Yellowstone Trekking Itinerary
Please note the routes and distances listed below are dependent on the camp sites we reserve with the national park service.
Day 1: You will need to arrive in Jackson, Wyoming the day before as we meet this morning just after breakfast. We then drive northwest over Teton pass into Idaho and ultimately to the Bechler Ranger Station in the very corner of Yellowstone. Our hike today is about 6.5 miles through the Bechler Meadows, a flat area of marshes, pine forests, and winding rivers. We camp on the edge of a big meadow next to Boundary Creek, generally with no one else anywhere in the area. This evening, we'll take a short walk after dinner to 150-foot high Dunanda Falls. The falls itself is worth the hike but what makes it really special are the dozen or so hotsprings pools located in the river just below the falls. This is an experience worth every mile of the hike in.
Day 2: Today we leave the meadows and hike about 10 miles along the Bechler River up Bechler Canyon. We start to gain altitude but it is very moderate. We also have several rivers to cross, an exciting feat and one that is easily managed by walking two or three abreast. The scenery changes as we gain in elevation, highlighted by the steep cliffs and rushing river of the canyon. We camp alongside the Bechler River tonight.
Day 3: Today is an easy day of approximately four miles hiking. This gives us time to take two optional side trips. The first is Mr. Bubbles, a very large hot springs pool on the Ferris Fork located about 1/2 mile off the trail. The springs are famous for a small, underwater geyser that continually shoots up from the middle of the pool; you can actually stand over it and feel the rumbling of the earth beneath you. Our second optional hike is just before camp, as we climb up Douglas Knob and explore the valley below it. We camp that night near Douglas Knob. The slightly higher atitude produces a different landscape with gnarled trees and more open spaces.
Day 4: Today is our final hiking day and is the longest at about 11 miles. We slowly gain altitude before crossing the Continental Divide at wooded Grant's Pass. On the other side, we pass through a series of meadows, good places to spot bison or elk. The scenery then changes again as we move through a geothermal area of hotpots, bubbly streams, and colorful cauldrons, the highlight being Lone Peak Geyser. Our final stretch takes us through a burned out area from the 1988 fires, now nicely recovering with 20-foot pine trees among the still-standing hulks of what grew before. We reach our destination of Old Faithful, a somewhat bittersweet feeling as we are happy to be there but sad to leave the backcountry. We celebrate with a champagne toast while watching Old Faithful blow and then eat a well-deserved dinner and sleep on a soft bed in the Inn.
Day 5: Today we depart Yellowstone for Jackson and the airport. Along the way, we have the opportunity to visit a geothermal area in Yellowstone and beautiful Grand Teton National Park. We'll drop you off at the airport at 12:30 in time to catch an afternoon flight home.