Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
name in 1867 when a prospector, who had gone ahead of his companions to hunt, repor-
ted: “It's a hell roarer.”
Southeast of Hellroaring Mountain, notice the five or six kettle ponds ringed with deep green
grass.
he Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River is so deep and narrow below here that you can
only see the place where it must be.
14.5/3.6 Side road to Hellroaring Creek Trailhead. Horseback parties often head from
here into the northernmost parts of the mountains in the Absaroka Primitive Area north of
the park.
A short but strenuous hike goes to the Black Canyon. The trail descends 600 or 700 feet
(about 200 m) in 1 mile (1.6 km) to a suspension bridge over the river. After crossing the
bridge, you can follow the Yellowstone River Trail for a mile to Hellroaring Creek and then
walk down the creek through sagebrush for about 1 more mile (1.6 km) to its confluence with
the Yellowstone. According to Mark C. Marschall's Yellowstone Trails, the confluence is “a de-
lightful spot” with “the cold clear rushing water of the creek, the deep surging river, a sandy
beach and the sheer walls of the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. Osprey nest in these cliffs
and are frequently seen flying over the river looking for trout.”
A vast expanse of treeless meadow rises gently to the north above the Yellowstone. It's part of
the Buffalo Plateau , which stretches out of sight to the northeast.
Little Buffalo Creek flows out of the hills and into the Yellowstone River. When the light is
right, you can see the Yellowstone River suspension bridge in this area.
Garnet Hill (7,060 ft / 2,152 m) is the nearby, partially forested low cone. The deep red silicate
mineral called garnet has been found on Garnet Hill, but the examples found were not of
gem quality.
The distant mountains to the right (east), nearly 30 miles (48 km) away, are part of the Ab-
saroka Range .
Closer at the far right is Specimen Ridge , with alternating meadows and patches of trees.
15.0/3.1 Floating Island Lake earned its name many years ago when marshy rafts of ve-
getation and debris used to float on the lake. Neither beavers nor fish are found around here
now, but you may see yellow-headed blackbirds, American coots (looking rather like dark
gray ducks with white bill and red eyes), and other birds. In the drought years of the early
twenty-first century, the lake has two or more grassy islands and has receded drastically from
its shores, as you see from the “bathtub ring” at the far (west) side.
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