Day Three - The Upper Yellowstone Loop

Day three of the Yellowstone trip started out at Canyon museum (not really in the backcountry, but you can learn a lot there.) From there we headed north to Trout Lake.


Trout Lake is a nice little hike that doesn't take too long and isn't too strenuous. Once you get to the lake there is a leisurely hike around the lake that is very scenic. There is also a fun little bridge for children to play on and look for fish.



As we hiked around the lake we came upon an otter. At first all the noise scared him/her back in to the lake. Later as we came back toward the bridge the otter was back out eating a fish. Almost everytime we visit Trout Lake we see an otter.


After Trout Lake we headed towards Mammoth. We stoppedat the Forces of the Northern Range Self Guiding Trail. This "hike" is mostly just a level board walk that is good for getting the energy out of children and enjoying some scenery.



We headed back for camp and much to our pleasure saw a mother and her two black bear cubs. This is a rare sight anywhere in the world and it was awesome! The secret Yellowstone trip was well worth it.

Day Two - The Lower Yellowstone Loop

Day two of our annual Yellowstone Trip took us to the lower loop of Yellowstone. We made sure to stop and get the Firehole River Swimming Area point to add to Backcountry Secrets. It was too cold for use to swim at this time of year, but this is an enjoyable summer dip.

After Firehole River Swimming Area we headed south to the Classic Old Faithful. There are plenty of trails at Old Faithful to walk around on and enjoy hot pots and geysers. Life flight landed and took off while we were at Old Faithful (Just a reminder that the backcountry and wild animals can be dangerous).

After Old Faithful we drove around to Lake. We checked out Fishing Bridge Campground (talk about bumper to bumper trailers), then continued on to Mary's Bay. Just past Mary's Bay there is a beautiful lookout point on top of a mountain that you can drive to. In the distance you can see the Tetons and overlook Yellowstone Lake.

We finished day two off with a nice large campfire (with freshly cut wood) after discovering our neighbors on night two had gathered up the firewood we cut that morning. They must have thought they hit the jackpot.

Secret Yellowstone Trip

Well it was time for the annual Yellowstone Memorial Day Trip. So we hitched up the trailers, packed the tents (tipi) and headed north. This year we decided to camp at Norris campground, it's one of our favorites in Yellowstone. The tipi looked great with Yellowstone as the background.

As you can see, we had one of those authentic aluminum Native American climbing devices (the ladder in the foreground). Many of our camp neighbors came to view the tipi and get some pictures.

After setting up our campground, we headed to the Norris Geyser Basin and got some great pictures.




Yellowstone is definately a beautiful place. We could not have asked for better weather on this trip.

Oh Canada! We've expanded.

We all know it's true. Canada has some beautiful country and a lot of backcountry secret potential for outdoor sports. Well, it's official. We have become international (if you can really call it that.) My co-worker is from Canada and said I should make this site available to Canadians, so we did. So Canada, get out and enjoy your "home and native land."

Finally put to use

The tipi was finally put to use for the purpose it was bought for, the Boy Scouts. This was a big event for all area scouts. There were over 4,000 boys that signed up for it. There were tents everywhere! It was fun to listen to people speak on cellphones and use the Backcountry Secrets tipi as a landmark for finding each other. Hopefully this is just the first use of many!