Moose Falls in Yellowstone

My first stop in Yellowstone was Moose Falls. Yes I’d been here yesterday but I wanted to find the trail to the bottom of the falls. I must have missed it yesterday and since today I was concentrating on waterfalls, it seemed appropriate to take another look.

Over the Edge

After careful scrutiny I found what seemed to be a possible trail. As I tentatively started along it I saw that it soon started down along the rock face right next to the falls. The rocks made a series of rough steps. I moved carefully until I was almost at the bottom. I just couldn’t make myself take that last step. It was a bit bigger drop/step so I settled on the almost bottom.

Sunlight, friend or foe

The early morning sun was slanting over the falls at a pretty steep angle. It wasn’t high enough to actually hit the falls yet but it was high enough to be heading right into my camera lens. Well, you can’t always get what you want so I decided to try to play with the light a bit and see what kind of results I could get.

A Pretty Falls

This is such a pretty falls when you get down near the bottom. There appears to be a cave behind the falls. I’m just guessing as I couldn’t get over there to verify it. Since the sun wasn’t filling the gorge yet I was able to get a slower shutter speed to make the water frothy and soft. A little different angle and the sun rays created a colorful series of bokeh spots.

If You Go

It was really nice sitting there next to the waterfall watching the sun peak over the edge. I could have stayed there for hours but there were other falls calling to me. If you go the Yellowstone, Moose Falls in located just inside the South entrance. The stream that creates the falls is Crawfish Creek. There’s parking in a pull off just over the bridge and it’s an easy walk to the falls.

South Entrance Yellowstone

At the South Entrance my Senior pass again allowed me entrance to the park. Moose Falls was just a short distance after the entrance. There’s a pull out so you can park and an easy trail to the top of the falls. I grabbed the camera and wandered over to take a look. I had been told that the trail went to the bottom of the falls but I didn’t see it. Photos from the top would have to do for now. There was a nice water flow. I wonder what it’s like in the spring when you have the creek swollen with the snow melt.

Crawfish Creek

The bridge over Crayfish Creek was visible from the top of the falls.

Crawfish Creek must be affected by the geo thermal activity in the area because it’s temperature is unusually warm for a Wyoming mountain Stream. It’s these warm temperatures that make the waters a suitable habitat for the crawfish that give the Creek it’s name. The creek begins in the southern portion of the Yellowstone Volcanic area and feeds into the Lewis River.

The Lewis River and Canyon

Leaving Moose Falls I entered a portion of the park where the road was lined by tall straight pine. These are called lodge pole pines and are very common in this section of the park. My Gaperguide was explaining about the role the lodge pole pines play in the natural spread of fire and new growth throughout the park. Interesting but not really scenic. I was apparently driving along the Lewis River named for Meriweather Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame. Gaperguide told me to watch for beavers and lodges but the tree growth was too dense to spot anything. Finally as I rounded a curve the vista opened up and I got my first look at Lewis Canyon.