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- May 16, 2016
- Messages
- 1,637
This summer I was in the Wapiti Lake area and did not see a "Buffalo Highway" but I am very curious. I'd love to find the first "trail", but I have seen a bit of the western side of the Hayden Valley, the 2nd two are also interesting. So has any here seen these "trails"
Tagging the most likely people to have been way off trail in the park and seen one of these. Feel free to direct message if you don't want to publicise
@scatman, @Outdoor_Fool @TheMountainRabbit
A couple quotes from the above page
WAPITI LAKE TO AMETHYST MOUNTAIN
("THE BUFFALO HIGHWAY")
Where the last trail is probably a buffalo trail; this one is a certainty. It links the Wapiti Lake Trail to the Specimen Ridge Trail. This 10+ mile thoroughfare is probably the best example of a large scale, seasonal bison migration route still left in North America. Literally an 8-lane "buffalo highway"; it is impossible to miss with its multi-lane paths. It is the animals' major route of travel between the Pelican and Lamar Valleys.
BEACH LAKE TO MARY LAKE
Although most maps show an old trail from the West Thumb-Fishing Bridge road, up Arnica Creek, to Beach Lake; and from Mary Lake north to the Canyon-Norris road; there is a connecting trail from Beach Lake to Mary Lake thus completing a north-south route across the Central Plateau. It is not easily followed and it does not quite link the two spots. It is marked with very old trail markers.
I haven't confirmed it, but I have been told of another man-made trail that links Beach Lake to Dryad Lake, also complete with trail markers.
DRYAD LAKE TO THE HAYDEN VALLEY
I stumbled onto this amazing trail in 1993. Its origins are completely unknown to me. It begins on the north side of Dryad Lake and heads almost due north until reaching the finger meadow of Trout Creek. Here I left the trail. It continued north towards the southwest corner of the Hayden Valley. Therefore it seems that I only hiked a portion of what must be a much longer trail. It is my contention that the entire 5 mile stretch that I walked was created by bison during their seasonal migrations. I should say that this is one of the best trails I have seen in Yellowstone. Man-made or not. It is never steep, follows the ridges perfectly, and is always easy to see with little deadfall. Apparently the bison construct a better trail than most people. I searched meticulously for any sign of man on this trail and found none. If anyone else has hiked in this section of the park, I would very much like to know.
Tagging the most likely people to have been way off trail in the park and seen one of these. Feel free to direct message if you don't want to publicise
@scatman, @Outdoor_Fool @TheMountainRabbit
A couple quotes from the above page
WAPITI LAKE TO AMETHYST MOUNTAIN
("THE BUFFALO HIGHWAY")
Where the last trail is probably a buffalo trail; this one is a certainty. It links the Wapiti Lake Trail to the Specimen Ridge Trail. This 10+ mile thoroughfare is probably the best example of a large scale, seasonal bison migration route still left in North America. Literally an 8-lane "buffalo highway"; it is impossible to miss with its multi-lane paths. It is the animals' major route of travel between the Pelican and Lamar Valleys.
BEACH LAKE TO MARY LAKE
Although most maps show an old trail from the West Thumb-Fishing Bridge road, up Arnica Creek, to Beach Lake; and from Mary Lake north to the Canyon-Norris road; there is a connecting trail from Beach Lake to Mary Lake thus completing a north-south route across the Central Plateau. It is not easily followed and it does not quite link the two spots. It is marked with very old trail markers.
I haven't confirmed it, but I have been told of another man-made trail that links Beach Lake to Dryad Lake, also complete with trail markers.
DRYAD LAKE TO THE HAYDEN VALLEY
I stumbled onto this amazing trail in 1993. Its origins are completely unknown to me. It begins on the north side of Dryad Lake and heads almost due north until reaching the finger meadow of Trout Creek. Here I left the trail. It continued north towards the southwest corner of the Hayden Valley. Therefore it seems that I only hiked a portion of what must be a much longer trail. It is my contention that the entire 5 mile stretch that I walked was created by bison during their seasonal migrations. I should say that this is one of the best trails I have seen in Yellowstone. Man-made or not. It is never steep, follows the ridges perfectly, and is always easy to see with little deadfall. Apparently the bison construct a better trail than most people. I searched meticulously for any sign of man on this trail and found none. If anyone else has hiked in this section of the park, I would very much like to know.
