Heart Lake, Yellowstone NP - September 2020

This trip report is a four day backpacking trip into the Heart Lake area of Yellowstone National Park back in September.  This was my third time to the lake over the years; this time though I was invited by a gentleman from Ohio who had been to Yellowstone numerous times and had completed several day hikes but had never camped in the backcountry.  He was interested in the thermal features near the lake, and I told him that if he'd hike to the top of Mount Sheridan that I'd tag along with him.  When we met up he had invited one of his fellow Ohioans to join us.

Our itinerary was as follows:
    Day 1 - Hike in from the Heart Lake Trailhead to campsite 8H6 on the lake (stay at the same site for 3 nights)
    Day 2 - Summit Mount Sheridan and explore the geyser basin on our way back down
    Day 3 - Day hike around Heart Lake
    Day 4 - Hike back to the trailhead

We met the day before our trip was to begin at Old Faithful, and stayed the night in one of the Frontier Cabins.  This gave me an opportunity to check out the boardwalks of Upper Geyser Basin after dinner.  

Due to numerous forest fires in Oregon and California, this trip was a smoky one.


Bison, resting in Upper Geyser Basin along the Firehole River


Smoky dusk shot at Upper Geyser Basin


Upper Geyser Basin on the Firehole River at sunset


Trip overview map

Day 1 - Backpack into campsite 8H6


Sign at the Heart Lake Trailhead


Typical view along the Heart Lake Trail


View from the Heart Lake Trail - new growth from the 1988 fires


View down into the Heart Lake Basin


Thermal Feature along Witch Creek


Witch Creek


Factory Hill


Heart Lake shoreline


Our campsite


View across the lake towards Chicken Ridge


Fall colors near camp

Day 2 - Day hike to the summit of Mount Sheridan, and checking out Rustic Geyser on our way back to camp


Mount Sheridan


Looking up at Mount Sheridan


View up the trail - Factory Hill in the distance


View up a draw


Dead white pines along the ridge


The Red Mountains


Fire lookout atop Mount Sheridan


Heart Lake below


Fall colors on the slopes of Mount Sheridan

At this point my lens hood had come a bit loose and I didn't realize it until the trip was completed, so the rest of my shots will probably have some lens hood in them.  


Colombia Pool ahead


Rustic Geyser


Thermal Pool in Heart Lake Geyser Group

Day 3 - Day hike around Heart Lake


Early morning fog


More fall colors


Deer along the trail


Factory Hill reflection in the lake


Mount Sheridan reflected in the lake


Bear scat along the game trail on the south end of Heart Lake


More fall colors


Another reflection shot of Mount Sheridan and Factory Hill, shot through the narrow point of Heart Lake


Arriving at the Heart River


Typical view from the trail on our way back to our campsite

Day 4 - back to the trailhead


Smoggy sunrise over Heart Lake


Taking down my tent


Rustic Geyser going off in the distance


Heart Lake Patrol Cabin


Witch Creek


Wolf track on trail


More fall colors


Back at the trailhead


Stopped in Jackson for a bite to eat on my way home


The End.