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If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know. We plan to add trails and hikes that will be of interest to the seasoned backcountry hiker or first time visitor. We will include tips and hints along the way.
Happy Trails to You!
This trail is a one-way trip and is traditionally, and best, started from the Blacktail Creek Trailhead, inside the Park. You will end up at the Rocky Mountain Campground in Gardiner, Montana, just outside Yellowstone. The trailhead is on your right, along the road to Mammoth from Roosevelt, at about the halfway point. You'll see it; there are always lots of cars parked there. This is a popular trail but most people only go in as far as the Yellowstone to fish and come back out the same way.
From the trailhead it's 4 miles and an 1,100 foot descent to the Yellowstone's confluence with Blacktail Creek, which you will parallel as you hike. That descent is the reason it's best to start from this end. The first grassy meadow section rolls up and down for a while, passing some cozy little stands of douglas fir, where I once waited out a hail storm. Watch the weather in this section of the Park, in late Summer, storms roll out of the Gallatins every afternoon. Take rain gear. The descent gets fairly aggressive in the last mile or so and levels out at the Yellowstone River suspension bridge. This bridge will surprise you after a 4-mile hike through wild territory. It is substantial, perhaps overbuilt, and a piece of civilization and development smack in the middle of the backcountry.
Just before the bridge, you will see on your right the trail leading to the Blacktail Creek patrol cabin, at the foot of Terrace Mountain. As with all patrol cabins, the rule is: Park Service Property, Do Not Enter! These patrol cabins are for backcountry patrols and are specifically set up for Winter use. Here's an interesting aside: each patrol cabin's wood stove is left, by the previous occupant, with the makings of a fire in the stove and a match lying on the stove top, so there will be no time lost in getting the cabin warm in case of emergency in Winter.
I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in this patrol cabin in 1992, as part of an archeology program, and I still treasure each memory of each day I was there. Sometimes I can still hear the unceasing sound of Blacktail Creek tumbling into the Yellowstone.
After you've crossed the suspension bridge, stay left (the right hand trail leads to some great campsites) and you will join the Yellowstone River Trail. Almost immediately on your left you will see Crevice Lake, a great place to stop, empty the rocks from your boots, and get hypnotized by the sparkling water.
This area has some archeological sites in and around it, so please, if you come across any artifacts, leave them for others to enjoy. Please, Do Not Disturb!
After you have passed Crevice Lake and crossed a small footbridge over Crevice Creek, Knowles Falls is your next stop. Don't miss this one! Knowles is small (in comparison to other falls in Yellowstone) but spectacular. The trail to the falls is a spur to the left and climbs around a bit, but take the time and effort required.
Once back on the trail, you'll go through, over and around some extensive and wonderful talus slopes and hike on rock for a while as the trail picks its way through the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. The canyon is called "black" because of the dark-toned sheer walls on either side, especially yours. At the top of the rock section, before descending again to the river, is an especially challenging section of the trail which borders on bouldering. Be careful not to turn an ankle, you still have about 4 miles to go.
Along this stretch, which is back along the river, watch for a bald eagle's nest on the other side. If you don't make too much noise and if you aren't too visible, you may get to watch this incredible bird go fishing. I have also had a black bear encounter here and once found some quicksand in this area. Be ready for anything!
By the way, fill your water bottles at this point, using a filtration pump or purification tablets. The trail gets hot and dry from here on out, as you cross and re-cross the Park's northern boundary. I once saw a dozen dead elk on this section, just outside that Park boundary, that had been killed by poachers, just for the racks. The antlers had all been sawed off. I found out later that these antlers are ground up and sold in Asian countries as an aphrodisiac. Unbelievable and disgusting.
The trail clings to the canyon wall along a wonderful and narrow section for a while and if there has been any rain lately, which there probably has, this section of the trail could have washouts. Be alert. You have gradually climbed for a while, now you will descend into Gardiner and the Rocky Mountain Campground. If you are going to park a car here, and you should, get permission from the campground owner and please park in the special section just for this purpose. Go to the campground store and buy some Gatorade. Then go to Helen's Corral Drive-In, Home of the Hateful Hamburger, and chow down. Tell Helen I said hi.
I hope you enjoy your hike; this is a very special trail.
Tips and Hints
Bring along:
