Lewis Falls Trail Rehabilitation
Located 10 miles north of Yellowstone's South Entrance, the Lewis Falls Trail is an easily accessible path which leads to a dramatic overlook of the Lewis River Falls. Last year, more than 700,000 visitors passed through the South Entrance gates and many of these visitors stopped to walk the Lewis Falls Trail, picnic near the falls, or fish in the river. The trail is also very near to the popular Lewis Lake campground where more than 15,000 campers stay and recreate each summer. Because of the high visitor impact in this area, many new trails had formed and much damage had occurred to the vegetation within these trail corridors. This project focused on repairing the deteriorated main trail so that it is safer, easier to use, and more clearly delineated. The National Park Service trails staff, in partnership with the Montana Youth Conservation Corps, spent several weeks in 2005 building masonry steps, installing soil retention and drainage mechanisms, and rehabilitating impacted soils, bared tree roots, and vegetation along the length of this trail.Total Project Cost: $10,638