Yellowstone River Trail Restoration
The Yellowstone River Trail extends 18 miles from the Hellroaring Trailhead near Tower Junction to the town of Gardiner, Montana. The trail offers many excellent choices for camping and fishing on the Yellowstone River and its tributaries, as well as opportunities to view abundant wildlife. Due to its low elevation, it affords both early- and late-season recreation potential and is one of the most heavily used trails in the park. Unfortunately, near the confluence with Hellroaring Creek, the Yellowstone River Trail enters a side-drainage where trail damage caused hikers and stock to encounter hazardous, unstable footing. To negotiate the trail, visitors had to slip and slide along a steeply pitched treadway on rock "ball-bearings" that were created by rotting and exfoliating bedrock. For visitor safety and resource protection, it was necessary to relocate and rehabilitate this section of trail, as well as replace deteriorated structures in adjacent trail segments. The reclamation and revegetation phase of the project required additional focus due to the unique soils, exposure to the elements, and lack of moisture encountered at the project site. Now that the large-scale damage is repaired, park service trail crews and their partnering youth groups will be able to effectively maintain the area with simple drainage and trail maintenance.Total Project Cost: $32,118