The Yellowstone Backcountry

If you just can't get your fill of geysers, or if you've had your fill of people, several trails lead to more isolated backcountry. The Shoshone Geyser Basin and Heart Lake Geyser Basin contain active geysers, as do Ponuntpa Springs and the Mudkettles in the Pelican Valley Area, Imperial Geyser in the Firehole area, and the Highland Hot Springs on the Mary Mountain Trail. If you head in these directions, be careful about walking on unstable surfaces: A young man died in 1988 when he fell into a superheated pool.

Shoshone Lake

Shoshone Lake is the largest backcountry lake in the lower 48 and a popular spot for backcountry hikers. The shortest route to the lake is via the Delacy Creek Trail, which begins 8 miles east of Old Faithful on Old Faithful-West Thumb Road. From here, the trail winds 3 miles along Delacy Creek through moose country and the edge of the forest at the lake. At this point, it's a tossup: You can head around the lake in either direction. Assuming that you take a clockwise track around the lake -- a distance of 18 miles -- you'll continue 4 1/2 miles on the Delacy Creek Trail to its intersection with Dogshead Trail, and then head west on the Shoshone Lake Trail until it intersects with the North Shoshone Trail and returns to your starting point.

A detour: At the western end of the lake, you'll arrive at the 1-mile Shoshone Geyser Basin Trail, which loops through a number of geysers, hot springs, and meadows that, during spring months, are ankle-deep in water and mud. Union Geyser, which erupts sporadically, is impressive because eruptions occur from three vents simultaneously. Because the crust of the earth is so thin here, your footsteps might sound like thumping on a hollow gourd.

As you travel the lake's loop trail along the Delacy Creek Trail, you'll have views of the lake at the top of a 100-foot rise. Then, on the Shoshone Lake Trail, you'll cross the Lewis Channel, which can have thigh-high water as late as July. Beyond that, the trail is a series of rises that are easily negotiable by the average hiker, passing across shallow Moose Creek and through meadows where you might spot deer or moose early in the morning or evening.

The 8 1/2-mile North Shoshone Trail winds through a lodgepole-pine forest, over numerous ridges up to 200 feet high. The best views of the lake are from the high points on this trail. The loop trail is especially popular with overnighters because there are 26 campsites on the loop, the largest of which has space for eight campers. (Some of the sites are accessible by paddlers only, however.)

The Bechler Region

This area in the park's southwest section is often referred to as Cascade Corner because it contains a majority of the park's waterfalls. It escaped the fires of 1988 and offers great opportunities to view thermal features. Many backpacking routes cut through this region, including one that leads to Old Faithful on the Bechler River Trail.

To begin your hike, drive into the park from Ashton, Idaho, and check in at the Bechler Ranger Station. To reach the ranger station, drive east 17 miles from Ashton on the Cave Falls Road; 3 miles before reaching Cave Falls, you'll find the ranger station turnoff. The ranger station is 1 1/2 miles down the gravel road.

The Bechler Meadows Trail takes you into this southwest corner, rich in waterfalls, cascades, and thermal areas that rarely have human visitors. About 6 miles into the journey, the trail fords the river several times as it enters Bechler Canyon, where it passes Colonnade and Iris falls. There are places on this trail where you can view the Tetons in the distance and the hot springs that warm the creeks. You can cover a good 30 miles, depending on what turns you take. It's a camping trip best made late in the summer, to avoid high water during creek crossings. For a shorter trip, hike 3 1/2 miles along the Bechler River Trail to the Boundary Creek Trail, and then return to the station via the Bechler Meadows Trails, a round-trip of 7 miles.

The most adventurous and scenic route takes you 30 miles from the ranger station to the end of the trail at the Lonestar Geyser Trailhead, near Old Faithful. Beyond Iris Falls and then Ragged Falls, you'll reach a patrol cabin at Three Rivers Junction at the 13-mile mark, a popular camping area. If you continue toward Old Faithful, you'll intersect the Shoshone Lake Trail at the 23 1/2-mile mark and exit 6 1/2 miles later.

Thorofare Area

When you enter this country in the park's southeast corner, you're venturing into the most remote, roadless area in the lower 48. You can make a round trip of around 70 miles deep into the wilderness, or you can take shorter hikes, such as a trip from the park's East Entrance Road to the Yellowstone River inlet on Yellowstone Lake's southeast arm. The remoteness of this country discourages many hikers, so you'll have it mostly to yourself. Along the way, tepee rings and lean-tos are reminders that Indians once used this trail as the main route between Jackson Hole and points north.

The Thorofare Trail follows first the eastern shore of Yellowstone Lake and then the Yellowstone River up into some of the most remote and beautiful backcountry in the Rockies. It's a lot of miles and a lot of climbing, but you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of the Upper Yellowstone Valley and Two Oceans Plateau, and there's a good chance of seeing some wildlife. You'll reach the Park Service's Thorofare Ranger Station at 32 miles, and a few miles farther you'll come to Bridger Lake, outside the park, and a gorgeous alpine valley with a ranger station known as Hawk's Rest. Fishermen love this area, as do grizzly bears, especially during the cutthroat trout spawning season in early summer. You'll be a good 35 miles from the trail head at the lake, and even the most capable hikers should consider riding with an outfitter. You can cut 9 miles off the trip by getting a boat shuttle (about $280 round-trip, with a maximum capacity of six people) to the mouth of the lake's southeast arm (call the Bridge Bay Marina at tel. 307/242-3893), or you can come in through Bridger-Teton National Forest to the south (check with the forest's Blackrock Ranger Station in Moran, Wyoming; tel. 307/543-2386). Other than bears, the major obstacle to early-season trips in the Thorofare is water; you'll encounter knee-deep water at Beaverdam Creek and at Trapper Creek as late as July.

The Sportsman Lake Trail

This trail begins near Mammoth Hot Springs and extends west toward U.S. Hwy. 191 to Sportsman Lake: a moderate, 14-mile trail that displays a diverse combination of flora and fauna. From the Glen Creek Trailhead, 5 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs, you'll spend 2 miles on the Glen Creek Trail as you traverse a mostly level, wide-open plateau covered with sagebrush that is the home of herds of elk and a bear-management area. At the 3-mile mark of the Sepulcher Mountain Trail, the terrain becomes steeper as you continue northwest on the Sportsman Lake Trail -- the elevation gain is approximately 2,300 feet to the Sepulcher summit (although you don't go to it on this route). The trail eventually enters the forest and descends to a log that is used to cross Gardner River. Then it's uphill for another 4 miles to Electric Divide, another 2,000-foot gain in elevation. From there, the trail descends 2,100 feet in 3 miles to Sportsman Lake, which is located in an area burned by the 1988 conflagration. The lake, which sits in a meadow populated by moose and elk, is teeming with cutthroat trout. Two campsites provide overnight spaces for a total of 30 visitors.

The Slough Creek Trail

Beginning in the Lamar Valley of the park's northeast corner, the Slough Creek Trail takes hikers through some of the best wildlife habitat in the park. You can see elk, bison, trumpeter swans, sometimes grizzly bears, and now wolves that have quite happily taken up residence among abundant prey. The presence of wolves has made this area much more popular, and the trail is also used by horse-packers. The trail starts from the road to Slough Creek campground, following the creek's valley north, and then crosses a ridge to a second valley. You can hike a few miles or take your camping gear and head for the park boundary, 11 miles to the north.