Passage Creek Falls holds a special place in my heart. Tucked up in Mill Creek--the largest drainage on "our side" of the Abasroka Mountains--it's a place Henry and I visited when I was pregnant with Anders. It's the place where Anders did his first longish hike, and the trail where Finn walked two miles at just two years old.

2006 flashback. Anders' first trip to Passage Creek Falls.

Rigby in his "don't shoot me, I'm not a wolf" vest in 2006.

It's also quite lovely. Late summer means tons of thimbleberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Fall is all warm colors and crisp days. In winter the ski to frozen falls (take the sticks off before the little cliff!) is a perfect leg stretch. And in spring, the water is high and the falls are big.

This time, it was Finn's longest walk to date. That's a pretty big deal. Getting Finn to walk five miles round trip with little complaint and no meltdowns, just might be a breakthrough. I don't want to make too big a deal of it, but this boy who sticks to his guns, stands up for himself, and doesn't let anyone else tell him what to do, can really impede on my hiking dreams. Fortunately, that passion and persistence will really pay off for him one day.

Passage Creek Falls trail is also the place I learned about candy motivation a couple years ago. This time it was trail mix with M & Ms. It works for me, too.

There are two mandatory, and one optional bridge crossing to get to the falls. All three are fun.

I love the contrast between the burned trees, green plants, and blue sky.

Shrooms!

Bluebells.

Picking dandelions along the trail kept the boys busy. We only pick non-native plants.

Then we entertain ourselves by decorating Diesel. Doesn't he look pretty?

Just beyond this trail junction is where you take your skis off and leave your horse behind.

Passage Creek Falls was pumping.

Diesel still only cares about the stick.

Phlox.

If only we could keep going into this...

Larkspur.

Rock inspection.

Plan Your Own Trip

What: A 2.5 mile (one-way) hike to Passage Creek Falls. The first 1.6 miles is pancake flat, then the trail goes up a bit, and steeply down to the falls.
Why: Easy trail, pretty flowers, big waterfall.
Where: Take Hwy 89 S. from Livingston about 14 miles. Turn left on Mill Creek Road, cross the Yellowstone River and East River Road, then drive about 15 miles to the trailhead on right.
Who: Families, kids, adults, mountain bikers, horse riders...

Day Hikes Around Bozeman, Montana is a good hiking guide for this trail and another 109 trails in the area.

We woke up at El Maizal to find ourselves on a terrace, surrounded on three sides by mountains across deep valleys. Since we arrived in the dark we didn't know exactly what to expect; we weren't disappointed.

El Maizal is a little farm perched on the side of the Andes. I didn't write down the couple's names who farm there. The husband had left to tend corn crops or something by the time we got going, but the wife (did Wilbert call her Mama Tomasina?) gave us a tour of her home.

Our campsite at El Maizal

Getting busy in the barnyard. This is what you walk through to get to the outhouse.

Nothing is free.

Mama Tomasina (maybe) in the doorway of her house.

It was tiny and dark with a dirt floor. In the back, guinea pigs, or cuy, skittered around. When they are big enough, they will become dinner. For now they are just cute. The small attic was filled with dry corn that provided both insulation and food for animals and people. Pigs, goats, cows, chickens, and other barnyard animals wandered around outside. On the campground side--a couple grassy terraces that just fit our eight tents--foxgloves stood tall like sentinels on either side of a gate.

If you've been reading the many chapters of this travelogue, you know what our day looked like. We climbed up, up, up to San Juan Pass. The Rio Blanco, already about 3,000 feet below us at El Maizal, grew smaller and smaller and then disappeared all together. The lush jungle of the morning gave way to the puna--a high treeless plateau near the pass.

Amy decorated.

Wilbert and Amy head up the wet, jungly, trail.

They don't mind waiting while I take photos of flowers.

Totally worth it.

I'll get there eventually.

Another quick photo stop. You should have seen all the flowers I didn't take pictures of.

Into the puna and almost to the pass.

I made it! 13,000+ feet.

Domingo was waiting for us at the 13,615-foot pass with a hearty, vegetable lunch. Amazed as I was (again) by Domingo's ability to pack up after we leave, pass us on the trail, and have lunch going before we get there, what really blew me away was the view.

Inuksuk on the pass. They probably call it something else in Peru, but these cairns are offerings to the mountain gods.

Lunch at the top.

Pos-lunch break.

We stood on the edge of the saddle taking photos of ourselves in front of Marcana, Puma Cillu, Chocquetacarpo, and other snowy peaks while braving the heat "down low." For the second or third time we were honored by Andean condors soaring overhead while we ate.

Andean condors are so big--one of the largest birds in the world that is still able to fly--that they have to live in windy areas to take advantage of the lifting air currents. These vultures are considered endangered, but we were lucky to see a bunch of them on this trip. It pays to stick to high, windy passes.

Andean condor blessing our trip. Or looking for something dead to eat. Hard to tell.

Two thumbs up for this awesome Bella Treks adventure!

From the San Juan Pass (locally called Yanama Pass), we walked down narrow trails to a valley full of lupines, orange lilies, verdant green hillsides and craggy mountains overhead. The Yanama Valley wowed us all. There had been no access by vehicle until very recently, so everything had to be brought in on horses and mules. It's one of the most pastoral, beautiful places I've ever seen.

Amy rounds the bend on the hike down into the Yanama Valley.

Is there anywhere lupines don't grow?

It's pretty, no?

I wish we had seen the mules on this section of trail.

Yanama Valley.

About 200 families live in the Yanama Valley, mostly as subsistence farmers. We walked past several little farms surrounded by low rock walls to get to the place we'd be staying. Chickens and roosters wandered through gladioluses, Easter lilies, poppies, and other bright, tall flowers.

Most exciting of all was the Fanta poster at the entrance to our camp/farm. That orangey, high fructose mix of goodness is something I crave when I travel internationally. When I've been in Belize, Panama, Turkey, Argentina, and every other country outside of the U.S. I want Fanta. I love Fanta. Not in Canada, though. In Canada, I want cocktails.

An oasis.

As usual, our tents were already set up in two neat lines. I crawled into mine to rest and read, but when the guy came with the Fantas and beer, I was out in seconds, soles in hand, ready for my treat.

Just another lovely campsite.

I wrote in my journal that this was one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done. Every day we climbed and descended thousands of feet, all at high elevation. But, since I've been back, the hard part of it has slipped out of my brain leaving only the amazing parts. And maybe the hard work made everything else that much more rewarding.

Last weekend, Ross came through Livingston (he lives in Seattle) and we had a little BBQ at Felicia's. He told Henry this trip was one of the most physically challenging things he had ever done--and that guy has done a lot of hard core stuff. It made me feel less wimpy. And it made me realize that even the hard stuff isn't that hard. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other, lean on your sticks, and keep moving.

Plan your own trip

Are you reading along and thinking, "I want to go on a trip like this!"? Call my friend Felicia at Bella Treks, she'll set you up. And it's not just Peru, she goes all over South America, Morocco, Yellowstone, and a ton of other places.

It's time for another edition of Field Trip Friday and this week it's a doozy--three locations in one super fun trip.

We started with a two-hour drive to Jefferson City and Tizer Botanic Gardens and Arboretum. I didn't even know this place existed until last fall. I saw a friend had "liked" it on Facebook, and about had a heart attack of excitement. A botanic garden in my very own state?!?! Why didn't someone tell me about this?

All winter I checked out the photos of gardens under the snow that the Tizer folks posted, and when spring arrived I was ready to go. For the boys' education, of course.

TIzer Botanic Garden has about 0.05 miles of trails through several gardens. It's not huge, but it is packed full. You can check out the various gardens and homesteaders cabins on their site. It was raining on the day we went, so we didn't linger as long as we would have on a sunny day. In retrospect, I should have waited another month. In addition to sunshine being likely, there would have been a lot more blooms.

Lots of fairies and gnomes perched along the banks of Prickly Pear Creek.

Get your free loaner umbrella to enjoy Tizer on a rainy day.

Apple blossoms = spring.

Bluebells on the Wildflower Walk.

Plant investigation.

Heading to the gazebo for lunch during a break in the rain.

Scotch moss and a Buddha in the Meditation Garden.

Still, it was a lovely visit. I picked up a couple plants at their garden center and am looking forward to another trip.

After walking around in the rain looking at plants, the boys were ready to warm up and play. On to Boulder Hot Springs. Although the buildings look super creepy as you drive up, the pool is great. I'd been there once before, but it was eight or more years ago and the boys had never had the pleasure of dipping their toes in the warm mineral waters.

We've had to stop going to our local hot spring lately because the water has been ridiculously hot. At Boulder Hot Springs it was perfect for swimming and soaking as we checked out the mountains of the Deerlodge National Forest.

There are two indoor plunge pools in each changing room-- a hot pool and a cool pool. They are segregated by sex. I couldn't send the boys into a pool alone, and a sign on the women's changing room door said boys four and older were prohibited. (I took Finn in with me anyway; I'm not sending my four-year-old into a changing room he's never been in before. Anders managed it, but the two of them together is trouble.)

So, the plunge pools were out for us. I'm the only one I trust alone in a swimming pool. There are some coed hours, but not during the time we were there. Luckily, it didn't matter. We had a blast swimming in the big pool, and we'd rather be outside anyway.

The outdoor pool was the perfect temperature for swimming.

Maybe these field trips aren't just for the kids...

Next time I'm in Boulder, I'd love to check out the Radon Mines. They sound kind of weird, and I like weird. Not really kid-appropriate, though.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we made a stop at Elkhorn ghost town in Elkhorn State Park. Dating from the second wave of Montana's gold and silver rushes, Elkhorn has survived as one of the better ghost towns in the west. Its principal mine, the Elkhorn, was discovered around 1872. Booming in the 1880s and 1890s before tapering off in this century, the Elkhorn reputedly produced some $14 million in silver during its long life.

A lot of the old buildings have been renovated and have people living in them. And there is still an active mine. Anders was hoping to see some dynamite, but unfortunately, the mine was fenced. There are a few standing, unoccupied buildings, which are fun to look at. If we had more time, I would have like to take the boys through the graveyard and walked around a bit more. Next time.

Gilliam Hall and Fraternity Hall at Elkhorn.

Plan Your Own Trip

What: Tizer Botanic Gardens and Arboretum, Boulder Hot Springs, and in Elkhorn State Park Ghost Town.
Why: Flowers! Plants! High elevation gardening! Not to mention hot springs, old buildings, and a piece of Montana history.
Where: Check out the links above for directions to each place. Tizer Gardens and Boulder Hot Springs have their entrance fees listed on their sites.
Who: Families, kids, adults, plant lovers, history buffs.

For our official start of hiking season, we chose the Hoodoo Trail in Yellowstone. The boys and I hiked it one other time, but they were too young to remember.

We don't get far before stopping to look at flowers.

Buttercup--worth stopping for.

Up close with Anders.

Checking out the route.

I like this trail for kids because it's short, sparsely traveled even though it is right near super-popular Mammoth, mostly downhill. There are lots of fun rocks, the so called "hoodoos," to climb on.

As is our way, we stopped 900 times for snacks and Finn was exhausted (his words) three minutes into the hike. Fortunately, he rallied and walked all but two minutes of the trail by himself. It may have been due to the promise of ice cream. Whatever works....

Finn can't walk without holding someone's hand.

The second of many snack breaks.

Playing the sticks to the wilderness.

These rocks aren't what I think of as "hoodoos." Rather than pinnacles of weathered sandstone, they are travertine stacks from Terrace Mountain. Travertine is formed when hydrothermal water brings dissolved calcium carbonate to the earth’s surface, where it releases carbon dioxide and creates the white rock.The terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs are made out of the same rock, but the hot springs are still active there and growing the terraces. The hoodoos are old travertine formations left over from when this was once a thermally active area that fell into a jumble in a landslide.

To learn more about the geologic history of the hoodoos, watch this minute-and-a-half video.

Anders named this "Rock City."

He has to climb on everything. He just has to.

Not to be outdone, Finn does a little climbing, too.

Arrowleaf balsamroot--a sure sign that summer will eventually get here.

We are so happy!

Aspens leafing out.

Finn!

The trail ends at the Upper Terraces, and we walked out the Upper Terrace Road to the main road, where I hitchhiked back to our car.

There is a loop option for folks who don't want to hitchhike, or are looking for a longer walk. Start at the same trailhead, but instead of veering right at the Hoodoo junction, continue on ahead. After 2.3 miles, the route turns east at a 3-way junction and climbs to the top of Snow Pass, a narrow saddle pinched between Terrace Mountain and Clagett Butte. After cresting the pass, the trail drops into an unnamed creek valley above Pinyon Terrace, then rounds to the south along Terrace Mountain's eastern edge. Catch the hoodoo trail and continue on in the opposite direction we walked it. The loop is 7 miles.

Entering the thermal basin.

Larkspur in abundance.

Upper Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

It was kind of interesting that all the Americans sped right past me. It wasn't until some Eastern Europeans came by that I got a ride. They didn't even speak much English, and they were willing to take me back up the hill.

You'd pick me up, wouldn't you?

Plan Your Own Trip

What: Hoodoo Basin Trail in Yellowstone National Park (3 miles one-way)
Why: Easy hike, hoodoos to climb on, interesting geology, views of Bunsen Peak, pretty meadows, hot springs (at the end).
Where: Drive 4.8 miles south of Mammoth on the Mammoth-Norris road. Park on the right (east) side of the road in the Bunsen Peak parking area. Cross the road to the Glen Creek Trailhead and follow to the signed Hoodoo junction. Go right.
Who: Families, kids, anyone looking for a short, interesting walk.

First off, Henry said I should tell you how to pronounce "Choquequirao." It took me a little practice--the quechua words are tricky. Show-kay-ca-row (that "row" rhymes with "cow.") I don't know if that helps, but there you go.

It seemed that the campsites in this little slice of the Andes kept getting better and better. We woke up on the edge of terrace overlooking mountains and river. After breakfast we hiked back up to Choquequirao to check out the llamas.

Amy with her canine friend.

Typical doorway at Choquequirao.

The hole in the middle of the rock was used to tie yarn to as an anchor for weaving projects.

Room with a view.

Choquequirao was one of the last bastions of resistance and refuge of the Son of the Sun (the "Inca"), Manco Inca Yupanqui, who fled Cusco after his siege of the city failed in 1535. It's unlikely the Spanish ever made it up there.

Of course, getting to the llamas requires a bit of a decent. It is Peru, after all, and everything is up or down an incredibly steep slope. From the main plaza we followed a little path to a set of rock steps that dropped several hundred feet into the canyon. Apparently the Incans had much smaller feet that I do, so I could fit about half of my foot on each step.

We descended along the edge of the terraces, checking out the llamas as we climbed down. There were about 24 of them, each as tall as a person. There may be more; only about 30 percent of Choquequirao has had its jungle removed. (Sidenote: How does one estimate the amount of undiscovered ruin?)

Down to the llamas.

Keep going. Down, down, down.

Wilbert tells us how important llamas were to the Incans.

Mountains above the llamas.

Felicia!

Senecio

The llamas!

Mama llama and her baby.

That's me.

Wilbert, Ross, Amy, Kelli, and Felicia.

Fog climbing the mountain and obscuring the llamas.

After oohing and aahing at the llamas and the view, we climbed back up the steps and onto a less-steep side trail. At the plaza we found Wilbert standing in the trees at the top of a (say it with me) incredible steep aqueduct. "Is that the trail?," I asked incredulously. Of course it was, and off we went 1500 feet up to a little pass.

Another photo instigated by Wilbert.

View from above.

After a tough previous day, I snapped into shape. The rest of the trip was steep and hard, but wasn't such a big deal anymore. The flowers along the pass were tremendous, the mountains were big, and after a bit we dropped down 5,000 feet to the Rio Blanco. The first thing we did was take off our boots and soak our feet in the cold water while sitting on warm rocks in the sun. Then Ross put a ton of mayo on his lunch thinking it was some sort of mango sauce. Hee hee.

Fireweed

One of many bromeliads.

Heading down to the Rio Blanco.

At the Rio Blanco and ready for lunch!

Torrent duck.

So happy to have my boots off.

After lunch we climbed 3,000 feet or so to our campsite. Some places were so steep and gravely that you slid back a bit with each step. As we closed in on the little farm that was to be our camp, I got to practice my cow herding skills and push several vacas up the trail.

Paintbrush

Maybe a rose

Our campsite.

After settling into the El Maizal farm, Domingo made us the most delicious popcorn and tea. Famers grow corn all over the Andes at high elevations. The mountains are so steep (are you sick of hearing that?) that little farms have to be highly terraced--just like in Inca times.

Some of us took showers in a FREEZING outdoor shower. It was a step up from the hose with a water bottle nozzle we saw a couple nights before, but somewhat primitive. I wasn't expecting to shower at all during the trek, so it was all luxury for me.

All the screaming I did in the shower must have attracted mosquitoes, because I was covered in bites after that. I had been smug while sweating in long pants while the rest of the group wore shorts and got massacred by the tiny insects. Not so much anymore.

As was becoming my habit, I was asleep by 9 pm and up around 4 am. Not the best schedule, but I did get a lot of early morning reading in. Fireflies were dotting the darkness like tiny, mobile stars. The baryard animals were asleep and pretty soon, so was I.

Plan your own trip

Are you reading along and thinking, "I want to go on a trip like this!"? Call my friend Felicia at Bella Treks, she'll set you up. And it's not just Peru, she goes all over South America, Morocco, Yellowstone, and a ton of other places.

The morning of our second day on the trail (and every morning after that) Wilbert woke us up. He came to the door of each of our tents and said, "Buenos Dias! Coca tea?" One of my dreams in life is to be woken by someone handing my a cup of tea, and then to drink that tea in my bed. Or in this case, in my tent.

It had been a hot night, I slept without my sleeping bag and was still sweaty. Because we were so low (by the standards of this trip) and near the river, it was hot and humid.

Campsite at Playa Rosalina after we packed up.

After packing up our bags and getting our snacks from Domingo, we were ready to cross the river. The suspension bridge washed out last year, so we got to ride across in a open cage suspended about twenty feet above the Apurimac River on a cable. One person pushes you out and then either you pull yourself the rest of the way, or someone on the other side reels you in.

Crossing the Apurimac River.

Ross posted a couple short, fun videos of the crossing, which I can't seem to embed. Here's one of
Amy and Kelli crossing. And another from Ross' perspective as he crosses. Both were shot by Ross.

From there, it is a mere 1800 meters (5905 feet) up the hill to Choquequirao. I would describe the hike as a grueling sufferfest or a sweaty slog. I was drenched and every time we got to the top of one ridiculously steep switchback, there would be another one ahead that looked exactly the same. It was purgatory. I would have cried if I had the energy, but all I could do was place my trekking poles, take four steps, and place the poles in front of me again. We were in the shade most of the time, otherwise it would have been really miserable.

Everyone (except Kelli--she is a machine) had one hard day on the trip. This was mine.

Before the trail got steep.

Waterfall on the other side of the river.

A place to cool down.

Penstemons

As we climbed the mountain, trumpet flowers gave way to penstemons, lady slippers, and ferns. We crossed a small creek cascading down the mountain and got to dunk our heads and cool off for a couple minutes. After the millionth switchback, I drank the juice box Domingo packed for me and felt a lot better.

Lunch was on a small farm/campsite. Several families lived there, on these super steep slopes, and I wondered what it must be like to live a day and half walk from the nearest small town. No electricity, no running water, just making a living with subsistence farming and selling a few sodas and beers to tourists. When I think of living off the grid, I picture us with solar or wind power, and a cistern to catch water. This is really off the grid.

Sweaty mules.

Amy taking a little break.

Lunch time!

Domingo caught up with us and cooked quinoa, veggies, mashed potatoes, avocados, and garlic bread. Maybe beef for the rest of the group. We were not roughing it. I had a beer, wrestled with a dog and a little kid, then took a quick nap on the grass. I no longer felt like crying.

After lunch, Wilbert told us it was "twenty minutes over rolling hills" to Choquequirao. About an hour later, after dragging myself up and down steep inclines, we arrived. Fortunately, there were a lot of pretty flowers along the way to distract me. And I learned an important lesson about Wilbert's perspective on distances.

We're almost there! Not really, Choquequirao is under the arrow.

Choquequirao, also called "Chuqi K'iraw," "Cradle of Gold" or "Choqek'iraw," is on one of the spurs in the Salkantay Mountain Range. Much like Macchu Pichu, Choquequirao was built high on a ridge above a sacred river. In all directions, you can gaze on high mountains, including three apus, or mountain gods. Both Macchu Pichu and Choquequirao have upper and lower levels built around a central plaza and have an elevated platform (usnu) at one end. And they are both surrounded by stone-walled terraces for growing crops.

Entrance to the site--almost there!

Stone terraces for growing food.

The plaza.

The differences between the two Incan cities, is that Machcu Pichu is mostly uncovered, while Choquequirao remains mostly overgrown by the jungle. No one knows how many buildings are waiting to be rediscovered. And since it is a two day walk, whereas Machcu Pichu only requires a bus ride, Choquequirao is relatively empty. When we arrived, there was no one else there other than a few UNESCO workers. We had seen just two or three other groups on the trail. At Macchu Pichu we would see hundreds of people.

I walked up to the usnu alone. It was a flat area above the main plaza used for sacrifices and spiritual ceremonies. Ross had been talking about the "good energy" in the mountains, and everyone raves about the spiritual significance of these Incan cities. I definitely wanted to feel that, to have some sort of spiritual experience, but those things usually don't happen for me. Until I walked onto that usnu.

The usnu

Part of Choquequirao from above.

The usnu was dotted with irises the color of the sun.

Maybe it was vertigo, but my whole body was tingling. I had to sit down on the low stone wall circling the platform. That made me feel even more tingly. There was energy flowing through my body. I don't know if it was Inca magic or a gift from the sun god, but something was going on up there. Later, Ross, Felicia, Amy, and Kelli all had similar experiences.

I explored a little more before walking back down to the campground with Amy and Kelli. Despite all the running and strength training I've been doing, my quads were screaming. The blisters on my feet hurt. But I was psyched. I just walked for two days up and down steep, steep mountains to get to Incan ruins. Not many people get to do that. And we had another week ahead of us. Happy birthday to me, indeed.

Larkspur

The campsites kept better and better.

Plan your own trip

Are you reading along and thinking, "I want to go on a trip like this!"? Call my friend Felicia at Bella Treks, she'll set you up. And it's not just Peru, she goes all over South America, Morocco, Yellowstone, and a ton of other places.

This is part of a multi-blog series of campground reviews. You can click through others at the bottom of this post.
Yellowstone National Park has twelve campgrounds for car camping. I’m going to review a few of them, but all of the campgrounds are listed below and if you follow the link you’ll get to a page that allows you to look at photos and get more information on each one.

Overnight camping of any type (tent, vehicle, or RV) outside designated campgrounds is not allowed. You can get a permit to use backcountry campsites, but you need to backpack in to those.

Mammoth

The upside of the Mammoth Campground is that it is the only campground in the park open all year. Located near the north entrance of the park, it has easy access to the Boiling River and all the amenities in Mammoth and Gardiner.

The downside is that it is in the bend of a road, so it’s noisy as cars drive by all day (and night). The campground is in a sagebrush steppe, so it’s pretty open and you’ll have good views of your neighbor. If it was up to me, I’d camp just outside the park at the Forest Service’s Eagle Creek Campground.

Mammoth has 85 sites and most are pull-throughs. It’s first come, first serve—no reservations. The campground may be filled by 11 am, so arrive early to obtain a site. Campsite occupancy is limed to six people per site. You can stay for up to 14 days from July 1 through Labor Day, and 30 days the rest of the year.

Indian Creek

This is a nice alternative to the Mammoth Campground since it is quieter and more secluded. It’s just 10-15 minutes (driving) from Mammoth. Indian Creek runs alongside the campground and is great for wading in and looking for macroinvertebrates. The Big Horn trail leaves from the campground, and is an easy walk—depending on how far you go. I like this campground because you could spend a whole day here without ever getting in your car.

If you do want to drive, the Bunsen Peak and Hoodoos Trails start just a few minutes away.

Indian Creek Campground has 75 sites and 45 of them are pull-thoughs. Expect vault toilets. It’s first come, first serve—no reservations. The campground may be filled by 11 am, so arrive early to obtain a site. Campsite occupancy is limed to six people per site. You can stay for up to 14 days from July 1 through Labor Day, and 30 days the rest of the year.

I love this NPS photo from the 70s (?) of the Indian Creek campground so much.

Canyon

This campground is huge, but it has always been surprisingly mellow when we’ve stayed there. The individual sites are pretty tiny.

The campground is located near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, on a hill across the street from the Canyon stores, visitor center, and lodge. It's nice to have easy access to the Canyon and the Upper and Lower Falls early in the morning or later in the evening when the crowds have dissipated.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates Canyon Campground and reservations can be made through their website. Same-day reservations can be made by calling 307.344.7902. Future reservations can be made by calling 307.344.7311 or 1.866.GEYSERLAND. There are 273 sites spread out over several big loops. There are pay showers and laundry on site. Campsite occupancy is limed to six people per site. You can stay for up to 14 days from July 1 through Labor Day, and 30 days the rest of the year.

Breakfast at Canyon Campground.

Grant Campground

Grant is a ridiculously large campground, but you can get quieter sites. Plus, it’s Yellowstone and more than three million people come through each year. The only way to avoid crowds is to get into the backcountry.

Grant Campground is located near Yellowstone Lake, as well as restaurants, shops, and Lake Lodge. It’s a good place to stay for trips to Heart Lake, West Thumb, and even the Old Faithful area.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates Grant Campground and reservations can be made through their website. Same-day reservations can be made by calling 307.344.7902. Future reservations can be made by calling 307.344.7311 or 1.866.GEYSERLAND. There are 430 sites. There are pay showers and laundry on site, but two showers/night are included with your campsite. Campsite occupancy is limed to six people per site. You can stay for up to 14 days from July 1 through Labor Day, and 30 days the rest of the year.

Four random 80s kids at Grant Campground. NPS photo.

More campgrounds

As promised, here are the rest of the campgrounds in Yellowstone. For more details and photos, go to the webpage.

While You Are in Yellowstone

Yellowstone hikes for kids and families
Beaver Pond Loop (Mammoth)
Boiling River and Lone Star Geyser (Mammoth and Old Faithful)
Trout Lake (Lamar Valley)
Lost Lake (Tower/Roosevelt)
The Hoodoos (Mammoth)

More Campground Reviews

Make sure you check out these other campground reviews and find the perfect spot for your next camping trip.

Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies -The Best Provincial Park Campgrounds in Southern Alberta
AKontheGO -Alaskans Share Their Favorite Campgrounds
Kid Project -Sandflats Recreational Area, Moab, UT
Brave Ski Mom -Best Campgrounds in North America: Western Colorado Edition
Climb Run Lift Mom -Camping at the City of Rocks
The Campsite -Top 5 Backcountry Campgrounds in Banff National Park
TravelingMel -Yellowstone National Park Campground Review
Adventure Parents -Classic Campsites: Murphy Hogback Campground, Canyonlands National Park
Mommy Hiker -West Coast Campground Review - Sweet Summer Spots to Relax & Recharge!
OurBoler - The Best of West Coast Camping
The Kid Project - Camping and Climbing in Maple Canyon
Outsidemom - Our favorite campgrounds in the Western US
Active Kids Club - Camping in Ontario
Walk Simply - San Elijo State Beach Camping for Urban Nature Fun

Remember when I said I was going to keep these Peru posts to 10(ish) photos? Ha! Weeding through these photos to choose less than a dozen is downright painful. I'm keeping this one to 13, but I can't guarantee I can hold back on posting more in the future....

After a few days in Cuzco we piled into a van, along with two guides, two cooks, and the driver (that makes ten of us and all our stuff for eight days!) and drove to Cachora. It's a little less than six miles as the crow flies to Choquequirao, but it would take us two days and around 20 miles to get there. From those Incan ruins we continued up and over the Andes.

Salcantay and terraced fields--we'd be seeing a lot of both in the next week.

Our loaded up van.

I don't know who all those people are, but somehow everything we needed ended up on the mules and horses.

We started our trek, clean and excited, along a dirt road that turned into a trail. We walked past little subsistence farms and gazed over corn fields growing on steep terraces across the canyon. The Vilcabamba Range rose up, snow covered.

Ross is on his way...

Oh yes, I took a zillion flower photos.

Mules on the trail.

Eyeing the ridge where we would stop for lunch.

Because it's pretty.

We stopped for lunch a steep ridge and dined on what would be the first of many amazing meals. As we took our time on the trail, our cook Domingo, sprinted ahead with a full backpack to get our lunch ready. I've never been on a trip where someone else cooked for me, and it was amazing. Almost as amazing as the food, was the view of Choquequirao and the Andean condor that flew right over our heads.

Choquequirao is a ruined Inca city, similar in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu. The ruins are buildings and terraces at levels above and below Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top. But, more on that later.

Our guide, Wilbert, wanted us to do this. We did not. But, I kind of like the photo.

After lunch we started downhill toward the Apurimac River. It's about 3/4 of a mile straight down, but much longer on the switchbacks. Even though my quads were fried by the time we got down to the river, it was worth it to see the amazing mountain views.

And then it was all downhill.

Aster.

Sometimes even the downhill is uphill.

We camped at Playa Rosalina, right next to the roaring Apurimac River. After dinner, Domingo, also a shaman, made an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth) to ensure we'd have a good trip. He laid down a circle of coca leaves, then added sweets, pretend money, figurines, food, and more. We each chose three perfect coca leaves to represent father, mother, and children and blew on them three times. We made wishes for friends/community, family, and ourselves before adding them to the offering. Domingo put the carefully wrapped offering into the fire and we all watched its smoke float into the sky.

"Domingo is a simple shaman," Wilbert told us.

Spoiler alert: The offering worked--we had a great trip.

Plan your own trip

Are you reading along and thinking, "I want to go on a trip like this!"? Call my friend Felicia at Bella Treks, she'll set you up. And it's not just Peru, she goes all over South America, Morocco, Yellowstone, and a ton of other places.