Day 26: Canyon Village to Rex Hale Campground

July 5, 2025

Today we delayed breakfast and road the bikes with no gear to see the north rim of the Yellowstone grand canyon. There were many scenic overlooks of the canyon and waterfalls. It is amazing how quickly the canyon depths change after the upper falls! After the 8 mile sight seeing, we road back to the Canyon Village for a late breakfast. We packed up and headed south out of the village and immediately got pelted by pea/gravel sized hail. It wasn’t too bad on the arms with a rain jacket, but it stung a bit on bare legs or Scott M’s bare arms. . It alternated between hail/rain for about 25 minutes and by the end of the day we were mostly dry again. After the storm we rode up the lazy Yellowstone Valley and saw a herd of -27 bison with several calves. We stopped by the Mud Volcano to see the very active mudpots and a bison eating the salt/sulphur. Reaching Fishing Village, we stopped at the general store just before Lake Yellowstone to grab a takeaway lunch and ate it along the lake. It was a good day for seeing wildlife: elk, deer, marmots, about 3 dozen bison, a grizzly bear, and the flickering ear of a moose with calves laying down in the grass. There was an afternoon climb of almost 1000 feet before leaving Yellowstone Park and we reached a max elevation of 8530 feet at Sylvan Pass. After descending 2400 feet, we arrived at Rex Hale campground in the Shoshone National Forest for the evening.

Scott M at the Upper Falls, Yellowstone River

Looking up the Canyon from Lookout Point

Riding down the upper Shoshone River valley

Red basalt walls of the Shoshone River valley

Rex Hale campground, Shoshone National Forest

Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 1,220 miles (1,963 km)

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