UNION FALLS HIKE
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
August 2, 2006
By Tim Briese
My wife Teresa and I spent a few days during the summer visiting our good friends, Lon and Bev, staying with them at their vacation cabin in Driggs, Idaho. We had not seen them very often in recent years since they had moved from Colorado, so it was good to get together again and enjoy their company. We shared much laughter and conversation, and it was a pleasure to find an instant renewal of a friendship which had not lost a step in spite of the separation of time and distance.
We share a common interest with them in hiking and as a result put many miles on our hiking boots during our visit. They are one of the most fit couples our age that we know. On Monday we hiked to the summit of Table Mountain, and on Tuesday we visited Jackson, Wyoming and then hiked around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park to Hidden Falls. On Wednesday, the final full day of our visit, we planned to hike to Union Falls in Yellowstone National Park. This wonderful hike is one that Lon and Bev do at least once every year with various family members and friends. It is an all day outing involving a 16 mile roundtrip hike to a spectacular waterfall, with the added bonus of a swim in a nearby stream which is fed by a hot spring.
We rose early and left the cabin a few minutes before 6 for the hour and a half drive to the trailhead. The Tetons were a magnificent sight a few miles to the east, jutting into the clear orange sky at dawn, like the jagged teeth of a sawblade. We drove on backcountry roads past fields of potatoes and barley, then on a dirt road many miles into an increasingly wooded area as we approached the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. The last mile on a spur road to the Fish Lake Trailhead was a little rough for Lon=s van but we made it without incident. The trailhead was in a remote place deep in the woods and no other people or vehicles were around when we arrived.
At 7:45 we struck off up the trail to the north, soon hiking past beautiful Fish Lake. About a half mile from the trailhead we came to a sign indicating we were entering the national park. This remote wilderness entry into the park was quite unlike any other time I had visited Yellowstone in the past, for I had always driven in on crowded highways after stopping at busy ranger entry stations.
The flat, easy trail took us on a gently winding route through beautiful woods and across grassy meadows. Teresa and Bev voiced a concern about bears so I agreed to attach a bell I had along to the outside of my pack, thus offering us a degree of protection from attack, or at least some peace of mind about the possibility. The girls= jittery nerves were humorously displayed on one occasion when Bev=s trekking pole accidentally touched the back of Teresa=s leg and they both jumped in startled surprise.
After hiking a mile and a quarter we came to the first of three river crossings. We all changed from boots to sandals and proceeded to wade across. The river was about 150 feet wide and up to three feet deep. The stream flow was fairly gentle so it was easy to maintain one=s balance while crossing. The water was very cold, though, which encouraged a rapid ford. After changing back to boots on the other side we resumed the hike across an area of open meadows in the river valley. After another mile and a half we came to the second crossing, this one about 75 feet wide, and repeated the same procedure of changing footwear to accomplish the ford. The trail then carried us through an area of charming woods until we reached the third crossing, about four miles from the trailhead. The river crossings were fun and invigorating, adding an extra element of adventure to the hike. The stops on each side of the streams to change footwear became a familiar procedure, and provided convenient rest breaks.
We continued up the trail at a nice clip on this pleasant sunny day. We followed a sparkling stream up a picturesque valley, occasionally stopping to admire wildflowers in the woods. After hiking about five and a half miles we came to a junction where another trail came in from the right. Here we met a group of Boy Scouts who had hiked in from another trailhead and were headed for Union Falls like ourselves. Presently we crossed another stream, this time on a wide, half-sawn log. After hiking a short distance up a sandy trail we came to another trail junction, and were surprised to find here several groups of Boy Scouts with their leaders milling about in the woods, perhaps 100 or more people in all! One of the leaders told us that Wednesday was the day all the scouts at a week-long camp hiked up to see the falls and hot springs. He remarked, while grinning, that we probably wished we hadn=t come on a Wednesday! This junction was the staging area for the scouts where they took turns hiking in groups of a dozen or so up the trail to the right to the falls or the one to the left to the hot springs swimming hole.
We took the trail to the right and hiked a half mile up to Union Falls, finally climbing a few hundred feet of elevation gain after covering so many miles on a nearly level trail. The trail took us to an overlook that offered a splendid view of the spectacular falls. The thundering falls were among the most picturesque I had ever seen. The water was dispersed into a symmetrical veil, cascading about 150 feet down into a canyon below. A fine mist floated through the air. Interestingly, the amount of water flowing over the falls seemed considerably greater than the amount flowing down the stream below. We considered taking a steep trail down to the base of the falls but decided we were not particularly interested in getting soaked. A group of scouts was at the falls when we arrived but they soon departed and we were left to enjoy this magnificent spot in solitude. We ate our lunch on a rocky overlook in the trees while enjoying the beauty and grandeur of the moment.
After 45 minutes or so we left the falls and hiked back down to the junction, where we took the other trail a third of a mile to the swimming hole. This was an interesting place unlike anything I=d ever seen. The trail took us to a fast-flowing mountain stream that seemed ordinary in every respect, except that the water was hot! There was a fine swimming area in the creek that was fed by a hot spring somewhere upstream, creating a pleasant water temperature of 85 degrees or more. A group of scouts was finishing up a swim when we arrived. Lon and Bev changed into swimsuits in the privacy of the dense woods, while Teresa and I elected to simply plunge in while wearing our fast-drying hiking clothes. It was a lot of fun soaking and swimming in the fast-moving warm water. It was necessary to grasp onto rocks to keep from floating away. On the upper side of the swimming hole the water cascaded over a three foot fall, and to one side there was a nice rock for jumping into the water, which Lon made use of several times.
After lingering here for an hour or so we climbed out of the water, dried off, and headed back down the trail. The afternoon remained sunny and pleasant, perfect for hiking. Mosquitoes and horseflies were a little bothersome now when we stopped at the river crossings, but they failed to dampen our enthusiastic spirits. The water seemed much warmer on the fords than it had in the morning. It felt quite refreshing now instead of shockingly cold as it had seemed earlier. At the last crossing we saw two women come across the river on horseback right behind us. The last long miles of the trail went rapidly by, with Teresa and Lon leading us in song as they had done on our descent from Table Mountain. We were all quite tired when we returned to the trailhead at 6:45, after completing the 16 mile hike in about 11 hours.
The drive back to Driggs that evening was beautiful, with frequent views of the Tetons standing grandly in the distance beyond golden Idaho barley fields in the late day sunlight. I asked Lon if summer evenings here were always so pleasantly cool as this one, and he said yes, they were, which is one reason potatoes grow so well in Idaho. After a fine pasta dinner at Tony=s in Driggs, we returned to the cabin to enjoy a heavenly soak in the hot tub under the stars that night.
