Land of Fur and Fire
The magazine-style version of this trip through the heart of Yellowstone is now published at BackpackingLight.
Year: 2020
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 7
Sentinel Creek to Mary Mountain Trailhead and an early end I fell asleep to wolf song last night and rose early this morning in anticipation of a long, and possibly hot, day. The plan is to cross the highway and head east over the Nez Perce Trail to Mary Mountain Trailhead where I will meet Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 6
Firehole Falls to Sentinel Creek A short hike today to Sentinel Creek, maybe 10 miles. I’m camping there because there are no other allowed campsites for the next 25 miles or so of my route. The trail from Firehole Falls winds along the meadows of the upper Little Firehole, its grassland ringed with forested plateaus. Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 5
Shoshone Lake to the Little Firehole River Up early and hiking as today we resupply at Old Faithful. There we will also have a chance to get cold drinks and cheeseburgers. No need to rush, though –there is always time to admire the early morning light on a beautiful wilderness lake. A three-mile hike after Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 4
Heart Lake to Shoshone Lake A long hike ahead today so we were up and out early. Our reward was a beautiful sunrise. The valley leading up and out of the Heart Lake basin was lined with hot springs and bubblers all the way up to its head. We stopped and admired each one for Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 3
Grouse Creek to Heart Lake Because Yellowstone NP requires you to camp only in designated campsites, our daily mileages on this trip are uneven. We did 18 miles yesterday, but only 10 today. In its own way, that made today sort of a rest day. We waited until the sun actually hit our camp before Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 2
Brimstone Basin to Grouse Creek Rain in the morning gave way to sunny skies as we hiked down the east side of Yellowstone Lake. The trail was mostly in the forest, set back from the lake, but it popped out on the occasional promontory to yield outstanding views of the upper Yellowstone country. We encountered Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – day 1
Nine-mile TH to Brimstone Point Made it to the trailhead by 9, after a few stops along the way to admire a bison herd in the Hayden Valley and the sun shining through fog and steam near the Nez Perce Ford. Starting a hike, especially a challenging one like this, always makes me a bit Read More …
Yellowstone Caldera Loop – Day 0
One of my amusements in the winter is to plot out backpacking routes. I can entertain myself for hours staring at maps, trying to connect points of interest into a walkable route. That’s the great thing about hiking as a pastime – there are always more places to go, more trails to walk. Finding the Read More …
The High Lonesome Loop
We’ve all had our hiking plans upended this year. I intended to knock off another 500 miles or so of the PCT, going from Shasta City (where I left off in 2018) to somewhere in northern Oregon. But that’s not going to happen. Small towns along the trail are not anxious to welcome hordes of Read More …