The Secret to Enjoying All Yellowstone Has to Offer
Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area, which includes Teton National Park, is an extremely popular destination for a summer vacation. People from all over the world flock to the renowned park to view its amazing wildlife, its spectacular geysers and other geological features, to enjoy mountains that are as extraordinary as the Swiss Alps, and to absorb the magic of nature in its pristine state. If you want to take your Yellowstone vacation to the next level, the secret is a multiple day back country hiking trip.
There are many reasons to plan a hiking excursion into Yellowstone’s vast wilderness. The first reason is a direct result of how cool (and popular) of a place Yellowstone is. Because it’s crowded! As tourists drive up on roadside wildlife they are at first excited, but by the end of their trip many of them are actually hoping they don’t see any more! Why? Because each one becomes a traffic jam that can in the worst cases can take an hour or longer to get past. Hiking into the back country affords you the opportunity to see wildlife in their most natural of habitats, and to have it all to yourself!
The second reason is the simple magic found in hiking, sleeping, and simply existing in true wilderness. When you get away from the highways, you enter a world that hasn’t changed much in tens of thousands of years. The National Park Service has done a phenomenal job of preserving the integrity of our national parks’ back country wilderness. Yellowstone’s wilderness is one of waterfalls, rivers, lakes, vast meadows, hot springs, and abundant wildlife. Falling asleep to the sounds of nature and the astounding theater of stars splayed out above you may be worth a thousand nights in expensive lodges.
The third reason is the simple adventure of it. You’re in grizzly country, so you aren’t at the top of the food chain in Yellowstone, and there’s a simple and enjoyable adventure in that. Along with this adventure comes an extreme responsibility. You must keep a clean camp, hang your food, and be well-educated in how to travel safely and responsibly through grizzly country. If you don’t know how, then it’s best to research appropriate back country techniques and skills.
The fourth reason is it will make your Yellowstone vacation one you’ll never forget! Lodges, gift shops, snack bars, hotel rooms, and museums are the signature elements of any tourist spot, and Yellowstone has its fair share. For some people, their Yellowstone vacation becomes just one more trip they did years ago. Hiking into the back country and seeking out a much more authentic experience will be something you’re likely to never forget!