Mike White - Best Backpacking Trips in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado

Mike White and Douglas Lorain

U NIVERSITY P RESS OF C OLORADO

Louisville

2019 by Mike White and Douglas Lorain

Published by University Press of Colorado

245 Century Circle, Suite 202

Louisville, Colorado 80027

All rights reserved

The University Press of Colorado is a proud member of the Association of American University Presses.

The University Press of Colorado is a cooperative publishing enterprise supported, in part, by Adams State University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Regis University, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, Utah State University, and Western State Colorado University.

ISBN: 978-1-60732-837-7 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-60732-838-4 (ebook)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5876/9781607328384

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: White, Michael C., 1952 author. | Lorain, Douglas, 1962 author.

Title: Best backpacking trips in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado / by Mike White and Douglas Lorain.

Description: Logan : Utah State University Press, [2018] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018056061 | ISBN 9781607328377 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781607328384 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: BackpackingMontanaGuidebooks. | TrailsMontanaGuidebooks. | MontanaGuidebooks. | BackpackingWyomingGuidebooks. | TrailsWyomingGuidebooks. | WyomingGuidebooks. | BackpackingColoradoGuidebooks. | TrailsColoradoGuidebooks. | ColoradoGuidebooks. | LCGFT: Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV199.42.M9 W47 2018 | DDC 796.510978dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018056061

Cover photographs by Mike White.

To Claire

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home, that wilderness is a necessity.

John Muir

Montana

Wyoming

Colorado

Thanks for my projects ever seeing the light of day go mainly to my wife, Robin, without whom nothing would ever come to fruition. Also, I would like to acknowledge the now retired Joanne OHare at UN Press for helping to launch the Best Backpacking Trips series. A big thank you goes to Rachael Levay and the current staff at University of Colorado Press for all of their assistance. Thanks to Doug Lorain, my coauthor, without whom Id still be trying to get all the hiking completed. Tic Long, Andy Montessoro, John Huston, and Devin Long joined me for the trips I contributed to this volume and their presence on the trail was much appreciated. Gratitude also goes to Claire Snyder and Ariel Koenisberg for being willing to transport us on the long journey from Cooke City to Red Lodge from their home in Billings for the Beaten Path trip.

Mike

I would like to express my thanks to the following fine individuals, some of whom I know well and others whom I only had the pleasure to know briefly, but each of whom assisted this intrepid writer and pedestrian in invaluable ways: Ben and Jason (they know their last names), two cash-strapped but very friendly teachers from Pennsylvania, who provided companionship on the trail and the indispensable offer of a place to put up my tent one unplanned night in the backcountry of Glacier National Park; my coauthor, Mike White, for bringing me into this project in the first place and allowing me to legitimately write off the expenses of hiking through some of the greatest landscapes in North America; David Elsbernd, my partner in backpacking crime on many trips around the American West and my tent companion one hellishly long night as thunderstorms lashed our nylon shelter in the Wind River Range; and most of all Becky Lovejoy, my wife, best friend, and greatest supporter, for everything she does, large and small, to make our lives together a joy and my career as a guidebook author possible.

Doug

Best Backpacking Trips in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado is our third book in this series following guides to similar excursions in California and Nevada; and Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The idea for a destination backpacking book for the great trips of the West was birthed one summer when my best friend, Tic, found himself the victim/beneficiary of a job loss due to the corporate raiding of Rupert Murdochs expanding empire. A generous severance package was the positive aspect of being let go after thirty-plus years of service, with a summer free from any obligations toward gainful employment. Along with a couple of other friends, Andy and John, we embarked on a nearly month-long backpacking expedition in the northern Rockies, with the added bonus of intervening forays into civilization to shower, eat, drink, sleep, and relax. After backpacking through the stunning landscapes of the Beartooth Mountains in Montana and the Wind Rivers and Tetons of Wyoming, and upon meeting several groups of fellow backpackers from across the country along the way, the idea of a comprehensive guide to the classic backpacking trips of the western United States started to evolve.

Backpacking these three trips of a lifetime in one summer was quite an exhilarating experience and a genuine blessing, especially sharing the journey with three good friends. In our fast-paced, workday world, the opportunity to unplug and decompress in the natural environs of the wilderness for just a week, let alone three, is quite a luxury. For those who appreciate the recuperative tonic of such an opportunity in the great outdoors, we trust this guide will provide all the necessary information to plan and execute the best backpacking trips of the western United States. For those who may have not taken the plunge into the wonderful world of traipsing through such magnificent country on foot with all the necessary essentials on their backs, we also hope this guide will inspire and encourage them to consider the possibility.

Pyramid Peak over Glenns Lake (from Trip 1)

The western states of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado possess some of the wildest and most scenic backcountry landscapes in the nation. Not only do backpackers from the United States find trips in this region highly desirable, but so do countless international devotees as well. From scenic canyons to alpine summits, and nearly everything in between, this region is a prime area for backpacking trips of a lifetime. The trips begin in Montana with two trips in scenic Glacier National Park. The PtarmiganGlenns LakeHighline Loop is an extended loop with plenty of spectacular side trips on one of the grandest backcountry experiences imaginable. Glaciers Gunsight Pass Traverse is a classic across-the-park ramble that can be done in a short amount of time. Third, the little-known Crazy Mountains Traverse offers sky-scraping peaks, splendid mountain lakes, abundant wildlife, amazing views, and even a small glacier or two. The Spanish Peaks Loop features some of the best of the states dramatically scenic Madison Range, unknown to many but a favorite of locals due to the many gorgeous lakes, fine fishing, and first-rate mountain scenery. The last of the five Montana trips is the Beaten Path, a high alpine ramble across the lake-filled Beartooth Plateau below the range of peaks of the same name, including Granite Peak, the states highest summit.