Yellowstone National Park, WY
Aug 12 - Aug 19, 2023 -- $1675 ★★★, YOU CANNOT REGISTER FOR THIS TRIP YET AS DETAILS ARE NOT FINAL
Words fall short in attempting to describe the magnitude of
Yellowstone National Park --
a premier destination you should visit with us.
Just Google it, and you will be overwhelmed by videos, websites and images about the
Park, its geysers, grizzly bears, thundering rivers, big skies and ubiquitous bison.
Our past visits to Yellowstone have traversed the Northeast (Lamar), Southeast (Thorofare), Southwest
(Bechler) and Northwest (Mammoth) sections of the park. This year for the first time, we will explore the North-Central
part of the park near Canyon -- the so-called Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Our trek begins in Canyon front country campground.
We will day-hike this amazing wonder before picking up full packs and heading West into the wilderness for several days.
We will summit Observation Point, camp near a lake or two and then explore the Norris Geyser
Basin.
After a high-mileage, relatively flat day we'll cap off the trip with a day-hike up to
the summit of 10336' Mt. Holmes.
Here is a topographic map of our
proposed route.
Weather
Weather is always an important concern when hiking. Expect daytime hiking temperatures in the 60s & 70s
and nighttime temperatures in the 40s & 50s. While there is typically not much rain, it can happen at any time
along with violent thunder and lightning. There was a hailstorm in 2019 on the first night, but the rest of
the trip was magnificent.
Here is the
historical August weather.
Probable Trip Leaders
Steve Silberberg
2nd Guide TBD
Cost
$1675 per person double occupancy.
Here, double occupancy means that you will share a
room with another participant during the hotel nights. You will also be responsible for
transportation to and from Bozeman, personal equipment, restaurant meals eaten off the trail
and any gratuities for guides.
Covered expenses include 1 hotel night, 2 front country campsites, backcountry fees,
7 days of
trail meals, ground transportation, National Park Permits, National Park entrance fees,
Backcountry permits and 2 awesome guides.
Tipping: In order to keep our prices competitive with (and hopefully favorable to) other outfitters,
we shamefully can’t pay our guides as much as we think they deserve. Like most other guiding services,
we rely on the generosity of our participants to make up this shortfall by tipping the guides.
While tips are not required or expected, if your guides have served you well, please consider
a gratuity so they can continue living their extravagant lifestyles of eating powdered meals,
sleeping in the dirt and pooping in smelly outhouses and small holes they've dug.
Difficulty
The trails through Yellowstone National Park are typically well groomed with good footing and moderate
elevation gain and loss (although it may not seem like that while hiking). The mileages are moderate
and there will be plenty of daylight which gives us plenty of time to
complete our daily mileage and relax in camp.
Please be aware that we will have to ford rivers (some cold and/or deep),
so make sure to bring sturdy camp shoes and trekking poles to help you cross these rivers
without issue. Crocs can work but are not recommended for this particular trip.
Important Notes
This trip will NOT visit Old Faithful, sorry. While certainly a popular attraction, it
is inconvenient from our route, even by vehicle.
If you would like to fish, there may be time at some campsites to do so. However, you must purchase a
Yellowstone fishing license from the ranger station (Wyoming / Montana license not necessary). Fitpacking does not
have a fishing guide permit so you will be doing so on your own and at your own risk (we have to say this).
Yellowstone NP requires Fitpacking to obtain backcountry permits for each
campsite (in addition to our commercial permit) to hike in the backcountry. We submit our
proposed route (delineated on this page) with route alternatives and alternate acceptable
dates and they let us know on April 1st, 2023 which itinerary we are approved for.
All this to say that the itinerary
is subject to change based upon the backcountry office of the park.
Fitpacking prohibits firearms on this (and all) trips. This is not only our requirement
but also a requirement of Yellowstone National Park. However, you may bring bear spray (pepper spray) as
there are both black bears and grizzly bears in the park.
You will not be able to fly with bear spray however. You can buy or rent it in Bozeman
Fitpacking has a
commercial permit
to operate in Yellowstone National Park.
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