Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
About 20 miles (32 km) northwest of these roadside formations is another extensive area
of hoodoos called Hoodoo Basin. It's in a remote spot near Yellowstone's eastern border. An
easily accessible place to see hoodoos inside the park is at Devil's Den just north of Tower Fall.
In about 2 miles (3 km), you'll find the
Wapiti Ranger Station,
which dates from 1903-4
and is the oldest built with U.S. government funds. Midday tours of the old ranger station are
sometimes offered. There's also an information center close to the road. The nearby wayside
exhibit commemorates one hundred years of the U.S. Forest Service, 1891 to 1991.
The rangers will give you information about the nine Forest Service campgrounds along
this road, back-country trails in the area, and recent bear sightings.
For a few miles after the ranger station, the valley widens, making room for many guest
ranches. There are no more hoodoos for a stretch. This area was severely burned in the 2008
Gunbarrel fire. Near Rex Hale Campground is a site called Mummy Cave (not open to the
public), where archaeologists have discovered evidence of sporadic human habitation for
about 9,000 years. In the same area are a few petrified trees, turned to stone by the same geo-
logic events as in Yellowstone Park.
Chimney Rock has eroded away from its neighboring cliff.
The last two easy-to-find hoodoos near the road are
Elephant Head
and
Chimney Rock.
