Sheepeater's Cliff

This is a favorite for us, it's easy and provides wonderful views. We were able to introduce the whole area to Phyllis this year. She told us about several new hikes so it was good to be able to take her to one she hasn't seen.


Unlike the implication of the name, the Shoshone Indians didn't kill the sheep to eat, but to harvest their horns for weapons.

If the horns and bones were soaked in hot water, provided by the surrounding hot springs, they became very pliable and could be stretched and molded to make a bow (as in bow and arrow).

The Shoshone were the last of the local tribes to adapt to using horses so they would herd the sheep into this natural cove in order to make the kills.


The above picture is a half round basalt ring taken from the entry point. This next picture shows the same area from above. We climbed up the left side and followed a semi path all the way around the top.







We wondered why so many of the rocks are hexagon shaped. Phyllis took a course on the geology of the park and was told this is the least stressful shape on the lava when it is cooling. The cooling starts from the top and works down, and the column below chooses the path of least resistance. If the top starts as this shape, it will follow below as the cooling continues.







Then we climbed back down to the parking lot and walked along the Gardiner River away from the immediate cliffs.

There is a good bit of forested area to walk under but when there is a view, it is the river on one side and more basalt cliffs on the other.










And here is our reward...the Cascades Waterfall.

























At the base of the falls Bob and Phylllis found these bones through their cameras. We suspect a cougar pulled this section away from a carcass and brought it there to eat in peace.

This is a great shot from the vantage point we had.

Then as you rotate to look down river, there is this beautiful valley of Willows all over it. We were sure there was a moose down there watching us look for it and laughing!








The hike is about 1/2 mile out through fairly dense underbrush and back the same way. We walked on about another 1/2 mile following an animal trail but it disappeared so we turned back.