First trip out west

Do you intend to fly west, drive west, bicycle west, or walk west?

–B.G.–

I assume you are asking advice on places to go. On my first trip, I would not miss the Yellowstone area for wildlife viewing. Tetons are just downstairs, and the Winds are around the corner. As a first trip, that would be pretty nice. Others can probably direct you to close by areas that may be even better. I also live in the East, and I plan to do a high Sierra trip this summer, but for a first trip, I'd pick Wyoming.

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I would be flying.

Ben, I completely agree on the Yellowstone/Teton/Wind River suggestion. The other area of interest I would include would be Glacier NP. Was hoping for more specific routes to look into.

Yellowstone is the place to go for wildlife. The bonus is that the park receives surprisingly little backpacking pressure, and unlike Glacier good permits are fairly easy to get even in August. The downside of Yellowstone is that it is somewhat difficult to arrange good loops. Hitchhiking is a practical option, mainly due to the volume of traffic. Lots of folks will pass you by, but it shouldn't take too long to get a ride.

My first choice route in August would be to start at the Nine Mile TH east of Yellowstone Lake, hike south into the Thorofare, over past Heart Lake, swing south of Shoshone Lake through Shoshone Geyser basin, and end at Old Faithful. The hitch between these two points is a bit long, but the variety of stuff you'll get to see is worth it. Bison aplenty along this route, decent chance of elk and bear, and some neat thermal features. Shoshone Geyser basin can easily occupy a half day.

Another trip in the Tetons or Winds would compliment that route nicely and give you some more mountainous terrain. I've only ever visited both places to climb so I'll let others chime in with specifics.

Glacier is fantastic (why I live here), but permits in high summer are a real pain. Hard to recommend it these days.

The Sierra is the other obvious western destination, but lacks the wildlife factor. Amy L's SEKI loop thread in the trip reports sections looks good to me.

Since I'm a teacher I've spent the better part of two summers in the Yellowstone area and there is still stuff I want to do there. You can do a lot in 2 weeks but you can't do everything so you need to prioritize.

Here is what I would do (assuming you have a car)

Dave's trip idea sounds pretty cool and it might be a good place to start. That way you get used to the area on a fairly easy trip. Also a chance to see critters.

After that you could take a few days off to car camp, take a shower, etc. While you are doing that you can spend some time checking out thermal features and watching for wildlife.

Personally I never thought the thermal features were that interesting. I'd stop at a few but I would not dedicate a lot of time to just that.

Wildlife is pretty cool. If you've never been out west you'll probably get a huge kick out of all the Elk, Bison, Pronghorns and other wildlife you see. If you want to see grizzlies and wolves that takes a bit more effort but its doable. If seeing big critters is high on your list I would rent or buy a spotting scope like hunters use and add a taller tripod to it so you can us it standing up. Then I would dedicate 3-4 days to car camping and watching for wildlife (mornings and evenings). Best places are generally the Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley. Look for other people with spotting scopes, they usually know what they are doing. Also the bookstores in the park sell a chart of all the wolf packs and identified wolves in the park.

After you've done Yellowstone you'll want to get out for some real mountain hiking. I might lean towards the Tetons or the Absarokas since they are close to the park. The Winds are great but most trailheads there would require a longer drive.

I did a backpack long ago and camped at my own private geyser field. It was sort of neat. Especially because it's unusual compared to other hikes I've done. And normal Yellowstone geyser fields have zillions of people.

Thanks for the help. I love the idea of doing a longer backpacking trip in Yellowstone then driving down to the Tetons to get my high mountain fix in. Especially if I can fly into Bozeman and out of Jackson.

Dave, how many days would you give that route?

Just ordered maps, and getting excited.

I think you're going to love it whatever you do. PM if you want, I am hoping to actually be in the Thorofare area in June. That is probably a bit early to go so I'll probably beat you there. I'll be happy to let you know how things are. I should also be able to give you an update on wolf watching if that is something you want to do.

The Tetons require bear canisters to make sure your pack can fit them. Check but I believe Ursacks are approved.

WOW! Such an inherently impossible question. Just to add another biased opinion – one way to look at it based on what you said is to choose some place(s) that are the most different. Of course the metric for the "different" will depend on the person. My choice would be some place is southern Utah without too many tourists like a week long backpacking trip in some place like Canyonlands NP. That is likely to blow you mind coming from the east coast.

I would also tentatively recommend, as a fist handshake with the west, something heretical on here – and that is a road trip where you wing it on the backpacking – don't over plan it the first time. One way to get a better overall experience of the scale and variety is to do a leisurely road trip moving through a solid stretch of country and hit a few backpacking highlights. The west is big and varied and often empty, often lonely, often awe inspiring, geologically raw and naked in a way the far older east is not. As mentioned Yellowstone and the surrounding territory is a good choice for that approach. Area around the GC/Colorado plateau another fantastic one. Basically I'm saying make getting there as important as doing the "big BP trip" the first time.

Will probably have a wholly different idea tomorrow.

I'd rephrase Marko's thoughts as, "consider it somewhat of a survey trip". A sampler. 3-day-long trips in a couple of different areas. Then your gear, food, and pack weight become much, much less critical. Minor mistakes in clothing, food, or sleep system are tolerable for 3 days in a way that they are not for 2 week. There are so many aspects of backpacking that will be new to you: high elevations, wider temperature swings, some very dry areas, big critters, long drives to trailheads, etc. Doing 2 or 3 mini trips would be a great introduction to several areas and let you plan the next, bigger trip with more knowledge and confidence.

What is the best time of year to hike Yellowstone? I can pick anytime between the 4th of July and Labor Day. Do I need to worry about permit availability?

Am I being naive in thinking that western hiking will be "easier" than in the east? There aren't many trails around here that a horse could navigate the terrain, and when I hiked the Long Trail in the fall there were 20 days in a row with some form of precipitation.

I'd go very end of August into September if you have the choice. The weather will be the most stable, fewer family tourist groups, and the river crossings will all be easy. If you cold roll into the backcountry office to get a permit the day before you won't have your pick of sites, but you'll almost certainly be able to make your route work so long as you're a little flexible about mileage. You can pay a 30 dollar fee and fax in an advance request today or next week, which is not a bad way to go if you prefer to make firm plans. This will close to guarantee you your choice, especially if you do it this month.

You'll find the tread of the trails in Yellowstone dead easy compared to the typical 'Dacks path.

I think Yellowstone is best in August, when the bugs back off (black flies and mosquitoes). Same for Glacier Park. July is a nice time in GNP, with more wildflowers, but pretty buggy. The far north of YNP is nasty with pesky bugs in July, but higher up on the central plateau (the Old Faithful area) has less bugs overall, I've found.

As for comparing hiking out west to the East Coast area, you'll certainly get slammed by the elevation you'll encounter in Colorado and the Wind River range. You'll be hiking at 10,000-12,000 feet, which can be a bit tough for the first 2 weeks until your body adjusts. YNP hikes range between 5,000-8,000 feet, and GNP 4,000-7,000, so those areas will be a bit easier on you. The canyons of Utah are at a lower elevation also, but the heat of summer makes hiking harder.

I think it's best to do YNP, GNP, and the Winds in August, if not even into September after the crowds go home. Keep in mind that all three of those areas can treat you to an early snow dump after Labor Day, but not usually.

I also agree with the others that the best approach to check out the West is to do an epic road trip, see the sites, and wedge in a few 2-3 night backpack trips where you can (permits for GNP will be tough, YNP not so much). There are scads of cool things to see on your way out–the Black Hills, Devil's Tower, and even the Missouri Breaks. If you bring your passport, I think the finest scenic drive in North America is to go north from Glacier, take the alternate route to Banff via the Kananaskis highway, then over to Lake Louise to connect with the great road to Jasper. It's pretty much an up and back trip, but man, what splendid scenery.

Edit–Sorry, I forgot that you are flying, so ignore my comment about seeing places on your way out. But do consider that Banff-Jasper drive if you have a rental car.

Yup, wide open spaces and critters sounds like Yellowstone, Glacier, Bob Marshall.

The North Cascades, Pasayten Wilderness and Olympics come to mind, but not for the classic western big critters. There are elk, deer, occasional bears, otters, raccoons, marmots, pikas, and lots of birds though.

You could do the route in as little as 5 days, but a week would be better, if not more. An out and back excursion down into the upper Bechler (amazing waterfalls and hot springs) would be a great addition as well. If you have questions feel free to post here or email me (dave at backpackinglight dot com).

There's a lot to be said for the big iconic road trip, but for someone who is already confident backpacking I think depth rather than breadth is the way to go. One can blow a lot of energy (and money) negotiating the unfamiliar logistics of traveling and car camping in crowded western areas, and that process rarely seems to end up being all that enjoyable.

Yellowstone and the Tetons one year, then Escalante, Zion and the Grand canyon next year, and something else the year after is a good plan.

I don't think the Tetons would disappoint. I moved from Oregon back to Arizona last year, and took the long way. I camped near the Tetons one night:

The Highline Trail in the Uintas of Northeast Utah could also be good. Maybe hike King's Peak, see Red Castle Lake, visit the Naturalist Basin. They have good fishing and good above treeline hiking. Only some wildlife. No permits or bear cans required

Does any one remember a BPL article about a Thorofare traverse? I think it was by Ryan Jordan, but couldn't find it.

http://ryanjordan.com/blog/2010/05/my-favorite-treks-the-trident-traverse-yellowstone-national-park/

I need to do an article which is a flowchart/choose your own adventure for first time backpackers in the western US.

Love the idea of a guide to the west for easterners. Personally I have been jealous/resentful of all of you who live in the west for almost a decade that I have been on BPL.

Using All Trails I have come up with a 104.8 mile route through Yellowstone that I am thinking will take 5 days. It starts at the Soda Butte TH (3K1) and follows the Lamar River Trail, Mist Creek Trail, Pelican Valley Trail, and Turbid Lake Trail to the Nine Mile TH (5K5). From there the Thorofare Trail, Creek Trail, and Heart Lake Trail to the Heart Lake TH (8N1). The final leg is the Dogshead Trail, Shoshone Lake Trail, and Howard Eaton Trail to the Howard Eaton TH (OK2).

My proposed campsites and millages are as follows:
Soda Butte TH (3K1) to Mist Creek Meadow (3T2) 22.3 miles
Mist Creek Meadow (3T2) to Columbine Meadow North (5E6) 23.9 miles
Columbine Meadow North (5E6) to Monument Camp (5L2) 20.6 miles
Monument Camp (5L2) to Moose Creek Meadow (8M2) 24.8 miles
Moose Creek Meadow (8M2) to Howard Eaton TH (OK2) 13.2 miles

Is this too ambitious? I would feel comfortable with those milages on most of the AT. Am I missing any area that is too good to give up?

That's a good itinerary for sure. 3T2 (and 3T3) is an awesome, awesome camp at the edge of a huge gorgeous meadow. 5E6 (and 5E4) both have nice little pebble beaches on Yellowstone Lake. 5L2 I don't recall specifically. I'd advice bumping day three bigger and staying at 8D2 (gorgeous meadow camp, last photo in this article: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bc-permiting-nps-chenault.html#.VVYSqGDnZHg), and bumping the fourth day forward to the end of Shoshone Lake (8T1, for example). Having a short last day to check out Shoshone Geyser basin and Lone Star geyser is a good idea.

Most of your route has modest elevation change. The stretch past 8M2 along Shoshone Lake has some hidden hills which will drag late in the day. The thing that will get you is elevation and dehydration. It probably won't be too hot, but it will be super dry compared to the east and you'll want to down a lot more water and electrolytes than you think. Drink a ton and ideally give yourself a day or two out west before you hit the trail to avoid having the altitude drag on you too much.

Great, now I need recommendations for cheap places to stay in Yellowstone while not in backcountry and the Tetons. The only place I have seen with availability is the Madison Campground. Is my only option to be surrounded by RVs? Would rather stay at Pebble or Slough Creek, but they don't take reservations.

As for the hiking in the Tetons, what should I hit? Teton Crest Trail?

"As for the hiking in the Tetons, what should I hit?"

I guess you know that there is lots of wildlife down in the flats of the national park. It just depends on what your priorities are.

–B.G.–

I would like to something to contrast my Yellowstone hike which is pretty flat. Backpacking up high or day hikes up non technical peaks would be great.