Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks - page 164

the few locations in the park that's open for swimming. The kids will love it. There are
two toilets here but limited parking.
MADISON TO WEST YELLOWSTONE
Madison Junction sits at the confluence of the Firehole, Madison and Gibbon Rivers.
Towering above the small junior ranger station is National Park Mountain (7500ft),
which commemorates the spot where in 1870 the idea of preserving Yellowstone was al-
legedly first mentioned.
The Madison Valley is of interest mainly to anglers and wildlife-watchers, though all
will appreciate the sublime afternoon light and active herds of deer, elk and bison. Due to
the long snow-free season many elk live in the valley year-round, while bison migrate
through the valley en route between their winter habitat near the park's western boundary
and summer grazing in the Hayden Valley. The 14-mile road to West Yellowstone is also
one of the park's busiest tourist corridors.
Two miles east of Madison, the family-friendly Harlequin Lake Trailhead leads 0.5
miles north to a pond. The trailhead is also a fine place to spot wildlife in the lovely valley
to the south. Elk often lie in the meadows here, with only their heads poking up above the
long grass. From here the road threads between volcanic bluffs, with towering Mt Haynes
(8235ft) on the left and Mt Jackson on the right, past several excellent fly-fishing spots,
before the valley opens up to views of the distant Gallatin Range.
Halfway along the road the Seven Mile Bridge marks the Madison River Picnic Area,
popular with fly-fishers, and the Gneiss Creek Trailhead. The area south of the road here
is closed to protect a trumpeter swan habitat. In 1988 this section of the park was engulfed
in the North Fork fire, the largest of that summer's giant blazes.
Four miles further, Riverside Dr is a 1-mile, two-way road that's useful for fishing ac-
cess and perhaps some family biking. Three miles later the Two Ribbons Trail is a
0.75-mile wheelchair-accessible trail that offers a fairly dull loop or point-to-point stroll
through some fire burns.
Shortly after you enter Montana, about 2 miles before West Yellowstone, the dirt
Barnes Rd to the north accesses several more fishing spots. And then suddenly, just like
that, you are out of the wilderness and in the middle of bustling West Yellowstone ( Click
here ) .
OLD FAITHFUL TO WEST THUMB
Three miles into the 17-mile drive between Old Faithful and West Thumb is Kepler Cas-
cades , where a wooden platform offers fine views of the 125ft falls. Just past the cas-
cades turnout is the parking area for the worthwhile hike or bike ride to Lone Star Gey-