Thursday 9/5/24 & Friday 9/6/24 Yellowstone National Park, Hiking & Mammoth Campground

Roosevelt Arch

 

Thursday 9-5-24 Hiking Beaver Ponds Trail & Mammoth Campground

Larry woke me up at 7:00 because we had an hour drive to Yellowstone. We spent the night at a BLM campground that was 22 miles from Yellowstone. Because of a flood a few years ago The old Gardiner Road is now the new road between Gardiner and Yellowstone. It a curvy two lane road on the side of a mountain. We wanted to hike before it got warm. We were on the road by 7:15. We ate a quick breakfast as we drove.

As we were driving we saw two ranches that were raising bison. Both herds were a nice size. We also saw a herd of elk in another farmers field. They were beautiful to see. The road was good and the scenery was beautiful. Before getting to Gardiner we stopped to get gas. When we got to the Roosevelt Arch we drove around it instead of thru it. At the entrance gate the lady, who gave us information was very nice and thanked Larry for having our Senior pass and his driver's license ready because this made the line go faster. The road to Mammoth had tight curves but the condition was great.

 

Driving to Yellowstone 

 

We parked the Minnie in Mammoth, a few blocks from the Beaver Ponds trailhead behind the hotel. We got ready for our hike. The hike was 6.25 miles long and took us 3 hours. We walked to the hotel, which was about .25 mile away. As we were walking we saw elk grazing in the yards of the buildings and homes. This is what Mammoth is known for. We saw one elk with a couple of magpies on her back. A ranger told us we were close enough. He thought we were approaching the elk. Larry asked if we could go around him and he said yes. He was very nice. When we got at the trailhead we hiked up the mountainside. This part was out in the open. The scenery was very nice, we saw Mammoth, mountains, sage brush, wildflowers, pine trees  and other prairie plants. We took our time hiking. In front of us was a family of four so we stopped now and then to give them their space. Once on top of the mountain we turned to the west and hiked in the trees a little while, which cooled us off. There was a little breeze which also helped. We passed the family on the way up and said hi to them. When we got to the first beaver pond we had to cross it by using a fallen tree bridge. On the other side we saw three deer grazing along side the trail. We stopped and let them do their thing. One had a collar on it. I think they must be tracking the three deer. When they walked into some bushes we continued on our way. Some of the trail was still in the open and some of it was in the trees. We hiked by four beaver ponds and crossed over the creek, that fed the ponds. The last time we hiked beaver ponds trail it was raining and it was muddy. This time it was nice because we didn't have to fight the mud. We were over halfway thru our hike when we saw more people hiking. We moved off the trail so they could go by. As they hiked by we all said hello and have a great hike. The last mile or so was downhill through the trees. It was a little easier. We saw a lot of grasshoppers on and around the trail. We crossed over a few bridges to get across the creek. W had an outstanding hike, by the end we were tired. When we got back to the Minnie we relaxed before going to the campground, which was just a little ways away.

 

Mammoth and the Mammoth Hot Springs from the trail

 

Yellowstone River from the trail

 

A beaver dam on the first beaver's pond

 

One of the deer 

We got to Mammoth Campground at 12:00 and checked in. We had a reservation so there was no problem. While Larry checked in I got rid of our cans, they had a nice recycling area by the check in booth. They recycle cans, plastic bottles, cardboard and small propane containers. Once we were checked in we went to our site. Larry had to block the front up one block to level the Minnie. It's a very nice campground, the road is paved and the sites are graveled. Our site didn't have shade but it had a bear box and picnic table. There is a water spicket just across the road from us so we could get water when needed.

It was a warm day, probably in the high 80's, which isn't normal for up here. But it wasn't too bad because there was a little breeze. You're  allowed to run your generator from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, which is great.

Once we were setup I made sandwiches for lunch. After lunch I took a nap. Larry spent the afternoon trying to figure out where to go next and where we're staying Saturday night.

Larry setup his chair and enjoyed the campground. He also started a new book. I continued reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. 

After dinner I walked around the campground for fifteen minutes. While walking I saw a few elk by the amphitheater. I only walked a half mile. Larry was sitting in his chair reading when I got back. I ended up doing 18,500 steps, which put me in 7th place in my group. 

 

Elk in Mammoth Campground

 

Magpie
 

Friday 9-6-24 Old Faithful Inn Tour & Old Faithful

I woke up at 6:30. We put everything down and secured. We had a quick breakfast as we drove. 

We were on the road by 7:45. Our drive was from Mammoth Campground to Old Faithful, it was 52 miles. It took us about two hours, it was through Yellowstone where the roads are curvy two lanes, there are pullouts along the way to see sites and wildlife. The drive was very pretty. We saw a lot of bison grazing in the pastures and walking across the road. We saw a deer, cottontail in the campground and elk. The scenery was beautiful mountains, rivers and a waterfalls. We saw people fly fishing in the rivers and creeks. It was an awesome drive to Old Faithful.

 

Bison in a field with geysers behind them

Bison crossing the road

 A calf following it's mom

We arrived at Old Faithful at 9:00. We have been here multiple times so Larry knew where he wanted to park. It was already getting warm outside. I put my pouch together with water. We decided that we would walk around the area and not go on a hike. We arrived at the Yellowstone Inn about 10 minutes before a tour was scheduled to begin. We decided to take the tour. We have toured the inn a few times and we always enjoy hearing about the history of the inn. Our tour guide today was Ruth, she has lived and worked in Yellowstone for 35 years and still enjoys it. During the tour we learned about the lobby, furnishings, structure of the inn and how they expanded. We got to enter one of the original guest rooms and see how it changed with the times. Ruth did an excellent job. After the tour she stopped and talked to us, she had noticed my Popeye's hat. She said it reminded her of her husband's mom saying in order for her to get him to eat green vegetables she had to say Popeye eats spinach. We told her we got the hat in Chester, Il.

 

Old Faithful Inn back

 

Our tour guide Ruth

A hall for the rooms in the original section of the inn

 

The highest floor of the inn (the tree-house)

 

After the tour we saw the clock saying Old Faithful was predicted to erupt at 11:12. They recommend you be there 10 minutes early and be prepared to stay 10 minutes late because it may not go off exactly at the predicted time. We sat waiting for Old Faithful Geyser to go off from 10:50 to 11:15, it was playing with the crowd, it would bubble and spurt a couple of times. We were walking away and it decided to do it's thing. It was gorgeous. After the eruption we went to the visitor center and walked around the outside back to the Minnie. We had lunch and then went back to the Yellowstone Inn and took a shower. The showers cost $5.00 a piece. The lady, who took care of us was very friendly and gave us a bear soap to wash with. The showers are located on the second floor in the bathroom. The bathroom has marble sinks and shower stalls. The showers have body wash, shampoo and conditioner available. I used all three so I didn't have to use my bear soap. The water was good.

 

A bull bison walking around the geysers at Old Faithful

 

Old Faithful

Our dessert

 

Bear Soap

 

After our shower we went to the deli and shared two scoops ( 1 Moose Tracks and 1 Huckleberry) of ice cream. The moose tracks tasted the best. After eating the ice cream we went back to the Minnie. We put things away and headed back to Mammoth Campground. We went the same way as we came. There were more people on the road and at the pull outs. We had a super day at Old Faithful.

After dinner I walked around the campground three times for a total of 3 miles. Earlier I walked around the campground once. I ended up doing 17,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group.