BECHLER
We
broke camp and returned to the trail. I
convinced Christy to take the side trip up to the top of Dunada
Falls, so I ended up doing that hike twice in one morning. Then we headed back down to Bechler Meadows. We
crossed the meadows and arrived at the Sandy Ford of the Bechler
River around mid-day. The river is
deeper here than it appears, but the current is gentle. It was nearly waist deep where we chose to
cross, which was probably not the most ideal spot. A short distance downstream may have been
better. I had my bear spray in the
pocket of my shorts, and it started to float away after I stepped into a
particularly deep spot. Yikes! I was able to snag it and shuffled my way out
of the deepest water.
The
far bank was sandy and shady, and provided the perfect spot for lunch. There was a large group of backpackers here,
but they were just packing up when we arrived.
I did end up chatting with one guy who had extensive experience
exploring the area. He told me that
years ago he had hiked all the way up along Ouzel Falls (230’ high) to the top
of the plateau. Now that’s the way to
really see Ouzel Falls!
After
lunch we hiked upstream into Bechler Canyon. We passed Ouzel Falls, which drops into the Bechler River on the far side of the canyon. Ironically, the view of Ouzel Falls is better
from the trail than it is from the base.
We continued upstream, making a tough climb through a boulder field
before reaching the spur trail to Colonnade Falls on the Bechler
River. Colonnade Falls can be seen from
the main trail, but the view from the overlook is much better, and it is well
worth a few minutes of additional hiking.
Colonnade Falls is one of my favorites in Yellowstone. It’s a two-level waterfall featuring a 35’
sheer drop followed by a 67’ vertical drop.
Some people might consider it two separate waterfalls, but officially it
is one waterfall, probably because the entire thing can be seen from a single
vantage point. It was a bright, sunny
day, which is typically bad for waterfall photography. We were lucky though. There was a deep blue sky above the falls,
and a vibrant rainbow spanning the pool at the base.
I
explored along the rim of the canyon, but didn’t see a good way to get down to
the river downstream of the falls, or to the plunge pool at the base. There were a couple of spots where it would
probably be possible to scramble down with a rope. I didn’t have my rope though, and a safe
route didn’t present itself. We returned
to the main trail and continued upstream to Iris Falls. There is a viewpoint adjacent to the main
trail for this one, which is a 45’ beauty on the Bechler
River. However, the angle isn’t great
for photos, and the overlook is usually inundated with spray. On our return hike on Sunday we found a
better view. Midway between Iris Falls
and the top of Colonnade Falls is a faint path leading from the main trail down
to the river. From there you can hike
upstream a short distance to a great view of the falls from river level.
From
Iris Falls we continued upstream to another ford of the Bechler
River. This is the scary one. The water was over knee deep, the current was
powerful, and the river bottom is full of loose, slippery rocks. We made it across, but not without a few
nervous moments. We continued upstream,
mostly out of sight of the river, before reaching the final ford. This one looks similar, but is much easier as
the current isn’t as strong.
From
there we had another mile to go. That
stretch was pretty easy, but we were tired from our long day. It was late in the evening when we finally
reached the spur trail to our campsite.
A short distance down the spur trail we passed a swamp, and the air was
thick with mosquitoes. This was
alarming. Was our campsite in the middle
of a prime mosquito breeding ground?
Luckily the campsite was another ¼ mile, and the bugs weren’t bad
there. The campsite is right at the base
of 260’ Albright Falls. This monster
waterfall is on an unnamed stream. It’s
quite impressive, though difficult to photograph. We set up camp, ate dinner, and went to bed
early again. We spent two nights at this
campsite, and slept peacefully to the roar of the falls.
A
DAY OFF WITH FERRIS
Saturday
was a layover day. Our campsite was a
mile downstream from Three River Junction, where the Ferris Fork, Gregg Fork,
and Phillips Fork join to form the Bechler
River. You could say that the southwest
corner of Yellowstone is the epicenter of waterfalls in the park. There are hundreds of waterfalls just in that
1/9th of the park, which is also known as Cascade Corner. Well, if Cascade Corner is the epicenter of
waterfalls in the park, then Three River Junction is the epicenter of
waterfalls in Cascade Corner. I could
easily spend a week here exploring streams, visiting known waterfalls, and
looking for undocumented ones. Unfortunately we didn’t have a week. We had one day, and I aimed to make the most
of it.
I
had three priorities:
1)
Twister
Falls on the Gregg fork, Tempe Falls on the Littles Fork, and other waterfalls
in the canyon near the confluence of the two streams.
2)
The
hot springs and waterfalls on the Ferris Fork.
3)
Quiver
Cascades / Hourglass Falls on the Phillips Fork.
It
was an ambitious plan. Could I possibly
see all of that in one day? Probably
not, but I was going to give it a try.
We
got up at first light and ate a quick breakfast. We hiked out to the main trail and hiked
upstream to Three Rivers Meadow. The
meadows were eerie in the early morning light.
It was chilly, and the hot springs were steaming profusely. We followed the main trail to a bridge over
the Ferris Fork. There is a distant view
of Ragged Falls from here. A short
distance upstream we passed the spur trail to the thermal area on the Ferris
Fork. We decided to save that for the
afternoon. We continued ahead and
tackled a long, moderately steep climb through heavy forest. We finally reached a signed spur trail to the
official overlook of Twister Falls. We
gave it only a brief visit, as it doesn’t provide a great view. The better views are off-trail, from the
other side of the canyon. Those views
were my next goal.
We
returned to the trail and followed it to a ford of the Gregg Fork a short
distance upstream from the brink of Twister Falls. Christy decided to relax there. Her knees, back, and feet had been
cooperating so far, but she didn’t want to attempt a steep bushwhack.
My
plan was to follow the ridge on the far side of the Gregg Fork down to near the
confluence of the Gregg Fork and Littles Fork.
It was a good plan, but I improvised. I followed the rim of the Gregg
Fork Canyon until I reached a great viewpoint of Twister Falls. I was directly across from the official
overlook, but I had a much better view here due to the way the river curves as
it falls. Twister Falls is listed at 55’
high, but it looks much bigger. It
starts out with a long curving slide before making a final steep plunge.
Getting
to the base looked pretty simple, so I headed
down. The hillside was fairly open, so I
zig zagged from tree to tree to moderate the grade and to give me something to
hold onto. The view from the base is
really nice, though the upper part of the waterfall is out of sight. Unfortunately the
light was terrible for photos. I’d like
to return here early in the morning or in the evening for better photos. There is a campsite near the ford of the
Gregg Fork, so it would be easy to get here early or late if camped there.
Since
I was already at the base of the falls, I abandoned my original route
plan. Instead, I headed downstream
deeper into the canyon. The best route
forced me to cross the river several times. The rocks were slippery and the
current was strong, but the water was shallow.
This creek walk was fairly easy, but I moved cautiously. Before long I passed a nice cascade below impressive cliffs.
Just beyond was the confluence with the Littles Fork. I continued downstream a short distance, to
the confluence with an unnamed tributary.
The authors of the book “The Guide To
Yellowstone Waterfalls And Their Discovery” named this stream Aviator
Creek. I scrambled up the creek, which
cascades steeply into the Gregg Fork.
After a short climb I reached a nice vantage point of a surprisingly
impressive waterfall. This was one of
the many significant discoveries by the authors of “The Guide To Yellowstone Waterfalls And Their Discovery”. They call it Ethereal Falls. Based on their photo, it’s a really
impressive, tall waterfall when viewed from the base during high water. Water levels were moderate on my visit, and
those lower cascades weren’t particularly scenic or photogenic. Under the conditions, I liked the view from
higher up much more.
I
took a few photos before backtracking to the Gregg Fork. I went back upstream to the confluence with
the Littles Fork and followed it. A
short distance upstream I reached the base of the last of six waterfalls on the
Littles Fork. It is a wide, sliding
cascade that is officially unnamed. The
authors of my book call it “Littlesmouth
Cascade”. Upstream from here are five
more waterfalls, all in the 15’ to 25’ range.
They are collectively known as the Tempe Cascades, but the individual
drops do not have names. The book refers
to them as the Tempe Cascades #1 - #5, with #1 being the furthest downstream,
not far above Littlesmouth Cascade.
Climbing
Littlesmouth Cascade would have been pretty easy, except
there was a fallen tree right across the only good route. I climbed through it, as the other possible
routes all looked worse. Once at the
top, easy bushwhacking led me to the base of Tempe Cascade #1. This one is really nice and photogenic, even
on a bright, sunny day. I climbed around
that one and returned to the creek just downstream from Tempe Cascade #2. This drop is the namesake of the Tempe
Cascades. Tempe means “cavern” in Shosone, and there is a small cave next to this 20’
waterfall. The waterfall is pretty, and
the cave is cozy. There was firewood
stacked up inside the cave, too.
According the book, park rangers sometimes camp in here while on
backcountry patrol.
I
was tempted to continue upstream to the other three of the Tempe Cascades. All of them were fairly close. However, I was supposed to meet back up with
Christy in 15 minutes, and I’d been hiking for a couple of hours. I thought I could make it back much faster by
taking a more direct route, but I wasn’t certain of that. I decided that I better head back. I regret that a bit now, since I was so close
to those other waterfalls. However, I
definitely want to return to Twister Falls to get better photos. When I do, I’ll allow some time to finish
exploring the lower part of the Littles Fork.
I
backtracked to the base of Tempe Cascade #1, crossed the river, and headed
straight up the slope on the far side.
The grade was fairly steep, but not terrible, and the forest was pretty
open. I made great time, and was only a
few minutes late rejoining Christy. We
had lunch there before making the relatively long hike back down to Three
Rivers Meadow. There, we picked up the
unmarked but obvious trail that leads up Ferris Fork. After a few minutes in the woods we came out
into one of Yellowstone’s most impressive thermal areas. Our first indication of it was steam rising
above the trees. That steam was coming
from a stunning, colorful hot spring on the far side of the river. We stayed on the trail and passed it, before
passing above a bubbling pool on the near side of the river. The trail dropped down to a small stream that
was steaming from the heat. The stream
comes from hot springs on the hillside above.
It is void of vegetation, probably due to the heat, minerals, or gasses
coming from the springs.
We
hopped across and reached the top of the pool, which is informally known as
Mister Bubbles. It is a big blue pool
with a bubbling fountain in the center of it.
The stream the from hot springs feeds it, as does the main river. One channel from the main river flows into
Mister Bubbles, providing cold water that mixes from the hot water originating
from the springs. This channel is
partially dammed up with rocks to control the flow of cold water entering the
pool. The temperature of the pool will
vary with river levels, but the “dam” can be altered to allow more or less
river water into the pool.
We
had no idea how hot the pool was. The
bubbling fountain in the center looked intimidating, and stream flowing in was smoking
hot. We approached it cautiously. We started out right below the rock dam in
the channel from the river. The water
here was pretty cold. We followed that
channel into the pool, and the water gradually warmed. Once in the heart of the pool, we found that
the temperature varied from spot to spot.
The hottest water was near the bubbling center, and near where the
incoming stream entered the pool. There
were other hot spots scattered around, too, from other hot springs at the
bottom of the pool. We roamed around in
search of the best spots, and even found some rocks to sit on. We enjoyed a long soak in there, and
incredibly, we had the whole place to ourselves. In fact, we only saw a couple of other hikers
during the entire day.
After
a long soak we decided to explore. I
wanted a closer look at the steaming hot spring on the far side of the
river. We waded across and worked our
way up onto the grassy hillside. We
moved cautiously, as the ground around hot springs can be unstable. You really don’t want to step onto a thin
crust and plunge through the surface into boiling water! We reached the rim of the hot spring, which
is absolutely gorgeous. The water is a stunning blue, while the surrounding
rocks are stained red, orange, and white with various minerals. I took a lot of photos here, but photography
was challenging due to the profuse steam emitted by the hot spring.
After
thoroughly exploring the thermal area we headed upstream in search of more
waterfalls. There are four named
waterfalls on the Ferris Fork. All of
them are small – each is less than 30’ high – yet they are quite
beautiful. We followed the trail until
it disappeared at the upper end of the thermal area. Then we continued up the river. We started out on River Right but got cliffed out after a short distance. We forded the river and continued on River
Left. We were able to stay on River Left
the rest of the way.
My
goal was to reach Wahhi Falls. It’s only 28’, but it looked gorgeous in the
photos I’d seen. It is quite a distance
upstream, and it was already late afternoon, but I was determined. Luckily, the forest was mostly open and the
hiking was pretty easy. It is only a
short distance from the thermal area to the first drop, Tendoy
Falls. The last stretch to the base
requires a bit of scrambling. This
waterfall is nice, but photography was tough due to heavy spray.
We
backtracked a bit before scrambling up to the rim of the mini-gorge above Tendoy Falls. From
here, mostly easy bushwhacking took us past a long stretch of beautiful river
that features some minor canyons, cascades, sluiceways, and a pair of small
waterfalls. Gwinna
Falls is only 15’, but lovely. Sluiceway
Falls is a 10’ cascade. It’s a scenic
spot, but it’s a stretch to consider it a waterfall. In fact, I thought I’d missed it
entirely. Later I compared my photo of
the cascade with a photo of Sluiceway Falls and realized it was the same
feature. Part of my confusion was due to
the waterfall being shown in the wrong location on the topo map.
The
approach to Wahhi Falls is heralded by a much more
substantial canyon. Following the river
may have been fun, but it would have been slower and more difficult. I doubt we would’ve made it by that route,
given our limited time. Instead, we
climbed up onto the rim of the canyon, still on River Left. We made easy progress here, though we were
high above the river. Eventually we
reached a point where we were able to descend a steep, relatively open hillside
to a view of Wahhi Falls. I continued down from there, though it was
sketchy. I worked my way from tree to
tree, moving slowly. A rope would’ve
been handy, but of course we didn’t have one.
I eventually reached a perch with a mostly clear view of the
waterfall. Photography was difficult
there. Simply getting the tripod
adjusted properly for the severe angle of the slope was a major project. I also nearly lost the camera case, but it
rolled to a stop against a tree.
I
considered trying to get all the way down to the base. It was very steep though, and the final drop
looked like it might be cliffy. It may
have been possible, but I decided not to push it.
There
is another drop a short distance downstream from Wahhi
Falls. It doesn’t have an official name,
though it could be called Lower Wahhi Falls. It is surrounded by cliffs, and rarely
seen. We didn’t see a safe route down to
it from where we were. I think the only
way to reach it is to follow the river up to it from a point farther
downstream.
It
was getting late, so we started back. We
made brief stops at Gwinna Falls, Sluiceway Falls,
and Tendoy Falls, but it was already too dark for
photos. We watched the sun set from the
wooded ridge above the Ferris Fork thermal area. Then we bushwhacked through twilight down to
the river, carefully avoiding open areas that might have thin crusts and hidden
thermal features. We waded the river,
zig zagged around some hot springs, and regained the trail that ends just
upstream from Mister Bubbles. We
followed it back to the main trail, which took us down past Ragged Falls to a
bridge over the Ferris Fork. Originally, I had planned to bushwhack up to the
base of Ragged Falls, but the light was already failing. I settled for a couple of photos from the
bridge, which were just barely possible in the last of the light.
From
there we still had to hike a mile back to our campsite in total darkness. Hiking through that last thermal area was
eerie in the dark. There are several
minor creek crossings along here. They
were easy rock hops that morning, but much trickier at night! We made it back to camp and had a late
dinner. Then we went straight to
bed. I slept great, with the roar of
Albright Falls in the background.
FALLS RIVER
Most
of Sunday (day four) was spent backtracking.
Leaving Albright Falls was hard.
I wish I’d had another day in the area to explore the Phillips Fork of
the Bechler River.
I guess I’ll have to go back.
The
hike back down through the Bechler Canyon was quiet
and uneventful. I was surprised that we
only ran into a handful of people over the three days we spent in the
area. There are a lot of official
campsites, but I guess the area is so remote that it keeps traffic to a
minimum.
The
upper ford of the Bechler River was cold but
easy. The lower ford was still sketchy,
but it didn’t seem as bad as it had two days earlier. We knew what to expect this time, and had a
better idea of the optimal route. Also,
we’d hiked about 10 miles when we reached this point on Friday. We were still fresh on the return hike.
We
hiked past Iris Falls, Colonnade Falls, and Ouzel Falls. However, instead of crossing the river to
reach Bechler Meadows, we stayed on the Bechler River Trail.
It stays mostly in the woods on the east side of the river, but well
away from it. The mosquitoes were pretty
bad at times here, as it was a very wet forest.
Our strategy was to keep moving.
We crossed a number of streams.
One of them seemed to have the potential for a waterfall a short
distance to the east. The topo shows it
running for a long distance on the plateau before dropping suddenly into the Bechler River valley.
However, the stream was surprisingly small. We were able to step across it. Based on the water level, I decided it
probably wasn’t worth exploring. It’s
funny – based on the map, I thought it would be a big creek. Meanwhile, there are streams that aren’t even
shown on the map that are much bigger.
Chalk it up to Yellowstone’s complex plumbing. I’ll bet this creek used to be a major
stream, but somewhere along the way something shifted. Perhaps springs upstream dried up, and the
water is flowing elsewhere.
We
reached another stream that required wading before reaching a junction. A right turn here would’ve taken us to the Bechler River at the south end of Bechler
Meadows. Instead we turned left and
headed towards the Fall River drainage.
We hiked through woods and meadows, and caught a brief glimpse of a pair
of elk before they bolted. The low point
of this trail was a section that was flooded by a series of beaver dams. We spent a few minutes trying to find a way
around, without any luck. We eventually
gave up on that and accepted our fate – wading through a long, deep, dark,
muddy pool. Christy was not amused. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but Christy
had real issues with it. I think she
thought a monster was going to rise up out of the depths and eat us.
We
made it across with only a minimal amount of long-term psychological damage. The rest of the hike was uneventful – just
more woods and meadows. It was a long
hike, but fortunately the trail was pretty easy. We reached our campsite at the junction with
the Falls River Cutoff Trail. The site
is in a thin stand of trees on the edge of a large meadow. It is close to the Falls River, but just far
enough away to keep it out of sight and make fetching water difficult. It was a reasonably pleasant spot, but it was
my least favorite campsite of the trip overall. We set up camp, made dinner, and enjoyed a
campfire before heading to bed. We had a
big day planned on Monday – a revisit of Union Falls and the greatest swimming
hole in the world!
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