WanderLearn Forum with Francis Tapon

Hi Francis,

I was curious if you've posted information about the longer, counter-clockwise route you took through Yellowstone NP on your CDT yo-yo. If so, could you point me to the link? If not, would you mind sharing the information here?

My wife and I are planning on doing a few sections of the CDT this summer, but were interested in spending some extra time in Yellowstone. After hearing about your CDT experiences via the Practical Backpacking podcast, I figured you might be a great resource to ask.

Best regards,
Matt Albertson
http://www.MattAlbertson.com

Matt, that's a great question and it's a pity that I don't have that info on my site yet.

I'll try to put more details up, but I'm so swamped, I'm afraid that I may postpone it too long for your needs, so I'll give you a quick reply now. Sorry if I'm vague with the details. I'll name the places and you can connect the dots.

Start with clicking on the "view map" link on the official Yellowstone site. Unfortunately, it doesn't show the trails that exist.

If that doesn't work for you, try this 1917 map of Yellowstone to get an idea and buy yourself a good trail map.

- I started at the South Entrance.
- Hike to Heart Lake.
- Head east, crossing the Continental Divide, and passing the South Arm and Southeast Arms of Lake Yellowstone.
- Ford the Yellowstone River. It is marked on the trail maps and well marked at the crossing point. (This ford is dangerous if you do it before July, as I recount in my journal about my scary fording the Yellowstone)
- Go north, along Lake Yellowstone and go to FIshing Bridge.
- Go to Artist Point.
- Climb summit of Mt. Washburn for a nice view.
- Go to Tower Fall (some narrow road walking to get there).
- Go west to Mammoth Hot Springs (awesome!)
- Go south and eventually (at any point you want) go west out of the park to rejoin the CDT (I remember leaving north of the West Entrance).

Another option would be to go through Lamar Valley. I hear it's great, but it was a bit longer, so I didn't do it. But it would have less road walking that way.

Also, consider my CDT route through the Tetons.

Tell me what you eventually do on this site so others can learn from your experience! Thanks!

Good luck!