Jardine, Montana - Ghost Town

This fall we headed down to Gardiner which is situated at the north entrance to Yellowstone. We got snowed out last year so I decided we would give it a go again this year. We waited until after Labor Day thinking the crowds would have thinned some. That may have been the case years ago but not anymore. Now there are so many Baby Boomers thinking to do the same thing the place was packed. We were lucky to get a slot for Clementine at the RV park.

Koty and I are manic hikers wherever we go. When we go to national parks we are constantly looking for someplace to hike outside the park because Koty is not welcome.  We are quite fond of Canadian parks. Canada welcomes dogs on a leash.

One of the first things we do when we get somewhere is look for hiking nearby but outside the park. Fortunately, Yellowstone is surrounded by national forest. I spied a dead end road that went up the mountain behind above the RV park. The map showed a town called Jardine.

It's a dirt and gravel road about six miles in but well worth the drive. On the drive in we came across this little landscape I thought was quite picturesque.

 Old Pumphouse

I don't know exactly was this is or what it was used for  but I'm guessing it might have been some kind of pump house.

We kept on until we got to Jardine. I didn't realize it when we started out that Jardine is a listed ghost town in Montana.  Although, there are quite a few very live inhabitants. It looks like some folks who work down in Gardiner live up here away from the tourist hub bub.

Jardine Gold Mine

The mine is fenced off so you can't really get close to it. The above photo was the best I could do.

Jardine Mine Office

The old mine office seemed to still be used but it was closed and no one was around.

But, we were looking for hiking not ghost towns so we went to the end of the road and hit the jackpot. We found the Eagle Creek trailhead which is a popular outfitter entry into the Gallatin National Forest. If you head up Eagle Creek Trail you'll see a bridge .......

Eagle Creek Bridge

If you cross that bridge and turn right you'll find a bunch of old buildings you can explore and check out.

I really like exploring out buildings that are not part of a park where you can just poke around on your own.

Now, I did say we came here for the hiking but there was an impediment to my going very far. I had sprained my ankle back in Bozeman and I was just gimping along. First we started up the Eagle Creek trail but it got so muddy we had to turn back cuz I wasn't about to slog through mud on a bad foot. There is another trail on the other side of the bridge that heads into the mountains and was just fine. It too clearly gets a lot of horse and mule traffic. Actually, I like trails that packers use because they are nice and packed.

We also discovered a gated compound that looked like it was mostly inhabited by Native Americans. I thought this tent, with the skull gracing the entry, was kind of interesting. I have no idea what it is used for. Maybe some one lives in it. A pack of dogs came running at us as we approached. I took this photo and we skedaddled.

The point of this story is that if you find yourself in Gardiner, Montana and would like to do something a little off the beaten path I would recommend a trip up to Jardine. It's a great place to to hike, explore and experience little Montana history.

Eagle Creek

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©Kinsey Barnard

British Columbia

We hiked to British Columbia today. For some folks that would probably be quite a trek, for us it was only about two hours on foot. That sign there says it's the 49th parallel and the international boundary between Canada and the United States. Mom was a good girl and stayed on our side but I scampered into Canada as far as my lead would allow. No mounties came after me! The border here is a pretty impressive sight. It's just this, what looks like a fire break, cut through the forest as far as the eye can see.

On the way up we saw a beautiful back bear. His coat was like jet black velvet. There wasn't any opportunity for mom to get a shot as he took off as soon as he heard us. Bears have VERY good ears and they can run like the wind. Course, so do I. I bet I could've caught up with him if mom would've let me. But, I'm not allowed to chase. Darn!

It's really hard getting photographs of animals in the wild. Technically, the animals in the parks are in the wild but they are so accustomed to cars, people and cameras it's a lot easier. For us, in the wild, means where you walk all day and never see another human being. Here in Montana that isn't hard to do. Montana is the fourth largest state land mass wise and still has less than one million humans in the whole place. The animals in these forests are pretty leery of humans and just the crunch of human boots on the trail is enough to send anything around flying. Me I could sneak up on them, I have quiet shoes. Problem is I'm not too good with a camera.

Mom tried to get some pictures in an old mine shaft but neither one of us was very crazy about being in there in the dark and all she got was a fuzzy picture of my behind.

Until next time......