Suggestions on hikes or road trips for Aug. 2018 visit?
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 5:04 am
Hey everyone. Back in 2007 my wife along with my parents did two weeks out in the Rocky Mtn. west. We flew into Denver, drove to the Black Hills, Glacier, and YNP area, spending a couple of days in each. I was the only hiker in the group really and so this ended up becoming more of a sightseeing road trip with just about two short hikes (Mt. Rushmore and Devil's Tower).
I've been wanting to get back to Glacier and Yellowstone for over a decade to finally hike instead of just see things from the road. This past summer we finally got back to Glacier for a week. I got a couple of days of decent day hiking in. The best part of that trip was that my wife and I hiked the Highline Trail from Logan Pass to the Loop. This hike is almost 12 miles, and it is considered strenuous but it really wasn't that bad. This was too much (in terms of length) for my wife though. She'd do much better on hikes that were just seven or less miles.
The goal of this trip is to get out and see more of the back-country of the park. I like scenic views, wildlife is neat, but really isn't that important to me overall. A secondary goal might be an epic all day long sight seeing road trip (more on this below). We found accommodations we liked in W. Glacier, so that will be our base for our week stay. We will be flying into Idaho Falls on a Saturday and leaving the next Saturday. We actually get in early enough that I plan on at least driving into the park to rent bear spray the day we arrive. I might even be up for a short hike even. I'm really just looking for some suggestions and opinions for the trip. So far I've been told that we need to get an early start, which is find as we both get up early as it is anyway. I've been told to wait for sun-up to get on the road due to large animals and darkness. On the other hand, I've read a few accounts of people who say they are in the park when it is dark just before sun-up and that helps getting parking are real popular areas. I also know that traffic in the park is really bad during the mid-day, but I'm not sure what the hours are when it is considered "bad." Given some of these hikes are going to be a drive from our hotel, I'm going to explain to my wife that she might miss out on seeing some areas if she chooses to sleep-in. She is OK with taking books with her so she might be just hanging out in an area (in the car or on a picnic table, or both) while I take a few hours to get a hike in. We also like to take our food with us for lunch. It makes it easier for us and we can avoid long lines/waits at the popular areas.
Right now I have the following hikes planned out.
--Old Faithful area: Hike to Observation Point/Peak (1.6 mi. RT) and Mystic Falls (2.4 mi. RT). We'd also check out the visitor's center, lodge,etc..
--Mammoth area: Hike to Bunsen Peak (4.6 mi. RT). Likely check out the visitor's center and see the sights. Then head east toward the Lava Creek Picnic area. Would hike to Wraith Falls (1 mi. RT).
--Tower area: Mt. Washburn hike (5 or 6 mi. RT depending on path taken). Possibly hike Hellroaring Creek trail, but only to the suspension bridge.
--Canyon area: Check out Artist Point and Uncle Tom's Point. Hike to Clear Lake and Lily Pad Lake from Artist Point parking lot (3 mi. RT).
I know this doesn't cover most of the park. The goal isn't to see most, or even a majority, of the park. We all only have so much time. I will say that if time and energy is available, I might do try to do the Lake Overlook hike (2.8 mi. RT) near the west thumb of the lake.
One other goal of this trip is to do an entire day driving two epic highways in the country. I don't mind all day driving at all, especially if we can take short breaks here and there. I'm open to non-bias (I know we are all park lovers here, but I don't need to do in-park activities every day!) opinions on doing the following. If driving during the night (maybe just an hour before sunrise) isn't that dangerous, my wife and I would leave pretty early. She has no issues sleeping in the vehicle for amazing trips like this. The goal would be to drive the Beartooth Highway to say Richel Lodge, then back track to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to Cody. From Cody we'd drive west through the park back to W. Yellowstone.
Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.
I've been wanting to get back to Glacier and Yellowstone for over a decade to finally hike instead of just see things from the road. This past summer we finally got back to Glacier for a week. I got a couple of days of decent day hiking in. The best part of that trip was that my wife and I hiked the Highline Trail from Logan Pass to the Loop. This hike is almost 12 miles, and it is considered strenuous but it really wasn't that bad. This was too much (in terms of length) for my wife though. She'd do much better on hikes that were just seven or less miles.
The goal of this trip is to get out and see more of the back-country of the park. I like scenic views, wildlife is neat, but really isn't that important to me overall. A secondary goal might be an epic all day long sight seeing road trip (more on this below). We found accommodations we liked in W. Glacier, so that will be our base for our week stay. We will be flying into Idaho Falls on a Saturday and leaving the next Saturday. We actually get in early enough that I plan on at least driving into the park to rent bear spray the day we arrive. I might even be up for a short hike even. I'm really just looking for some suggestions and opinions for the trip. So far I've been told that we need to get an early start, which is find as we both get up early as it is anyway. I've been told to wait for sun-up to get on the road due to large animals and darkness. On the other hand, I've read a few accounts of people who say they are in the park when it is dark just before sun-up and that helps getting parking are real popular areas. I also know that traffic in the park is really bad during the mid-day, but I'm not sure what the hours are when it is considered "bad." Given some of these hikes are going to be a drive from our hotel, I'm going to explain to my wife that she might miss out on seeing some areas if she chooses to sleep-in. She is OK with taking books with her so she might be just hanging out in an area (in the car or on a picnic table, or both) while I take a few hours to get a hike in. We also like to take our food with us for lunch. It makes it easier for us and we can avoid long lines/waits at the popular areas.
Right now I have the following hikes planned out.
--Old Faithful area: Hike to Observation Point/Peak (1.6 mi. RT) and Mystic Falls (2.4 mi. RT). We'd also check out the visitor's center, lodge,etc..
--Mammoth area: Hike to Bunsen Peak (4.6 mi. RT). Likely check out the visitor's center and see the sights. Then head east toward the Lava Creek Picnic area. Would hike to Wraith Falls (1 mi. RT).
--Tower area: Mt. Washburn hike (5 or 6 mi. RT depending on path taken). Possibly hike Hellroaring Creek trail, but only to the suspension bridge.
--Canyon area: Check out Artist Point and Uncle Tom's Point. Hike to Clear Lake and Lily Pad Lake from Artist Point parking lot (3 mi. RT).
I know this doesn't cover most of the park. The goal isn't to see most, or even a majority, of the park. We all only have so much time. I will say that if time and energy is available, I might do try to do the Lake Overlook hike (2.8 mi. RT) near the west thumb of the lake.
One other goal of this trip is to do an entire day driving two epic highways in the country. I don't mind all day driving at all, especially if we can take short breaks here and there. I'm open to non-bias (I know we are all park lovers here, but I don't need to do in-park activities every day!) opinions on doing the following. If driving during the night (maybe just an hour before sunrise) isn't that dangerous, my wife and I would leave pretty early. She has no issues sleeping in the vehicle for amazing trips like this. The goal would be to drive the Beartooth Highway to say Richel Lodge, then back track to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to Cody. From Cody we'd drive west through the park back to W. Yellowstone.
Thanks for any suggestions or ideas.