Top Trails: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Andrew Dean Nystrom
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acclimatize slowly, avoid alcohol and heavy foods, and drink plenty of fluids.
Burns from thermal features are a common cause of death and serious injury in Yellowstone. Follow posted regulations about off-trail travel, don’t traverse thermal areas after dark, and don’t bathe in thermal waters that aren’t National Park Service–approved (see “Bathers Beware”).
Ticks are a nuisance from mid-March through mid-July in the lowest-lying areas. Wear insect repellent, tuck your shirt and pant legs in, and check your body often. Depending on elevation and the rate at which the previous winter’s snowpack melts, the peak of the mosquito season hits the backcountry in June and July and abates in mid-August. Repellent, netting, and protective clothing are your best forms of protection.
Most of Yellowstone’s backcountry river crossings intentionally lack bridges, and many fords are dangerous (over thigh-deep) until at least July. Check current conditions during trip planning, and when in doubt, pick another route, or turn back.
Dehydration is a concern on longer trails where water is lacking. The presence of Giardia means that all water should be boiled, filtered, or otherwise treated before drinking. Keep your hands clean to avoid transmitting nasty microbes to your hiking companions.
Sunburn is a concern, especially at higher altitudes. Sun protection, sunglasses, and a good wide-brimmed hat are essential. Due to the possibility of rapid weather changes, hypothermia is a concern year-round. Most hypothermia cases happen when air temperatures are between 30°F and 50°F. Always check the weather forecast before heading out, and carry extra warm and waterproof gear. It’s not uncommon to experience four seasons during a midsummer hike.
Cell phone coverage is sketchy at best throughout both parks, though it has improved greatly in recent years and is available at most junctions in Yellowstone. In general Verizon offers the best coverage. That said, you should not count on your phone as a reliable means of communication in an emergency, especially in the backcountry.
Bathers Beware
Soaking directly in thermal waters is not officially allowed in Yellowstone, so as to protect both bathers’ skin and the park’s unique thermophilic microbiological resources. Swimming is allowed in a few places where thermal runoff mixes with cold-water sources, such as the Boiling River (Trail 2) and the Firehole River Canyon near Madison Junction.
In 2016 a parasitic amoeba was found in Kelly Warm Springs and Huckleberry and Polecat Springs in Grand Teton National Park. Dubbed the “brain-eating bacteria,” the amoeba can enter the body through nasal cavities and cause fatal meningitis-like symptoms. The park has closed all springs to the public.
See page 49 for the full list of our favorite Greater Yellowstone hot springs where soaking is allowed.
Free Wi-Fi is available in Yellowstone at Mammoth’s Albright Visitor Center and in Grand Teton at Craig Thomas Visitor Center in Moose, Colter Bay Village, Signal Mountain gas station, Jenny Lake Lodge, and Jackson Lake Lodge. Paid Wi-Fi is available ($5 per hour) at several of Yellowstone’s lodges, including the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Lake Hotel, Grant Village lodges, and Canyon bar.
Park Entrance Fees
The park entrance fee ($30 per car, $25 per motorcycle/snowmobile, $15 per hiker or bicyclist) is valid for seven days’ admission to either Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park. A seven-day pass to both parks is also available ($50 per car, $40 per motorcycle, $20 per hiker or bicyclist). The annual National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Pass ($80, $10 for US citizens ages 62 and older, free with proof of permanent disability) grants entrance to federal recreation sites for one year from the date of purchase. Yearlong, park-specific passes ($60) allow entrance to a single park, so you are better off with a federal pass if visiting both parks.
Camping
Myriad camping opportunities exist throughout the Greater Yellowstone region. The challenge can be securing a spot, as the most popular campgrounds fill to capacity early in the day during the summer, especially on weekends. Where available, reservations are strongly advised between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
In Yellowstone, the National Park Service runs seven first-come, first-served campgrounds ($15–$20 per night). Call 307-344-2114 for details. The concessionaire Xanterra manages four reservable campgrounds ($23.50–$28 plus tax per night) and the Fishing Bridge RV Park ($50 plus tax), which can be booked online. Call 307-344-7311 or visit yellowstonenationalparklodges.com for details. With the exception of Slough Creek, all campgrounds have a few first-come, first-served hiker/biker sites ($4), which camp hosts might offer to car campers late in the day. The National Park Service sites are much smaller and less developed, most with basic vault toilets and prohibitions against generators. The more developed sites allow generators and have flush toilets, dump stations, and showers and laundry nearby. Campgrounds at Canyon and Grant Villages include two hot showers in their site fees. There is a 14-day limit on camping June 15–September 15 everywhere except Fishing Bridge, and a 30-day limit the rest of the year.
In Grand Teton, there are five first-come, first-served frontcountry campgrounds ($24–$25 per night) with hiker/biker sites ($10–$11 per night). There are also concessionaire-operated “trailer villages” (reservable RV parks with showers, laundry, and full hookups) at Colter Bay Village and at Flagg Ranch, between Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Download the Backcountry Trip Planner at tinyurl.com/yellowstonebackcountry for details on current reservation procedures.
Beyond these two parks, plenty of private campgrounds afford ample opportunity for primitive and dispersed camping in the nearby national forests and wilderness areas.
Signs at the entrances to both parks will tell you which campgrounds have spaces. Check nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm for live information on which campgrounds are open and at what time they filled, and plan your arrival accordingly. For Grand Teton campground status, visit gtlc.com/camping.
Backcountry Permits
Permits are required for all overnight stays in the backcountry of Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Backpackers can stay only in fixed campsites in the back-country. Fees are also charged for mandatory boating and fishing permits. Permits are not required for day hikes in either park.
In Yellowstone, advance reservations for the more than 300 backcountry campsites are accepted (for a $25 fee) only by mail or fax or in person, starting April 1. Fortunately, several backcountry sites in each area of the park are left open for in-person reservations, which can be made not more than 48 hours before the first date of the trip. For a full rundown of the extensive regulations, contact Yellowstone’s Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160 to request a free Backcountry Trip Planner, or download a copy at tinyurl.com/yellowstonebackcountry.
Family-Friendly Overnight Backpacking Favorites
Yellowstone has more easily accessible family-friendly backcountry overnight camping options, thanks to sheer size and topography, but Grand Teton has its fair share of alluring options—if you can score a reservation. Here are our personal favorites; advance reservations are highly recommended for all these sites.
Only 1.7 flat miles from the trailhead, campsite OD1 en route to Fairy Falls (Trail 28) is tucked away off the main trail in a mature stand of lodgepole pines that survived