Tensleep Falls and Beyond

There are almost endless opportunities for adventure here in the Bighorns.  On Wednesday, August 23, we followed up our trip up Hunter Road with a visit up the mountain to Circle Park Trail. 

Circle Park is off Road #20, and is a couple of miles off Hwy. 16.  There are a number of dispersed camping sites on the way to the trailhead, a couple of which would fit our rig if we cared to drive the bumpy dirt road in.  Leaving the parking area, we crossed a beautiful meadow with amazing views.

We didn't hike far; the Circle Park trail is fairly steep, but very rocky.  Even the horses we met on the trail found it slow going.  It was really rough going, especially for Kota.  Maybe we will go farther when she stays home to nap.  

On the way home, we took a short detour to Tie Hack Reservoir.  The water is clear and cold, but not too cold for the young man and his float.  At the far lift in the photo, you can see the dam.  There is a trail past the dam and down along the creek that we took several years ago.  It's pretty steep, though, and not something we wanted to tackle after Circle Park.

Then, on Friday we loaded the dogs and again drove over the mountain to the town of Tensleep.  We had planned to have a beer and Indian taco at Tensleep Brewery, but Linda’s taco wagon hadn’t yet arrived.  We opted for lunch in town instead, then headed back east.  Our destination was Tensleep Falls.  The road up to the falls is a nice gravel road, and the falls are only about a mile from the parking area.  Tensleep Creek meanders through a lovely meadow, and gives no clue that just below are impressive falls to the valley below.  

The trail from the parking area (at 9112 feet) down to the falls is another, story, however.  It is steep and rocky, but the walk down and the climb out is well worth the effort.  The views are breathtaking.  

The border collie boys wore their Ruffwear packs, 

and scampered across the rocks like mountain goats.  

John didn't exactly scamper like a mountain goat, but he, Rue and Kota explored the falls as well.  Rue is excused from carrying any weight because of her heart murmur (which, thankfully, hasn't seemed to slow her down at all).  Kota wears a Ruffwear harness with a padded handle that lets us help her over the rough spots. 

After the climb out, the dogs shared a drink in the back of the Equinox.  I have seen all five of them drinking from this bowl at the same time, but it is a little hard to get a photo.

I will say that I was a little apprehensive about taking this hike.  The last time we trekked down and climbed out was the afternoon before I came down with a 24-hour bug that almost put me in the hospital.  We never knew if it was altitude-related or something else, but it was nasty for a short time.  This time was different, thank goodness, and I have only good memories of the day.