Trip planning advice for MT/WY 6 day trip

[4shot]

Greetings. i am planning my first ever backpacking trip out West this summer. I'm looking at some of the wilderness areas to avoid the lottery system on backcountry permits required in some of the better known parks. One of the biggest issues I have is ground transportation....I can't find any type of shuttle services in some of the nearby towns (via Google and enquiries to local outfitters). To rent a van for my small party (4-6) is over $1,000 per week and all we need is transportation to and from airport/town to trailhead. Seems like a lot of $ for little use. Have any of you been in this situation? Any ideas or suggestions? Or am i going to have to bite the bullet on the rental van? As always, thanks in advance.

[swisscross]

Fly into Jackson. You can shuttle to the Winds. The Winds will not disappoint.

[4shot]

Fly into Jackson. You can shuttle to the Winds. The Winds will not disappoint.

Can you give me a name or contact for shuttle service?

[lonehiker]

https://gotcoshuttle.com/

http://www.visitpinedale.org/communi...g/getting-here

Quick google netted these results.

[lonehiker]

Wyoming is a big state. There are other wilderness areas as well.

[Slo-go'en]

There's some good stuff not far from Bozeman, MT too. Which might be easier to get to. The Beartooths, Gallatin and Absaroka range come to mind. Just you, the elk and the grizzley bears.

The Colorado Trail has reasonably good public transportation acess, but most of the CT puts you into thin air right away. Takes us flat lander hikers a little while to adjust.

I've always wanted to go to the winds, but it's an expensive trip. Getting to remote places usually is.

[Venchka]

The van split 4-6 ways doesn’t seem very expensive. A round trip shuttle from Jackson to the Elkhart Park Trailhead east of Pinedale for 4-6 people won’t be cheap either.
Every time I price tickets to Jackson Hole Airport I’m shocked! I always wonder if it might not be cheaper to fly to Denver or Salt Lake City and rent a vehicle. Check it out. Salt Lake City to Pinedale is a nice drive. And a better bicycle trip.
Wilderness Areas in the Rockies are very open and free. I think that you could get backcountry permits in Yellowstone with little trouble. The place is huge. 99% of the visitors are in tour busses and on the boardwalks. Call the backcountry office and talk to them.
Good luck!
Wayne

[lonehiker]

Have you priced 2 cars vs the 1 van? I use rental cars frequently for my LASHes and even with drop fees I don't approach 1k. Anyway another Wilderness area you could research is the Cloud Peak Wilderness. There is a loop hike, Solitude Loop trail, that would make a nice week trip. Throw in a summit of Cloud Peak and it would be a good sampling of western mountain hiking. Fly into Billings MT or Casper WY. Or into Denver. From Denver it is about a 6 hour drive to Buffalo WY where you could access the Hunter Corrals TH.

[4shot]

The van split 4-6 ways doesn’t seem very expensive.
Wilderness Areas in the Rockies are very open and free. I think that you could get backcountry permits in Yellowstone with little trouble. The place is huge. 99% of the visitors are in tour busses and on the boardwalks. Call the backcountry office and talk to them.
Good luck!
Wayne

Here is the rub...the van won't be split equally. I have 2 adults (me and my wife) and 4 teenagers going. I am trying to minimize expenses to make this trip as financially doable for them as possible.

thanks to all for the feedback and ideas. keep them coming, it is greatly appreciated.

[Venchka]

Here is the rub...the van won't be split equally. I have 2 adults (me and my wife) and 4 teenagers going. I am trying to minimize expenses to make this trip as financially doable for them as possible.

thanks to all for the feedback and ideas. keep them coming, it is greatly appreciated.

OUCH! 😄😜
Tell the teenagers to get jobs! Just kidding. I introduced a teenager (granddaughter) to the Rockies and archeological wonders last summer. We loved the trip and the time together.
Look into SLC Airport and a rental vehicle versus Jackson Hole Airport and two shuttles or a rental vehicle.
The Elkhart Park trailhead to Island Lake and Titcomb Basin in the Wind River Range is probably the best bang for your buck.
A loop around Heart Lake from the Yellowstone south entrance would be interesting.
Backcountrypost.com is a Rockies focused discussion forum with knowledgeable folks.
Good luck!
Wayne

[Studlintsean]

I flew into SLC and drove to Pinedale a few years ago. It was by far the most economic option and the drive was great (very scenic). This is the route I would take should I do it again.

[Venchka]

Trip Report in the Winds.
https://backcountrypost.com/threads/...uly-2018.7899/

Wayne

[4shot]

Trip Report in the Winds.
https://backcountrypost.com/threads/...uly-2018.7899/

Wayne

Thanks for the link....one reason I am taking kids with me. i want them to see stars like those in the pictures. Too much light pollution around here.

[DuneElliot]

Wyoming is much the same elevation as Colorado so doing either would put you at elevation immediately. The Winds are beautiful but expensive to get to, especially for a family of 6. There isn't a single big city in Montana or Wyoming from Canada to Colorado that is near to the mountains, and thus the smaller airports are more expensive to fly into. Sadly there isn't a cheap option and renting a mini-van or SUV from either Denver or SLC is going to be your cheapest option.
For ease of access and being cheaper to get to, Colorado would be your best bet...plenty of loop options there within fairly easy reach of Denver and being a bigger city they have shuttles or buses going to many mountain towns. And Colorado is stunning.

Both lonehiker and myself are from Wyoming so can help with the nitty-gritty details but in the end it's not going to be a cheap endeavor.

(I have plenty of trip reports if you want to get some ideas (just have a look under the "Blogs in Order" tab...http://www.nomadicpawprints.wordpress.com )

[4shot]

Wyoming is much the same elevation as Colorado so doing either would put you at elevation immediately. The Winds are beautiful but expensive to get to, especially for a family of 6. There isn't a single big city in Montana or Wyoming from Canada to Colorado that is near to the mountains, and thus the smaller airports are more expensive to fly into. Sadly there isn't a cheap option and renting a mini-van or SUV from either Denver or SLC is going to be your cheapest option.
For ease of access and being cheaper to get to, Colorado would be your best bet...plenty of loop options there within fairly easy reach of Denver and being a bigger city they have shuttles or buses going to many mountain towns. And Colorado is stunning.

Both lonehiker and myself are from Wyoming so can help with the nitty-gritty details but in the end it's not going to be a cheap endeavor.

(I have plenty of trip reports if you want to get some ideas (just have a look under the "Blogs in Order" tab...http://www.nomadicpawprints.wordpress.com )

Thanks for the link DE (and the advice). Some nice trip reports and photos. I am continuing to mull things over...I have ordered some maps for areas that look promising. As far as $$$, the SLC airport and van rental there does appear to reduce the cost quite a bit (but does add the drive component and time). This is like gear choices...knowing that light, good and cheap doesn't exist at the same time. you get to choose 2 of those. And the teenagers aren't mine (thankfully mine are well past the teen years), so that is why i am worrying more about the $ than I would if it were just the wife and I. Again. thanks to all who have shared their thoughts.

[DuneElliot]

Thanks for the link DE (and the advice). Some nice trip reports and photos. I am continuing to mull things over...I have ordered some maps for areas that look promising. As far as $$$, the SLC airport and van rental there does appear to reduce the cost quite a bit (but does add the drive component and time). This is like gear choices...knowing that light, good and cheap doesn't exist at the same time. you get to choose 2 of those. And the teenagers aren't mine (thankfully mine are well past the teen years), so that is why i am worrying more about the $ than I would if it were just the wife and I. Again. thanks to all who have shared their thoughts.

Happy to help. And always happy to help someone plan a trip out that way to get the best out of their time...I'm sure lonehiker would concur...he knows it much better than I do. In fact you could look at doing a shorter version of his Medicine Bow 100 in the Snowy Range....much closer to Denver than the other better known places but still stunning.

[Dogwood]

"One of the biggest issues I have is ground transportation....I can't find any type of shuttle services in some of the nearby towns (via Google and enquiries to local outfitters). To rent a van for my small party (4-6) is over $1,000 per week and all we need is transportation to and from airport/town to trailhead. Seems like a lot of $ for little use. Have any of you been in this situation? Any ideas or suggestions? Or am i going to have to bite the bullet on the rental van? As always, thanks in advance."



Always. No you don't need to rent a van at $1000/wk if your party can be flexible and amenable to public transportation. Renting a vehicle saves time though so you need to choose the right balance for possible expending more time and less convenience for spending less $$$. If You're footing the bill I'd say you have the greatest say in how that money and time is spent. That's my Dad's influence.


First ever trip out west, money is an in issue.

Jackson Hole WY puts you in the middle of Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs and Wind River Range. GT and Y NP's are iconic big time west scenery in MT and WY.

Teton Crest Tr(about 50 miles) with opps to extend about 25 more miles. I've found Teton Crest Tr permits not hard to obtain if open to different CS's which you have to declare on the permit. One option is to Grassy lake Rd where there's a shuttle at Flagg ranch Visitor's Center back to JH. Jenny Lake Lodge sources or the Teton Village Hostel or less expensive Hostel can shuttle. With 4 in a party and you, Dad and Hubby, footing the bill I wouldn't cough up the high prices of the Teton Village Hostel although it's centrally located and the pricey tram is your shuttle to an 7 mile shortened Teton Crest TR TH. Jackson Hole AP and JH itself and Teton Village tends to be a pricey AP to fly in/out.

I'd rent a car for a few days and explore Y NP. Y NP like Olympic NP has distinctly different areas. Geyser basin areas, which I wouldn't miss, high country, buffalo, Grizz, and large elk herds, maybe soem wolves(ALL you'll likely miss if limiting yourself to The Winds), waterfall areas, etc. There are an infinite number of possible hiking experiences. I normally wouldn't rec exploring through a windshiled but in this case I recognize many positives in it for this area even if parking and taking shuttles and public buses. Y NP I dont think yet has an in park public bus/shuttle system.

You could shuttle(taking a cheap public bus) from JH up the South Entrance Rd to Yellowstone and ask to get off where the CDT crosses the HWY near Lewis and Heart Lakes. From there going east/SE you're going into The Winds although the first 20 miles is less favorable. If north/northwest you can into hike into Y NP to Bechler River and hike back to Grassy Lake Rd to the Flagg Ranch Visitors Center, again where there's a public bus back to Y NP or JH. Or, hike around Heart Lake as Venchka suggested but in all due respect IMHO Bechler River Tr is better scenically. You could go north around Heart Lake and then down the Bechler River Tr for a solid 6 day affair. The southern part of Y NP is much less used and easier to obtain permits. The Bechler River has lots of waterfalls, 'Mr Bubbles', and on a spur, the highest waterfall in Y NP. If you do it this way you're going downhill. That will take about 4-5 days. Spend the other days doing an overnighter in Garand Teton NP and other areas of Y NP.

Just my opinion but as a first timer out west there are better ways with a greater diversity of experiences if you don't limit yourself to The Winds. I would not limit myself to one hike or one area!!!


Another suggestion is Glacier NP. Use Amtrak.


Dont rent a car in JH area either as it will be more expensive. One of the least expensive Int AP's in the area is SLC as I think Lonehiker suggested. In the summer there are short jump flights from SLC AP to West Yellowstone AP. From West Y AP you get shuttles into Y NP. W Y AP is a seasonal AP.

[Dogwood]

Did a 90 mile Medicine Bow hike a couple yrs ago. It was a great hike, but again as a first timer out west I wouldn't prioritize it for my first trip.

[Pringles]

I don't see where you have any dates listed... but I live near Yellowstone and am there a lot. I drive a small car and couldn't shuttle your group from the airport to wherever, BUT, if you have a hike from Blacktail Plateau to Roosevelt (just as examples), if I'm available, you could drop off your group at Blacktail TH, and drive to Roosevelt, where I could pick you up and take you back to Blacktail. I'd be willing to do that from spots on the Grand Loop Road, or the Lamar Valley Road, or the East Entrance Road. (I try to avoid getting near the West Entrance Road.) Again, that's dependent on your dates, but that would mean your van would be there to greet you when you hiked out.

Pringles

[Slo-go'en]

First ever trip out west, money is an in issue. Jackson Hole WY puts you in the middle of Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs and Wind River Range. GT and Y NP's are iconic big time west scenery in MT and WY.

Teton Crest Tr(about 50 miles) with opps to extend about 25 more miles. I've found Teton Crest Tr permits not hard to obtain if open to different CS's which you have to declare on the permit. One option is to Grassy lake Rd where there's a shuttle at Flagg ranch Visitor's Center back to JH. Jenny Lake Lodge sources or the Teton Village Hostel or less expensive Hostel can shuttle. With 4 in a party and you, Dad and Hubby, footing the bill I wouldn't cough up the high prices of the Teton Village Hostel although it's centrally located and the pricey tram is your shuttle to an 7 mile shortened Teton Crest TR TH. Jackson Hole AP and JH itself and Teton Village tends to be a pricey AP to fly in/out.

I'd rent a car for a few days and explore Y NP. Y NP like Olympic NP has distinctly different areas. Geyser basin areas, which I wouldn't miss, high country, buffalo, Grizz, and large elk herds, maybe soem wolves(ALL you'll likely miss if limiting yourself to The Winds), waterfall areas, etc. There are an infinite number of possible hiking experiences. I normally wouldn't rec exploring through a windshiled but in this case I recognize many positives in it for this area even if parking and taking shuttles and public buses. Y NP I dont think yet has an in park public bus/shuttle system.

You could shuttle(taking a cheap public bus) from JH up the South Entrance Rd to Yellowstone and ask to get off where the CDT crosses the HWY near Lewis and Heart Lakes. From there going east/SE you're going into The Winds although the first 20 miles is less favorable. If north/northwest you can into hike into Y NP to Bechler River and hike back to Grassy Lake Rd to the Flagg Ranch Visitors Center, again where there's a public bus back to Y NP or JH. Or, hike around Heart Lake as Venchka suggested but in all due respect IMHO Bechler River Tr is better scenically. You could go north around Heart Lake and then down the Bechler River Tr for a solid 6 day affair. The southern part of Y NP is much less used and easier to obtain permits. The Bechler River has lots of waterfalls, 'Mr Bubbles', and on a spur, the highest waterfall in Y NP. If you do it this way you're going downhill. That will take about 4-5 days. Spend the other days doing an overnighter in Garand Teton NP and other areas of Y NP.

I did the Bechler River trail from Old Faithfull south into the Tetons as my last hike in Yellowstone. One of the few places they didn't balk at me hiking alone. But this was way back in like 1986. Man, that makes me feel old

It was a nice mellow hike, and as Dogwood said, there's half a dozen waterfalls along the way. I saw a rainbow in the mist at each and everyone. Union falls is well worth the side trip. Looks like it took me 6 days, 5 nights to get back to a road (where I hitched the rest of the way into the Tetons). If your lucky, Lone Star Geyser will put on a show as you go by after leaving Old Faithful. It did for me and I was the only one to witness it.

I also found a hot pot with a cold stream running into to. I took the chance and went wading in it. Almost scorched the bottom of my feet when I drifted a little to close to the hot water. So maybe it wasn't the best idea to take a dip in the hot pot. There's a really narrow zone of comfort between the cold stream entering and the bobbling hot water a couple of feet away.

There are just so many nice places to visit out there, it's hard to pick one. The NP system does make the logistics a little easier since they are popular destinations. Write a bunch of potential hikes on pieces paper, put them in a hat and pick one at random