Yellowstone National Park is a big, beautiful, and busy place. If
you are seeking a little solitude, there are areas within the Park
where you can get away from the crowds – even during the peak
season. This post will highlight four hikes where scenery and solitude can be found in the
northwest corner of Yellowstone. They are: Bighorn Creek Trail, Fawn Pass Trail, Bacon Rind Trail,
and Daily Creek Trail.
NPS Map
We’ve been to this area on three different occasions. Each time we
left West Yellowstone and headed north on Highway 191 & 287
toward Big Sky and Bozeman. So, the mileage to the trailheads will
be from West Yellowstone.
On
Highway 191, a small wooden sign hanging from a post marks the
entrance to the Park.
Park Entrance Sign
We hiked part of the Bighorn Creek Trail during a snowy October
visit. I would describe this area as remote, rugged, and rewarding.
The only people you may see on the trail are those in your group but
keep your eyes open because this area is good wildlife habitat.
The dirt road to Bighorn
Creek Trailhead is on the right-hand side of US-191
about 20.4 miles from West Yellowstone. The trail is a 21.2 mile
(round trip) hike to Bighorn Pass. When it comes to hiking trails, my Hubby and I have adopted a “we don’t have to do the whole-thing” attitude. We like to get out of
the car and hike a trail without any expectations. Sometimes we do
the whole hike and sometimes we don’t. Today, we hike the trail
for about 1.5 miles before returning to the trailhead.
That part of the trail we did hike was easy walking. After we left
the car, we hiked about 2/10’s of a mile and found this scene of
the Gallatin River meandering near the trail.
Gallatin River
In
another quarter mile, we encounter this wooden footbridge over the
Gallatin River. At least I didn’t have to get my feet wet fording
a river!
Footbridge over Gallatin River
We
continue hiking the snow-covered landscape crossing another stream
with the aid of a makeshift wooden footbridge and passing through a
pine forest and meadows.
Meadow to Pine Forest
Pine Forest Trail
Snow-Covered Landscape
We
didn’t see any grizzly bears during this October visit but this is
prime bear territory.
During a June visit, we hiked part of the Fawn Pass Trail. From West
Yellowstone, the trailhead is about 21.9 miles to the parking lot on
the right side of Highway 191. It’s about 1.5 miles after the
Bighorn Creek Trailhead.
This 20.3 mile trail extends from Highway 191 to the Glen Creek
Trailhead (about five miles south of Mammoth near the entrance to
Bunsen Peak Road). Because this is prime bear territory, the
National Park Service recommends groups of four or more hikers.
As soon as we arrive at the Fawn Pass trailhead, we see a cow moose
heading toward Highway 191.
Moose near Trailhead
The beginning of the trail is a meadow filled with little streams.
Fortunately, there are footbridges so I don’t get my feet wet (I
hate getting my feet wet!). After the meadow, we climb a sloping
hillside and continue hiking through forests and more meadows dotted
with sagebrush.
Sagebrush
Trail View
Trail View
We
hike for about 1.5 miles to the Fan Creek Trail sign. At this point,
we decide to return to the parking lot.
Again, we didn’t see any bears on our hike but we did see this
porcupine in the open meadow near the trail.
During another October visit (no snow this time), we drove about 22.5 miles north of West
Yellowstone on Highway 191 to the Bacon Rind Trailhead. This trail
is 2 miles in length with a 93’ elevation change. Most of the
trail is on the east side of Highway 191. However, it starts on the
west side of Hwy 191 (at the Park’s west boundary), crosses the
highway, and continues until it reaches the main Fawn Pass Trail.
The Bacon Rind trail fords more creeks and rivers per mile than any
trail in Yellowstone.
Knowing this, we opt to hike the trail on the west side of Highway
191 toward Yellowstone’s western boundary. The trail is an easy
walk through a forest and meadows along Bacon Rind Creek.
Rock-Strewn Forest Trail
Trail along Bacon Rind Creek
From
the Park’s west boundary, Bacon Rind Creek flows east to the
Gallatin River. There isn’t any record of who named Bacon Rind
Creek. It’s been called that as early as 1898.
After we finished the Bacon Rind Creek hike, we continued driving
north to the Daily (Daly) Creek Trailhead. It’s about 30.4 miles
north of West Yellowstone. The Daly Creek trailhead is on the right
side of the highway.
Daly Creek Trailhead
The Daly Creek Trail is 5.5 miles long (10.4 round trip) with about
1,600 feet elevation change. Due to time constraints, we didn’t
hike the entire trail. The stretch we did hike was easy walking
through sagebrush filled meadows offering distant views of the
Gallatin Range.
Footbridge over Daly Creek
It’s getting late in the afternoon and I have one more photo stop
planned. So, we retrace our steps back to the parking lot.
View going back to the car ...
Before we head back to West Yellowstone for the night, I wanted to
get a photo of the northwest Park entrance sign on Highway 191.
Every time we enter a National Park, we stop at the entrance sign for
a photo. Here in Yellowstone, I noticed the entrance signs can vary
in size and in design. I wondered why.
Northwest Entrance Sign (stone & wood)
Southwest Entrance Sign
West Entrance Sign (wood panel)
Highway 191 Entrance Sign
There isn’t a lot of information about the park entrance signs.
However, I did find an Internet article that addressed the need to
achieve consistency for park entrance signs (stone and wood versus all wood panel signs) used throughout the National Park system. A compromise was reached by consistently using the National Park Service arrowhead logo and the typeface used on the sign. I’m
still trying to discover which entrance sign is the oldest in Yellowstone National Park. I’ll have to ask that question at a Visitor Center during my
next visit.
No matter how many times I visit Yellowstone, I never get tired of
seeing its ever-changing scenery. I invite you to view my other blog
posts on Yellowstone National Park by clicking on the following
links:
Planning a visit to Yellowstone? Food and lodging options are
available inside the park and in towns just outside the park (West
Yellowstone, Gardiner, and Cooke City/Silver Gate – all located in
Montana). I highly recommend making lodging reservations in advance.
Yellowstone is a popular destination and “No Vacancy” signs are
common especially during the peak summer months. Since opinions,
preferences, and budgets vary, I suggest checking a trusted travel
source for current reviews.
My best advice is this - don’t just drive through Yellowstone –
experience it!
The National Park Service has created a series of short videos titled
“Inside Yellowstone”. It’s a fast and fun way to learn about
the Park. Click on the following link to begin this Yellowstone
experience.
Family vacations created some of my favorite memories. To start
planning your memorable trip to Yellowstone, please click on the
following link:
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