Mary Mountain Trail and Violet Hot Springs - August 11, 2019
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2020 10:23 am
A day after our canoe trip on Yellowstone Lake, we completed a day hike along the Mary Mountain Trail, and took a short side trip to check out the Violet Hot Springs thermal area.
My wife had picked us up at the end of our canoe trip at Sedge Bay on the 10th and we returned to the Grant Village Campground for the night where we met two of our friends who were going to hike the trail with us. This would be my third time completing the Mary Mountain Trail in the last 30 years, and it would be my sixth time to Mary Lake (I approached the lake three other times along the Trout Creek stagecoach road), making Mary Lake my most visited backcountry lake in Yellowstone. Other than me, all the others had never done the Mary Mountain Trail before. With our route going to Violet Hot Springs, it put the total distance of our hike at 21.1 miles.
We started around 7:00 am on the Hayden Valley side, and at the beginning it was still pretty chilly, but once the sun rose a bit further in the sky it became a perfect day for the hike. Along our way, we ran into numerous bull Bison, and on the western end of Hayden Valley, we spotted a Grizzly Bear grazing along a hillside. We watched it for a couple of minutes before it got wind of us and headed up and over the hill.
We stopped at the Mary Lake Patrol Cabin and had a nice lunch before heading west and down into the meadows along Nez Perce Creek, and then on to Lower Geyser Basin and trail's end. The hike took us a bit over eleven hours to complete and I was pretty worn out by the end.
Map of the eastern portion of our hike
The Mary Mountain Trail signpost at the north end of Hayden Valley
Of course, I'm bringing up the rear
Looking south from the trail towards Crater Hills and Sulphur Springs
Looking west across Hayden Valley
The last standing trail marker. Bison tend to knock these over over time
You shall not pass! A Bison on the trail
Alum Creek, gently flowing through Hayden Valley
Small cascades on Alum Creek
Violet Creek
Approaching Violet Hot Springs
Mud pot in the Violet Hot Springs group
Violet Hot Springs thermal area
Violet Hot Springs thermal area
Sheila and Katie making their way back to the Mary Mountain Trail
More small cascades on tributary of Alum Creek
Grizzly Bear grazing on a hillside at the western end of Hayden Valley
Giving us a look as it makes its way up and over the hillside
Making our way towards the Buffalo Highway - looking back east across Hayden Valley with Mount Washburn in the far distance. Not much of a trail at this point
Looking back east across Hayden Valley from the west end of the valley
Wolf track along the trail - we encountered wolf track along almost the entire length of the trail
Hiking along the Buffalo Highway towards Mary Lake
Mary Mountain Patrol Cabin
Mary Lake
Lunch at the cabin
Visitor at the cabin
Map of the western half of the trail
Old man heading down Mary Mountain
I believe we have seen this young gentleman before
Breaking out into the meadows along Nez Perce Creek
The fate of the Cowan party
Meadows along Nez Perce Creek
Crossing Magpie Creek
Nez Perce Creek
Old footbridge across Nez Perce Creek
Nez Perce Creek
Morning Mist Springs
Happy hikers at trail's end.
My wife had picked us up at the end of our canoe trip at Sedge Bay on the 10th and we returned to the Grant Village Campground for the night where we met two of our friends who were going to hike the trail with us. This would be my third time completing the Mary Mountain Trail in the last 30 years, and it would be my sixth time to Mary Lake (I approached the lake three other times along the Trout Creek stagecoach road), making Mary Lake my most visited backcountry lake in Yellowstone. Other than me, all the others had never done the Mary Mountain Trail before. With our route going to Violet Hot Springs, it put the total distance of our hike at 21.1 miles.
We started around 7:00 am on the Hayden Valley side, and at the beginning it was still pretty chilly, but once the sun rose a bit further in the sky it became a perfect day for the hike. Along our way, we ran into numerous bull Bison, and on the western end of Hayden Valley, we spotted a Grizzly Bear grazing along a hillside. We watched it for a couple of minutes before it got wind of us and headed up and over the hill.
We stopped at the Mary Lake Patrol Cabin and had a nice lunch before heading west and down into the meadows along Nez Perce Creek, and then on to Lower Geyser Basin and trail's end. The hike took us a bit over eleven hours to complete and I was pretty worn out by the end.
Map of the eastern portion of our hike
The Mary Mountain Trail signpost at the north end of Hayden Valley
Of course, I'm bringing up the rear
Looking south from the trail towards Crater Hills and Sulphur Springs
Looking west across Hayden Valley
The last standing trail marker. Bison tend to knock these over over time
You shall not pass! A Bison on the trail
Alum Creek, gently flowing through Hayden Valley
Small cascades on Alum Creek
Violet Creek
Approaching Violet Hot Springs
Mud pot in the Violet Hot Springs group
Violet Hot Springs thermal area
Violet Hot Springs thermal area
Sheila and Katie making their way back to the Mary Mountain Trail
More small cascades on tributary of Alum Creek
Grizzly Bear grazing on a hillside at the western end of Hayden Valley
Giving us a look as it makes its way up and over the hillside
Making our way towards the Buffalo Highway - looking back east across Hayden Valley with Mount Washburn in the far distance. Not much of a trail at this point
Looking back east across Hayden Valley from the west end of the valley
Wolf track along the trail - we encountered wolf track along almost the entire length of the trail
Hiking along the Buffalo Highway towards Mary Lake
Mary Mountain Patrol Cabin
Mary Lake
Lunch at the cabin
Visitor at the cabin
Map of the western half of the trail
Old man heading down Mary Mountain
I believe we have seen this young gentleman before
Breaking out into the meadows along Nez Perce Creek
The fate of the Cowan party
Meadows along Nez Perce Creek
Crossing Magpie Creek
Nez Perce Creek
Old footbridge across Nez Perce Creek
Nez Perce Creek
Morning Mist Springs
Happy hikers at trail's end.