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September 27 - October 1, 2024
Here it is, several months late. We did our annual fall trip to the SW corner of Yellowstone in 2024. This was the fifth year in a row (hence the uncreative title). We varied the route again, but most of it was a repeat of things we had done before.
This time, Andrew, Steve, and I left a couple of vehicles at the Bechler Ranger Station, then Andrew drove us up Grassy Lake Road to the trailhead below the dam on Grassy Lake Reservoir. I had never been there before. We met the rest of the group there; Alex, Zach, and Wayne. It was a warm, sunny afternoon. We headed into the forest and after a bit, it was time to ford the Fall River.
Standing in the middle of river.
Everyone else in the river.
We walked through the forest some more, and we came across a duo who had spent the night before at a site near where we were staying. They happened to know some of the people in our group, since most of them live in Jackson.
We reached a spot where I had wanted to try to go off trail to save a little under a mile and walk directly into our site. Steve was willing to give it a shot as well, so we went off. It was an easy little walk through some volcanic looking soil with not much plant growth.
We got camp set up, gathered fire wood, and waited for the others to arrive.
Mountain Ash Creek, right by the camp site.
I can't remember if we ate first or went to Scout Pool first, but we went to Scout Pool that evening.
Crossing the creek on our way.
We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed a swim. Because the pool isn't all that warm, it would've been more enjoyable a few hours earlier when it was warmer out, but you have to work with what you've got.
Camouflaged spider on a log back at camp.
It was a fairly warm and dry evening. I guess it's a lucky site because I have had no condensation inside my tent the two times I've stayed there.
The plan for the next day was to cover some decent mileage and get most of the way up Bechler Canyon. We got going and it was already pretty warm and dry early on into our walk.
Hot and dusty.
Found some maybe wolf prints. Idk. Also these shoes are incredible. Topo Ultraventure. Absolutely recommend. My feet have never felt better backpacking.
We negotiated the infamous stretch of trail that is constantly under assault by beavers. I opted to just walk through the water in my Crocs after being sketched out walking on top of the dam last year.
Looking back at what we crossed. The mud was very soft and squishy. Not the most fun I've had fording a body of water. Hardworking bunch of beavers over there. We saw their tracks all over.
A bit after we got going again, Wayne spoke up about his foot bothering him to the point he was going to hike out. He had packed a little excessively heavily, and it had caused some issues with his heel. We stopped in the woods and figured out the logistics. Alex graciously volunteered to hike out with him, they'd take Steve's truck back to Alex's cabin in Driggs and hang out, then they'd come back to pick us up when we were done in a few days. We were sad to see them leave, and it was a bit of a damper on the overall mood.
By the time we reached the Bechler River, we were really feeling the heat. So we jumped in and had a swim break. It worked wonders for us.
Considering the swim.
It was really cold. I couldn't stay in for more than a couple minutes at a time.
We carried on toward the canyon.
I never love crossing this series of wonky logs in the upper part of the meadow, but there are no good alternatives unless you want wet feet.
Entering the canyon.
I like that log.
Iris Falls never fails to impress.
And these cascades above it never fail to impress either. We were sad there weren't any berries on the mountain ash in the foreground, as it made for a nice photo in years past. A bear must have gotten them, so good for the bear.
We had never before stayed at the camp site that we stayed at this time. There are no fires allowed at it, likely because it's right on the bank of the river and fairly small. It was a nice spot.
We stayed up until after dark, mostly just looking at the sky. I never like to go into the tent too early unless I have to. It eventually got cold enough to convince us to go to bed.
River next to camp in the morning.
We headed up the canyon the next morning to our next camp site, which was very close. We had planned it that way so we could quickly dump all our stuff at camp and take our time up at Mr. Bubbles. Fewer than 2 miles between the two sites if I remember right. We got all set up and then headed up to Ferris Fork.
Climbing up above the thermal area in the upper part of the canyon.
The cool cauldron looking thing.
As we got close, we saw there were three people there. They asked us to hold off for a second coming down so they could take pictures of themselves. I thought that was strange, but whatever. They left a little while after we got there.
Back again.
We spent a while there and enjoyed the calm day. Fewer people up there than I expected.
Looking downstream.
We had really nice late afternoon lighting on the way back.
Right after crossing Ferris Fork on the way back.
It cooled off quite a bit as the sun went down. Always a little cooler up in the canyon. Having a fire that night was very nice! The fire pit was completely full when we got there, so we found where the rangers usually scatter the ashes outside the camp site, and we dug out the pit and scattered the ashes so it wouldn't overflow.
The next was a hike out of the canyon over to Dundana Falls. We were headed to the second closest site to the falls, right on Boundary Creek. I really like that site.
Down and out.
Resting after fording the river.
We reached the turnoff for our camp site and headed over to set up. We saw some tents already set up and recognized them as Alex's and Wayne's. They had decided to hike back in for the last night, so that was awesome to have them back in action.
After everyone had their tents set up, we made our way up to Dunanda. It had been closed for a while this summer and had only reopened recently. They put in a new trail down to the falls. It was badly needed since the options before that were to cut through a camp site and muck through thermal areas up the creek, or to come in from above down a very steep, eroded trail in a bad location. The new trail was really nice.
Headed down. The new trail also gives you a cool vantage point.
There were still some rather steep portions on the trail down, but they were manageable. Kind of tough terrain to put a trail in.
There were quite a few people at Dunanda. We found a spot to hang out and spent most of our time there.
It was a great afternoon. Therapeutic for tired bodies.
As the shadows started hitting the canyon, we decided it was time to head back and eat dinner.
More trail pics.
Nice new sign.
Tents at camp.
As the sun started going down, we could tell it was going to be a good sunset.
And it was a really good sunset.
We were all standing around staring at it.
(Andrew took this one)
As was our experience last time we were at this site in similar weather, it got quite cold after the sun went down. We stayed around the fire a while. A couple mice joined us, trying to score some crumbs. The sounds of them scurrying around startled me at first.
Frosty morning.
I was wanting to get moving quickly in the morning so I could get home, so I opted to hike out solo. It was quite cold. Hard to boil water for the morning coffee. I said my goodbyes and was on my way.
The last major ford, a lower, very slow portion of Boundary Creek.
Bartlett Slough. This one luckily has a small log footbridge.
I love this stretch of forest. Fairly dense trees but sparse enough undergrowth that you can see through the forest pretty well. Really cool to walk through. We ran into a moose and her calf in this area a few years ago.
As I was passing through more forest, I got to a spot where there are cut logs evenly spaced through a short little marshy stretch, to act as stepping stones. I was happily hopping along, watching my feet when I heard something in front of me. I looked up and was facing down a bull moose about 10 yards away, maybe fewer. I immediately started making my way back across the logs to the other side of the marsh. And I then noticed that there was a cow moose in the meadow above the marshy spot I was in. She headed into the trees. I assured the bull I wasn't trying to interfere, and I stood there watching him. He eventually stopped staring at me and went off into the trees after the cow, making the funny grunting sound they make during the rut. I could hear his paddles whacking against tree branches as he headed off. Pretty cool. I always make plenty of noise walking alone, but I guess it wasn't enough for these moose. I waited a minute longer after they left to be sure I was clear, and then I carried on.
You can kinda make out the bull in the center of this picture. This was after I had gone back across the logs.
The rest of the walk was uneventful. I didn't see any other hikers or anything. Just a quiet walk through the forest. I paid a little more attention to my surroundings though.
Coming up to the ranger station.
Another great fall trip in Yellowstone! Although it may have been a little warmer than we like, it was a bit nice not having to contend with precipitation. We'll see what variation we cook up next!
Here it is, several months late. We did our annual fall trip to the SW corner of Yellowstone in 2024. This was the fifth year in a row (hence the uncreative title). We varied the route again, but most of it was a repeat of things we had done before.
This time, Andrew, Steve, and I left a couple of vehicles at the Bechler Ranger Station, then Andrew drove us up Grassy Lake Road to the trailhead below the dam on Grassy Lake Reservoir. I had never been there before. We met the rest of the group there; Alex, Zach, and Wayne. It was a warm, sunny afternoon. We headed into the forest and after a bit, it was time to ford the Fall River.
Standing in the middle of river.
Everyone else in the river.
We walked through the forest some more, and we came across a duo who had spent the night before at a site near where we were staying. They happened to know some of the people in our group, since most of them live in Jackson.
We reached a spot where I had wanted to try to go off trail to save a little under a mile and walk directly into our site. Steve was willing to give it a shot as well, so we went off. It was an easy little walk through some volcanic looking soil with not much plant growth.
We got camp set up, gathered fire wood, and waited for the others to arrive.
Mountain Ash Creek, right by the camp site.
I can't remember if we ate first or went to Scout Pool first, but we went to Scout Pool that evening.
Crossing the creek on our way.
We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed a swim. Because the pool isn't all that warm, it would've been more enjoyable a few hours earlier when it was warmer out, but you have to work with what you've got.
Camouflaged spider on a log back at camp.
It was a fairly warm and dry evening. I guess it's a lucky site because I have had no condensation inside my tent the two times I've stayed there.
The plan for the next day was to cover some decent mileage and get most of the way up Bechler Canyon. We got going and it was already pretty warm and dry early on into our walk.
Hot and dusty.
Found some maybe wolf prints. Idk. Also these shoes are incredible. Topo Ultraventure. Absolutely recommend. My feet have never felt better backpacking.
We negotiated the infamous stretch of trail that is constantly under assault by beavers. I opted to just walk through the water in my Crocs after being sketched out walking on top of the dam last year.
Looking back at what we crossed. The mud was very soft and squishy. Not the most fun I've had fording a body of water. Hardworking bunch of beavers over there. We saw their tracks all over.
A bit after we got going again, Wayne spoke up about his foot bothering him to the point he was going to hike out. He had packed a little excessively heavily, and it had caused some issues with his heel. We stopped in the woods and figured out the logistics. Alex graciously volunteered to hike out with him, they'd take Steve's truck back to Alex's cabin in Driggs and hang out, then they'd come back to pick us up when we were done in a few days. We were sad to see them leave, and it was a bit of a damper on the overall mood.
By the time we reached the Bechler River, we were really feeling the heat. So we jumped in and had a swim break. It worked wonders for us.
Considering the swim.
It was really cold. I couldn't stay in for more than a couple minutes at a time.
We carried on toward the canyon.
I never love crossing this series of wonky logs in the upper part of the meadow, but there are no good alternatives unless you want wet feet.
Entering the canyon.
I like that log.
Iris Falls never fails to impress.
And these cascades above it never fail to impress either. We were sad there weren't any berries on the mountain ash in the foreground, as it made for a nice photo in years past. A bear must have gotten them, so good for the bear.
We had never before stayed at the camp site that we stayed at this time. There are no fires allowed at it, likely because it's right on the bank of the river and fairly small. It was a nice spot.
We stayed up until after dark, mostly just looking at the sky. I never like to go into the tent too early unless I have to. It eventually got cold enough to convince us to go to bed.
River next to camp in the morning.
We headed up the canyon the next morning to our next camp site, which was very close. We had planned it that way so we could quickly dump all our stuff at camp and take our time up at Mr. Bubbles. Fewer than 2 miles between the two sites if I remember right. We got all set up and then headed up to Ferris Fork.
Climbing up above the thermal area in the upper part of the canyon.
The cool cauldron looking thing.
As we got close, we saw there were three people there. They asked us to hold off for a second coming down so they could take pictures of themselves. I thought that was strange, but whatever. They left a little while after we got there.
Back again.
We spent a while there and enjoyed the calm day. Fewer people up there than I expected.
Looking downstream.
We had really nice late afternoon lighting on the way back.
Right after crossing Ferris Fork on the way back.
It cooled off quite a bit as the sun went down. Always a little cooler up in the canyon. Having a fire that night was very nice! The fire pit was completely full when we got there, so we found where the rangers usually scatter the ashes outside the camp site, and we dug out the pit and scattered the ashes so it wouldn't overflow.
The next was a hike out of the canyon over to Dundana Falls. We were headed to the second closest site to the falls, right on Boundary Creek. I really like that site.
Down and out.
Resting after fording the river.
We reached the turnoff for our camp site and headed over to set up. We saw some tents already set up and recognized them as Alex's and Wayne's. They had decided to hike back in for the last night, so that was awesome to have them back in action.
After everyone had their tents set up, we made our way up to Dunanda. It had been closed for a while this summer and had only reopened recently. They put in a new trail down to the falls. It was badly needed since the options before that were to cut through a camp site and muck through thermal areas up the creek, or to come in from above down a very steep, eroded trail in a bad location. The new trail was really nice.
Headed down. The new trail also gives you a cool vantage point.
There were still some rather steep portions on the trail down, but they were manageable. Kind of tough terrain to put a trail in.
There were quite a few people at Dunanda. We found a spot to hang out and spent most of our time there.
It was a great afternoon. Therapeutic for tired bodies.
As the shadows started hitting the canyon, we decided it was time to head back and eat dinner.
More trail pics.
Nice new sign.
Tents at camp.
As the sun started going down, we could tell it was going to be a good sunset.
And it was a really good sunset.
We were all standing around staring at it.
(Andrew took this one)
As was our experience last time we were at this site in similar weather, it got quite cold after the sun went down. We stayed around the fire a while. A couple mice joined us, trying to score some crumbs. The sounds of them scurrying around startled me at first.
Frosty morning.
I was wanting to get moving quickly in the morning so I could get home, so I opted to hike out solo. It was quite cold. Hard to boil water for the morning coffee. I said my goodbyes and was on my way.
The last major ford, a lower, very slow portion of Boundary Creek.
Bartlett Slough. This one luckily has a small log footbridge.
I love this stretch of forest. Fairly dense trees but sparse enough undergrowth that you can see through the forest pretty well. Really cool to walk through. We ran into a moose and her calf in this area a few years ago.
As I was passing through more forest, I got to a spot where there are cut logs evenly spaced through a short little marshy stretch, to act as stepping stones. I was happily hopping along, watching my feet when I heard something in front of me. I looked up and was facing down a bull moose about 10 yards away, maybe fewer. I immediately started making my way back across the logs to the other side of the marsh. And I then noticed that there was a cow moose in the meadow above the marshy spot I was in. She headed into the trees. I assured the bull I wasn't trying to interfere, and I stood there watching him. He eventually stopped staring at me and went off into the trees after the cow, making the funny grunting sound they make during the rut. I could hear his paddles whacking against tree branches as he headed off. Pretty cool. I always make plenty of noise walking alone, but I guess it wasn't enough for these moose. I waited a minute longer after they left to be sure I was clear, and then I carried on.
You can kinda make out the bull in the center of this picture. This was after I had gone back across the logs.
The rest of the walk was uneventful. I didn't see any other hikers or anything. Just a quiet walk through the forest. I paid a little more attention to my surroundings though.
Coming up to the ranger station.
Another great fall trip in Yellowstone! Although it may have been a little warmer than we like, it was a bit nice not having to contend with precipitation. We'll see what variation we cook up next!
