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- May 31, 2015
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September 13-15, 2024
Continuing with the old trip reports since the covid isn't gone yet, here's one I did in September on Pebble Creek in Yellowstone.
I had just finished up at a 3-day work conference at Fairmont Hot Springs, so I went home to grab my mostly pre-packed gear and headed toward Paradise Valley and Gardiner. It was an incredible sunset drive with a handful of good elk sightings. I got a low tire pressure warning about halfway through the drive, so I eventually stopped to refill my tire in Gardiner before continuing on.
I met my friends Andrew and Kirstie at Eagle Creek Campground above Gardiner. Cool location with neat views. The sites are very close together with no privacy, but it worked well for a quick one nighter. I didn't appreciate the losers near us who ran their generator from about 10 p.m. until well after midnight. Pretty sure they have to stop by 10, but the host didn't notice or chose not to enforce it.
It got rather cold up there overnight. Beautiful morning. My tire had gone flat.
Fortunately, Andrew had an electric pump that I was able to use, so I refilled it as we waited for our breakfast spot in Gardiner to open.
After we ate, we headed to Mammoth for the permits. My tire strangely appeared to be holding air, so we went on our way to set up the shuttle. Lamar Valley was a zoo. Unpleasant driving experience through there this time, but we did see a wolf in addition to the bison.
We left Andrew and Kirstie's car at the Warm Creek trailhead and drove back to Pebble Creek. I crossed my fingers that my tire would remain not flat.
The trail starts off up a steep hill, I believe to circumvent a steep, cliffy stretch along the lower portion of the creek.
The first miles looked like this, passing through forest every now and then.
Passing by one of the first of the Pebble Creek campsites. Someone's orange tent in the background.
We came to our first ford and ran into a couple of day hikers enjoying the afternoon by the creek. We had lunch there and took a little break.
Across the ford
The trail stayed near creek level for a while. We came across another group near here doing some fishing. They had come in on horseback.
The classic Absaroka cliff look. I've had to hike a lot farther for views like this in the past.
We were constantly wowed by the scenery. These photos may become repetitive.
As we got higher up, the trail went through what seemed like a pretty old burn area with newer growth. We crossed the WY-MT state line somewhere around it. If it was marked, we didn't notice it.
Happy hiker
Great rocks. 10/10
We got to our other ford of the day, which made for an incredible place to take a break. Couldn't get enough of the view.
We skipped some rocks and hung out for a bit, and it was only a short bit more to camp.
The camp site was also awesome.
These were wildly convenient. I don't love the look of them in the backcountry, but they sure were a pleasure to use, and they probably ensure everyone safely stores their stuff. So you'll hear no complaints from me.
Looking out toward the tents.
The water access.
Tiny bit of snow left up high from an early season snowstorm the preceding week.
First one looked like an old grizzly dig. Second maybe a burrow for someone. Both near the tent area.
There was a fire ban while we were there (and it was ended either a day or two after this, even though no precip fell in that time), so Kirstie went to bed fairly early, and Andrew and I sat in the cold and dark for as long as we could stand.
Last (good) shot of the night.
We had a great frosty sunrise. We also saw a bull moose in the willows down by the creek. I may not see many bears on my Yellowstone trips, but I've seen an inordinate number of moose in the last handful of years.
The hike out was a pretty short one. Really nice walk through the upper meadow, quick creek crossing across some rocks, up a little pass, and then down some forested hills with cool views of the surrounding peaks.
We got back to the car, changed into some fresh clothes, and got lunch in Cooke City. Beautiful day up there.
Got back to my car and the tire had only lost a few PSI, so we aired it up, and I made it all the way home without losing any pressure. Then it was flat in the garage the next day, and I seized a lug nut on a wheel stud trying to remove it to put the spare on. I don't have tire issues very often (knock on wood), so it wasn't the worst thing.
Another great little weekend trip!
Continuing with the old trip reports since the covid isn't gone yet, here's one I did in September on Pebble Creek in Yellowstone.
I had just finished up at a 3-day work conference at Fairmont Hot Springs, so I went home to grab my mostly pre-packed gear and headed toward Paradise Valley and Gardiner. It was an incredible sunset drive with a handful of good elk sightings. I got a low tire pressure warning about halfway through the drive, so I eventually stopped to refill my tire in Gardiner before continuing on.
I met my friends Andrew and Kirstie at Eagle Creek Campground above Gardiner. Cool location with neat views. The sites are very close together with no privacy, but it worked well for a quick one nighter. I didn't appreciate the losers near us who ran their generator from about 10 p.m. until well after midnight. Pretty sure they have to stop by 10, but the host didn't notice or chose not to enforce it.
It got rather cold up there overnight. Beautiful morning. My tire had gone flat.
Fortunately, Andrew had an electric pump that I was able to use, so I refilled it as we waited for our breakfast spot in Gardiner to open.
After we ate, we headed to Mammoth for the permits. My tire strangely appeared to be holding air, so we went on our way to set up the shuttle. Lamar Valley was a zoo. Unpleasant driving experience through there this time, but we did see a wolf in addition to the bison.
We left Andrew and Kirstie's car at the Warm Creek trailhead and drove back to Pebble Creek. I crossed my fingers that my tire would remain not flat.
The trail starts off up a steep hill, I believe to circumvent a steep, cliffy stretch along the lower portion of the creek.
The first miles looked like this, passing through forest every now and then.
Passing by one of the first of the Pebble Creek campsites. Someone's orange tent in the background.
We came to our first ford and ran into a couple of day hikers enjoying the afternoon by the creek. We had lunch there and took a little break.
Across the ford
The trail stayed near creek level for a while. We came across another group near here doing some fishing. They had come in on horseback.
The classic Absaroka cliff look. I've had to hike a lot farther for views like this in the past.
We were constantly wowed by the scenery. These photos may become repetitive.
As we got higher up, the trail went through what seemed like a pretty old burn area with newer growth. We crossed the WY-MT state line somewhere around it. If it was marked, we didn't notice it.
Happy hiker
Great rocks. 10/10
We got to our other ford of the day, which made for an incredible place to take a break. Couldn't get enough of the view.
We skipped some rocks and hung out for a bit, and it was only a short bit more to camp.
The camp site was also awesome.
These were wildly convenient. I don't love the look of them in the backcountry, but they sure were a pleasure to use, and they probably ensure everyone safely stores their stuff. So you'll hear no complaints from me.
Looking out toward the tents.
The water access.
Tiny bit of snow left up high from an early season snowstorm the preceding week.
First one looked like an old grizzly dig. Second maybe a burrow for someone. Both near the tent area.
There was a fire ban while we were there (and it was ended either a day or two after this, even though no precip fell in that time), so Kirstie went to bed fairly early, and Andrew and I sat in the cold and dark for as long as we could stand.
Last (good) shot of the night.
We had a great frosty sunrise. We also saw a bull moose in the willows down by the creek. I may not see many bears on my Yellowstone trips, but I've seen an inordinate number of moose in the last handful of years.
The hike out was a pretty short one. Really nice walk through the upper meadow, quick creek crossing across some rocks, up a little pass, and then down some forested hills with cool views of the surrounding peaks.
We got back to the car, changed into some fresh clothes, and got lunch in Cooke City. Beautiful day up there.
Got back to my car and the tire had only lost a few PSI, so we aired it up, and I made it all the way home without losing any pressure. Then it was flat in the garage the next day, and I seized a lug nut on a wheel stud trying to remove it to put the spare on. I don't have tire issues very often (knock on wood), so it wasn't the worst thing.
Another great little weekend trip!
