Yellowstone, Grand Teton trails closed for now
<p>In this July 7, 2014, file photo, Derek Ivester runs along the Chestnut Mountain trail beneath Frog Rock east of Bozeman, Mont. Montana Wilderness Association, one of the state?s premier conservation groups, has been leading Montanans into the outdoors for more than half a century and that continues this summer, with two annual programs that will give hikers a chance to experience the state?s wild places with experienced trip leaders.</p>
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Two of the most heavily used day-hiking routes in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in are closed for the time being because of weather damage and maintenance.
In Yellowstone, the iconic Brink of the Lower Falls trail is closed in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone because of a mud and rock slide that deposited a 7-by-8-foot boulder on the route, effectively blocking the path.
In Grand Teton, the trail beyond Hidden Falls to Inspiration Point is closed and being rerouted so crews can replace bridges over Cascade Creek and rebuild the rocky ledge trails and steps that lead to the popular Jenny Lake overlook.
Work can't begin to remove the enormous rock on the Brink of the Lower Falls trail in Yellowstone because of wet weather, Yellowstone spokeswoman Traci Weaver said Thursday.
"It's closed until further notice," she said, "until we get a drying trend and are able to get in there and deal with it."
Because of the trail's location in the Yellowstone River canyon, dynamiting the boulder would be unsafe, Weaver said.
The Brink of the Lower Falls trail, which leads hikers to a perch right above the 308-foot waterfall, may end up being rerouted, she said.
The trail work on the west shore of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton is more of a long-term situation, and the half-mile stretch leading up to Inspiration Point will be closed for "most of the hiking season," according to the National Park Service.
Destinations up Cascade Canyon are also affected.
Those trails are "the most popular and highly used" in Grand Teton, the Park Service said.
Park staffers have erected signs on Jenny Lake's west shore to direct people to alternative routes to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point and Cascade Canyon.