Cascade lake hike, Yellowstone

Howdee all,

Jeff and the Gals, Jen, Jennifer, Sicksta Charlene and I…were feeling like we needed to hike another five miles after we did the Mount Washburn hike.

So we decided to hike to Cascade Lake.

An easy 5 miles round trip hike. Out to Cascade Lake You can see that there was a previous burn in the area.    It was another beautiful afternoon the water was still..Jeff brought his fishing pole……. He stopped fishing to view a coyote who wanted to use the same path. The young looking coyote ignored us and went on hunting for its dinner…

Lucky for this Grouse and her young…the coyote just missed finding her… Mom was keeping a watchful eye over this little fellow…Jeff didn't catch any fish…

We didn't stay long because Jennifer had a date with the shower ..and because there are no electrical hookups at Mammoth campground we had to be back before 7 so she could have a long hot shower…   Some sort of Dandelion seed headHeading back…see Mr. Buffalo in the distance? rightJust hanging out…….

As we drove home we noticed a fire in the distance…

We were told it was started by lightening..they just let it continue to burn.

Another day in Yellowstone park…Never a dull moment.

Bunsen Peak hike, Yellowstone

Howdee all,

Another nice hike with awesome views of Electric peak.

Charlene, Jennifer and I did this hike while Jeff and Jimmy fished.

Elevation: 8,564 Feet
Recommended Season: Spring to Fall
USGS Maps: Trails Illustrated (Mammoth Hot Springs), Mammoth USGS quad.
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 4.2 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1,300 Feet

DirectionsFrom Mammoth Hot springs, Travel 4.7 miles south. Immediately past the Golden Gate Bridge park on the left in the Glen Creek Trailhead parking lot.

Location Information
Bunsen Peak Trail, located south of Mammoth Hot Springs, offers a gradual 1,300 foot climb to the summit of Bunsen Peak. The trail climbs through sagebrush and burned pine and fir. The summit provides a panoramic view of the Blacktail Plateau, Swan Lake Flats, Absarokas Mountain Range, Electric Peak (10,992 ft.), Mount Holmes (10,336 ft.), and the Yellowstone River Valley. The peak is actually an ancient volcano cone and was named for Robert Bunsen who did early research on geysers. Return by the same route or take the trail down the back side past Osprey Falls trailhead (about 2 miles) and return via the Old Bunsen Peak Road Trail

As we begin our assent we leave the road below us..Some elevation gain and the views start coming… A lake in the distance…would love to hike out there… More distant blue lakes and mountains..

A hidden surprise on our trip to the summit..

Dusky GrouseGetting close to the summit ..and distant views of Electric peak.. Electric Peak…

will have to hike there next time we visit! At the summit…I

love this ..whoever created this rock art did an awesome job.

So I took a few photos..again Electric Peak Weathered wood

Cotton ball clouds Weathered wood sculptures

Time to head down…another way… Close encounters with…??

who knows? grasshopper? cricket?

Small bug..??

looks kind of like a stinkbug..

Down the mountain and hiking thru meadows…

The last leg of the hike is on an old roadbed..

I believe these are more sage grouse..but I didn't see any yellow around the eye..

(Dusky Grouse...ID by my fellow Bird Bloggers, Larry Jordon, and Rob Miller)

Thanks Guys!

Need birdie ID helpAny confirmations….or ID welcome.Another wonderful day…Great hike…Great views..

I Highly recommend this hike…short..and sweet… a good workout.

See ya…more Yellowstone Hikes to come…

Beaver Ponds Hike

Howdee all,

Beaver ponds hike was a short 5 mile loop around a few ponds near Mammoth hot springs.

Beaver Ponds Loop Trail
Round trip distance: 5 mile loop trail

Climb: easy-moderate
Difficulty: easy-moderate

Trail Description: The trail begins in Clematis Gulch between Liberty Cap and the stone house. It follows the creek up Clematis Gulch, climbing 350 feet through spruce and fir trees. The beaver ponds are reached after hiking 2.5 miles through open meadows of sage and stands of aspen. Mule deer, pronghorn antelope, moose, beaver dams and lodges, and occasionally bear may be sighted in the area. There are spectacular views as you wind your way back to Mammoth

It was a nice way to start off our Yellowstone trip.

The clouds were beautiful but it looked like we might get a shower.   Last time Jeff and I did this hike we saw a Bear sow and her cub.

No bear sightings this time.

We did see a few interesting things.

This amazing metallic blue bug!

Is this a type of flea beetle?

Lots of Grasshoppers…..

Some very interesting mushrooms

Stalked puffball

and a lichen heart(Sorry Sicksta Dell..couldn't take it out of the park)

My camera battery was losing juice

This was the last photo I took before the rain..and before

The Rainbow…

luckily Jeff had his camera  and he captured a few photosI pieced two of his photos together to show you how incredible this was.. What a wonderful way to start out our trip to Yellowstone..More hikes to come….see you soon!