Trip Ideas in the Northern Rockies

[Luke Schmidt]

I'm meeting family out west this summer and I'm looking to work a big trip into the schedule while still seeing family.

Basically I want to get out as far from civilization as possible and hopefully see some wildlife while I'm there. Bears and wolves are a priority because I see other critters pretty regularly on my Colorado trips.

Here are some ideas I'm looking at.

1. Wind Rivers – I need to watch my 15 year old brother for a few days. I thought we might do the Wind Rivers together. This would sacrifice bear viewing but hopefully I can do that later. I don't want my mom to be too worried about little brother. If we have 4-6 to work with and can hike 15-20 miles a day where should we go?

2. After Yellowstone my other brother Daniel (adult)and I will stay a bit longer. I'm still trying to get my epic wilderness fix, he's more interested in peak bagging. Any ideas to combine the two? I had thought about traversing the Bob Marshell or the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness and bagging some peaks along the way.

3. We might also do a shorter trip into the Therofare region or the Lamar valley (less wilderness but more wildlife).

Thoughts? Suggestions? We normally use tarps and bivies but I hear the bugs can be bad in parts of Wyoming. Do we need a tent?

[Richard Scruggs]

Wind River Range? Not actually "trip reports" but rather a two-part YouTube video of two trips in different sections, with great soundtracks, to inspire —

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOuHKneN7eU&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBu88UyUdsk

Bugs? Depends on the timing of snow melt this year and when/where you're there.

As for bears, I've heard bears are in the Winds. Including some grizzlies.

[MFR]

Would you be willing to go just a bit farther north?

Glacier would offer fantastic peak bagging and wildlife opportunities (probably a little more so than the Bob where the hunters make the wildlife a bit more skittish of humans). The wilderness can be quite pristine once you get away from the tourist hubs, but the trails would be a little more crowded (depending on your route). The other downside is that the designated campgrounds.

Then again, if you're willing to go off trail, you have the option of undesignated camping permits and much fewer people. You just have to really know what you're doing.

[Peter Evans]

If you come up to the Canadian Rockies you'll see more bears than you want.
I had 9 bear encounters on my first major hike through the Rockies in Banff.
I asked for a long route, the ranger neglected to tell me he had sent me through the thickest concentration of bears in the whole park.

[Luke Schmidt]

Richard "As for bears, I've heard bears are in the Winds. Including some grizzlies."

Maybe some grizzlies but I was under the impression there were less. Daniel and I will probably do some intentional bear watching in Yellowstone so I was going to keep Joseph in a lower density bear area. Mostly because Daniel will be baggine 14er's in Colorado at that time and I want my mom to have one less thing to worry about on HER vacation.

Clayton – Daniel (my climbing brother) has already done Glacier so he's interested in exploring something different. On the other hand if you're free about that time let me know. I wouldn't mind joining up for a hike somewhere.

[Author]

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