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The Hog
02-18-2006, 08:47
This summer, I plan on hiking from Leadore, ID to Yellowstone. Next year I may do all of Wyoming southbound.

I'm interested in alternate routes that skip Mack's Inn, take a top notch route thru Yellowstone, then traverse Grand Teton NP, and on to the Winds. Any suggestions on specific trails/routes to take?

Spirit Walker
02-18-2006, 15:38
That's going to be a very roundabout route! Sounds like fun. We are also planning a roundabout route in southern Montana this time.

What we (tentatively) plan to do in Yellowstone is hike trails up the east side, the across the northern section. Trails will include the Thoroughfare, Eagle Pass (out of the park) then back in via Hoodoo Basin to the Lamar River Tr. to the Specimen Ridge Tr. to the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone to Mammoth to the Sportsmans Lake Trail to the Skyline Trail.

From there we'll head up the Devils Backbone trail and then over to the Spanish Peaks area. After that will be less scenic, but we'll make our way up to Butte via Whitehall. That won't fit with your plans, but the Yellowstone route is an option. Much longer than the official route - but it should be scenic.

Playing with the maps is fun. So many possibilities.

chris
02-18-2006, 15:58
The Devils Backbone into Bozeman is one of the truly great routes in the US. See

http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett/cdt/leg4.html

for some pics from last summer. I tried to get out of Yellowstone and down to the Tetons, but ran into some difficulties, which included some impassable rivers (like the lower Yellowstone). See

http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett/cdt/leg5.html

for some of this. Getting from Bozeman back to the CDT would be a little hard. I had planned out an alternate route from Helena to Bozeman, but for various reasons didn't take it.

Blister
02-27-2006, 14:58
When I was hiking last year I stopped in West Yellowstone. FYI people - there is a international youth hostel there with bunk rooms nice and cheap and it is just down the street form the po. They also have internet access available, but as a remember it was kinda pricey. I forgot the name of it - try googling hostels in West yellowstone - it is located right across from the train museum and the corner of an intersection. Downstairs is a huge tourist guft shop, then there is a common area for the hostel and upstairs are the rooms. Lots of cheap food in town, dairy queen, pizza, burger joints, chinese - I thought it had everything I needed. The one snaggot perhaps, as of last year the hostel was just put on the market.

The Hog
02-28-2006, 09:13
Thanks to everyone above for your input. I've read a bunch of stuff on CDT-L that says not to skip Macks Inn. What do you think?

Is there a trail linking Yellowstone and Grand Teton Nat. Parks? Is it a doable bushwhack? Has anybody attempted this?

chris
02-28-2006, 10:18
Once off the Teton Crest trail (which ends near the boundary), I would road walk a bit and pick up the system that leads across Two Ocean Plateau and into Thorofare. From there you can run north (to the east of the lake) in a variety of ways and cut back west in a couple of different ways. Be warned however: You will not be fording the Lower Yellowstone in the park until mid-late July. I think I have a picture of what it looked like on July 7th last year.