A Yellowstone Summer : Union Falls, Heart Lake, Mt. Sheridan

The day after my mom and dad left, Jeremy and I headed out to Union Falls. The hike started at the south entrance of the park along a long, bumpy, dirt road. After hiking about a mile in we had to ford the Falls River. The water was freezing! After the ford we hiked another 6.5 miles up a hill and then along mostly flat terrain before coming to Union Falls. We didn't see much wildlife along the way, but the walk itself was quite beautiful. The trail took us mostly in densely forested areas, crossing a few streams here and there before coming up to the falls.

Union Falls is the second highest waterfall in the park at 265 feet! The waterfall itself is quite wide and “fans” out in both directions. We stopped for lunch at the falls overlook before heading back down.

After the falls, we took a short spur trail to a backcountry thermal swimming pool. The pool is heated a thermal close by, and was about the temperature of a heated swimming pool. There was a small waterfall that dropped into the pool and some rocks to the sides that you could jump off of. When we first got to the pool it was packed with about 20 people. After waiting about 10 minutes or so we had the pool all to ourselves though!

After relaxing in the pool for a bit we hiked the 7.5 miles back to the trailhead and headed home to get ready for our next big hike the following day!

On the way home, we saw a GIANT bull MOOSE!!! It was AWESOME!

The next day we set out to hike Mt. Sheridan. The trail started at the Heart Lake Trailhead. We had to hike 7.4 miles out to the lake and then another mile before getting to the base of Mt. Sheridan. The hike started in a forested area and we saw a few mule deer along the way. The trail was a bit scary at times, because it seemed like we would bump into a bear at any turn! Luckily we didn’t though. After a few miles the trail came up to an open area where we were able to get our first views of Heart Lake.

As the trail descended to the lake, we passed a few thermal areas and some streams. At the lake there was a patrol cabin and we found a nice spot along the lake to each lunch before heading up the mountain.

The lake was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and making the whole lake sparkle. The sand along the shore seemed untouched, and the surrounding views of the wilderness and mountains was spectacular.

After a quick lunch we started our ascent up Mt. Sheridan. The first part of the trail took us through mostly burned forest before ascending into a short forested area and then up above the tree line. The hike wasn't too steep, but was still pretty difficult.

First views of Heart Lake, halfway up Sheridan:

Up above the tree line it was a bit windy, but the sun was shining so it made it tolerable. As we approached the summit we were able to get amazing views of the Teton Range off to the south, Heart Lake in front of us, Yellowstone Lake just beyond Heart Lake, and the entire Eastern Range of Yellowstone (Avalanche Peak, Hoyt, Top Notch, etc).

Teton Range:

Summit is getting close!

Snow up the top!

At the top there was a fire lookout tower and we found a place to have a quick snack. After taking in the views, we headed back down and mentally prepared for the 12 mile hike back out. It was a long and hard hike, but well worth the views!

Jeremy with Heath Lake below: