Heaven at Hellroaring

After meeting at the Hellroaring Trailhead at our designated time, we will have a quick safety meeting and gear check before heading out.
The first bit of the trail meanders up a slight hill that is often full of wildflowers in the summer and fall colors in the fall. It is also one of the few uphill sections of the hike for the first half of the hike. However, it is over as fast as it starts, emerging onto the side of the hill overlooking the entire Hellroaring area. Here, we will quickly stop, scan for animals and learn about the route which we will soon be hiking. From this spot, I have seen wolves, bears, bison, elk, and bighorn sheep.
Beyond this scenic view, the trail descends quickly over the next mile, giving great views the majority of the time. At 1.5 miles, we will reach the suspension bridge that spans across the Yellowstone River. The bridge is awesome, showing fantastic views of the canyon and river far below.
Past the bridge, hikers that may have been around at the beginning begin to fade away. While the bridge sees a lot of day hikers, few know the awesomeness that is found a short jaunt from above the canyon. Just .5 miles away, the trail leaves the trees and emerges into an open sagebrush plateau where we will be wandering for the next half mile as we make out way down to Hellroaring Creek. Along the way, we will likely see bison and maybe a badger or two. Reaching the creek, we will stop briefly to hear about the region and what to expect over the next 1.4 miles of hiking.
The next section to the confluence of Hellroaring Creek and the Yellowstone River will be one that follows the trail at times, and walking through the prairie at others. We will be finding antlers and bones along the way, while also stopping and scanning for wildlife on the slopes of Hellroaring Peak, across the way. Once we reach the confluence, we will take a break to look around before starting back.
The route back will follow the same way we hiked in, this time gaining all of the elevation we lost on the way down. We will continue to scan for wildlife and may wander off the trail a bit more to see if we can find anymore antler deposits or bones scattered about the landscape.