Cindy Baker
Day 5 was our big hiking day in Yellowstone National Park. On the way to Biscuit Basin we stopped at the popular Painted Pots exhibit – but not before we stopped to watch a black bear look for fish in the river.
According to the informational sign at the entrance, this vat of bubbling mud contains the perfect ingredients to create mud pots: heat, gases, water, volcanic rock, minerals, acid, and even living microorganisms! Heat loving “thermophiles” consume some of the gases and help convert them into sulfuric acid. The acid breaks down rock to form clay – clay that mixes with water in mudpots.
After our stop at the Painted Pots we parked at Biscuit Basic and enjoyed looking at even more geological wonders on our way to the back of Biscuit Basin where our trail head was for our hike to Mystic Falls.
The Mystic Falls trail is categorized as an easy 2.4 mile out and back trail with a waterfall view. That sounded harmless enough, but what we didn’t know is that there is another Mystic Falls trail that is a much longer and MUCH steeper loop. Guess which one we did on accident? Yep. And living below sea level did not prepare us for the altitude either. So we ended up doing a 3.5 mile loop up a very steep mountain. But we had fun, and the views were spectacular!
Insider Tip: When hiking in Yellowstone always bring water, bear spray, and wear lots of sun screen and bug spray – unless you really like mosquitoes.
When we finally saw the waterfall it made the hike worthwhile. So magnificent! And the river below was so beautiful and peaceful. We took our shoes and socks off and soaked our feet in the cool water. There is nothing more peaceful than hearing a rushing stream, feeling the light breeze, and seeing spectacular beauty everywhere you look.
Back in West Yellowstone we cleaned up from our hike and hit the town for all of the Fourth of July celebrations. This little mountain town goes all out to celebrate with activities all day, ending with fireworks. There were fundraisers, kid’s games, food, live music, and the cutest parade ever! Fundraisers included the Fire Department Benefit BBQ, Pie on the Porch, and even the Seventh Annual Buffalo Chip Chuck (I cannot make stuff like this up)! I was expecting a few kids with their parents on bicycles for the parade, but wow! It seemed like the entire town was in that parade! They handed out American flags to all of us watching, and people on the floats threw candy out to the crowd – yes, they actually had floats. It was an iconic piece of Americana to be sure.
To see some of the parade live watch here:
What are your favorite travel memories during the week of July 4?
