As we have made more trips to Yellowstone National Park we have began to hike more when we get there. It allows us to get away from the crowds and experience the park on a more personal level. We always purchase bear spray when we arrive in Bozeman and then donate it to someone when we leave since we can't fly with it. For this hike, our landlord was kind enough to provide us with a shuttle. We left our rental car at the Rescue Creek Trailhead near Gardiner, Montana. Our landlord picked us up at the trailhead and drove us to the Blacktail Creek Trailhead. As we hiked it, the trail was 8 miles. With the exception of the an uphill stretch during the first mile, the trail was either flat or downhill. There is roughly 1000 feet of elevation change.
A raven perched on a rock to check our progress on the trail. Electric Peak is visible in the background.
As we hiked, we saw several elk and a black bear along the ridges to the south of the trail.
We saw several Mountain Bluebirds in the sage along some marshland on the trail.
A male Bufflehead was strutting his stuff on a pond beside the trail.
In this area, the trail made its way through sagebrush flats between two ridges. There were many ponds along the trail, most with waterfowl.
We were fortunate to have gorgeous blue skies for the hike.
Uinta Ground Squirrels were using the trail as well as us.
The trail eventually left the sagebrush flats and entered a deeper valley. Near the junction of the two a male pronghorn watched us from his bed above the trail.
As the valley deepened, we entered a forest of evergreens.
We saw several skeletons along this section of trail. Most appeared to be elk or mule deer. None of the skeletons appeared to fresh, but it was still left us with an eerie feeling as we discussed what might have made the kills.
We stopped for lunch in an open area that allowed us to keep a look out.
When we left the forest, the trail became drier as we continued down the valley. The change in elevation and moisture made for a completely different ecosystem.
One of the reasons we chose this hike was because it took us by Rattlesnake Butte. True to its name, it is one of the few spots in the park where rattlesnakes are found because of its lower elevation. A rattlesnake sighting gave us another animal to add to the list of sightings we had in the park.
The last couple of miles of the trail passed through an area that was almost desert like. The ground was rather sandy and there were scattered low growing cacti.
This desert like area was interspersed with wetter areas where the plant life was completely different.
The trail ends with a sturdy bridge across the Gardner River.
One of the most interesting things about this hike to me was the change in the ecosystems was the elevation changed.
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