Pic: Left: Mt. Washburn Lookout. Grayish blobs on right: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep enjoying lunch. View northeast from Mt. Washburn Trail, Yellowstone NP, WY. Larger image
The day’s first order of business was to find out why I couldn’t camp anywhere last night. I’d seen the camp host walking around so I knocked on the door of his RV and asked why everything was closed.
“Intense grizzly activity,” Gene told me. “A mom with four cubs — usually they only have one or two. I’ve seen ’em on webcam dragging carcasses into the river bed.”
In other words, not a great scenario for tent camping. Since Gene’s campground was one of the few open for non-hardsided camping, I reserved another night at shelterless site #30. At least it would free me to stay out late playing in the park.
Somewhere between bear activity and site reservations Gene proclaimed, unprompted, “I don’t care what kind of environmentalist you are — wolves don’t belong in Wyoming.” I said, after a pause, that I knew ranchers weren’t big fans of the Yellowstone wolves’ recent rebound. Gene only shook his head: “Wolves are killing machines.”
I listened to a few more of Gene’s Wolf Facts, a bonus story about the Buffalo Bill museum displaying a mummified Indian for years despite the horror of the local native population, and an endorsement of Gene’s wife’s Subaru for driving in icy Wyoming winters. Then it was time to hit the park.
I survived my first elk jam in Hayden Valley — some handsome bulls loitering by the side of the road — and proceeded up to Dunraven Pass. When exploring a new area, it’s always nice to ascend to a high point and get the lay of the land. The place to do this in Yellowstone is Mt. Washburn. While the hike’s 6.4 miles[1] and 1400′ of climbing aren’t exactly trivial, the trail is well-routed (it’s an old fire road; chunks of asphalt are still evident in the switchback section) with limited cliff exposure which makes it perfect for families with children or other less-experienced backcountry travellers.
Plus, the rewards are incredible. “Panoramic” is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but the views from the top of Mt. Washburn are truly 360 degrees of spectacle: mindbogglingly expansive meadows stuffed with green grass, snow-capped mountains in all directions, and my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Pic: Center left: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Center right: Mt. Washburn trail headed back to the road. View southwest from Mt. Washburn Lookout, Yellowstone NP, WY. Larger image
It was, however, a little breezy at the top. I don’t know how strong wind has to be before it prevents a full-grown adult from walking a broad road in a straight line, but this wind was that strong.
Vid: Panoramic views or shelter from the wind: pick one. Mt. Washburn Lookout, Yellowstone NP, WY
[1] Add 0.5 miles if you arrive late due to an elk jam and have to park in a pullout below the trailhead lot.
Danger Beyond This Point 
