Cecil and I headed towards the northwest corner of Wyoming with one goal in mind—Yellowstone National Park. With over three hundred geysers, almost as many waterfalls, and holding the title of the world’s first national park, it’s unsurprising that 2012 was the sixth straight year that the park’s visitation reached over 3 million. We were thoroughly impressed by the beauty, the variety of geological features, and the amount of people who had the same vacation plans as we did. Yellowstone is an iconic landmark that needs to be seen, but Cecil and I found the less publicized areas surrounding Yellowstone left equally long-lasting impressions on our memories, making them worthy destinations in and of themselves.
Near Ashton, Idaho, in the Targhee National Forest, a short walk along an extensive boardwalk leads to within a dozen feet of the top of Upper Mesa Falls. As we walked along the boardwalk running parallel to the Snake River the water was relatively calm and smooth. It gave no indication of the immediate plunge the water was about to take only a few steps ahead. All of a sudden the river drops away and your eyes fall vertically to over one hundred feet below, giving you a bird’s-eye view of emerald water speckled with silvery rapids. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at the falls, so we had almost the entire place to ourselves. We ran (quite literally) from viewpoint to viewpoint, pausing to take pictures and to stand in rapture at the steady flow of water.
The reason for our haste was the beckoning presence of Lower Mesa Falls, which we were determined to see before it got too dark. The falls are located at the end of a mile long trail that was easy, and probably would have been pleasant, if our daylight hadn’t been quickly vacating the area. We made it to the falls and were met with an equally impressive force of nature. Though not as tall as the Upper Mesa Falls, the Lower Mesa Falls are narrower and tiered, instead of dropping straight down. The Snake river squeezes through a narrow cavity of rocky cliffs creating a violent rush of turbulent water.
Our time to view and explore was much too brief. The sunlight was fading fast and unlike the Upper Mesa Falls there wasn’t a safe and secure boardwalk to stand on. We stood in places where the slip of a foot would send one scrambling to avoid a potentially fatal drop into the falls. As we made our way back on the trail (in the dark) I forced myself to forget the posters informing hikers of the recent bear activity in the area. We made it back to the car exhilarated and grateful that we chose to make a detour in our plans to visit Yellowstone. It turned out to be well worth exploring along the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway in order to experience Upper and Lower Mesa Falls.
Cecil and I headed towards the northwest corner of Wyoming with one goal in mind—Yellowstone National Park. With over three hundred geysers, almost as many waterfalls, and holding the title of the world’s first national park, it’s unsurprising that 2012 was the sixth straight year that the park’s visitation reached over 3 million. We were thoroughly impressed by the beauty, the variety of geological features, and the amount of people who had the same vacation plans as we did. Yellowstone is an iconic landmark that needs to be seen, but Cecil and I found the less publicized areas surrounding Yellowstone left equally long-lasting impressions on our memories, making them worthy destinations in and of themselves.
Near Ashton, Idaho, in the Targhee National Forest, a short walk along an extensive boardwalk leads to within a dozen feet of the top of Upper Mesa Falls. As we walked along the boardwalk running parallel to the Snake River the water was relatively calm and smooth. It gave no indication of the immediate plunge the water was about to take only a few steps ahead. All of a sudden the river drops away and your eyes fall vertically to over one hundred feet below, giving you a bird’s-eye view of emerald water speckled with silvery rapids. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at the falls, so we had almost the entire place to ourselves. We ran (quite literally) from viewpoint to viewpoint, pausing to take pictures and to stand in rapture at the steady flow of water.
The reason for our haste was the beckoning presence of Lower Mesa Falls, which we were determined to see before it got too dark. The falls are located at the end of a mile long trail that was easy, and probably would have been pleasant, if our daylight hadn’t been quickly vacating the area. We made it to the falls and were met with an equally impressive force of nature. Though not as tall as the Upper Mesa Falls, the Lower Mesa Falls are narrower and tiered, instead of dropping straight down. The Snake river squeezes through a narrow cavity of rocky cliffs creating a violent rush of turbulent water.
Our time to view and explore was much too brief. The sunlight was fading fast and unlike the Upper Mesa Falls there wasn’t a safe and secure boardwalk to stand on. We stood in places where the slip of a foot would send one scrambling to avoid a potentially fatal drop into the falls. As we made our way back on the trail (in the dark) I forced myself to forget the posters informing hikers of the recent bear activity in the area. We made it back to the car exhilarated and grateful that we chose to make a detour in our plans to visit Yellowstone. It turned out to be well worth exploring along the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway in order to experience Upper and Lower Mesa Falls.
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Anne Sanders was born and raised in Alaska. She graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Alaska Anchorage. With a love for the written word, she recognizes the treasure of stories and fascinating people Alaska offers. Paired with her husband Cecil who compliments her narratives with his eye for the visual, Anne is on a mission to bring her beloved home of Alaska to life on the pages of Last Frontier Magazine.
