Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [411]
The most adventurous, and most scenic, route takes you 30 miles from the ranger station to the end of the trail at the Lonestar trailhead near Old Faithful. Beyond Iris Falls, and then Ragged Falls, you'll reach a patrol cabin at Three Rivers Junction at the 13-mile mark, a popular camping area. If you continue toward Old Faithful, you'll intersect the Shoshone Lake Trail at the 23.5-mile mark and exit 6.5 miles later.
Thorofare Area. When you enter this section you're venturing into the most remote roadless area in the Lower 48. You can make a round-trip of around 70 miles deep into the wilderness, or shorter hikes, such as a trip from the park's east entrance road to the Yellowstone River inlet on Yellowstone Lake's southeast arm. The remoteness of this country discourages many hikers, so you'll have it mostly to yourself. The tepee rings and lean-tos that you may see are remnants of the presence of American Indians, who once used this area as the main highway between Jackson Hole and points north.
The trail follows the eastern shore of Yellowstone Lake and then the Yellowstone River into some of the most remote and beautiful backcountry in the Rockies. It's a lot of miles and climbing, but you'll be rewarded with views of the Upper Yellowstone Valley, Two Oceans Plateau, and abundant wildlife. You'll reach the Park Service's Thorofare Ranger Station at 32 miles, and a few miles farther along you'll come to Bridger Lake, outside the park, and a gorgeous alpine valley with a ranger station known as Hawk's Rest. Fishers love this area—as do grizzly bears, especially during the cutthroat trout spawning season in early summer. You'll be a good 35 miles from the trailhead at the lake, and even the most capable hikers should consider riding with an outfitter. You can cut 9 miles off the journey by getting a boat shuttle to the mouth of the lake's southwest arm; call the marina (☎ 307/242-3876) for information. Only human-powered boats are allowed into the arm to the Yellowstone River outlet (you can canoe in, a wonderful trip in good weather). Or you can come into Thorofare through Bridger-Teton National Forest up the North Fork of the Buffalo Fork to the south; check with the forest's Blackrock Ranger Station (☎ 307/543-2386).
Aside from grizzlies, the major obstacle to early-season trips in the Thorofare is water; you'll encounter knee-deep water at Beaverdam Creek and at Trapper Creek as late as July.
The Sportsman Lake Trail. This moderate, 14-mile trail begins near Mammoth Hot Springs and extends west toward U.S. 191 to Sportsman Lake. From the Glen Creek trailhead 5 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs, you'll spend 2 miles on the Glen Creek Trail as you traverse a mostly level, wide-open plateau, covered with sagebrush, that is the home of herds of elk and a bear management area. At the Sepulcher Mountain Trail at the 3-mile mark, the terrain gets steeper as you continue northwest on the Sportsman Lake Trail—the elevation gain is approximately 2,300 feet to the Sepulcher summit (though you don't go to it on this route). The trail eventually enters the forest and descends to a log that is used to cross Gardner River. Then, it's uphill for another 4 miles to Electric Divide, another 2,000-foot gain in elevation. From there, the trail descends 2,100 feet in 3 miles to Sportsman Lake. The lake, which sits in a meadow populated by moose and elk, teems with cutthroat trout. There are two campsites.
Other Summer Sports & Activities
Biking. Yellowstone's narrow and twisty roads and lack of bike lanes make life difficult for bikers, and off-road opportunities are limited because of the small number of trails that permit bikes. The following trails are available to mountain bikers, but know that you will share the roads with hikers. The Mount Washburn trail, leaving from the Old Chittenden Road, is a strenuous trail that climbs