Bill Schneider - Best Easy Day Hikes Yellowstone National Park

Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes Yellowstone National Park

Third Edition

Bill Schneider

Help Us Keep This Guide Up to Date

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, facilities come under new management, etc.

We would appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

GPP

Reader Response/Editorial Department

P.O. Box 480

Guilford, CT 06437

Or you may e-mail us at:

editorial@GlobePequot.com

Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

Copyright 1997, 2003, 2011 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

TOPO! Explorer software and SuperQuad source maps courtesy of National Geographic Maps. For information about TOPO! Explorer, TOPO!, and Nat Geo Maps products, go to www.topo.com or www.natgeomaps.com.

Maps created by Trailhead Graphics Morris Book Publishing, LLC;

updated by Bruce Grubbs

Project editor: David Legere

Layout artist: Kevin Mak

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0293-1

The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

The Hikes

Introduction

What Is a Best Easy Day Hike?

While researching and writing a much larger book on Yellowstone called Hiking Yellowstone National Park , I had frequent discussions with rangers on what kind of information hikers most requested. I also had the same discussions with many hikers out on the trails.

It seems, in general, that the park has two types of visitorsthose who want to spend several days experiencing the depth of the Yellowstone backcountry and those who have only a day or two and would like a choice sampling of the special features of Yellowstone. This book is for the second group.

Hiking Yellowstone National Park covers almost every section of trail in the park, including those that are neither best nor easy. Best Easy Day Hikes Yellowstone National Park includes only shorter, less strenuous hikes that are among the nicest in the park. Most are short, but a few are longer. With a few exceptions, none have steep upgrades. All hikes are on easy-to-follow trails with no off-trail sections. Its also easy to get to the trailheads of all hikes in this book, and you can get there with any two-wheel-drive vehicle.

Some of the hikes in this book might not seem easy to some hikers but will be easy to others. To help you decide, Ive ranked the hikes from easiest to hardest. I also listed the approximate hiking time required for each hike, but this means hiking time only, not time spent watching wildlife, photographing wildflowers, fishing, taking naps or the many other ways we enjoy the wilderness. Please keep in mind that short does not always equal easy. Other factors such as elevation gain and trail conditions have to be considered.

Be Prepared

Hiking in Yellowstone is generally safe. Still, hikers should be prepared, whether they are out for a short stroll or venturing into the secluded backcountry. Some specific advice:

• Know the basics of first aid, including how to treat bleeding, bites and stings, and fractures, strains, or sprains. Pack a first-aid kit on each excursion.
• Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, headache, dizziness, and fainting. Should you or any of your hiking party exhibit any of these symptoms, cool the victim down immediately by rehydrating and getting him or her to an air-conditioned location. Cold showers also help reduce body temperature. Heat stroke is much more serious: The victim may lose consciousness and the skin is hot and dry to the touch. In this event, call 911 immediately.
• Regardless of the weather, your body needs a lot of water while hiking. A full 32-ounce bottle is the minimum for these short hikes, but more is always better. Bring a full water bottle, whether water is available along the trail or not.
• Dont drink from streams, rivers, creeks, or lakes without treating or filtering the water first. Waterways and water bodies may host a variety of contaminants, including giardia, which can cause serious intestinal unrest.
• Prepare for extremes of both heat and cold by dressing in layers.
• Yellowstone is bear country, so familiarize yourself with proper behavior (see my book Bear Aware for complete information). Stay alert and watch for signs of recent bear activity on the trail (piles of scat, overturned rocks and logs, etc.). Make noise while hiking to alert bears to your presencethe last thing you want to do is surprise a bear on the trail. Finally, heed all bear warnings or trail closures posted by park officials. By being smart, you can safely hike in bear country and, if youre lucky, you might even see one of the magnificent creatures (from a safe distance, of course).

Leave No Trace

Going into a national park such as Yellowstone is like visiting a famous museum. You obviously do not want to leave your mark on any art treasure in the museum. If everybody going through the museum left one little mark, the piece of art would be quickly destroyedand of what value is a big building full of trashed art? The same goes for a famous wilderness such as Yellowstone, which is as magnificent as any masterpiece by any artist. If we all left just one little mark on the landscape, the wilderness would soon be despoiled.

A wilderness can accommodate human use as long as everybody behaves. But a few thoughtless or uninformed visitors can ruin it for everybody. All hikers have a responsibility to know and follow leave-no-trace principles. An important source of these principles can be found in the book Leave No Trace .

The wilderness is shrinking, and the number of users is mushrooming. More and more hiking areas show unsightly signs of heavy use.

Consequently a new code of ethics is growing out of the necessity of coping with the unending waves of people who want a perfect wilderness experience. Today we all must leave no clues that we have gone before. Canoeists can look behind the canoe and see no trace of their passing. Hikers should have the same goal. Enjoy the wilderness but leave no trace of your visit.