Finally, a real hike again: Horsetooth Falls

Don't let the above shot fool you...there wasn't that much water coming down the falls.  If you expect to see more water then the optimum time to go to Horsetooth Falls for a hike would be in May.  There were many wildflowers in bloom (which is nice since Flora Hiker has been lacking on the wildflower pictures lately).

Sulpher Flower:

Sun Rose:

Rocky Mountain Beeplant/Scarlet Guara

Tufted Loco/Vetch:

Boulder Raspberry:

These were beautiful flowers (below) but once you take a picture of wildflowers from far away you start to lose that 'beautiful' quality.

My little hikers:

Wallflower:

Wallflower:

Geranium:

Wallflower:

Horsetooth Falls:

Enjoying the top of the falls for lunch:

Spiderwort:

Evening Primrose:

Aster:

Milkvetch:

Groundsel:

Prairie Cinquefoil:

Orchid Penstemon:

Vetch:

Hike: Horsetooth Falls

Trails Used:  Horsetooth Falls

Distance: 2.91 miles

Difficulty: Easy for adults, Moderate for children (can get hot out there so start early)

Overall average: 1.7 mph

Overall Time: 1 hrs, 44 min

Total Ascent: 583 ft.

Tent Camping for 22 days, family vacation for 25 days

Tent Camping for 22 nights, family vacation (with a 4 and 5 year old) for 25 days.  Can we make it?  Will we still be sane at the end? 

Our Goal: tent camping at Yellowstone National Park, the Tetons, Craters of the Moon, Glacier National Park, and Mt. Rushmore over 3.5 weeks. 

Our photos and experience are covered in the month of August on my blog.  There are only two entries that aren't of our trip.  Enjoy!

The overall map/route of our trip:

  Left Ft. Collins, CO on a Saturday headed for Sinks Canyon State Park near Lander, Wyoming.

Got lunch (Taco Bell) in Rawlins, WY.

 

We made a stop at the Rawlin's Elementary School K-1 Campus.

It was a good stop where the kids could stretch their legs on the play equipment. We even saw this family of pronghorn's grazing on the tasty, green grass.