This sign greets people as they arrive at the visitor center.

We arrived here on Sunday, July 25 and we stayed through October 10. The park is located just 38 miles southwest of Yellowstone Park and it is at an altitude of 6,150 feet. August temperatures had highs in the low to mid 80's and the lows in the 40's with a few getting into the high 30's. By the time that we left it was late fall, but fall in the Rockies is a beautiful time with cold nights, well below freezing and sunny days with highs well into the 70's.

The blue skys are so clear that one seems to see forever!  The waters here are completely clear and you can see everything in them.   The waters are completely clear and reflect the sky and timber.

This is a place of blue skies, and clear water that reflects everything near it. When it does rain the sky is soon clear again and days are rarely gray. We are in an eco-system that is nearly the same as in Yellowstone Park, but we don't have the geysers and such, nor do we have the crowds of people. This is both a park and a wildlife refuge and so the visitors must access the major parts of the park by foot, horse, or bicycle. Since it is 16,000 acres, most visitors actually visit very little of the park, but those who are hardy can hike all of it on the 20+ miles of trails, or you can bring your horse or rent one. The other mode of travel is mountain bike.

There are miles of trails through forest, medows and by lakes and streams. Our camp site here at the park. The summer flowers here are beautiful! (click for a close-up)

During our time here we watched the seasons change and the fall colors appear. We even had snow three times although it always melted as soon as it stopped.

The aspens changed to bright gold with the arrival of cold nights. Fall brought on the beauty of bright colors around the ranch. The first snow retreated up on the mountains once it stopped snowing.

Work-camping: In return for our free site with full hook-ups, we each volunteered three days each week. Pam helped in the visitor center and also filled in for an office employee while she was on vacation. Kirk lead tours of the historic ranch and did some maintenance there. Once school began, Kirk also lead nature hikes for visiting school classes. Kirk also helped with fence repairs and other general maintenance as well as lawn watering. The staff went out of their way to make us feel a part of the team and we truly enjoyed our stay and we made some real friends. There are two RV sites here and you do have laundry equipment available. Internet access is available by phone from the office after hours and is a short walk from the RV sites. There is also a phone that can be used with a phone card in the shop near the RVs. Cell phone service is not always strong, but is usable for both Verison and Cingular. 

This is a view of the historic ranch that is the center of the park. One of the resident trumpeter swans that stay all year. This is the view of the Tetons that we see from the park.

If you are considering a tour as a volunteer for the summer, give serious thought to Harriman State Park of id. To get more information on this park and volunteer service here, contact Theresa Perry at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and put her name in the subject line. Or you may call her at 208/558-7368.

Indinian paintbrush is seen in most open areas of the forest. This map board is at the visitor center as you enter the park. Wild lillies are very common in the timber here.