TOP OF SQUARE TOP

SEPTEMBER 2013

SQUARE TOP MOUNTAIN ABOVE UPPER GREEN RIVER LAKE

SQUARE TOP MOUNTAIN & UPPER GREEN RIVER LAKE

SQUARE TOP FROM THE SIDE

MOOSE NEAR UPPER GREEN RIVER LAKE

GRANITE LAKE

CURT WITH GRANITE LAKE BELOW

JESSE ABOUT HALF-WAY UP SQUARE TOP

GRANITE LAKE FROM ABOVE

CURT MAKING HIS WAY UP

THE GREEN RIVER LAKES FROM THE TOP OF SQUARE TOP

UPPER GREEN RIVER LAKE & THE GREEN RIVER

MARTEN LAKE FROM ABOVE

CURT MAKING HIS WAY DOWN

I made many visits to the Green River Lakes area as a kid, so climbing to the top of Square Top Mountain, which sits directly behind the lakes, has been on my bucket list for a long time. In September of 2013 I finally made it. From the Green River Lakes Trailhead, it is about an eight mile hike past Lower Green River Lake, Upper Green River Lake and along the Green River to reach Beaver Meadows, where we camped near the base of Square Top Mountain. Curt and I drove up from Salt Lake, and Jesse, driving up from Colorado, was going to meet us there. Somehow, Jesse found our campsite in the dark, after we had already fallen asleep for the night.   

There is no trail to the top of Square Top, so its up to you to find a good way up. After we woke up, we made our way up to Granite Lake and then scouted the side of the mountain for a safe route to the top. Its a steep climb to the top, but you are rewarded with some impressive views. Its one of those hikes where you keep thinking you are about to the top, and it just keeps going and going. Finally, we reached the top and made our way to the front of the mountain for the views of the Green River Lakes. It was pretty cool to finally be on top of the mountain we had spend so much time looking up at as kids. Curt and I had some Grandma Moore cookies to celebrate, as her and Grandpa Moore were the ones from our family who first visited the area and made a tradition of going there. After enjoying the view for a while, we began the long slog back to Beaver Meadows. 

SUMMIT LAKE

 SEPTEMBER 2020

SQUARE TOP

SUMMIT LAKE

SUMMIT LAKE

NO NAME LAKES

TRAPPER LAKE

On this trip we decided to hike one-way from the Green River Lakes to Elkhart Park. We were fortunate enough to have family members camping at Green River Lakes who were willing to shuttle us from our cars at Elkhart Park. On the first day, we hiked from Green River Lakes to just before Beaver Park on the side of Square Top Mountain. This is a very flat, easy stretch with beautiful views of the Green River Lakes, the Green River and Square Top along the way. 

The next day we made the long climb to Summit Lake. I remember the narrow valley leading to Summit Lake being really beautiful, but also there being some wildfire smoke that day taking away from some of the beauty. There weren't any great camping spots on the side of Summit Lake we were on, so we continued west a bit to the No Name Lakes where we found a place in the trees with some amazing views. The exertion from the hike that day, and being at over 10,500' in elevation wiped us out. I remember setting up the tent taking all the energy I had. Though after recovering we went back down to Summit Lake in the evening to relax. 

On the next day we hiked down the trail past Borum Lake to Gottfried Lake, where we made a detour over to Heart Lake, which was well worth it, as it was located in a very beautiful and pleasant basin. We then returned back to the main tail which passed by many other lakes. We passed by Neil Lake and then made a slight detour to Trail Lake where we had lunch. We then continued on to Trapper Lake, which had a really nice backdrop, then Little Trapper Lake, Prospector Lake and Glimpse Lake where we camped. 

The night at Glimpse Lake was pretty creepy. Just after we got our tents set up a big storm came through which dropped the temperature dramatically and also dropped some snow on the ground. However, the worst part was the wind. There were incredibly strong wind gusts that night that never let up. We kept hearing trees crashing to the ground over and over while we tried to sleep. We never were able to get to sleep because we were so afraid one of the trees would eventually fall on us. Finally at around midnight, we got up an asked the others if they wanted to just pack out that night. The first tent was in agreement, and the second one came around after a massive tree about 5' from their tent came crashing down (luckily in the direction away from their tent). 

We packed up quick, put our headlamps on, and relied on my brother's All Trails GPS app to guide us back to the trailhead. So many trees had fallen across the trail that we kept losing it. It was a brutal last hike that dropped steeply down to Long Lake, before climbing straight back up to Elk Hart Park. Trees kept falling as we made the hike out. When we did make it to the trailhead, the road out was impassible due to the number of trees that had fell across it. We ended up chilling in our cars for a few hours until the Forest Service was able to clear the road. It looked like about 30 trees had fallen over the road from Elk Hart Park to Pinedale. I was able to drive back to Idaho in peace, but my brother and cousins said the I-80 freeway back to Utah was closed due to the number of semis that had blown over on it.  

So it ended up being a pretty memorable trip. While the beginning stretch from Green River Lakes to Beaver Park was pretty crowded, we hardly saw anyone after that. Be aware that if you go hiking in the Wind Rivers over Labor Day weekend the trailheads will be packed, and rangers will be swarming. So check for fire restrictions before you go and make sure you're camped far enough away from lakes and rivers. While Labor Day weekend used to be the perfect time to backpack the Winds, I think I'll start going a bit earlier or later in the year to try to beat the crowds and wildfire smoke as much as possible.              

RING-AROUND SQUARE TOP

SEPTEMBER 2014

SQUARE TOP MOUNTAIN FROM UPPER GREEN RIVER LAKE

THE GREEN RIVER JUST ABOVE UPPER GREEN RIVER LAKE

THE GREEN RIVER AND SQUARE TOP MOUNTAIN

THE GREEN RIVER

CLARK LAKE

MOUNTAINS AND CLOUDS FROM CLARK LAKE

ALPENGLOW FROM CLARK LAKE

POND NEAR CLARK LAKE

CLARK LAKE

CURT AND ADAM BETWEEN CLARK LAKE AND THE LOZIER LAKES

CURT WITH CLARK LAKE IN THE BACKGROUND

CURT AND ADAM ABOVE CLARK LAKE

PONDS BETWEEN CLARK LAKE AND THE LOZIER LAKES

BEAVER PASS

CURT AT BEAVER PASS

GREEN RIVER LAKE BEACH

As a kid, I used to spend a week every summer camping at the Green River Lakes Campground. Having spent so much time gazing at Square Top Mountain while hiking in the area, I had always wondered what was behind it. Finally, in September of 2014, I and a couple of my cousins decided to check it out. We decided to make it a three-night trip. On the first day my cousins drove up from Salt Lake, and I drove up from Boise. I got a little off-course and arrived late, but was able to track them down near the inlet to the Lower Green River Lake. From there we continued on past Upper Green River Lake and along the Green River to Beaver Meadows, on the side of Square Top Mountain. 

The next day we continued on behind Square Top Mountain to Clark Lake, where we set up camp. I remember it snowing on us here. We waited it out a bit under some trees and boulders, and eventually decided to just go inside the tent and watch a move on Curt's iPhone. The next morning we climbed the pass above Clark Lake and continued to make our way around the mountain. After hiking over the pass, we entered a large tree-less basin with several ponds. This area was pretty. Eventually we came to the Lozier Lakes and Kenny Lake. We were in a bit of a hurry and missed Marten Lake, which we later regretted. We kept on pushing through up Dodge Creek and over Porcupine Pass. We continued down Porcupine Creek a ways until we found a good spot to camp. While this area was nice, we were a bit let down. There are no real interesting features along this section, and as such, we didn't see any other hikers here. 

The last day we woke up and continued on down Porcupine Creek until we reached Lower Green River Lake. We chilled at the beach near the inlet for a while, and then I made my way back to the trailhead. While the scenery on the west side of Square Top Mountain was not amazing compared to other parts of the Wind River Mountains, it was still cool being there. I finally got to find out where those trails went that I had spent so much time wondering about as a kid   

  

YELLOWSTONE FALLS

OCTOBER 2016

LOWER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

LOWER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

UPPER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

ABOVE UPPER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

BELOW LOWER YELLOWSTONE FALLS

When we visited the Yellowstone Falls, we accessed them from the south rim viewing area. However, there are also viewing areas available for both falls on the north rim if you would like a different perspective. From the south rim parking lot, it is just a short walk over to the Upper Falls viewpoint. While the viewpoint is fairly far away from the falls, they are still impressive to see. 

After viewing the Upper Falls, we took the Uncle Tom's Trail down to the viewing area for the Lower Falls. This is a very steep trail that takes you down towards the bottom of the gorge. While hiking in October of 2016, there was already some snow on the ground. Luckily there wasn't too much and we were able to make the switch backs down to the metal stairs and guardrail that take you down towards the bottom. Eventually the trail ends at a viewing platform giving you a beautiful view of the Lower Falls and the Yellowstone River as it makes its way down the canyon. 

YELLOWSTONE GEYSERS

OCTOBER 2016

FOUNTAIN PAINT TRAIL

FOUNTAIN PAINT TRAIL

FOUNTAIN PAINT TRAIL

BELOW GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING

BELOW GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING

NEAR GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING

NEAR NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

BISON NEAR NORRIS GEYSER BASIN

OLD FAITHFUL

There are a many geyser trails located within close proximity of each other in Yellowstone National Park. When we visited in October of 2016, we hiked Artist's Paintpots, Norris Basin, Fountain Paint Pot Trail, Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful. We also took the scenic drive to Firehole Lake. Because the trails are relatively short, we were able to visit all of these areas, with the exceptions of the Artist's Paintpot Trail, in the same day. 

On our first evening in Yellowstone, we stopped by the Artist's Paintpots on our way to the Yellowstone Falls. While this was a nice trail with some mud pots, it is not quite as nice as the other geyser trails in the area. So if you are trying to conserve energy or time, you can skip this one. The next day, we decided to hit as many geysers as we could. We started at the Norris Geyser Basin and worked our way south to Old Faithful. At Norris Geyser Basin, we took a look at Porcelain Basin, and then hiked the Back Basin Loop past several cool geysers and springs. Steamboat Geyser was the most impressive feature on the hike. 

After visiting Norris Basin we stopped to hike the Fountain Paint Pot Trail. This trail is worth the stop, as it is located along the main road through the park, is just over a half-mile long, and passes by a mix of mudpots, geysers, hot springs and fumaroles (steam rising out of the ground). Just across the street from the Fountain Paint Trail parking area is a scenic drive to Firehole Lake. Along the way to Firehole Lake, we took the walk over to the Great Fountain Geyser. I remember there being a nice wooden viewing area across from the geyser, but I can't recall if the geyser erupted while we were there. We continued down the road to Firehole Lake, where we took a the short loop trail on the boardwalk across a portion of the orange water. 

Next we stopped to hike Grand Prismatic Spring, which was covered in steam and mist. On some portions of the trail, the steam was so thick, we could only see a couple feet in each direction. Unfortunately, if you want to see the bright, vibrant colors that make Grand Prismatic Spring famous, you need to visit when its warm. By October, it is so cold that stream coming off the hot spring blocks your view of it. It was still a fun hike, but I was a little let down. Finally, we stopped in at the visitor's center and walked over to see Old Faithful erupt. 

While I lived less than five hours from Yellowstone for most of my life, I had never visited until this trip. The large crowds had all been a discouragement. We decided to visit in October in order to avoid the large summer crowds and the mosquitoes. While there were still a lot of people there it never got overwhelming, and had a peaceful off-season feel to it.