Avalanche Peak in Yellowstone NP
My 2022 trip to Yellowstone was pretty weird; I had a series of hikes planned and specially the first day’s hike, I never did that hike.
Reading recommendation and talking to one person pointed me to other hikes. Avalanche Peak was one of those hikes; after I did Mount Washburn I decided to find a proper mountain hike with actual trails (you see, Mt Washburn hike is walking on an old asphalt road that takes you to the top).
This is a proper hike. There is warning for hikers to be on the lookout for grizzlies since there is plenty of tasty food (nuts, I think) in the mountain so you have to be alert.
The parking area is small and I bagged the last parking spot since I decided to start hiking at 9am to allow for people to be on the trail and deal with the bears themselves.
The first part of the hike is uphill inside a forest and that is where you need to be bear aware. At some point I ran into these guys. They didn’t mind my presence and I would assume that if a bear was close-by they would not be that casual. I think I was about 40 yards from them.
Once you leave the forested area (I am guessing one mile in), you reach a flat area where you can get your bearing of what is coming. You can see in the distance the ridgeline that you will be hiking but not yet the destination:
Couple of videos of me approaching the ridgeline:
At this point it is just a matter of patience and slowly hike uphill and not forgetting to turn around to see the views behind you once you gain elevation:
You are finally on the ridgeline and I was seeing hikers in the distance. For people with fear of heights there is a sketchy area when you are almost at the top: a hump on the ridgeline that is a rocky outcrop that you need to walk over, carefully. I have one video approaching the hump and another doing a 360 degree view from the hump. It is one person at a time at the hump and careful with the wind.
What awaits you at the top is not describable, in my opinion is the best elevation view in Yellowstone. It is very windy and people have created small rocky cubicles to hide from the wind. I went insane taking videos at the top:
The hump, seen from the top:
Once you reach the top, you will notice social trails that can extend the hike. I didnt take them, but I have read that experienced (I MEAN REALLY EXPERIENCED) hikers can take then and go all the way down to the road.
One last video on the way down ……….
I am not kidding, I spent one hour at the top looking at the views and talking with other hikers. I never rest when I hike but this was special and I wanted to spend the time constantly admiring the views.
I highly recommend this hike, just travel in a group to check for bears at the start of the hike. The elevation is no big deal, it is slow and it requires patience.
Enjoy …