Great MisAdventures Summer 2011

Yellowstone National Park
~ Mt. Sawtell - Island Park, Idaho ~

August 13, 2011

Island Park describes the northern part of Fremont County from the top of the Ashton Hill to the Montana border. Within its borders is an ancient volcanic caldera that has been inactive for the last 600,000 years. It is one of the world's largest calderas about 350 square miles. It can be seen from the top of 9,875 foot Mt. Sawtell, our destination today.
Our journey today has us circling Henry's Lake, viewing the fishing cottages and ranches along its shore. Henrys Lake is a shallow natural alpine lake, approximately 8 square miles in area, at 4 miles in length and 2 miles in width. It is located at an elevation of 6472 feet. The lake is one of two headwaters of the Henry's Fork, a blue ribbon trout stream.

The first wildlife we see today is a first for the Great MisAdventurers, a pair of Trumpeter Swans. This swan is a rare bird throughout much of North America. Once common, it was heavily hunted in the nineteenth century. They were slaughtered in great numbers for their plumage, used to decorate ladies’ hats. By the 1830s, fewer than 100 birds remained. Today, it still does well in pockets of habitat scattered around the continent. One of these pockets happens to be the Yellowstone National Park region. Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl in North America, and easily the biggest flyers in Yellowstone. The wingspan of males (cobs) can reach seven feet. Cobs weigh between 25 and 30 pounds, while females (pens) weigh 23 to 27 pounds. The trumpeter is generally bigger and heavier than the eagle.

Henry's Lake Looking NE toward YNP. Lionshead RV Resort is just over the pass center right.

The Sawtell Peak Scenic Drive is a twelve-mile route that climbs to the top of the 9875 foot summit of Sawtell Peak. The route follows an excellent gravel road, called Sawtell Peak Road, between the town of Island Park and Sawtell Summit.

From the summit, the views of the surrounding area are magnificent. From the top, the visitor gets superb views of Yellowstone National Park, the Centennial Valley in Montana and the Madison Valley in Montana. The Grand Tetons in Wyoming and the Pioneer Mountains in Montana are also visible way off in the distance. Henry's Lake and Island Park Reservior are at the base of Sawtell. Hebgen Lake is also visible across the mountains back in Montana.

FAA Facility atop Mt. Sawtell

The Sawtell Peak Road does climb quite steeply and has many sharp turns and switchbacks. The road becomes narrow at times, with a sheer drop on one side of the road. The reason there is such a well conditioned road up to the top of a lonely mountain is because the FAA operates a flight traffic control radar station on the summit.

The wild flowers were in full bloom traveling this mountain road. Red, white, blue and yellow flowers gently waving to us as we travel by. God can sure plant a rich garden.

We rate this MisAdventure among the top of this summers activities, if you come to the Yellowstone area, this trip is a must do!

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