to the trailhead. We could do
that hike in two hours, but it isn’t one to rush through. At best, we’d have a little bit of time to
enjoy the view from the overlook before hiking out in the dark. Then we’d have another hour of driving,
followed by a very late dinner.
I
brainstormed some ideas for shorter hikes closer to Bridge Bay. I considered the Natural Bridge and Storm
Point, but ultimately we decided to visit the West
Thumb Geyser Basin on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. That was a 20 minute
drive, and just a short hike on boardwalks.
We had visited West Thumb in 2003, but I wasn’t opposed to checking it
out again. Thermal areas are always
fascinating, and West Thumb is typically less crowded than Old Faithful or the
other more popular geyser basins.
We
enjoyed our stroll through West Thumb.
We didn’t see anything erupt, but there were lots of colorful pools and
steaming, gurgling springs. The most
fascinating sight was Fishing Cone, a geyser cone in the lake just above the
surface of the water. Earlier in the
summer, when lake levels are higher, that cone might be a bit below the
surface.
There
was a herd of elk grazing through the geyser basin, and I took my quota of
obligatory elk photos that first evening.
The top highlight of the hike was sunset. Although our views were mainly to the east across
Yellowstone Lake, lovely, colorful clouds appeared as the sun dropped below the
horizon. We returned to the car after
the light faded and drove back to camp.
We had a quick dinner and went to bed, as we had a big agenda the next
day.
Back to Wyoming
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!