Thinking of backpacking when coming to Jackson and want to escape the crowds? Head up north to Yellowstone National Park. It may look like Yellowstone is busy when traveling on the main roads or going to the big attractions like Old Faithful or Grand Prismatic but the second you get a couple miles on a trail it becomes peaceful.
Backpacking is a great way to experience Yellowstone and really get a sense why it became our first national park. Don’t get me wrong Grand Teton National Park is a great spot to backpack but it can get busy and often involves elevation gain. Yellowstone offers a large variety of trails for all levels from beginners to advanced depending on where you are wanting to go.
Unlike backpacking in a lot of different areas in the United States there are some very important tools and knowledge you need to be aware of because of the number of bears in the park. This means carrying bear spray with you and a bear canister. It’s important to remember to put all items that smell into the bear canister like tooth paste and bug spray, it’s not just for your food! Like backpacking everywhere else it’s important to bring a water filter and a trowel to bury your human waste! There are not many resources up there so make sure you have everything you need before heading up to the park.
Some things to be on the look out for while on trails would be signs of animals! This isn’t just for fun but also for safety to know what you may see while hiking. This includes scat, marking on trees, disturbed ground such as rolled over logs and paw prints.
It is not uncommon when on trial to run into wildlife so keep in mind to try to stay at least 25 yards from bison and 100 yards from bears. While on some of the trails you may come across some obstacles like river crossings or need to do some route finding. Make sure you have a good map system with you or a good idea on where you are going and ask park service about trail conditions.
Another unique part of hiking in Yellowstone is that you can come across thermal features while on route. With that in mind make sure you keep proper distance from the thermal features and follow signs about warnings.
Overall backpacking in Yellowstone is an amazing life experience and should not be overlooked while searching somewhere to get into the backcountry in Wyoming.
