Yellowstone National Park
Park Point North Camp (5E9)
In early September I walked an eight day loop around southern Yellowstone. I started in the Pelican Valley, spending the first few nights camping along the eastern side of Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone River Valley at the Southeast Arm of the Lake
Fording the Yellowstone River
Somewhat disappointed to find it only knee deep as I was hoping for more of a thrill. The Yellowstone south of the lake is not the same as the grand river to the north
Heart Lake Shoreline
After leaving Yellowstone Lake, the trail is unremarkable for a few days across the south. I had considered climbing Mount Sheridan, but found the area to be busy and figured the energy could be better spent elsewhere
My original plan was a figure eight loop around the park, but due to the flood of 2022 I only completed the southern portion around Yellowstone Lake. The entire map is outlined above for reference
The southern loop took eight days with some mucking around near Old Faithful including a night at the Inn. I also used the facilities at Fishing Bridge and Canyon Village to reduce the food carry. The south is fairly straightforward without much elevation change and the only real challenge (fording the Yellowstone River) is a non-factor in September
Calm night at Basin Beach. The trip picked up again here with the final four days in the center of the park
Shoshone Geyser Basin
I sat down at Lone Star Geyser for a morning snack and it erupted. Coolest thing on the walk (maybe even in the park)
Old Faithful fighting the wind on a stormy night. I stayed overnight at the inn with two shorter hiking days planned around the visit
The thunderstorms cleared in the late evening at the Sentinel Meadows camp. Feels isolated despite being located only a few miles from main attractions. Nice area for sunset with the open field to the west
Sunrise from above Grand Prismatic Spring
Bison sloshing through the basin
What ended up being close to a 30 mile day over Mary Mountain with the morning visit to Grand Prismatic Spring. The majority of the west side criss-crosses the Nez Perce before making the climb
Occasionally the trail can be followed on the east side but often I needed to find workarounds to keep distance from buffalo. Especially in an open field where there are no trees for protection
Wildfire smoke settled in on the final day as I visited the Canyon area and walked back to the car at Fishing Bridge. The picture above is from a previous visit to Lower Falls in the wintertime
Winter Photos
Morning Glory Pool
The roads are closed in the winter, park shuttles are offered to access the lodges
Testing the heat with its paw
The snowshoe to Fairy Falls was probably the best experience in the Old Faithful area
Colored Pools around Mammoth
