A Day in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

After a night in the terrible Montpelier Canyon Campground we packed up camp and headed into Montpelier to use the restroom. The one in the campground was closed due to vandalism. We ended up getting coffee at a little coffee shop/barber shop and then headed north out of town on our way to Lava Hot Springs. We stopped in the town of Soda Springs and headed over to Hooper Springs Park to eat breakfast and explore the town's namesake soda springs.

Sierra and I even sampled the soda water.

It was interesting. Definitely carbonated, but not a drink I would enjoy trying again. The highlight for Noelle was the birding. We saw lots of different species including Lewis' woodpeckers. After our brief breakfast stop, it was time to move on to Lava Hot Springs.

We arrived in the town of Lava Hot Springs and parked in the lot across from the namesake hot springs. We enjoyed soaking for about an hour and a half, almost exclusively in the coolest of the pools.

After our soak we ate a picnic lunch in the parking lot and then headed down the street to rent a three-person tube to go tubing on the Portneuf River through town. 

We made about 5 trips down the river and it was a lot of fun with lots of sections of small rapids. After our river adventure, it was time to move on and we headed north through Pocatello and into Craters of the Moon National Monument. 

Cache National Forest: Limber Pine Trail

After our shakes at LaBeau's, we needed to burn some calories and so we drove out of the Bear Lake Valley and up to the Limber Pine Trailhead in the Cache National Forest. The trailhead parking lot is pretty small, but we would be hiking late enough in the day that we had no issues grabbing a parking spot. 

We hit the trail through a pleasant, wooded area.

Soon enough, views opened up out across a grassy meadow and the road that leads up Logan Canyon.

As advertised, there were Limber Pines and some pretty big ones.

We continued on the trail passing through alternating wooded areas and meadows.

We even caught distant views of Bear Lake.

It was a pleasant, short hike through an interesting landscape. One the return to Bear Lake we stopped at a rest area that had some really nice views of the lake below.

Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho

After our brief exploration of Fossil Butte National Monument, Noelle, Sierra and I continued west into Utah. A short time after entering the Beehive State, we caught our first glimpse of Bear Lake, known as the Carribean of the Rockies.  We drove down into the valley and made our first stop at the Bear Lake Rest Stop along the shores of the iconic lake.

We got out of the car and the first thing I noticed was an interesting monument to the Bear Lake Fur Trading Rendezvous. 

Then, we walked down to the lakeshore to have a look at the turquoise waters.

We even dipped our toes into the cool water for a short time.

From the rest area, we headed into the tourist town of Garden City, Utah. The area is famous for raspberry shakes. While there were plenty of options for locations to get shakes, we opted to give LaBeau's a try.

After our shakes, we headed up the ridge for a hike on the Limber Pine Nature Trail before heading into Idaho for some swimming and relaxation at North Beach, part of Idaho's Bear Lake State Park.

After a bit of swimming and lounging, we headed north to the town of Montpelier, ID and to our reserved campsite for the night in the Montpelier Canyon Campground. This campground was terrible. There were lots of mosquitoes, overgrown campsites, and no restrooms. The restroom was "Closed due to vandalism." It was a disappointing end to an otherwise great day. 

Granger Stage Station State Historic Site

Today marks the start of our annual family road trip vacation. This year we are headed to Idaho and northern Utah. To get to those locations, we must pass through Wyoming. Last night after work we drove to Rawlins, Wyoming where we spent the night in a hotel. This morning, we drove west on I-80 and exited at the Kemmerer exit for our drive to Fossil Butte National Monument and on to Bear Lake. However, our first stop was a small Wyoming State Historic Site: Granger Stage Station. 

Granger Stage Station was built in the 1850s on the Overland Trail, which was a stagecoach route used primarily in the 1860s as an alternative to the Oregon/California Trails. It was also used as a stopover station on the short-lived Pony Express.

Mark Twain was amongst the stagecoach passengers who traveled past Granger. When the Union Pacific Railroad arrived to Granger in 1868 the stage station fell out of use and was deeded to the state of Wyoming in 1930.

Our visit to Granger Stage Station was interesting, but short. After about 15 minutes of reading the signs and looking around, we continued on to Kemmerer and Fossil Butte National Monument.  

Roosevelt National Forest: Trap Park Trail

After a restful evening in the tent, we awoke and ate breakfast, packed up camp, and then headed a short way up Long Draw Road to hike the Trap Park Trail. Named for bear traps that had once been set in the meadows there, it was a pleasant area of scenic beauty, easy hiking and abundant wildlife. 

We parked at the lot at the end of a short, but rough road. At the parking area was a nice clump of columbine in bloom.

Besides the columbine, there were many wild strawberries growing near the parking lot. Sierra picked a handful as a pre-hike snack.

After enjoying a few strawberries the hike started with a climb up an old rocky road.

Eventually the road leveled out a bit and climbed gently through a wooded area with a stream tumbling down a steep escarpment to our right. 

Soon enough, the climb ended and views opened up to a beautiful mountain meadow fringed with rocky peaks.

We crossed a stream with thigh deep water,

then started to make our way further up the grassy park.

Even Rosie seemed to appreciate the scenery. She walked off leash, stopping every now and then to look around.

Noelle lagged behind a little bit, stopping frequently to look for birds. She was able to spot this Wilson's warbler in a thicket, bringing insects to its young hidden away.

We continued further up. The views were just amazing.

While the habitat seemed perfect for moose, we didn't see any on our walk. At a second significant stream crossing, less than 1/4 mile from the end of the trail we stopped and ate a snack. Then, we started to make our down the trail the way we had come.

It was a great, easy hike. One that you could even do with small children. 

Roosevelt National Forest: Zimmerman Lake

After watching the Big Boy pass through Carr, we made the drive into Fort Collins to pick up lunch at King Soopers, then headed up Poudre Canyon. Our first stop was at the Poudre Park Picnic Area to eat our sushi and wrap.

While stopped there it was cool to see the rafters floating by on the river.

From there we headed further up canyon where we snagged a campsite at the Aspen Glen Campground. We set up camp and relaxed for a short time. Then, Noelle and I headed further up the canyon, almost to Cameron Pass, where we parked for our hike on the Zimmerman Lake Trail.

We set out on the trail, really just a rough, old road.

Wildflowers were plentiful along the path.

The trail was short, but a bit steeper than I had anticipated. Before we knew it, we were at Zimmerman Lake.

We explored the area a bit and Rosie waded in the cool water.

Then we crossed the dam,

before heading back the way we had come. It was a short 2.4 mile roundtrip hike, with some nice views through the trees. 

Back at camp we relaxed,

made dinner and enjoyed the sound of the rushing waters of Joe Wright Creek.