Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [410]
Contact the Yellowstone Backcountry Office, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 (☎ 307/344-2160), and the staff will send you the useful Backcountry Trip Planner, with a detailed map showing where the campsites are, how to make reservations, and how to prepare. Pick up your permit in the park within 48 hours of your departure, at one of the following visitor ranger stations any day of the week during the summer: Bechler, Canyon, Mammoth, Old Faithful, Tower, West Entrance, Grant Village, Lake, South Entrance, and Bridge Bay.
Backcountry Geysers. If you just can't get your fill of geysers, or if you've had your fill of people, several trails lead to more isolated geysers. The Shoshone Geyser Basin and Heart Lake Geyser Basin contain active geysers, as do Ponuntpa Springs and the Mudkettles in the Pelican Valley Area, Imperial Geyser in the Firehole area, and the Highland Hot Springs on the Mary Mountain Trail. Safety warning: If you head in these directions, be careful about walking on unstable surfaces.
Shoshone Lake. Shoshone Lake is the park's largest backcountry lake and a popular spot for hikers. The shortest route is on the Delacy Creek Trail, which begins 8 miles east of Old Faithful on the Old Faithful–West Thumb road. The trail winds 3 miles along Delacy Creek through moose country and the edge of the forest at the lake. From here you can head around the lake (a distance of 18 miles) in either direction. Assuming you take a clockwise track, you'll take the Delacy Creek Trail to its intersection with Dogshead Trail, then head west on the Shoshone Lake Trail until it intersects with the North Shoshone Trail and returns to your starting point.
A detour: At the western end of the lake, you'll arrive at the 1-mile-long Shoshone Geyser Basin Trail, which loops through a number of geysers, hot springs, and meadows that lie ankle-deep in water and mud during the spring.
As you travel the lake's loop trail along the Delacy Creek Trail, you'll have views of the lake at the top of a 100-foot rise. Then, on the Shoshone Lake Trail, you'll cross the Lewis Channel, which may have thigh-high water as late as July. Beyond that, the trail is a series of rises that are easily negotiable by the average hiker, passing across shallow Moose Creek and through meadows where you may spot deer or moose early in the morning or evening.
The 8.4-mile North Shoshone Trail winds through a lodgepole-pine forest, over numerous ridges up to 200 feet high. The best views of the lake are from cliffs on this trail. The loop trail is especially popular with overnighters, since there are 26 campsites on the loop.
The Bechler Region. This area is often referred to as the Cascade Corner because it contains a majority of the park's waterfalls. It offers great opportunities to view thermal features. Many backpacking routes cut through this region, including one that leads to Old Faithful on the Bechler River Trail.
To begin your hike, drive into the park from Ashton, Idaho, and check in at the Bechler Ranger Station. To reach the ranger station, drive east 17 miles from Ashton on the Cave Falls Road; 3 miles before reaching Cave Falls, you'll find the ranger station turnoff. The ranger station is 1½ miles down the gravel road.
The Bechler Meadows Trail takes you into this rarely visited southwest corner, which is rich in waterfalls, cascades, and thermal areas. About 6 miles into the journey, the trail fords the river several times as it enters Bechler Canyon, where it passes Collonade and Iris Falls. This is a camping trip—you can cover a good 30 miles, depending on what turns you take—best made late in the summer to avoid high water during creek crossings. For