The peak is very windy.
The group is pretty active, overall, and we had a great time exploring the park: hiking, horseback riding, river rafting (in Cody, WY) and the like. Well, I'll cut to the chase: The terrain, geography, ecology and biology within the confines of the Yellowstone Crater are absolutely incredible. The highlights of the trip included my first up-close & personal (within 50-75 ft) of Elk and Bison (Buffalo), seeing an Osprey pluck a fish from the Yellowstone River, and a couple hikes - my first at real altitude, topping out above 10,000 ft. I should also mention checking out the 'Mud Pots' and of course, the usuals, like Old Faithful and the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone. I did also see a moose, but I've seen those before (I live in Minnesota, dontcha know) and a grizzly bear, but that was from 1000+ yards, so I don't count it. Oh yeah, the same place we saw the bear, we saw some coyotes playing, about half that distance.
About the hiking: we did two 'mountain climbs'. The first to the top of Mount Washburn, a 10,243 ft peak with a weather observatory on the peak. The Washburn hike is definately geared for casual hikers. The trail consists of a former roadbed that winds up the mountain. It's wide and the grade is gradual- having been designed for cars in the 50s. My father, three cousins and I did this hike; we spent a bit over half a day going up and down the peak.
My cousins and I had a hard time standing upright in the wind...
While Mt Washburn was nice, I preferred the hike up Avalanche Peak. This hike is less publicized, though it is on the National Park map they hand out for free. Avalanche is accessed from a turnout on the East Entrance Road. Here's a scanned piece of the map from the NPS. The hike is great. While I was quite paranoid of bears the whole time, we didn't see sign of a single one. The trail is a hiking trail - its about a boot and a half wide, is quite steep and meanders pleasantly throughout coniferous forests, alpine meadows and rockslides (there's a technical name, but I can't recollect it). The view from the peak is excellent, and quite worth the strenuous climb, even for us flatlanders that had it a bit rough in the breathing department.
Last changes:
My Dad and I
Just me