A boy receives a “geyser kiss or “geyser blessing” from Castle Geyser in Yellowstone Park. (Janet White/GeyserWatch)

By Janet White

Many first-time Yellowstone Park visitors are surprised to learn the spray from Yellowstone geysers that reaches them on the boardwalks can be cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. But if you think about it, that superheated water (hotter than the normal boiling point of water due to underground pressure) is tossed high into the air as tiny droplets that cool quickly. A hundred feet up and a hundred feet back down can cool a fine mist in a hurry, giving adventurous Yellowstone visitors the chance to experience a unique shower.

A family stands in the spray from Beehive Geyser in Yellowstone Park. (Janet White/Geyser Watch - click to enlarge)

So where should you stand to run through the spray? Downwind.

While waiting for a geyser to erupt, pay attention to the wind direction. Some geysers that sit farther away from the boardwalks, like Old Faithful,  just give you a “geyser kiss” on a windy day. But those that are closer to boardwalks, like Beehive Geyser or Lion Geyser, can drench you to the skin with a curtain of spray.

If you’re looking to stay dry, keep in mind too that a slight shift in the wind can catch many geyser gazers off guard, giving them an unexpected soaking.

A girl runs through the spray created by Penta Geyser in Yellowstone Park’s Upper Geyser Basin. (Janet White/Geyser Watch - click to enlarge)

But if you plan to take a “geyser shower,” just be sure to stay on the boardwalks, since any spray that reaches you there should be safe to stand in. Any closer, and you risk getting scalded (or worse) by hot spray.

Many geysers are capable of giving at least a kiss, but a reliable drenching happens in a few geysers, including: Beehive, Lion, Fan and Mortar. Occasionally, if the wind is right, you can also bask in the spray from Castle Geyser and Penta Geyser.

A Grandfather creates a lasting Yellowstone Park memory for his two grandkids by sheltering them with an umbrella as they walk through the spray from Beehive Geyser. (Janet White/Geyser Watch - click to enlarge)

The water in many of the geysers contains silica, the mineral that builds up to form the cones and platforms you see throughout Yellowstone’s geyser basins. If allowed to dry on camera lenses or glasses (or cars, in the case of Great Fountain Geyser), siclica is difficult to remove. So be sure to protect those surfaces and wipe them off quickly before the water has a chance to evaporate and leave behind a lingering residue.

Visitors to Yellowstone enjoy a free ‘geyser kiss’ or ‘geyser blessing’ by standing in the spray of a Beehive Geyser eruption. (Janet White/Geyser Watch - click to enlarge)

Some visitors bring an umbrella or poncho to their favorite geysers and some dash away to avoid the spray. A few stand their ground and joyously get soaked. In case you’ve never tried it, the good news is that your next Yellowstone visit will offer many chances for a geyser blessing, complete with its own version of holy water.

Janet White is the creator of GeyserWatch.com.

Isa Lake atop Craig Pass on the continental divide in Yellowstone National Park drains to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. (NPS photo - click to enlarge)

By Ruffin Prevost

Yellowstone National Park planners are seeking input on a plan to rebuild a historic bridge that takes visitors over a portion of Isa Lake — a pond that straddles the continental divide and drains to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The 70-year-old Isa Lake bridge is located atop Craig Pass at an elevation of 8,262 feet. A September 2010 inspection report from the Federal Highway Administration found the bridge in poor condition and recommended replacing it.

Isa Lake, which actually is more pond than lake, sits within Craig Pass, and is famous because it drains to two different oceans, but does so “backwards,” according to the National Park Service.

Yellow pond lilies grow in Isa Lake in Yellowstone National Park. (J. Schmidt - click to enlarge)

“At one time, it was probably the only lake on Earth that drained naturally backwards to two oceans, the east side draining to the Pacific and the west side to the Atlantic,” states the 2012 edition of Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook, a Park Service reference guide.

Isa Lake’s water levels typically don’t fluctuate much during most of the year. But during the peak of spring runoff after a snowy winter, it will drain from the east into Shoshone Lake and the Lewis River in Yellowstone, then into the Snake River and the Columbia River, emptying in the Pacific. From the west, it feeds the park’s Firehole River, which flows into the Missouri River, feeding the Mississippi River on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

The road at Craig Pass is labeled as the continental divide, but it is from the small hills on each side of the pass that spring snowmelt feeds Isa Lake.

Isa Lake atop Craig Pass is located about seven miles south of Old Faithful on the Grand Loop Road, and both names were bestowed by Hiram Chittenden, an early Yellowstone road builder with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Chittenden mapped the pass in 1891, while looking for the best route for a road between Old Faithful and West Thumb.

Chittenden named Craig Pass in honor of Ida Craig, the first visitor to cross the pass after the road was completed, and a daughter of Chittenden’s friend, James Craig, according to Yellowstone historian Lee Whittlesey’s book, Yellowstone Place Names.

Early visitors to Yellowstone Park pause alongside Isa Lake at Craig Pass, atop the continental divide. (NPS photo - click to enlarge)

How Ida Lake got its name remains a bit more of a mystery. In 1893, Northern Pacific Railroad officials named Isa Lake after Isabel Jelke. Her exact connections to the railroad, the park or Chittenden are not fully known, according to the National Park Service website. But in 1916, Chittenden wrote a poem about his “discovery” of Isa Lake. It included this cryptic section:

Thou hast no name; pray, wilt thou deign to bear

The name of her who first has sung of thee?

Isa Lake has no fish, and typically freezes over in winter. In summer, it is often covered with yellow pond lilies (Nuphar polysepala).

Park planners are considering alternatives for rebuilding or replacing the Isa Lake bridge, including building a new bridge designed to meet modern traffic safety requirements that would retain the historic character of the existing bridge.

Parking areas and pullouts near the bridge would also be repaved. During reconstruction, the road would remain open via a temporary bridge spanning Isa Lake.

Additional details about the bridge plan are available in Park Service planning documents and on the Park Service website.

Comments or questions about the plan may be made online or sent by Aug. 24 to the Isa Lake Bridge Reconstruction Plan, Attention: Compliance Office, National Park Service, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.

Contact Ruffin Prevost at 307-213-9818 or ruffin@yellowstonegate.com.

Slough Creek meanders through First Meadow with Cutoff Mountain rising in the background. (©Sandy Sisti - click to enlarge)

Parked for a Day is a user-submitted feature that lets readers share favorite activities in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Parked for a Day activities require parking the car, and can be done in a single day. Share your favorite Parked for a Day activity and we’ll feature it on Yellowstone Gate.

By Sandy Sisti

For an enjoyable early or late season hike in Yellowstone, the Slough Creek Trail offers unparalleled scenery and great fishing. The trail starts near the Slough Creek Campground and travels 11 miles to the Park’s northern boundary, following Slough Creek for most of the way. This excellent trail is actually an old wagon road leading to the Silver Tip Ranch, just north of Yellowstone. The road is still used by ranch residents to gain access to the Silver Tip, so don’t be surprised if you encounter a few horse-drawn wagons on your journey. If you do, please follow proper trail etiquette and step off the trail to allow them to pass.

To find the Slough Creek trailhead, follow the gravel road leading to Slough Creek Campground (the gravel road leaves the main road about 10 miles east of Tower). The trailhead is about two miles up the gravel road, near vault toilets.

As you begin your hike, you’ll climb a small hill which offers beautiful views of Little America to the south and Cutoff Mountain to the northeast. The toughest part of the hike, a moderate climb, is the first mile or so, with relatively easy hiking after that. During late spring and early summer, the trail’s sunny hillsides are blanketed with arrowleaf balsamroot, sticky geranium, alpine forget-me-nots, and other colorful wildflowers. You’ll also encounter two small ponds on the east side of the trail, which attract songbirds by the dozens. Unfortunately, these ponds and Slough Creek attract clouds of mosquitoes, so be sure to pack the insect repellent or hike before or after mosquito season, which is usually at its worst during the month of July.

After a bit more than a mile, the trail descends into the open valley of Slough Creek, often referred to as the “First Meadow.” (There is also a Second Meadow and Third Meadow.) Slough Creek is a popular fishing destination so you’ll likely find numerous anglers along the creek, trying their luck with the resident cutthroat trout population. You may also spot moose in the boggy meadow, along with bison, elk and a healthy population of sandhill cranes.

As you approach two miles in, the trail will intersect with the Buffalo Plateau Trail, which heads north after a ford of Slough Creek (which can be a very difficult to cross through the end of July). If you continue east on the Slough Creek Trail, two ranger patrol cabins will come into view as you make your gradual ascent out of the first meadow. Due to the wide variety of edible plants, the area above the first meadow has become something of a hot spot for foraging bears, so always be on the alert for these large bruins. As with all trails in Yellowstone, be sure to always hike with your bear spray available and know how to use it.

Since Slough Creek is an out-and-back hike, you may want to start your hike early in the day to allow enough time to make it to your destination along the creek and return to the trailhead before dark. If you’re traveling at a more leisurely pace, why not set up camp at one of the numerous campsites along the trail’s route and spend the night? Because these backcountry campsites are some of the most popular in the Park, you’ll need to make your reservations early to ensure a spot is available. Over the last few years, there have been some bear problems at these campsites, so be sure to have all your food and garbage appropriately stored to minimize your risk of an encounter.

Sandy Sisti (click to enlarge)

Whether you hike the entire 11 miles of the trail or just part of the way along the creek, the Slough Creek Trail is one of the most enjoyable in the park. And what better way to enjoy Yellowstone than to get away from the crowds along the loop roads and spend the day in the backcountry, surrounded by nature? For many, this is what Yellowstone is all about.

Sandy Sisti is a wildlife and nature photographer based just outside the east entrance of Yellowstone, in the heart of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Sisti is also an avid hiker who enjoys exploring Yellowstone’s backcountry.

Rangers recovered the body Monday of a climber in Grand Teton National Park who fell 1,000 feet to his death. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo)

From Staff Reports

CODY, WYO. — A mountain climber in Grand Teton National Park fell 1,000 feet to his death Sunday while descending from the summit of the Middle Teton.

Justin Harold Beldin, 27 of Benicia, Calif., and two climbing partners had reached the summit of the the 12,804-foot peak and were beginning to descend at about noon when the accident occurred, according to information released Monday by the Grand Teton public affairs office.

Another group of climbers near the summit of the Middle Teton saw Beldin fall and alerted Beldin’s climbing partners, who did not witness the accident.

One of the climbers who saw Beldin fall notified park rangers at 12:09 p.m. Rescuers used a helicopter to locate the site of the fall and  determined that Beldin likely suffered fatal injuries after seeing that he had not moved and was non-responsive, said Grand Teton spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs.

Thunderstorms and heavy rains grounded the search and rescue helicopter Sunday afternoon and evening, she said.

“All hell broke loose,” Skaggs said. “It was a real gully-washer that came in with that storm.”

Skaggs said heavy rains Sunday increased the likelihood of loosening rocks around the recovery zone, and that concerns about rotor wash from helicopter blades dislodging loose rocks prevented helicopter operations at the accident site.

Dense fog Monday morning hampered recovery efforts, preventing helicopter flights to the rugged mountain and delaying a plan to have rangers hike to the point where Beldin’s body was spotted.

Rangers were inserted at about 10:30 a.m. by helicopter to a landing zone at the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton. They climbed to where Beldin came to rest after his fall and prepared his body for removal from the peak. His body was turned over to the Teton County coroner at 2 p.m. Monday.

Although originally from California, Beldin had been living in Victor, Idaho since April and was working in Jackson, Wyo.

Beldin carried an ice axe with him on the climb, but he was not wearing a helmet, according to park officials.

The Middle Teton is one of the most popular climbs in the Teton Range.

Beldin’s death is the fourth backcountry fatality this year in Grand Teton National Park. Eric Tietze, 31, of Salt Lake City, died July 12 from a fall while climbing Cathedral Traverse on Teewinot Mountain. Local skiers Chris Onufer and Steve Romeo died in a March avalanche on Ranger Peak. Park rangers and others on July 10 rescued Eric Rohner, 27, of Olympia, Wash., after he became stuck on Middle Teton during a solo attempt at the summit.

There are some years when there are no climbing fatalities in Grand Teton, but it is not uncommon to see two or more deaths per year, Skaggs said, with six being the most she could recall from a single year.

Contact Yellowstone Gate at 307-213-9818 or info@yellowstonegate.com.

Two people ride a snowmobile east of Fishing Bridge during a January trip in Yellowstone National Park. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate)

By Ruffin Prevost

CODY, WYO. — Gateway communities around Yellowstone National Park have been weighing in this week on the latest draft winter-use plan for managing snowmobiles and snow coaches in the park, with generally favorable reactions from snowmobile enthusiasts.

The plan calls for managing traffic by “transportation events” and grouping snowmobile riders in clusters of 7-10 sleds per event. It allows for a total of 110 daily transportation events, with a cap of 50 events for snowmobile riders. One event each day from each gate is reserved for unpaid guides.

Read more stories about the debate over winter use in Yellowstone Park.

Bert Miller, vice president of the Wyoming State Snowmobile association, said that the plan wasn’t perfect, “but there’s opportunity here.”

“I think a lot of us can try and work with the Park Service,” Miller said Thursday during a public meeting in Cody, Wyo., the last of four that included stops in Jackson, Wyo., Bozeman, Mont. and West Yellowstone, Mont.

“Hopefully we can move forward and get this alternative to start working. We’ve been doing this for a long, long time,” he said.

The last decade has seen constant legal wrangling over snowmobiles in the park, with several attempts at crafting a lasting winter-use plan stymied by court rulings that have required planners to start over. While previous plans have focused on a specific maximum number of snowmobiles allowed in the park each day, the new draft plan focuses instead on managing the total effects of noise, air pollution and human-wildlife interactions from snowmobiles and snow coaches, without regard to which mode of travel is used.

Terry Dolan — a snowmobile guide for Gary Fales Outfitting, the lone concessioner operating through Yellowstone’s East Gate — said he was optimistic that the plan could result in a lasting framework for managing winter travel in the park.

Dolan said he looked forward to unpaid guides and their guests traveling through the East Gate, and that he planned on renting best-available technology snowmobiles to them.

Park County Commissioner Loren Grosskopf, a longtime snowmobiler who has pushed for fewer restrictions in Yellowstone, said the plan was “a step in the right direction,” although he had concerns about how unguided visits would work under guidelines not yet fully completed.

Many attending the Cody meeting focused on details of the unpaid guide portion of the plan, which would use an online reservation system similar to one in place for permitting whitewater river rafting. Concerns centered on increasing the maximum number of unpaid sleds allowed from five to 7-10, as is the case for paid guide groups, as well as uncertainty about details and logistics of the proposed system which have not yet been worked out.

Yellowstone management assistant Wade Vagias said he welcomed additional detailed suggestions and questions about the unpaid guide program, which will be drafted with input from “all stakeholders” over the next several months.

No one expressed significant concerns about potential environmental problems during the public comment period of Thursday’s meeting in Cody, attended by more than 50 people. Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said that questions at earlier meetings, particularly in Bozeman, focused on a wider range of topics and potential concerns.

Some environmental groups have complained that sound and emissions levels could potentially be higher under certain circumstances in the new plan, at least until 2017, when tougher vehicle technology standards take effect. The new plan also allows for more total snowmobiles each day, with a potential maximum of 480, compared to 318 under the current plan.

The existing plan will continue for a two-year transition period before the new plan takes effect.

The Park Service will receive public comments on the draft plan until Aug. 20, and will release a final plan in September.

Contact Ruffin Prevost at 307-213-9818 or ruffin@yellowstonegate.com.

Artists Don Dernovich participates in a “quick draw” art show and sale during the first Plein Air for the Park event in Grand Teton National Park. (NPS photo - click to enlarge)

From Staff Reports

The rugged and majestic beauty of Grand Teton National Park attracts thousands of professional and amateur photographers each year who work to capture that perfect image worthy of the park’s natural splendor. But a different kind of creative set has been working in the park over the first half of July to capture creative and visionary images of Grand Teton, and they did it one brushstroke at a time.

A group of fine artists working in the open air around Grand Teton National Park helped raise thousands of dollars for art and education programs in the park, as the first Plein Air for the Park fine art exhibition and sale wrapped up last week.

Artist Wes Newton creates an original oil painting during the first Plein Air for the Park show and sale in Grand Teton National Park. (NPS photo - click to enlarge)

Co-hosted by the Grand Teton Association and Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, the event saw 44 fine artists from across the region take their palettes and easels into the open air — or plein air — to produce original works inspired by landscapes, wildlife, wildflowers and more.

Plein air art shows and sales have been used as fundraisers for a wide range of charitable causes over the years, but this was the first such event benefiting Grand Teton.

“The ‘Plein Air in the Park’ reminds us of the legacy of the Teton landscape as inspiration for artistic expression,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. “We hope this year’s event generates a new tradition.”

The event culminated last week with a quick draw event where artists are asked to complete an original work, start-to-finish, on site. A special gala reception and award ceremony followed, where close to 140 pieces of artwork created during the two-week event were displayed for sale.

The sold-out event generated a total of approximately $50,000 in sales, according to information provided by the Grand Teton public affairs office. Forty percent of total sales will be donated through the Grand Teton Association to support art and educational programs in the park.

“It was an outstanding response for our inaugural event,” said Jan Lynch, GTA executive director. “Visitors and locals appreciated seeing so many artists scattered about the park, painting timeless scenes.”

Lynch said some park visitors showed up at the sale to “purchase the very piece they watched an artist create” just days ago.

The event highlighted GTA’s 75th anniversary as an educational, nonprofit partner for Grand Teton National Park. The group operates bookstores at visitor centers in support of the missions of Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway and other partners such as the National Elk Refuge and surrounding national forests.

Painter Greg McHuron, a former National Park Service employee who frequently paints in Grand Teton, was honored for his commitment to the arts and his passion for painting in the park in all weather and throughout all seasons. McHuron, a longtime member of Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, was unable to attend due to a health issue. But his painting “Jackson Lake Mirror” was the first sale of the show, and sold for $10,500.

Several awards were given to participating painters, including:

• Best of Show to Kathryn Turner for “Lily Pads”
• Award of Excellence to Dave Santillanes for “String Lake”
• Award of Excellence to Kathy Anderson for “Aspen Beauty”
• Award of Excellence to Beahanne Kinsella Cople for “Cool Morning”
• Superintendent’s Award to Erin O’Conner for “And Evening Ensues”
• Sharlene Milligan Scholarship Award to Carol Swinney for “Mt. Moran”
• GTA Board of Directors’ Award to Stephen C. Datz for “Greeting the Dawn”
• GTA Executive Director Award to Jeanne Mackenzie for “Menor’s Ferry, Longing for the Snake”
• Artists’ Choice Best Painting to Kathryn Turner and Jeanne Mackenzie
• Artists’ Choice Award Best Body of Work to Kathryn Turner and Stephen C. Datz

Contact Yellowstone Gate at 307-213-9818 or info@yellowstonegate.com.

Lone Star geyser erupts from a 10-foot cone of minerals built up over many years. (GeyserWatch.com/Janet White - click to enlarge)

Parked for a Day is a user-submitted feature that lets readers share favorite activities in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Parked for a Day activities require parking the car, and can be done in a single day. Share your favorite Parked for a Day activity and we’ll feature it on Yellowstone Gate.

By Janet White

A day trip to Lone Star Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is a short and pleasant day hike or a fun bike ride, and a great way to spend some time off the beaten path. The path to Lone Star Geyser follows the Firehole River for the five-mile round trip, passing through green meadows and wildflowers that line the trail, an old road now closed to vehicles.

Lone Star Geyser erupts about every three hours, with a few smaller, minor eruptions occurring before the major eruption. The major burst can last for up to 3o minutes, and ends in a strong steam phase. When you arrive at the geyser, check the log book to see if anyone recorded any recent eruptions so you’ll know when it’s likely to blow again, and feel free to enter details about what you see to help other visitors.

If you want to be sure to see Lone Star Geyser erupt, plan a half-day trip to give yourself time to wait and linger this peaceful setting. Keep your eyes open for wildlife as well.

Access the Lone Star Geyser trailhead just past the Kepler Cascades parking lot on the Grand Loop Road, less than 2 miles east of Old Faithful, or just over 15 miles west of West Thumb.

The old vehicle road that serves as the Lone Star Geyser trail follows the Firehole River. (Janet White / GeyserWatch.com - click to enlarge)

On a recent trip from Cody, my husband, Mike, and I decided to check out Lone Star Geyser as an easy way to try out a pair of newly purchased bikes, because the trail is fairly level and a favorite biking route. It’s an old road that autos used for years to reach Lone Star Geyser, but it was closed to visitor traffic in 1972. (In the winter, cross-country skiers coming from Old Faithful frequently use the trail.)

In a short distance, the traffic noise from the main road fades, and the silence wraps around us like a comforter. The old road follows the clear water of the Firehole River and winds through tall lodgepole pines, with a few Engleman spruce and Douglas fir trees sprinkled in. Beneath them, the lush green grass grows alongside columbines, lupines and other wildflowers. The waters call to my husband to fish there, so I imagine we’ll return soon to let him match his fly-fishing skills against the brook trout.

We pass by an open meadow that looks like it should have a moose, elk or bear standing in it. This trail is closed early in the season because of the bears that frequent the area. They may still show up at any time, but today we don’t see any. We still have bear spray ready, though, just in case.

We haven’t been to Lone Star before, so we’re not familiar with the trail, and wonder how many small hills and gentle turns it takes to reach it. Around this bend? The next? In a short time, we arrive to feel small drops of water hitting us, and the sound of an eruption tells us Lone Star is already going.

Lone Star Geyser erupts about every three hours. (Janet White/ GeyserWatch.com - click to enlarge)

It looks like a major eruption, but we are unable to really see it clearly, as we’re on the downwind side, receiving the “geyser blessing.” If I’m not careful to dry off this “geyser kiss” promptly, it will leave a trace of the same silica on my camera lens that has built the 10-foot cone at the base of the geyser.

I tuck my camera under my jacket, look at Mike, and we decide to run through the spray to gain a better vantage point. As we run, I take off my glasses to protect them as well.

On the other side, we see the water jetting high into the air. But after talking with an visitor who arrived earlier, we learn it was a bit taller at the start — just a few minutes before we arrived. A few minor eruptions had preceded this one, but this was definitely the big one in the cycle, with water reaching about 40 feet high and now starting to shift to steam.

We stayed through the the loud, long steam phase. As it died away, the small group of about a dozen spectators applauded, and Lone Star responded with a few extra puffs of steam.

The ride back to the parking lot was easy and relatively quick. Some much-needed rain started to fall as the car came into sight. Perfect timing. Lone Star was the first geyser to greet us on this trip, and parking the car and getting out there was well worth it.

Janet White is a photographer and geyser enthusiast who created GeyserWatch.com.

From Staff Reports

Yellowstone National Park managers have lifted fire restrictions after a round of recent rainfall over most of the park.

The increased precipitation also helped wildland firefighting crews suppress the Blacktail Fire near the park’s northern boundary. The fire, which began July 12 and reached 29 acres, is approximately 95 percent contained, with full containment expected by next week, according to information released by the Yellowstone public affairs office.

The 8 smoke jumpers and 5 helicopter crew members who initially attacked the fire have been replaced by a 4-person wildland fire crew assigned to Yellowstone from Saguaro National Park to assist with mop-up and patrol efforts.

Park managers had banned fires outside of designated fire rings in developed campgrounds, as well as smoking in many areas of the park. Those restrictions and others have been lifted.

Mangers caution that the lifting of the fire restrictions does not remove the responsibility for visitors to ensure that all campfires are fully extinguished and are built only in areas designated for their use. Visitors are reminded to be cautious when smoking in any area where there are combustible fuels.

As always, anyone negligently or willfully starting a wildland fire can be held responsible for the cost of the fire and charged with a crime.

Contact Yellowstone Gate at 307-213-9818 or info@yellowstonegate.com.

Only a single headstone remains in the Kite Hill Cemetery at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. (Mike Wheeler - click to enlarge)

By Mike Wheeler

I first heard about the “old Mammoth cemetery on the hill” and its mysterious graves while reading Yellowstone National Park historian Lee Whittlesey’s book, Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park.

The cemetery sits atop a hill behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and was first used in 1883. Now known as Kite Hill because Mammoth residents have often climbed it to fly kites with their children, it was previously known as Sepulcher Hill, because it lies on the eastern flank of Sepulcher Mountain. Though “sepulcher” means a crypt-like burial place, the mountain was not named for the cemetery. It was named in 1871 by U.S. Army Capt. John W. Barlow, according to the Yellowstone Wiki.

An unmarked grave holds the remains of one of the 14 people buried in the Kite Hill Cemetery at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. (Mike Wheeler - click to enlarge)

The Kite Hill Cemetery is not to be confused with a separate military cemetery in Mammoth near horse corrals. Kite Hill is a civilian cemetery for early park workers and non-military residents. It has 14 graves, but only one monument still stands, marking two graves. The identities of at least three people buried remain a mystery.

The inscription on the lone remaining tombstone shows that Mary J. Foster, 33, was the first person buried at the cemetery, on June 10, 1883. Whittlesey writes that “she hailed from Madison County, North Carolina and was probably an employee of the hotel which was then being built.” But nothing else is known about Foster.

Sarry E. Bolding, who died of unknown causes, is buried next to Foster and her name appears on a common headstone marking both graves, even though she was buried four years after Foster.

Kite Hill Cemetery also contains the bodies of two people who committed suicide, one who was murdered and another who died in an avalanche, according to Death in Yellowstone.

I had tried to find Kite Hill Cemetery before, and once when my children were with me, they stumbled across it. I finally emailed Lee Whittlesey for directions and he was gracious enough to point me in the right direction.

The lone headstone in Kite Hill Cemetery at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park marks the graves of Mary Foster and Sarry Bolding. (Mike Wheeler - click to enlarge)

Some people prefer to hike up a trail next to the Old Gardiner Road directly behind the Mammoth Hotel that leads up the hill. For me, the easiest way to find Kite Hill Cemetery is to:

• Hike up the Old Gardiner Road behind the Mammoth Hotel to the first plateau, until you see the service road on the left.
• Follow the service road to the left across the hill.
• The service road will start up the side of the hill and you will see two fenced-in utility areas. At the second of the two, head toward the top of the hill.
• At the top of that hill, look around for the headstone of Mary Foster. You’ll also see other unmarked graves nearby, as well as panoramic views of the hills around Mammoth Hot Springs.

The hike is short but steep, climbing more than 300 feet in about a half-mile, so take your time. A camera and bear spray are always good ideas on any hike in Yellowstone.

Mike Wheeler is a frequent Yellowstone Park visitor who enjoys photographing and exploring the park.

Emma Cowan and her husband return in 1905 to the spot in Yellowstone National Park where they were captured by Nez Perce Indians. (Bozeman Pioneer Museum)

By M. Mark Miller

Emma Cowan and her family visited Yellowstone National Park in 1877 — the year the U.S. Army pursued the Nez Perce Indians there. The Nez Perce generally had amicable relations with whites, but in what has become a familiar story, the peace was shattered when gold was discovered on their land. Some Nez Perce acquiesced to government demands that they move to a tiny reservation, but others decided to flee their homeland instead.

The Army sent soldiers to subdue the defiant Nez Perce, but the Indians defeated them several times. In the most dramatic battle, the Army made a pre-dawn attack on a sleeping Nez Perce camp on the banks the Big Hole River in southwest Montana. The Indians rallied, drove back their attackers, then retreated leaving their equipment, teepees, and at least 89 dead—most of them women and children.

After the battle, they fled though Yellowstone Park where they captured Emma’s party. Here’s her account of what happened later.

Every Indian carried a splendid gun, with belts full of cartridges. As the morning sunshine glinted on the polished surface of the gun barrels, a regiment of soldiers could have not looked more formidable. The Indians pretended all the while to be our very good friends, saying that if they should let us go, bad Indians, as they termed them, would kill us.

Suddenly, without warning, shots rang out. Two Indians came dashing down the trail in front of us. My husband was getting off his horse. I wondered what the reason. I soon knew, for he fell as soon as he reached the ground—fell heading downhill. Shots followed and Indian yells, and all was confusion. In less time than it takes to tell it, I was off my horse and by my husband’s side….

I heard my sister’s screams and called to her. She came and crouched by me, as I knelt by his side. I saw he was wounded in the leg above the knee, and by the way the blood spurted out I feared an artery had been severed. He asked for water. I dared not leave him to get it.

I think we both glanced up the hill at the same moment, for he said, “Keep quiet. It won’t last long.” That thought had flashed through my mind also. Every gun in the whole party of Indians was leveled at us three. I shall never forget the picture, which left an impression that years cannot efface. The holes in those gun barrels looked as big as saucers.

I gave it only a glance, for my attention was drawn to something near at hand. A pressure on my shoulder was drawing me away from my husband. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw an Indian with an immense navy pistol trying to get a shot at my husband’s head. Wrenching my arm from his grasp, I leaned over my husband, only to be roughly drawn aside. Another Indian stepped up, a pistol shot rang out, my husband’s head fell back, and a red stream trickled down his face from beneath his hat. The warm sunshine, the smell of blood, the horror of it all, a faint remembrance of seeing rocks thrown at his head, my sister’s screams, a faint sick feeling, and all was blank.

Two days later, the Indians released Emma, her sister, Ida, and her brother, Frank. They made their way to Mammoth Hot Springs where they found help. Emma’s husband, George, survived the shooting. He carried the slug that an Army surgeon dug out of his head as a watch fob for the rest of his life.

While making their way through the Yellowstone wilderness, the Nez Perce discovered they were not welcome with their old friends, the Crow, who had made accommodations with the whites. The Nez Perce decided to head north to join Sitting Bull and his Sioux in Canada. In October, the starving and exhausted remnants of the band surrendered to the Army just 40 miles from the Canadian border.

Emma’s complete story is included in M. Mark Miller’s Adventures in Yellowstone: Early Travelers Tell Their Tales.