So we have our annual 8-10 day trip coming up starting next weekend. Like in years past, we had our main trip and a backup plan. Well, this year our main plan and our backup plan are both on fire. Two new fires started and are growing fast in the exact area we were planning on going in the Frank Church. Ranger has recommended we look elsewhere.
Looking hard at Yellowstone now with only 4 days until we leave. If we go there, wildlife, backcountry geysers, very Yellowstone-ish stuff like that are a priority over big mountains and peaks. We have plenty of rugged mountains in Washington. We don't have bison herds :)
Questions:
– Can a solid trip be made by walking into a ranger station with no reservation and taking our chances with available backcountry campsites?
– Recommended areas of the park? Lamar? Bechler? Yellowstone Lake?
– Doesn't need to be huge mileage. We're even fine with a down day here or there, but obviously 6-8 days on trail we'd want to cover some ground and see some diversity in landscape.
Thoughts from the experts? Any/all advice is appreciated!
