Yellowstone Cliffs is one of our favorite hikes. It's a 20-miler, which means that it's one of those hikes that takes you into the wilder reaches, well past the hoy polloi--the crowds. It's also an especially beautiful place. The cliffs, once you reach them, are striking for their unique weather-sculpted contours, but also their colors--orange and yellow accents adorn the cliff face. Yellowstone Cliffs is an open meadow area on a gentle incline, where cliffs suddenly erupt from the grassy hillside. Getting there is an invigorating and varied experience.
Starting at the Carbon River entrance, we hiked 5 miles to the Ipsut Creek campground; then hung a right at the end of the campground area towards the Northern Loop Trail (a sign clearly delineates the route), crossed the Carbon River after another 2 miles; then crossed the river and hung a left towards Windy Gap. Yellowstone Cliffs is 2.7 miles from the Carbon River. I cannot put into words the beauty of this area. My inadequate phone pictures will give you an idea of the place. But the important thing to get from this trip report is that the lower Carbon crossing is just fine! We were a bit concerned as we set out, because there was a sign at the Carbon River TH warning that the bridge across the Carbon was "damaged." The bridge is just fine! What is "damaged" is that the riverbed has been affected by water flow, so as you approach the bridge, you will see some large stones that you need to navigate around, but the bridge across the river is stable and high above the water. You will need to climb up some stones, but it is really no problem. I am 5'2" and small, and had no problem. After crossing the bridge, look for the cairns. These will direct you towards the trail, and it quickly becomes obvious where the trail is. If you are an experienced hiker, it is easy-peasy.
This trail starts with a relaxing jaunt through old growth forest along a former road (to the Ipsut campground); then continues along the Carbon River on a peaceful, lovely trail (one area where the trail has been eroded by river encroachment is a bit narrow, but no issue--there is a rope to grab, if desired), and finally heads up to Yellowstone Cliffs and Windy Gap. The 2.7 miles to Yellowstone Cliffs is unrelentingly uphill. You will gain a couple thousand feet in 23 steep switchbacks; you'll gain about 3000 feet total from the TH to the cliffs. When you reach the cliffs, though, you will have a spiritual experience. Clusters of Mountain Gentian punctuate the trail, once you reach the ridgewalk, and the cliffs--you'll just have to hike it!
We saw no bears or goats today, as we have in the past, but we did see a couple of deer. We encountered three humans up there, and they appeared quite docile--and conscious of either socially distancing or masking. Folks, we're not out of the woods yet with this virus!
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