Going to Yellowstone, Need some suggestions
3My wife and I are going to Yellowstone National park for vacation this year. We're planning to fly into Salt Lake City drive to West Yellowstone and head south spending 7 days in Yellowstone, 3 days in the Tetons, and 2 Days in SLC. I'm hoping you all can give suggestion on what to see and which hikes to take. We'll be camping 80% of the time with about half of that being back country.
Also, I need help with a couple pieces of gear. I am looking for a sleeping bag, 35*-40* should be fine. It should be light weight and cheap. I also need a new day pack, lightweight (ultra preferred), has a space for a water reservoir and about 20-25L capacity. I have a hiking pack I just need this for day trips. I am 5'11", 210lbs, male, athletic build, if any of that matters.
Also, Also, there are 20% coupons on REI and REI Outlet if anyone is interested :-)
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I've seen reservoir packs that have enough for a short trip (i.e. some food and other essentials), but at 20-25L you're probably better off getting a backpack and a water pack separarely, and just like... rigging them together
if there's an army surplus around you, check there for cheap-but-rugged sleeping bags. 35-40F shouldn't be hard to find, and it should run you cheaper than a mummy bag from an outlet.
@RedHot - The only thing I can really contribute here is a pack recommendation. The Marmot Kompressor Plus is an awesome day pack. Ultralight (13 oz) and 20 L. https://www.rei.com/product/880463/marmot-kompressor-plus-20-pack
If you'd prefer slightly larger, the Ultra Kompressor gives you 2 more liters. https://www.rei.com/product/880464/marmot-ultra-kompressor-22-pack
There are others, both larger and smaller but I think the Plus would fit your needs perfectly. They both have a port and clip for a water reservoir but it's not included. You sound like you would most likely own one already.
@cinoclav I saw the Kompressor 20L in the store I think. Its nice, I like the looks of the 22L and its on sale. I can always return it to the store if it doesn't fit or something. Thanks!
@RedHot Welcome. I love Marmot products and their packs are particularly nice with a great price point. I have the Plus myself, it's amazing how light it is.
IME you're going to want to pack a liner for your bag to extend the comfort range. It gets cooler at night than you may account for, especially when you're at elevation. Thermolite makes a good liner, but if you can afford it, pop for a Merino wool liner (both are in stock at REI and Bass Pro and Cabela's have an excellent selection also). As a bonus, you can use the liner alone as an ultra-lightweight bag if the temperatures are above average. You'll thank me on this one, and it really isn't a lot of extra weight or space to bring good liners along.
Don't forget the bear spray.
Counter Assault is the best, again IME. Also, buy and take several. Don't buy cheap. This is not optional - it is now pretty much required.
@Pavlov
Cheese spray sprays cheese out of the can. Does that mean bear spray sprays bears out of the can?
Because that would be fun.
Also, @RedHot - if possible, could you take a piece of paper with my name on it when you go? I'd love to "be" in Yellowstone.
@Pavlov Moose are also a problem. We had one pee on our tent there. Had a very near encounter with a bison and a bear ran through the campsite. I am more scared of moose than bears as bears you can scare off with noise generally speaking, moose, especially in rut, not so much so. They tend to attack. Bison I don't know that much about with respect to aggressive behavior. With them I have been lucky the half dozen or so time I have had accidental close encounters.
@Pavlov thanks, bear spray is on the list to pick up once we arrive along with other things we shouldn't fly with. My wife brought up liners the other day, sounds like a good idea since we're going in May-June and will likely see a large temperature differential from day to night.
Sierra TRading Post has some good deals on camping equipment. I think they actually have a store near there somewhere.... my niece worked a summer at Yellowstone and picked up a lot of gear there.
Sign up for their mailing list bc lots of coupons/promo codes.
What time of year are you going ? Off season, of course, is better. But either way I prefer Teton National Park to Yellowstone for hiking. I haven't been for a long time :(
But Jenny Lake area was always less crowded then the other spots. At least for a launch to trailheads for day hikes.
If you are going to camp in back country, make sure you have enough rope, pulley to put your bags/food up in trees at night away from your tents.
Besides
spray, take some bells for your backs. The noise warns critters you are on the way. I ran into a moose on a trail. As in standing right in the middle of the trail as I came around a bend. Oops. We had to back away and wait a long, long time before it decided to move. Don't mess with moose ( or @moose for that matter :) Anyways, point being, I did not have a bell. Not sure a moose would of cared, but most large critters don't want to be too close to you either and it gives them a good warning and enough scare to entice them to move away.
AND just because the animals in Yellowstone are very used to people and you can walk up to them. Don't. Way too many people mistake the fact that they just hang out and don't move to being tame "enough" to take a picture with. That's how they get hurt. Get a nice telephoto lense instead.
Have fun !
@ceagee We're not selfie with animals people, or approach/feed the animals people. My wife's professional background is in earth and marine science so she is very much a preservationist. The bells are a good tip that I haven't heard yet, accidents happen and that sounds like a great way to prevent a few.
I've heard awesome things about Teton, if we get the chance to lengthen our stay I think that is where the extra time will go.
I've spent many nights in and around all year round. With a walmart tent, walmart sleeping bags, walmart camp stove...you get the picture.
Being prepared and comfortable doesn't mean wasting money.
DON'T FORGET THE BEAR SPRAY! Seriously, that's important.
Make sure to check out Cody and their Buffalo Bill Museum, and the Chief Joseph highway if you like fun (and pretty) drives.
@michaelahess I like cheap gear (and plenty of ours is) but I am currently in need of lightweight gear and unfortunately those usually don't go together.
We are planning to drive Chief Joseph highway and I'll look into the museum. thanks!
I worked at YS quite a while ago. Between Gardiner and Mammoth there is a river you can relax in where hot and cold water flows together. It's awesome. Called hotpotting. Also the deer flies are abundant, so be prepared.
I also worked at Teton Village. I would add another day in that area. The scenery is spectacular. Have fun!
@Brynmawr If you could point that out on a map I'd really appreciate it :-)
@RedHot Boiling River
http://www.yellowstonepark.com/swim-yellowstones-boiling-river/
@RedHot Do you have any plans yet for your time around SLC? I have some excellent recommendations for those days (Uinta mountains and/or Arches National Park). Those are my 2 favorite places on earth and I have some great hiking recommendations there.
@luvche21 none really, only breweries on the list so far. very open to suggestions for hikes
@RedHot Here are my recommendations:
Arches National Park: It's an eye opening experience to hike through. About 3 1/2 hour drive south of SLC, near Moab, UT. If that's something on your radar I have a few excellent hiking recommendations that you shouldn't miss out on. This one is the opening of the Fiery Furnace - you have to take a guided tour through it because there is no trail and no rock cairns to guide you. Every time I go on my own I get lost, and it is wonderful:
Arches is like entering a... amusement park? I normally stay in Moab (15-20 min drive away from the park), then you drive up some switchbacks into the park. Every time I enter I'm in complete awe. It's very other worldly.
Uinta Mountains: About 2 hours east of SLC (maybe less?). You could spend a couple weeks here, or even drive there for an awesome day hike. Depending on the time of year you go, Bald Mountain is a great hike (but often still has snow pack on one part of the hike through most of the summer). This picture is an off-trail hike close to Ruth Lake (sorry it's a little dark, I don't have my better processed version here at work):
I didn't capture the best photo, but this is the view from close to the top of Bald Mountain:
Another view in the Uintas:
Coyote Gulch: This might be my favorite, but it's further away and requires backpacking into and wading through the river (most of the time only about ankle deep). There's a fun confluence where Coyote and Escalente rivers meet. Seeing the colors merge is cool. This area definitely takes some preparation, but is the hike of a lifetime!
This is Coyote Arch (I believe that's what it's called), and the "river" is Coyote that a good deal of the hike is wading through:
You can see another gigantic arch in this picture:
I believe this is called The Oasis - a side like that's not too far from the trail. Watch out for poison ivy on the way to this lake:
A slot canyon close to Coyote. You walk right through the base of that:
This is the base of Whole in the Wall trail that leads down to Lake Powell, close to Coyote:
If any of those interest you, let me know and I can dig up some more info and recommend some specific trails!
@luvche21
Omg Lake Powell. I so want to go there (for Glen Canyon, which i wish had not been partially flooded by our government.)
@f00l I'm not familiar with Glen Canyon... where is that?
I've only been to Lake Powell twice - once when I was young on a boating trip. We hiked the Hole in the Rock trail from the bottom to the top. Then again a few years ago for my Coyote Gulch trail, and did the Hole in the Rock from the top down. What a beautiful area!!
@luvche21
/RANT ON/
Glen Cayon is what was there before Lake Powell flooded it, courtesy of our government. Now it is partially under Lake Powell, which is (to my mind, fortunately) busy evaporating into the desert air.
Stupid way to conserve water, as they lose some humongous % to evaporation - they could store the water underground and get to keep it.
Glen Canyon was one of the most gorgeous places on earth, and the parts above water still are. I don't think the Navaho, Ute, Hopi, etc, and locals had any say. Politicians wanted, politicians got, lots of $ changed hands. The dam should have never been built.
/RANT OFF/
PS just google "glen canyon" and click to images. People tried to photograph a lot of it before it flooded. You will see why i feel as i do about it.
@f00l Ah, I never new it by that name... it was flooded well before I was born. But, I've sure heard the complaints.
Utah already has many fantastic national parks, I wonder if this would have been another if they didn't flood it.
...leave it to people to ruin beautiful things...
@luvche21
$ :(
@luvche21 I would definitely like more info on Coyote Gulch, that looks amazing, well all the photos look incredible but that seems exactly in line with what we're looking for.
Also, it has a ton of great geology so my wife will go nuts for it. I brought back pictures from the Badlands National Park in September and she was so jealous we're having to plan a trip there for her to see them in person.
@RedHot I'll see if I can find some more info on Coyote - remind me if you don't hear from me soon enough. When are you going?
The point I placed on this map (https://goo.gl/maps/dCNGo8SryDv) I am 90% sure is the trailhead. You park there, hike across the desert a mile or so towards the river. Coyote is directly north of that point, and Escalante is directly east - you can easily see where that confluence is on the map.
Once you follow the trail close to the river, you will be a few hundred feet above it and will need to hike down to the base of the river. You're hiking across sand, then you come to the sandstone that the river has cut itself through. You need some rope, since you have to lower your packs down a cliff (30 feet or so) and squeeze through a crack in the rock. I could barely fit through, and had to turn my feet sideways to fit through. You then hike down a sand dune until you get to the small cliffs above the river. The rest of the time you're mainly wading through Coyote. If you have time, pack a day bag and leave your big pack at your camp.
The rock that my dad is standing on in this picture is where you lower your packs down 30 feet or so, then hike down that sand dune in the lower left corner of the pic:
This is the crack you squeeze through:
A view from the top:
This is part of the view that you see of Jacob Hamblin Arch. Sorry, I don't have the version I stitched together. I have a decently wide angled lens, but you can't capture near enough of the view unless you stitch images together:
Another beautiful view along the way:
Our camp spot:
Be prepared to camp on sand (or maybe hammock?)
Yes, the geology is phenomenal.
By the way, you'll probably want more than 2 days down in Coyote with how long of a drive it is from SLC. I think I underestimated above, and it's actually just under 7 hours south of SLC.
@RedHot Also definitely check out the satellite map of the area to get a real view of how much that river snakes around there
And check out the map a little northwest of there for the two slot canyons: Spooky and Peek-a-Boo. You can climb up the one canyon and down the other. Definitely worth the time. Here they are on the map: https://goo.gl/maps/rjJatd9LRX72
@luvche21
Ok your pix are why i have fantasies of moving to someplace near Four Corners. I just had to stop my day, it is so beautiful.
I dont know specifically about Coyote Gulch, but i believe there is a lot of history and traditional story/symbolism to accompany this landscape. I cant now remember where i read this, or who said it (pretty sure a Navajo) - the (paraphrase) statement said something like:
"The rock, the water, the sky, the clouds, the wind all have their tales for those who will stop to listen."
@f00l I've never heard that before, but every time I take a trip in the area, I have some sort of a... spiritual (?) experience being in such a beautiful area. And there's soooo much to see in the area too!
I've been a photographer for a long time, and what got me into it was always looking for the beauty around me. I have roughly 1 bagillion pictures from my last trip down there. It's amazing.
I just moved from Indiana to Utah last year (only a 3 hour drive from Arches National Park (!!!). Indiana had it's own beauty in the green and tall trees, but there was nothing in the midwest that closely compared to the desert of southern Utah/Arizona and the mountains of norther Utah/Idaho/Wyoming.
I hope that I never move away.
Now it's time to get back in shape to do more mountain hiking this spring once the snow pack is gone!
If you do forget the bear spray and end up encountering a savage monstrous rampaging grizzly, try dressing up as a sexy lady bear and doing an erotic dance. It probably won't work and you'll still end up dying, but think of the funny news stories the rest of us will get to read!
In my experience, the Tetons are a better area for camping. Here is a shot from my campsite very close to Kelly, WY south of Yellowstone. I can give you coordinates to this spot or a similar one if you want to camp outside of designated campsites. Good luck and enjoy the beauty.
unfortunately it's been...20+ years since i've been to Yellowstone. My grandparents lived in southern ID, and a few years on that trip, we would take a "side trip" up to Yellowstone for a few days.(My Great uncle -grandpas sisters husband- who was a college prof in Oregon the rest of the year, spent his summers as a ranger out of West Yellowstone)
My only advice is to brush up on German, and Japanese. as those were the languages i heard most often while there.
oh, and if the signs say Stay in your cars, and don't stop to interact with the animals, DO WHAT THEY SAY!
if time permits, and you want to see a different end of the Volcanic system that created/powers Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon National Monument and preserve is a different kind of beautiful.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_the_Moon_National_Monument_and_Preserve
Whatever you do watch out for these two.......
Don't try to bring the bear spray on your flight....checked or carry on....ain't happening without a slight risk of fine, jail or death due to a plane crashing when the pilots are overcome by pepper spray that exploded in the hold!
Having spent 8 or 9 summers in Yellowstone, I will just say this....the park is much much bigger than one can grasp. It can easily eat up a few days just driving the upper and lower loops and that is with very limited stops for observation. During peak tourist season, the traffic is gonna suck. Just be realistic about what you REALLY want to do. Mammoth for elk, Hayden for bear, Lake for moose. Lots of hikes that I can't even begin to suggest. BUT, the temps WILL get a bit chilly in summer and a 35-40 deg bag may not cut it, especially if you have a partner who gets cool easy. 20 deg bag is prob a better bet. But don't waste your money on bags, packs, etc if this is a random trip, rent it from REI for a fraction. I've had great luck, especially when trying to fly and pack all my crap.
That said, skip Jackson Hole unless you are a yuppie type and just want to waste tons of cash. Great place 20 years ago, not worth a look now.
All the lodges are pretty impressive to look at, BUT not nearly as impressive as the sights out hiking. Reserve your campsite ahead of time or you WILL find yourself trying to find a site out of the park in the darkness. They do not allow vehicle camping in a parking lot, along the road, etc. Plan ahead.
AND don't be THAT GUY, the idiot trying to get close to ANY wild animal there...moose, bison, bear, chipmunk...they are wild, let them be, respect them and appreciate them...as well as everyone else who is at the park. DONT treat the park like you are at a ballgame, leaving crumbs, trash, etc. Leave that to the rest of the a-holes who do a more than sufficient job.
Hot springs is a nice finish! Be sure to sync your photos to the Cloud....so the rest of us can see real time photos if the Great Caldera blows at the moment you are snapping a pic!
@nphiker All good stuff but you could have saved yourself some time reading the rest of the thread. I'm not going in the peak season, we're regular travelers and backpackers have have been planning this trip a long time in advance. I have a 15* sleeping bag which is way too warm, I sleep hot and will be fine in a 40*, especially if I take a liner (thanks @Pavlov ). I'm just hoping someone has some insight on a brand/style that they like. Real opinions are better than reviews. We're looking for suggested highlights for hikes and places to visit because we know how much there is to see.
A shared folder for syncing photos is a great idea especially since we'll have a satellite beacon with us too.
Spend on night in Yellowstone Years ago Tent camped right before it got to cold. It gets COLD there. Does make for some cool photos in the morning fog. Bison apparently do attack (so they claim) If you see a bunch of cars pulled over it's probably worth checking out (got to see a Moose that way) Drive Slow and Carefully and watch for animals crossing and bad distracted drivers. Old faithful is cool and there are a bunch of hot spots (sorry we just drove around and stopped when we felt like checking something out)