Beaver Pond Trail Hike

Monday August 31, 2015    Day 34    Yellowstone N.P.  Mammoth Campground, site 46, day 4

Cooked a nice breakfast over the morning coffee campfire in the cast iron skillet.  Made a diced onion, green pepper, ham, and eggs together into a scramble. 

Today was hike day for the Beaver Ponds Trail near Mammoth Hot Springs.  Our neighbors, Jill and Chance were leaving today so we went over to say goodbye.  They were leaving for Glacier National Park.  They had never been there and we recommended Two Medicine Campground.  Saying goodbye took about an hour.   They were nice people and we enjoyed meeting them.

We started our hike at 10:45.  Was a very nice hike.  Started out with a 600 ft. ascent in 0.6 mile.  Not as bad as it sounds as it was a gentle rise with long switchbacks.  We got up on the plateau and it flattened out.  Many different terrain from meadows, to sagebrush, to forests, and mountain views.  After ½ way, about 2.5 miles, we came to the beaver ponds which were beautiful.  We were down in elevation a little.  They  don’t put beaver ponds on top of ridges or mountains.  Afterwards, we had to climb a little but not as bad as the initial climb.  From there we were on a plateau for the rest of the trip back to Mammoth.  Outstanding views of the Gardner Valley, the cliffs across the way, the town of Gardiner, and the mountains to the north.  We finished the 5-mile hike in 3.5 hours.

The hike started right next to the hot springs at Mammoth



A closer view as we hiked along.



We hiked up the side of this valley to a plateau.

From the top, we could see all of Mammoth.







We then entered a forest for most of the next two miles.



We thought we had come to the beaver ponds the trail was named after. 

But these were just bogs.  There was no stream inlet or dam.

But they were pretty.

This is a real beaver pond.

View when we first came upon it.

After going around it.  Note the dam and the trail to the right.

A closer view.



View from the top of the sagebrush plateau on the way back.  Gardner River down there.

A meadow area of the Gardner River seen from the blur.  Also North Entrance Road.

Mammoth as we were coming off the plateau at the end of the hike.

Early in the trail we met two couples our age just a hiking down the trail at a pretty quick pace.  They started behind us and then passed us.   After about two miles, they were coming back toward us.  They asked us how many miles the trail was and where did it go!  We told them it’s a 5-mile loop trail and the beaver ponds were about half way.  They told me they’ve hiked more than two and a half miles and the trail keeps on going and hasn’t turned yet.  So they thought they were on the wrong trail and turned back.  They were not carrying bear spray either.  They had only gone two miles and if they continued a half mile more, they would have seen the beaver ponds.  I don’t think they were even carrying water.

After we got back, we went into Gardiner to reward ourselves with pizza at the K-Bar again.  We call it our Yellowstone Tip-A-Few.  For those who live in Grand Haven, you know what I mean.  The K-Bar has one of the best pizza I’ve ever had.  While we were in town I washed the truck with one of those spray it yourself car washes to get the 3 week old Wyoming dust off from our Sacajawea days. 

Here's where you can get great pizza in Gardiner, MT.

It was another excellent day in Yellowstone.