Grizzly Lake Loop

Here is the description of this hike that I wrote for my Yellowstone Degree Hiking Learn Sheet:



"Hike is roughly midway between Norris and Mammoth. In order to do this hke as a loop, you will need either 2 cars, or, as we did, lock your bikes at one trailhead and park at the other, enjoying the approximately 3 mile easy bike ride on the road back to your car after the hike. Starting at the southern end, read the sign at the trailhead to learn about the 2 devastating fires in this area. Walk through the still small, but 20 year old, trees and past wet lands, through the rolling terrain. After about 2.5 miles, the trail seems to end at the back country campsites at the confluence of Grizzly Lake and the outflow of STraight Creek. Make your own way across Stright Creek by braving the log jam, finding a log to cross, or finding a shallow place to ford and pick up the trail on the other side of the lake, heading south a bit until the trail makes a wide turn around some wetlands to head back north. This section of the trail follows Straight Creek, then Winter Creek from a ridge above, offering views of the creekbeds and wide grasslands. There are 2 more stream fording opportunities before you get back to the road at the north trailhead."



Given the limited space on the form, there is much I left out...

This trail was another one of my stellar ideas. I didn't have a description, but I had spied it on my map. It seemed to follow the contour lines, so I thought it would be a flat 6.4 miles. This was promptly disproven as we rounded the first wetland area and approached the large hill that lay between us and Grizzly Lake. Lacking a description, we didn't know what we were open to a new adventure. Fortunately, I followed my intuition and brought the map along with me. The trail seemed straight forward, but I brought it "just in case."



I had promised Alex a flat trail, but he promptly forgave me for the ups and downs as we became preoccupied with the shapes of the grayed downed trees, remants of the past fires. Plus. the flowers are still in bloom, giving us fields of purples, reds and yellows to admire. After about 2 1/2 miles, we descended a hill to Grizzly Lake. I was hoping for a swim, which actually isn't recommended at most locations in the park due to the coldness of the waters, but the breeze was pretty strong, kicking up waves in the lake. It looked a little dangerous to me. We followed the trail around the side of the lake, ate a snack in a sheltered area, and then followed the trail until it literally disappeared at the edge of the lake. We knew it should follow the stream northward, but the way was barred with fallen trees. Aha! The map! The map pointed us across the creek where no trail was visible and provided no indication as to how to get there.



Alex and I are a bit of selfish hikers. We tend to hop in our truck and wander off by ourselves, leaving a note of where we're going written on a message board in our room (should we disappear into the wild). We know we have co-workers without cars that would hop into the back seat and join us on one of our adventures, but we still find it easier to just head out by ourselves. (An additional person definitely would have complicated the bike plan.) As we struggeled to find our way across the river, I was glad we were alone. Alex promptly found a workable log and scampered across the creek, leaving me on the east bank. "How am I going to do this," I wondered out loud. I tried finding a long stick to brace myself against the bed of the creek, but the water was moving too fast to make this feasible. Finally, I tentatively stepped up on the log, shuffling my feet slowly across, stepping gently over branch nubs, until I reached a point where the log rounded. A seemingly impassable ridge had formed along the tree during it's life span, making shuffling across an impossible balancing act. I froze. I couldn't turn around, but I couldn't step forward. Alex, with great patience, found a brance that he could extend out to me, putting himself at jeopard of slipping into the creek. Finally, I grabbed it, and, on the count of 3, he pulled me across in 3 quick steps. Phew.



But we still hadn't found the trail. After wandering around at the edge of another wetland, we finally decided to try heading back to the lake, where we promptly picked up a trail...heading in the wrong direction. "I want to follow it to see where it goes," I insisted. The trail follow the lake for a brief period, then began to curve back to the north, just where we wanted to go.

The hike out was beautiful. The trail was up above the creeks a little, giving us a view of the creek beds and surrounding areas. We were below the ridge line, so we were more protected from the wind. Throughout the hike, we admired the wildflowers and hoped to see wildlife (we saw some robins and a pretty butterfly). At the 2nd creek crossing, I got to pull Alex across as I was able to wade through the shallower depth in my waterproof boots. At the 3rd creek crossing, I watched Alex stroll across a log about 5 feet above the water (a little to high for my liking), then gave up crossing over logs and found a shallower place where I could take off my boots and wade across, Alex laughing at me the whole time. He did find a skull and bones, replete with antlers, of an elk. It was a little unnerving to see a leg that still had fur and a hoof!

Finally, we made it back to the road and our bicycles. The 3 mile bike back to the truck was very easy and leisurely - sometimes the best laid plans do work out after all.