Backpacking Yellowstone/Grand Teton

iplayoutside19

We are taking a family trip to Yellowstone/GT next summer. There is no way I'm making that trip and not doing some backpacking. I haven't backpacked in 20 years. But in preparation for this trip my brother and are doing a trip in a week and a half, and we'll do a longer trip in the spring before it's game time in YS/GT in July/Aug next summer.

My point of frustration is there are so many hikes to choose from I don't even know where to start. After some internet research I've identified two possibilities: Heart Lake/Summit Mt Sheridan & Old Faithful to Bechler Ranger Station.

Does anyone in this crowd have any other suggestions? We're game for about anything. We've got time to get in shape for whatever the parks have to offer.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I don't know if I have any specific suggestions. I was up there in May and spent part of a single day at each location, and did not take any backpack trails. When I was at the Grand Tetons, on Sat. of Memorial Day Weekend, I hiked the trails around Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake. I did not have snowshoes, so I stopped by the visitor center and asked about how much snow I should expect in those areas... the ranger said that I could see as much as a foot of snow when I got up behind Bradley Lake. He was wrong. When I got that far, the trail started to disappear and it was just snow everywhere. The footprints disappeared also, but there was a faint set of tracks several days old. It seemed like it might somewhat follow the map based on direction, so I decided to try to follow those steps. Before long, I realized that it wasn't the trail. Then, as I tried to start heading back towards the lake/trail, I kept falling through snow, which was too soft to walk on (apparently not the case a few days earlier, based on the prior tracks). After falling through and thus being covered up to my nips in snow a few times, I decided to emulate snow shoes by crawling on my shins (and thus spreading out my weight). So the moral is if you are going in the spring, be extra careful about how much snow is there and consider bringing snow shoes.

kelly_e_montana

I live in the general area but am not much of a backpacker. My dad backpacks near Yellowstone in the Beartooth Wilderness every summer. You are probably choosing a good time of the year to go for several reasons: less chance of snow & less chance of new born animals with overly protective moms.

I did want to say make sure you prepare for the elevation or take that into account when you plan how far you can hike in a day. I usually hike at about 5-6,000 feet and I live at about 4800 feet. I find hiking in near Yellowstone much more taxing for that reason.

Bozeman, MT has an Adventure Club and it seems to me that some of their members might have good feedback for you. Maybe you could contact the coordinator and see if they have any ideas. Lots of people from Bozeman backpack and hike those two parks due to their proximity. http://www.meetup.com/Bozeman-Adventure-Club/

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I saw this story recently about the Grand Tetons: www.thebigoutside.com/walking-familiar-ground-reliving-old-memories-and-making-new-ones-on-the-teton-crest-trail/

iplayoutside19

midwesterner85 wrote: »

I saw this story recently about the Grand Tetons: www.thebigoutside.com/walking-familiar-ground-reliving-old-memories-and-making-new-ones-on-the-teton-crest-trail/

I've been pretty busy with Cub Scouts and stuff and just now had time to re-vist this. Which needs to get done because we need to get permits and all that.

but yes, my brother and I have decided to do the Teton Crest Trail, based on another article we found on The Big Outside. Exact itinerary has not been determined but we should have that done in another week. I really like what these guys did. We may copy them.

http://seattlebackpackersmagazine.com/teton-crest-trail/

iplayoutside19

OK. Final Decision was based on we only had 3 days, 2 Nights to do a Backpacking Trip.
Our first plan was to go from Death Canyon Trail head up to Static Peak and spend the 1st night in the Alaska basin which is outside of the Park. On Day 2 head out for Cascade Canyon and then down to Jenny Lake where we would drop off our car. BUT, every backcountry campsite in the Paintbrush-Cascade Area is already reserved for the days we were going to go.

So, we settled on this Hike, as there were spots open in Death Canyon. Alaska Basin does not require reservations as it is NF Land.

http://backpacker.web1.ec2.aimstaging.com/2012-august-grand-teton-adventure-guide-death-canyon/destinations/16707

Pretty excited about the trip. And to have and "event" to train for. I would say the stoke is pretty high.

We're going to do an overnight trip in May in Oklahoma to play with bear canisters and go at an aggressive pace to test ourselves.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

Sounds like a fun trip. As far as bear canisters, they are a real PITA because they are so bulky and awkward. You may want to find some time to figure out how it will attach to your pack at home before going outside with it. If you can strap it on top, I understand that is most ideal. Unfortunately, I've not been able to do that because of how my pack is setup. I would have strapped mine on the bottom, but that is where my bedroll goes. I have an unusual backpack that looks similar to a traditional backpack with essentially 2 backpacks joined at the bottom and with straps around the sides. I wedged in the space between the 2 packs and tightened up the side straps. The weight was still pretty far back, but that was what I could do. For next time, I may experiment with the bottom of the pack option since I now have an inflatable bedroll that rolls up small (6" x 4" if memory serves me right) and just goes inside my bag.

Something I'll caution you about with the bear barrel is that they are not scent proof (so I've heard), so bears might still find it and you don't want to put it in camp. Put it 100-200' away, and put some large rocks around it so it doesn't roll away on you.

iplayoutside19

We're going to get our Bear Canisters before our May Shakedown to figure all that out. I don't want to be messing with that stuff while trying to enjoy the hike. I may get a new Backpack by then, I have not decided.

Part of my Cub Master Training had me go through a Outdoor Leadership Course where they taught/reiterated ways for us to teach Cub Scouts about the outdoors. During that course we learned about the backcountry triangle. You sleep in one spot, cook/clean in a spot 300 ft away from there, and you store all Bear/Animal Bait 300 ft from both of those.