GA-XKETT.] • MEANS OF ACCESS. 489 



spur which separates Antelope from Tower Creek. Passin g the shoulder 

 of the spur, where it turns to a southward trend, the trail begins a jjeu- 

 eral descent towards the gorge of Carnelian Creek. For several miles 

 it continues this course on the side of the mountain, crossing the sharp 

 gulches of two or three mountain torrents, and finally reaches the bed 

 of the canon but a short distance below the head of the creek. Then it 

 goes up a steep ascent to the divide, which has an elevation of 8,867 

 leet. On the summit is a spring, the water from which drains either 

 way, and which aifords an excellent cami3ing place for the ascent of 

 Mount Washburn or Dunraven Peak. 



Thus far the trail is excellent, with the exception of the last half 

 dozen miles. There are steep hills at the crossing of two or three 

 gulches, noted above, and the final hill is very steep ; also, about the 

 crossing of Carnelian Creek, there are bad, marshy spots. 



South of the Washburn Divide the trail skirts the base of the mount- 

 ains westward, gradually descending to the valley of Cascade Creek. 

 It then follows this valley, which is quite marshy in many places, down 

 to the neighborhood of the Falls of the Yellowstone. It crosses Cascade 

 Creek just above Crystal Fall. Thence to Yellowstone Lake it follows 

 the river quite closely on the west bank. 



The Yellowstone is fordable at ordinary stages of water at a number 

 of places. At a ranch known as Henderson's, a few miles below the 

 mouth of Gardiner's Eiver — at the mouth of Blacktail Deer Creek, in 

 the Third Canon— at a point one mile above Baronette's Bridge, just 

 below the ruins of a second bridge, and in the section between the 

 Upper Fall and the lake, it is easily fordable on every riffle. 



There is a well-marked trail completely around the lake, most of the 

 way following its shore quite closely. It turns off from the river-trail, 

 going east, above the Upper Fall, and bears gradually away from the 

 river, crossing Pelican Creek a mile or more above its mouth and reach- 

 ing the lake first at the head of Mary's Bay. It rounds Steamboat Point, 

 hugging the shore closely. At the mouth of Turbid Creek it is joined 

 by the trail which comes down Pehcan Creek, Down the east side of 

 the lake it is well marked, running on the shore or near it, though for 

 long distances it may be out of sight, owing to the dense timber. On 

 account of the marshy nature of the valley of the Upper Yellowstone, 

 the trail has to make a long detour, several miles up it, to get across, 

 and then returns to the lake to avoid crossing a mass of heavy hills 

 which extend to the lake on the south. After leaving the east side of 

 the valley of the Upper Yellowstone, the trail is much less plainly 

 marked. Indeed, from that point on to the springs on the west arm of 

 the lake, there is little sign of travel. The route generally followed skirts 

 the south and west sides of the south arm, passing around the north 

 base of Flat Mountain and the head of Flat Mountain arm. Thence it 

 crosses to the head of the west arm, striking it quite near the group of 

 Hot Springs. Thence the trail, again strongly marked, hugs the shore 

 quite closely around to the foot of the lake. 



Eeturning now to the Mammoth Hot Springs, let us trace the Norris 

 wagon road to the Geyser Basins. This road was built by Col. P. W. 

 Norris, the superintendent of the Park, in the summer of 1878. The 

 route selected is an excellent one, being very direct, involving few hills, 

 and but little work besides clearing out living and fallen timber and 

 corduroying marshy spots. 



Leaving the springs the road goes up directly over a divide to the 

 valley of the I^ast Fork of Gardiner's liiver. Here is a steep hill, 

 sidling in some jjlaces and densely timbered. The road is, however, 



