Monday, October 4, 2021
We packed and hit the trail early, headed for the northern reaches of the park.
We made a couple of stops along the way; Gibbon Falls can be seen from an incredible lookout built out over the valley.
Sue and Emily took in the mud pots at Artists’ Paint Pots, a steep climb above the valley.
Because the road between Canyon Village and Tower / Roosevelt was closed (and had been closed at least since early summer, when our friends the Kittos visited), we had to retrace our steps, driving to Madison Junction, the Norris Geyser Basin, and finally Canyon Village to reach the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I had seen mostly photos of the waterfalls and really didn’t expect much of a canyon. And while it isn’t the Grand Canyon, its 1000 foot depth and lovely rhyolite walls make for quite a sight.
We weren’t able to get a view close to the falls; here are the lower falls in the distance.
We ate a picnic lunch at Inspiration Point; a large raven was eager to join us!
We knew we were running out of time, and didn’t stop for several things we had hoped to see: Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs…although we did see the overflow from Mammoth from the road!
The northern reaches of the park are a series of spectacular valleys, and none more beautiful than the Lamar Valley, home to some of the park’s biggest bison herds…and to bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope.
We passed back through Mammoth Village, with its lovely hotel, historic fort, and grazing elk on our way to Bozeman.
Bozeman proved to be a pleasant small city. Our hotel was…interesting. The RSVP was a 50’s motel remodeled as 21st century hip. As I got out of the car, a woman emerged from a hotel room and said “You’re going to love the flowered robes”…as indeed we did.
We snagged an outdoor table at Blackbird, reputed to be the best restaurant in Montana and had a very nice meal. A nice end to a great trip!