Chief Joesph Highway and driving thru Yellowstone Park

Having arrived at Cody early, we had another extra day, so we decided to take a drive along the Chief Joesph Highway. It would take us to Cooke City, Silver Gate and then into Yellowstone and the Lamar Valley. From there we would head south at Tower Junction. Lastly, we would head south to the Fishing Bridge and turn toward the East Gate, ending at Buffalo Bill State Park.

Having already driven the Chief Joesph highway before, we anticipated the steep grade to Dead Indian Pass, (ten degrees). Stopping at the pass we didn’t expect to be swarmed by chipmunks looking for handouts. At one point a chip monk tried to jump on Renita’s shoe!

With thought of rabies and black death, from fleas, Renita quickly discouraged them. No handouts from us. Wild animals should eat wild food not processed junk food that people eat. The view from the pass was spectacular. A series of steep switchback after switchback finally promised to take us to Cooke City before we turned to Silver Gate and Yellowstone, (the rule is to not ride your brakes, and to use low gear if you are a big rig. I would not recommend Towing anything up or down this pass). As we continued our drive towards the park, Pilot Peak beckoned.

It’s an example of a Matterhorn type mountain formed when three glacial cirques grind back to meet at a point. Along the way we spotted a Coopers Hawk as it caught a chipmunk and flew to a perch carrying its prey. There it dined on fresh meat. The bird did not like us trying to take its picture and our images were not what we had hoped. Entering the Park, we stopped at a traffic jam caused by mountain Goats high above us.

They were so far away that they were simply small white dots. Moving on we came upon a black bear feeding on the grass in an open field. Black bears can be hard to photograph on a sunny day as the shadows can make catching details difficult.

We passed numerous buffalo herds along the way. Many of the turnouts were occupied by bear and wolf watchers who sat in lawn chairs as they waited for an appearance. Almost all had spotting scopes aimed at the distant ridge lines. Last year a massive flood occurred in the Northern part of Yellowstone and in places the road had been reduced to one lane of traffic. In one stretch the Lamar Road had been completely washed away and a landslide had blocked it with a jumbled mess of boulders, mud, and downed trees.

Reaching Slough Creek we took a short gravel road to glass a wolf den but the wolves had already left with their pups, (best time to watch them is in early May and the first part of June as the pack abandons the den when the pups can travel). Crossing one of the most dangerous bridges over the Yellowstone River, (the sides are crumbling). It’s slated to be replaced and work has already started on the new approach but who knows when it will be done, (I try to stay away from politics, but Congress just cut all of the National Parks construction budgets in the latest debt ceiling fight). Reaching Tower Junction, we had just turned towards Tower Falls, Hayden Valley, and the Fishing Bridge, when we ran into two cars stopped and pointing at an animal.

Renita spotted a small black bear and then a large cinnamon black.

A little further she then spotted another yearling cub. We turned around for more photographs and I cursed myself for forgetting our six hundred mm zoom lens. The three bears created a nice traffic jam as they ate grass and clover in along the roadside. I got yelled at by a driver, (saying I was an asshole, but I have been called much worse during my career as a high school teacher), as I stopped so Renita could get the pictures. Four bears in a day!

Rounding a bend four buffalo stood in the ditch alongside the road! We were the first vehicle in line, and they all decided to pass us by walking down the whole road! They were so close that we could have reached out to pet them on either side of our small car, but we know not to pet the fluffy cows! We could see one buffalo’s eyes as it looked at us but luckily decided not to attack our car. It would have made short work of our Subaru Forester. Driving on we climbed over Dunraven Pass, passed Hayden Valley, Sulphur Canyon, and the Mud Volcanoes. Stopping to glass for bears we only spotted more fluffy cows and a few elk. Our next turn was at the Fishing Bridge.

The next stretch was along the northeast shore of Yellowstone Lake, and we again stopped to look for bears. There are several grizzly bears that live along this section of the road, but we never spotted them. Crossing Sylvan Pass, we left Yellowstone Park and finally reached our campsite at Buffalo Bill State Park. It had been a beautiful day with clear skies, great birding, bear watching, and scenic views. We are blessed to live so close to places that are often on other’s bucket lists. Clear skies