Leave Nothing But Footprints – #4 Rock Creek Vista Point Trail
This is my contribution for Heaven’s Sunshine’s weekly challenge, “One Step At A Time”.
So come along and hike with me, one step at a time!
Rock Creek Vista Point Trail, Beartooth Highway (US Rt 212), Montana
1/4 mile round trip
We are at 9,190 feet in elevation.
Rock Creek Vista
What a view!
Easily spotted along the trail were Golden-mantled ground squirrels climbing on the rocks. Piles of unshelled nuts and empty nut shells were scattered, obviously enticing these squirrels to make their home there.
9–12 inches long
7.4–11 ounces
They were indeed adorable and an added bonus in seeing the gorgeous vista!
Take a hike, short or long, one step at a time.
Mother Nature promises to reward you.
And please remember~~
Leave nothing but footprints.
Kill nothing but time.
Bay Photos by Donna 
Those squirrels look a lot like our palm squirrels
Beautiful pictures
Thank you!
Such beautiful scenery!
Thanks, Egidio! Beartooth Highway is phenomenal with incredible views, trails, and wildlife!
Love your cute little squirrels. I loved chasing them when I was last in Britain especially the rare red squirrel in Scotland as we do not have them here.
They are indeed cute!
Beautiful views and those squirrels are really cute.
Thank you, Sandy!
“What a view” is right! Gorgeous at that elevation!
Thank you! It really does almost take your breath away at that altitude! 😁
That looks like a great walk! The squirrel is adorable.
A nice good, short walk, given the altitude! 😁 I think the squirrels were disappointed we had no nuts.
Definitely worth the steps taken to see that sweet little golden-mantled ground squirrel!
They were too cute! 😁 They seemed disappointed we didn’t have any nuts to toss them (I didn’t know!!) and scurried away looking for a nut still possibly unopened from someone else.
What a reward for taking the trek high above the valley, gorgeous!
Thank you, Eliza! Beartooth Highway is an incredible, amazing road trip with numerous stopping points for views, trails, campgrounds, and wildlife. It’s a white-knuckled wheel-gripping road, my husband kept asking, where are we going??
😱 !!
Beautiful views and adorable chipmunks! Thanks for sharing joining in with these. 😁
Thank you, Pepper! Ah, but these were not chipmunks. 😉 They are small ground squirrels. They are often mistaken for chipmunks because of their resemblance. However, they are larger and have no stripes on their head. Their tail is also shorter. 😊
I had no idea! I wonder how many I have seen that I thought were chipmunks that actually weren’t. I’ll have to take a closer look. I thought there was something squirrelly going on there. 😂
🤪
Do they call them squirrels? We call them chipmunks.
This ground squirrel is often mistaken for a chipmunk because of its resemblance. However, it is larger and has no stripes on its head. The tail is also shorter! 🙂 And we do also have chipmunks throughout the U.S.
Oh, thanks for the info. I don’t think we have these. Our ground squirrels are gophers.😊
We also have gophers, but they are considered burrowing rodents in the U.S. 😊
😊
Wonderful photos
Thank you, Sheree!
What a beautiful spot. The squirrels resemble our chipmunks. Lovely post 😊
Thank you, Belinda! These squirrels do get mistaken for chipmunks, the difference is these squirrels have no head striping like chipmunks do. 😊
This looks like a beautiful walk Donna. Those little squirrels are Montana’s version of our chipmunks with their cute striped features.
The air, crisp and clean, it was so nice! I came across chipmunks in our U.S. travels, they are so cute too!
Sounds very nice – I wish I would see more chipmunks around here. The few I’ve seen take off running when they see me. They are far more skittish than squirrels.
Love the colors and tones in the first photo and really like the last photo also. I would have sworn it was a chipmunk. 🙂
Thank you, David! I really thought they were chipmunks too, when we saw them, and I was thinking, boy they seemed to be big ones, lol. It was later I found it they were squirrels. 🙂
Beautiful photos of nature!
Thank you, this is a gorgeous part of the United States, I would love to return!
You’re welcome – the photos showcase the beauty!!