Our 2009 trip to Cooke City and the Beartooths was such a success that we returned for a second helping this year. We again rented Two Rib Cabin with my parents in Cooke City, which is located five miles from the northeast entrance of Yellowstone and nestled near the Montana/Wyoming border in the beautiful Beartooth Mountains. Cooke City made a perfect base camp with unparalleled hiking, backpacking, fishing, and wildlife watching at our fingertips.

We knew very little about the Beartooths until last year when we were researching a convenient location for meeting my parents. And after two trips there I'm convinced it's one of the best kept secrets in the outdoors (not that the people who actually do venture into the wilderness there complain about that). Many people drive the scenic Beartooth Highway, but often keep on truckin' to Yellowstone and bypass any further exploration of this gorgeous area. We were constantly amazed at the trails and vistas we had to ourselves. The dramatic mountains, scenic lakes, striking alpine terrain, colorful wildflowers, and solitude all added up to an unforgettable wilderness experience and we can't wait to return.

We divided our pictures into two galleries. One for our day hikes (including Republic Peak, Becker Lake, Zimmer Lake, Iceberg Peak, Grasshopper Glacier, Spirit Mountain, and Goose Lake) and miscellaneous such as Mammoth Springs terraces, kissing moose, and the Beartooth Nature Center. The other gallery contains our pictures from a three night backpacking trip (our first with Norah!) to Aero Lakes. Thanks for taking a look and we hope you enjoy the pictures!