• Petrified Trees on Specimen Ridge

    Petrified Trees on Specimen Ridge

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    Jake Bramante

    While the namesake “specimens” on Specimen Ridge in Yellowstone National Park aren’t accessible via the Specimen Ridge Trail, a steep, unofficial trail takes you to a forest of petrified trees. Well, they’re mostly stumps now, but they are intact and fantastic with beautiful views as a bonus. It was getting later in the day and…

  • Tower Creek

    Tower Creek

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    The Tower Creek trail in Yellowstone National Park is a trail that starts at the Tower Fall campground and follows the creek upstream for 3.5 miles. This trail appears on current maps, but is no longer maintained, so expect to ford the creek and employ some route-finding skills as you bounce between forests and meadows.…

  • Rogers Meadow 2016

    Rogers Meadow 2016

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    Jake Bramante

    Rogers Meadow in Glacier National Park is a seldom visited meadow where Camas Creek slows to a meandering crawl. After noticing that the Inside North Fork Road was open to Camas Creek and the sun was shining, we decided to make Christensen Meadow and Rogers Meadow our destination. The Inside North Fork Road is a…

  • Yellowstone River Picnic Area and Specimen Ridge with Agate Creek

    Yellowstone River Picnic Area and Specimen Ridge with Agate Creek

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    by

    Jake Bramante

    Specimen Ridge and the Yellowstone River Picnic Area trails in Yellowstone National Park feature expansive views, abundant wildlife, and a nice variety including watching the Yellowstone River through a canyon lined with towers. A side trip along Agate Creek takes you steeply down to the Yellowstone River. As I started out at the Specimen Ridge trailhead,…

  • Divide Trail

    Divide Trail

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    Jake Bramante

    The Divide Trail in Yellowstone National Park is a steady climb through an older forest along the Continental Divide to an old lookout site. Aside from a brief glimpse at the beautiful Shoshone Lake, it lacks any views you might hope for, including at the site of the old lookout. In between Old Faithful and…

  • Lone Star Geyser

    Lone Star Geyser

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    Jake Bramante

    Lone Star Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is a great, cone geyser set away from the large collection at Old Faithful. The path to it is along an old road that is bike-friendly and follows a beautiful, lazy section of the Firehole River. Just east of the Kepler Cascades pullout is the parking lot for…

  • Slide Lake Backpack 2016

    Slide Lake Backpack 2016

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    Jake Bramante

    I had the opportunity to go on my first backpack (yes, you read that right) of the year at Slide Lake in Glacier National Park this past weekend. The plan was to hike up Lee Ridge, drop down to Slide Lake, explore around and then hike back out the next day. Originally, we were going…

  • Fairy Falls Loop with Imperial Geyser

    Fairy Falls Loop with Imperial Geyser

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    Jake Bramante

    The Fairy Falls trail in Yellowstone National Park is a very popular trail that walks past the Grand Prismatic Spring on its level way to a wonderful waterfall. If you continue on the trail, you can encounter Imperial Geyser and turn it into a wonderful loop through a broad meadow and add Goose Lake. **A…

  • Starting Grand Teton National Park

    Starting Grand Teton National Park

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    Jake Bramante

    Any time I’ve mentioned that I’m heading down to Grand Teton National Park, the response is always, “It’s so beautiful there!” As we drove into the park and the mountains came into view at sunset, we felt like we were driving into a surreal painting. This week begins the hiking that I need to do…