From this vantage point, the park's natural communities stretch out before you. The ponds and wet meadows along the Snake River are home to the wetland community. Terraces step up from the Snake River to the sagebrush community covering much of the valley floor. Islands of lodgepole pines take root on glacial moraines that ring glacial lakes. The lower slopes of the mountains support aspen and conifer forest communities. At the highest elevations, the alpine community clings to the rocky substrate seeking shelter.

Name Origin

Named for "blacktail" deer now known as mule deer that frequent the area.