Arriving in Yellowstone National Park

Leaving Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, we drive across Idaho into Montana, continue southeast through the state to the northwestern corner of Wyoming, and into Yellowstone National Park.  This is the longest drive of our trip, about 430 miles (692 km) and does fill the day.  We enter Yellowstone at the West Entrance, just outside the town of West Yellowstone.

Driving across the park to our hotel in Canyon Village, we stop at Gibbon Falls for our first views of Yellowstone scenery.  Gibbon Falls drops 84 feet (26 meters) and then flows into the Yellowstone Caldera, about 1/4 mile (0.4 km) downriver.  As the falls erode the rock at the bottom, the falls continue to grow higher and migrate farther from the rim of the caldera.

Gibbons Falls

Leaving the falls, we pass through meadows of grazing bison, some of them walking down the road to the next field.  Traffic does tend to slow down or stop to view the bison and to avoid them when they're walking down the middle of the road.

Bison in the field

Bison in transit

Bison stepping off the road to let us by

When we arrive at Canyon Village, we first spot the signs warning us to stay at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears and wolves and 25 yards (23 meters) away from bison.  The park rangers tell us that more people are injured by bison than by bears as people tend to get too close to a bison (for pictures) and annoy the animal (it's rarely good to annoy something that weighs up to 2,000 pounts, 907 kg, and stands around 6 feet, 1.8 meters, tall).  We do note that it is difficult to stay 25 yards from a bison that is walking on the road by our car, but at least we're in the car.

Keep your distance

The other warning that we view has to do with bears.  The park is full of both brown and black bears and a bear encounter is quite possible.  The advice from the park is to be alert, make noise (they tell us to clap our hands and say "Hey bear" as we walk along the forest trails to avoid surprising a bear), and to carry bear spray.  We rent bear spray for our trip and do actually encounter a bear a few days later alongside the trail on which we're hiking (about 20 feet, 6 meters, away), but the bear is busy and not interested in us.

Bear encounter instructions

We also occasionally see elk also grazing in the fields (and one moose later in the trip).

Elk

We arrive in Canyon Village, centrally located in the park near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (a 20 mile, 32 km, long and 1,000 foot, 305 meter, deep gorge carved by the Yellowstone River), staying in the National Park Lodge (Canyon Lodge and Cabins), and head over to dinner at Canyon Eatery food hall, a collection of varied dining options ranging from hearty "home-style" meals to ramen and pho bowls.  

We've arrived in Yellowstone and have a lot of exploring to do the next few days!

Hikng the Mineral Ridge Trail Near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Mineral Ridge Trail is a 3.3 mile (5.3 km) loop trail that offers stunning views of Lake Coeur d'Alene.  The trail has an elevation gain of 767 feet (234 meters) and starts with a series of switchbacks up to the viewpoint at the top of the ridge.  We drive 11 miles (18 km) outside Coeur'Alene, park at the trailhead, and start up.

Starting up

Rest stops along the trail

Views of the lake as we climb

We reach a spur trail to an abandonded mine and take the short diversion.  Prospectors begain filing hard-rock mineral claims on Mineral Ridge around 1891, inspired by regional gold and metal discoveries.  Many of the test pits and horizonal prospecting tunnels into the hillside still exist, but never found payable ore deposits and never developed a producing mine.

Mining operation

We return to the main trail and contuinue up the hill to Caribou Cabin, on the ridge overlooking the lake.

Caribou Cabin

Just before the cabin, the Nelson Trail leads north to a view point and we take another diversion to see what is there.  The view is spectacular and we rest and enjoy it before returning to Caribou Cabin and  continuing on the Mineral Ridge Trail along the ridge overlooking the lake.

Viewpoint

Continuing along the ridge

More mineral exploration pits

At the end of the ridge, we descend to the parking lot and the lakeshore view.

Descending

On the shore

We return to Coeur d'Alene and take a scenic lake cruise, leaving from a dock near our hotel.  We sit outside on the upper deck of the ship and learn the story of the lake and the people and wildlife who live here.  Some of the mansions along the lake are among the most expensive residences in the state of Idaho.

Lake cruise

As we return on the opposite side of the lake, the ship travels along the shore where we rode bicycles yesterday, giving us a lake view of the scenery we previously observed from land.

Returning on the opposite shore

Map of Lake Coeur d'Alene

(on the door of the lake-tour ticket office)

Coeur d'Alene is only a brief stop at the start of our journey, but it is a great experience to launch us into the rest of the trip!

Hiking Around Tubbs Hill in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Located next to our hotel, in downtown Coeur d'Alene and on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Tubbs Hill is 165 acres (67 hectares) of publicly-owned land with tranquil scenery and hiking trails around the hill (along the shore of the lake) and over the top of the hill.

We walk over to Tubbs Hill, passing more great street art on the way.

Art on the way

Tubbs Hill

We start up the path along the shore and enter the forest, then pop out of the woods for occasional views of the lake.

Starting up the hill

Views of the lake

Looking back at Coeur d'Alene Resort

We continue along the path and find secluded beaches with great views.

Continuing around the hill

Viewpoints above

Beaches below

The path leads around the hill and take a side journey into the upper end of McEuen Park, then returns to and follows the main trail until we return to our starting point.

Continuing along the shore

Descending into the park

Returning to the start

We walk through the lower end of McEuen Park, back to the hotel, where we borrow bicycles and ride through the park, across residential neighborhoods, and along the shore of the lake, later returning to McEuen Park and continuing the other way, up the northeastern shore of the lake and a short way up the Spokane River.

McEuen Park

Along the lakeshore

Heading the other way along the lake and river

More art along the way

We return the bicycles and wander into town, taking in the farmers market and seeking an interesting restaurant to return to for dinner.

Farmers market

For dinner, we choose Midtown Bluebird, where we start with charred octopus and buratta with toast, followed by  roasted duck breast and roasted king salmon.

Dinner

Art in the restaurant district

After that fabulous dinner, we return to our hotel and watch the sun set over Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Sunset over the lake

What a great day in this beautiful location.