Elephant Back Mountain, Yellowstone NP

Our second hike in Yellowstone was Elephant Back Mountain. From the Canyon Lodge we headed over to the Elephant Back Mountain trailhead. About half a mile north of the Lake Village turnoff on the Grand Loop Road is parking for the trail with room for several cars. This hike headed right into the woods and we remained covered by the trees from the sun. The trail is a lollipop loop. After about one mile on the trail we reached the fork. We headed left to do the hike clockwise as recomeneded by the guide book that we had read the night before. The loop section is where most of the elevation of the hike is gained. After climbing up we reached the ridge at 8600ft that gave us an amazing view of Yellowstone Lake and the surrounding area. There were several logs there that provided the perfect spot to sit down and take in the scenery. We of course did just that and took several pictures. Our phones even beeped with new emails as we had cell reception atop the ridge, something we had been without during our stay in the canyon area. After our break we continued on the loop and descended. As we approached the end of the hike we were lucky enough to spot a doe and three fawns. We of course took out the camera and took several photos. They didn't seem bothered by our presence at all. We continued on and spotted a buck right before reaching the road. The hike totaled 3.5 miles with an elevation change of about 800 feet.