Like Lewis and Clark?

Reflective lake destination for Beehive Basin Trail

What must members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition have thought 210 years ago when they encountered the incredible beauty of the uncharted region that included 15 future states from the Louisiana Purchase as well as the vast Pacific Northwest?

The remarkably diverse vistas are awe-inspiring, even when you know what to expect.

Antelope grazing along road on way home from playing golf.

We hiked Big Sky's Ousel Falls Trail frequently this July as well as last, but every time we walked over the bridge across the sparkling river or gazed out over the waterfalls, I saw something new.

Hippie Highway at Bunker Bar and Grill

This year, even the short drive on Ousel Falls Road proved eventful, when a grizzly bear emerged from the side of the road and lumbered past our car only a few feet away.  

It was fortunate I was driving cautiously, although perhaps if he sensed greater speed he would have waited to pass.

I'm not sure of size, but the bear must have been about three or four hundred pounds, and since he looked young, perhaps he was a teenager, although females are about that size when fully grown.  We didn't get a photo, because it happened too quickly.

Hip-deep snow of Beehive Basin Trail in July.

Without going outside the greater Big Sky area, we enjoyed several exhilarating hikes. 

At Beehive Basin, Julie and I started in 80 degree sunshine, hiked up hill for a couple of hours through spring-like conditions, across icy rushing rivers and into hip deep snow covered trails to a gorgeous partly frozen lake, and starting from the same parking lot we returned another day to hike downhill along Beehive Creek Trail under shady trees. 

Ulery's Lake in July

Near Big Sky's Moonridge Ski Area, we hiked to Ulery's Lake, meeting a moose on the trail one day and eating a picnic lunch at a scenic lakeside spot another.  We also had picnics above Ousel Falls and just outside Big Sky along the Gallatin River at both Moose Creek and Red Cliffs Campgrounds.

Cinnamon Creek Trail

At another destination just outside Big Sky, Cinnamon Creek, wildflowers grew abundantly, creating a totally hiking different experience.

We never made it to one of the best trails in the area, Lava Lake, reported by previous travelers to be a steep climb, which concerned Julie after so many days of hiking had tired our legs, but Lewis and Clark had no such information to go by.  



Julie and Christy at Moose Creek Picnic Area

They were making the maps as they went, never knowing what to expect around the next river bend, and abandoning their boats by necessity to get over the Continental Divide.

By comparison, driving in a Jeep and setting off into the "wilderness" with smart phones on mostly marked trails is child's play. 



Julie and Wes by the Gallatin River