13 November 2008

T-Hill hike, part 1

It is often said that Wyoming is the place where the wind never stops, but Thermopolis is different because it is surrounded by mountains, or what people here call hills. One of these is called T-Hill because the letter T (for Thermopolis) is on the side facing the city. It is one of the first hills to hike when you are exploring the area.

Below is the view of T-Hill from the Visitor Center lawn.


To get to the entrance of T-Hill, exit the Visitor Center parking lot and drive up the road (north on US 20) for almost exactly one mile until you get to the crest of the hill. Just before you get to the billboard you see below (this shot is looking in the opposite direction, so you will only see the back of it), there is a small parking area for two to three cars.

Since only authorized vehicles can drive up T-Hill (the gate is locked), you will need to use this hikers entrance.

Here is another shot of the entrance.

The shot below is taken from Monument Hill. You can see in the foreground a buffalo corral or pen with the billboard behind it and the small parking area outside the fence to the right.

Below is how the buffalo experience the corral.

T-Hill is a relatively easy hike because of the road.


The shot below is taken from Monument Hill, and you can see the switchback road up T-Hill (click here for a satellite image of this road). Beyond T-Hill, in this photograph, you can see the rock-band around the summit of Roundtop Mountain.


At the top of T-Hill is a plateau on which the road makes a circle around its perimeter. Here is a photograph of Roundtop mountain in the distance, across a valley.
See also T-Hill hike, part 3, part 2.
See also Star Trail hike.
See also Water Tower Trail hike, part 3, part 2, part 1.
See also Owl Creek Hill Road hike, part 2, part 1.
See also Roundtop Mountain hike, part 3, part 2, part 1.

No comments: