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Yellowstone's West entrance is
only about 30 miles from Ashton and the south west corner is
only about 25 miles where you can view the beautiful cave falls
and fish the remote Bechler River.
Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park
is the first and oldest national park in the world.
Preserved within Yellowstone are Old Faithful Geyser and some 10,000
hot springs and geysers, the majority of the planet's total. These geothermal
wonders are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes;
its last eruption created a crater or caldera that spans almost half
of the park.
An outstanding mountain wildland with clean water and air, Yellowstone
is home of the grizzly bear and wolf, and free-ranging herds of bison
and elk. It is the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of
the largest intact temperate zone ecosystems remaining on the planet.
The human history of the park dates back 12,000 years. The events of
the last 130 years of park history are reflected in the historic structures
and sites associated with various periods of park administration and
visitor facilities development. |
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Grand Teton National Park can be accessed by
the rustic and adventurous Flag Ranch/Ashton road that will
dump you off on the north end of the park. This is a Dirt road
but a wonderful drive. You can find this road southeast of
Ashton Idaho.
Established in 1929, Grand Teton National
Park emerged from a complicated and controversial series
of events. The park first consisted of the mountain range
and several glacial lakes. Later the valley floor was protected
as Jackson Hole National Monument. The two areas were combined
in 1950.
Today the park encompasses nearly 310,000 acres and protects the Teton
Range, Jackson Hole (mountain valley), a 50-mile portion of the Snake
River, seven morainal lakes, over 100 back country and alpine lakes,
and a wide range of wildlife and plant species.
The park is also rich in a cultural history that includes seven eras
of human history: early peoples (paleo-indians), Native Americans (modern
tribes), fur trappers, homesteaders, ranchers/farmers, conservationists,
and recreationalists. Climbing, hiking and backpacking, camping, fishing,
wildlife and bird watching, horseback riding, boating on Jackson and
Jenny Lakes, rafting on the Snake River, bicycling, and photography are
all common activities in the area.
About 4 million visitors enjoy the park each year, most visit between
Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day. |
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Upper Mesa Falls is a majestic sight |
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About a mile below Upper Mesa Falls you can find
Lower Mesa Falls, equally majestic but it lacks the great access
of upper Mesa Falls. |
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The world famous fly fishing river The Henry's
Fork of the Snake flows through the Island Park Plateau
and
provides
many fishing and sightseeing opportunities. |
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Tucked in the southwest
corner of Yellowstone National Park, the Falls River
basin is truly a fisherman's and waterfall lover's
paradise. The Fall River is aptly named because of
the many waterfalls along its tributaries. This is
the major river that drains the Cascade Corner, of
Yellowstone Park. The four major streams in the Fall
River drainage are the Belcher River, Boundary Creek,
Mountain Ash creek and of course the Fall River. They
begin on the Madison and Pitchstone plateaus and they
carve canyons across Yellowstone Park's southwest
corner. Some of Yellowstone's most beautiful waterfalls
are in this area. As the runoff of many creeks drop
off the Madison and Pitchstone Plateaus, many waterfalls
are formed. With nearly 80 inches of annual precipitation,
the Falls River drainage is one of the wettest portions
of Yellowstone National Park. The Falls River is a
backpacking, fisherman, and photographer's nirvana. |
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It is a snowmobilerÍs winter
wonderland in the Island Park Idaho region where you can escape
to prodigious hordes of powder and hundreds of miles of groomed
trail; horizons of snow-capped peaks beckon, powder blanketed
valleys of white entice you off your groomed trail, and breathtaking
scenery stops you in your tracks. Each Winter Island Park is
the beneficiary of average of 229 inches of snow. Hundreds
of thousands of acres of public land are open to snowmobiling
and exploring. |
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Big Springs as the name implies is one big
spring that flows out of the mountainside into a large creek
that
rapidly turns into a small river.
Rainbow Trout wait under the nearby bridge for tourists to
throw them food some get as big as 10 pounds. |
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Nowhere else in the United States, including Alaska,
can the casual visitor observe such a striking diversity of "charismatic
mega-fauna" (the large mammals) that abound in this region,
Bald eagles, golden eagles, black bear, the elusive cougar, the
wolverine, the pine marten and the gray wolf. Jackson Hole and
Yellowstone are home to that most formidable icon of wildness,
the grizzly bear. The region also hosts the largest herds of
elk in North America and is one of the few remaining areas in
the lower 48 states where the grizzly bear still roams in significant
numbers, and is home to the largest free-ranging herd of bison
in the lower 48 states. |
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This legendary fishery is a
high mountain lake nestled between, the Centennial Mountains
and the HenryÍs Lake Mountains, is fed by numerous small streams
and springs and is the kind of place fishermen dream about.
HenryÍs Lake is 4.5 miles long by 3.5 miles wide and is a relatively
shallow lake, only about 25 feet in the deepest spot. The shallow
water and heavy weed growth make Henry's Lake a fly fisher's
dream. Henrys Lake is probably the finest fly-fishing lake
in Idaho. Much of its water comes from springs, and the lakeÍs
rich aquatic growth provides tremendous nourishment for fish.
Like Jackson Lake, HenryÍs Lake is a natural lake that was
tripled in size by a dam. HenryÍs Lake State Park, the Lake,
and the world famous HenryÍs Fork Rivers that starts from the
lake are all named after explorer Major Andrew Henry, a famous
trapper and mountain man. |
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