Llama-Supported Hiking, Hot Springs, and Waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Sierra Club Outings Trip | Supported Trekking
Highlights
- Hike and backpack in the Bechler Region of Yellowstone
- Explore Yellowstone with an ear out for elk bugling
- Photograph beautiful waterfalls in the area
Includes
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All ground transportation
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Three nights private lodging near West Yellowstone
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All meals, including gourmet meals in the backcountry
Overview
The Trip
How would you like to experience the 101st anniversary of the National Park Service in the heart of the nation's largest National Park located in the contiguous United States -- Yellowstone National Park? On this llama supported five-day backcountry trip into the Bechler Region of Yellowstone (located in southwest Yellowstone) we will employ llamas that carry up to 70 pounds each of our camping equipment. All you will be left to carry is your rain gear, a layer of warm clothing, lunch, water and camera (less than 15 pounds on your back if you plan it right). We will hike approximately seven miles to our base camp near Boundary Creek and spend each of the four nights/five days we are camped there exploring one of the most beautiful regions of Yellowstone known specifically for waterfalls and cascades. In fact, the southwest corner of Yellowstone is often called Cascade Corner
The Trip
How would you like to experience the 101st anniversary of the National Park Service in the heart of the nation's largest National Park located in the contiguous United States -- Yellowstone National Park? On this llama supported five-day backcountry trip into the Bechler Region of Yellowstone (located in southwest Yellowstone) we will employ llamas that carry up to 70 pounds each of our camping equipment. All you will be left to carry is your rain gear, a layer of warm clothing, lunch, water and camera (less than 15 pounds on your back if you plan it right). We will hike approximately seven miles to our base camp near Boundary Creek and spend each of the four nights/five days we are camped there exploring one of the most beautiful regions of Yellowstone known specifically for waterfalls and cascades. In fact, the southwest corner of Yellowstone is often called Cascade Corner. Early fall, with it's cooler, drier weather is the besttime to visit Bechler Region and with any luck, we will avoid the bulk of mosquitos.
Often compared to Washington's Olympic Peninsula, the Bechler boasts large meadows and marshes, thick undergrowth, and lush forests. Bechler has one of the largest concentrations of moose and beaver in the park. Deer, elk, black bear, and the occasional grizzly also inhabit the area. The Bechler wolf pack originated in 2003 and claims much of the region as its own. Coyote, moose and sandhill cranes can be found in the meadows while eagles, osprey, muskrat and river otters play and hunt in the rivers. Bechler is an adventure waiting to happen. Expect to see gorgeous waterfalls, cascades, oxbows, meadows and rainbows. Plus, you may become attached to a llama and experience llama-love!
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah by noon. Leaders driving vans will pick you up and transport you to our accommodations in Island Park, Idaho. We will stop at a fast food restaurant for lunch along the way. Dinner will be prepared at our accommodation followed by an orientation meeting.
Day 2: After eating a home-made breakfast, we will meet with the llama wranglers and learn how to pack llama panniers and how to handle llamas. It is your choice to lead one or more llamas or not. This llama clinic will teach things about llamas you never knew but were afraid to ask! You may even become a llama whisperer! The rest of the day is yours to explore the trails around our overnight accommodation
Day 1: Arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah by noon. Leaders driving vans will pick you up and transport you to our accommodations in Island Park, Idaho. We will stop at a fast food restaurant for lunch along the way. Dinner will be prepared at our accommodation followed by an orientation meeting.
Day 2: After eating a home-made breakfast, we will meet with the llama wranglers and learn how to pack llama panniers and how to handle llamas. It is your choice to lead one or more llamas or not. This llama clinic will teach things about llamas you never knew but were afraid to ask! You may even become a llama whisperer! The rest of the day is yours to explore the trails around our overnight accommodation.
Day 3: Today begins the official start of the "Yellowstone" part of the trip. We will drive to the trailhead and start packing the llamas. After hiking approximately seven miles, we will make a base camp near Boundary Creek in the Bechler Region of Yellowstone. We will camp the next four nights.
Day 4-6: Each day we will choose a different loop or out & back trail to explore. Keep your cameras ready as we may be surprised by many of the wildlife that have chosen Bechler Region as their home.
Day 7: Sadly, this is our final day in the backcountry and today we will return to the trailhead. After we part with the llamas, we will drive to the same accommodation and celebrate our trip over dinner prepared at the cabin.
Day 8: We will leave early in the morning for our trip back to Salt Lake City, Utah. The trip will end when we arrive at the Salt Lake City Airport .
Logistics
Getting There
The trip begins in Salt Lake City, Utah at noon when you are picked up by van and taken to Island Park, Idaho. The first lunch (on the drive between Salt Lake City and Island Park, Idaho) is not included. The first "official" meal is the orientation dinner (included in the price of the trip). Each participant must make travel arrangements to be in Salt Lake City, Utah no later than noon on Friday. The two leaders will van shuttle you from Salt Lake City, Utah to Island Park, Idaho (four hours and 10 minute drive). You will be shuttled back to Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday. Please make reservations for leaving Salt Lake City for 4:00 pm in the afternoon or later. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader
Getting There
The trip begins in Salt Lake City, Utah at noon when you are picked up by van and taken to Island Park, Idaho. The first lunch (on the drive between Salt Lake City and Island Park, Idaho) is not included. The first "official" meal is the orientation dinner (included in the price of the trip). Each participant must make travel arrangements to be in Salt Lake City, Utah no later than noon on Friday. The two leaders will van shuttle you from Salt Lake City, Utah to Island Park, Idaho (four hours and 10 minute drive). You will be shuttled back to Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday. Please make reservations for leaving Salt Lake City for 4:00 pm in the afternoon or later. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.
Accommodations and Food
Our three nights of shared accommodations will be provided by a private lodge owner in Island Park, Idaho. There will be beds for everyone, but you may be required to share a room. There will be plenty of showers and bathroom facilities for everyone. All meals, beginning with the orientation dinner on the first day and ending with breakfast on the last day are included in the trip price. As on all Sierra Club trips, all members help with cooking and clean-up, meaning that each person assists for a day or two. Vegetarians and various dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
Trip Difficulty
Since we will be base camping and moving camps with the help of llama support, relatively little will have to be carried in our day hikes. Participants will need to carry less than 15 pounds in a small day pack which includes lunch, water, camera, extra clothing and rain gear. The wranglers will be guiding us on loop trails that are chosen for their scenery, wildlife viewing and easy access. Since we will be in the Bechler Region (one of the wettest regions of Yellowstone), we may have to cross a few streams or creeks. Hiking poles help with creek crossings. Of course there is always a possibility of inclement weather. There is also a strong likelihood that we will have several days of sun and warmth. At worst, we can expect rain with temperatures near freezing. Temperatures are normally in the 60's and 70's all day. This time of year, daylight only lasts for around 12 hours. Expect mountain weather that is a mix of fair and foul, varied and unpredictable.
Equipment and Clothing
Trip participants are expected to furnish their own personal gear. The Sierra Club will furnish group equipment including stoves, cooking utensils, pots, and fuel. The Sierra Club will also furnish a satellite phone for emergencies, if needed. Tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags are considered personal gear. The first aid kit and water purification tablets are provided by the Sierra Club. The bear fence and bear spray is provided by the llama guide service. The leader will provide a more complete equipment list to registered trip participants. The following minimum equipment is required:
General gear: Day pack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, hiking poles, biodegradable soap, toothbrush, eating utensils, cup and bowl, pocketknife, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip salve, mosquito repellent, personal first-aid kit, prescriptions.
Clothes: Socks (at least three pairs), synthetic long underwear, long-sleeved shirt, pants, gloves, sun hat and wool hat, heavyweight synthetic shirt, down coat, camp shoes. NO COTTON. When cotton becomes wet, it takes a long time to dry and becomes useless to wear. Wool and synthetics retain their heating power even when wet.
Boots: Sturdy, firm hiking boots, well broken in. A pair of gaiters will keep rocks out of your boots.
Rain gear: Jacket with hood and pants. No ponchos. Be sure to reseal all seams before the trip and test all rain gear in the shower.
Camp shoes: Crocs, Tevas, tennis shoes or equivalent footwear.
Reading material and games: These are handy in case we have to sped a day or two inside our tents waiting for bad weather to pass.
Optional: Binoculars (good quality), camera, and mosquito headnet.
References
- https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/RI_2016_FINAL_Intro_web.pdf
- https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/fisheries_issues.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/resources-and-issues.htm
- http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/spotlight-yellowstone/
- https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/RI_2016_FINAL_Wildlife_web.pdf
- https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/RI_2016_FINAL_Fire_web.pdf
- https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/RI_2016_FINAL_Ecosystem_web.pdf
Conservation
In Yellowstone—and in national parks across the country—the consequences of climate change have already begun to appear. Scientists monitor Yellowstone’s snowpack levels, temperatures at different elevations and water sources, fire events, plant growth rates and pollen production, soil conditions, biodiversity, and various additional factors to gauge climate change’s contributions to plant and wildlife shifts in growth cycles, migrations, and base geographic ranges. According to information from the National Park Service (NPS), other present and likely impacts associated with climate change include: Research indicates Yellowstone’s temperature will continue to rise over the next century, but the behavior of precipitation is more difficult to predict. Average temperatures in the park are higher now than they were 50 years ago, especially during springtime. Nighttime temperatures seem to be increasing more rapidly than daytime temperatures.
In the last 50 years, the growing season has increased by roughly 30 days in some areas of the park. At the Northeast entrance, there are now 80 more days per year above freezing than in the 1960s. There are approximately 30 fewer days per year with snow on the ground than there were in the 1960s.
Fire frequency and season length could increase. Changes in the composition of plants and animals throughout the park. Altered amount and timing of spring snowmelt, which affects water levels, vegetation growth, and the movement of wildlife—from migrating bison and spawning trout, to the arrival of pollinators. As headwaters to significant water basins, any change in the rivers flowing out of Yellowstone then affects downstream users like ranchers, farmers, towns, and cities.
In Yellowstone, the grizzly bear relies on the seeds of the whitebark pine as an important part of its diet. Sadly, these trees are being destroyed at an alarming rate by a beetle that is thriving because of increasing temperatures. National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) senior wildlife advocate Louisa Wilcox raises the alarm. “If these trees go, they could take Yellowstone’s grizzlies…with them. If we want to save not just the whitebark pine, but the animals and plants like the grizzly bear that depend on this tree for food, we need to move to protect and restore them now.”
Old Faithful could become less faithful as the result of climate change. A study in the June 2008 issue of Geology suggested that drought has lengthened Old Faithful’s eruption cycle. A nine-year study by Shaul Hurwitz of the U.S. Geological Survey measured the relationship between drought and geyser activity; Mr. Hurwitz predicts that if current trends continue, “Our grandchildren will have to wait longer for Old Faithful to erupt.”
Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.
Staff
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