Osprey Falls

Today we travelled to the Mammoth Hot Springs area, in the northwest section of the park, about 50 miles from where we are camped in West Yellowstone.

The first 3 miles of the hike was on an old jeep road that is also open to mountain bikers. We didn't see anyone during the entire hike until we were most of the way back when two groups of 2 mountain bikers passed us going the other way, and two different couples hiking to Osprey Falls came by. It was a nice day of quiet solitude.

Along the way we passed a badger sitting beside its hole. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get a complete picture of it, but here is the hole, under construction. I think you can just see the tail and dirt flying out of the hole. (If you click on the picture to make it larger, the details show up.)

The trail down to the falls starts right at the rim of Sheepeater Canyon and drops 800 vertical feet (in 1 mile) down a series of switchbacks to the canyon bottom and Osprey Falls, 150 feet high. Sheepeater Canyon is named for the only Native American tribe - the Sheepeaters - hardy enough to spend the entire winter in what is now Yellowstone Park. And, yes, they depended heavily on local herds of bighorn sheep for sustenance. 

Our lunch spot at one of the hidden jewels of Yellowstone.

The view across the valley from our lunch spot. I tried to get the falls and the sort-of-hoodoos on the opposite side but the only way I could do that is with a...

panorama picture which distorts the valley a bit. That's the Gardner River plunging over the falls.

Part way back up to the rim I took this picture of the hoodoos and the Gardner River. 

And, a little further up the trail, here is the Gardner River traveling down Sheepeater Canyon below the falls.

Near the rim we could see the hoodoos from above.

The first, and last, three miles of the trail travels around the base of Bunsen Peak which was heavily burned during the 1988 fires. Frederick wanted me to take this picture and entitle it "Bunsen burner."

Just before the trail turned away from Sheepeater Canyon towards the trailhead and the road, we could look down into the canyon and the Gardner River heading for the falls.

The beautiful, bucolic, last section of the trail.

Less than a mile from the trailhead is the Golden Gate Canyon and the engineering marvel of the road through the Canyon. It was one of the most difficult and expensive challenges engineers faced when building the first roads through the park. The first bridge was built in 1885 using a wooden trestle which, by 1900, had become dangerously unstable. The bridge was rebuilt in 1900, 1933, and 1977 using newer materials and engineering each time.

Selfie at the falls.

Hike statistics:

Length - 9.35 miles

Elevation gain/loss - 800 feet (123 floors on the Fitbit)

Duration - 4 hours, 53 minutes (including lunch and visiting with one of the couples who are moving from Florida to Scotts Valley, California, and visiting National Parks along the way.)