Hiking in Wyoming

imported
#1

Hello all! I’m hoping you might be able to steer us in the right direction…

We are a family of four considering doing a 2-month hike this summer. We’ve done lots of bike touring. Our most recent trip was Alaska - Argentina. Left Alaska when our sons were ten and arrived at the end of the world when they were 13. They will be 14 next summer.

We’re not sure where we’ll hike, but are leaning to the GDT through Yellowstone/Tetons - although we’re very open to suggestions if you have a better place. We’ve done some backpacking so know what we’re getting in to more or less, although we’ve never done anything like two months.

If we do Yellowstone, where do we sleep? How far in advance do we need to get reservations? I’m just full of questions and would love any suggestions or resources you can point me to!

thanks!
Nancy

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#2

You could easily hike the entire MT/ID part from WY north through Glacier into Canada in the time you have. That would be a much more interesting hike than Yellowstone which is basically a long walk in heavy timber. Glacier is really nice by comparison. (The trail passes a long ways away from the Tetons, BTW).

If you are set on WY I would suggest starting at Big Sandy and heading north through the Winds, which are spectacular. It is about 320 miles from Big Sandy to the Idaho border and that can be easily done in 20 days, so you would still have 40 days in ID/MT.

Both Yellowstone and Glacier reserve 50% of their campsites in advance and the others are reserved on a drop in basis. If you are reserving in advance you need to do it now for next summer. Most hikers do the drop in method since it is hard to predict when you will get there.

bearcreek

#3

That’s good to know! Thanks so much for helping me. We aren’t really set on any particular trail - we could do part of the PCT or I was looking at the Colorado Trail last night. We’re very open so any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!

We are new to this long-distance hiking stuff, but do have the long-distance biking background which, I think, should help us plan and prepare. That said, we’re not sure about where to get food and such, so any resources you can point me to would help a lot. We’ve got about 2 months.

Thanks for your help!
Nancy

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#4

The Colorado Trail is a good one to consider. It is meticulously maintained, well marked, and all the guides, maps, etc. are up to date. And at 486 miles you can get into the rhythm of a long hike. You could take your time and easily complete it within your time frame.

bearcreek

#5

Thank you! I am seriously leaning toward the Colorado Trail now. My boys’ cousins live in Denver so it would be great to be able to visit them after the hike.

Realistically, how many miles per day would we be able to hike? Our sons will be 14 years old so they are good to go. My husband and I, however, are old foagies - both in our 50’s. Although we can bike forever, our bodies aren’t used to hiking.

We’re so new to this we don’t even know the questions to ask so please point us to anything we need to know.

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#6

The Colorado Trail also does not require any permits (yet) on any of it. After you acclimate some, you should be able to do 15 miles per day if you start in relatively good shape. and ditto what brearcreek said about maintentance and maps.
theres lots of great lightweight equipment out there so old foages have an easier time of it nowadays. I would be one of them, and I can easily do 15-20 miles a day after a week or so of working up to it, even at elevation. Its not cheap but lightweight gear can make a huge difference. feel free to email me, have hiked the CT end to end and many short runs in between, as well as most of CDT in Colorado and JMT-which you could also consider altho its much shorter at about 220 miles.

LA

#8

Thanks LA! At this point the idea of hiking 15 miles per day sounds HUGE, but I suppose we just need to start and break into it. We seriously considered the JMT, but like the idea of the Colorado Trail because the boys could spend some with their cousins that way. I’ll look into the lightweight gear and see what I find - our gear is sorta lightweight, but on the bikes we can handle a bit more weight than in a backpack.

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#9

You might want to move down to the Colorado Trail Forum. Sounds like a real blast.

Apple

#10

OH gosh - I didn’t know there was one. I’ll check it out. Thanks!

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#11

I’m an old fogey at 58. (not too old.) My son and I did parts of the Colorado Trail this summer. 15 miles a day is pretty optimistic for a newer backpacker who doesn’t have their gear dialed in for a light pack.

There are other factors besides just the distance. There is the water issue. Some segments have a lot. Some have very little. Then there is the problem with afternoon thunderstorms. It’s just not safe to be on high ground during storms, so you may be forced to stop after say 7 miles as it’s getting too late in the day to safely go on. With 4 people, it’s likely that at any given time one of them will have some ailment that will slow you all down. Blisters, fatigue, equipment problems, etc.

Since you mentioned visiting Denver after the hike, I’m thinking you are planning south to north. Last year, snow was more of a factor in the south. I don’t know if this happens most years. Starting in the north gives you more time to acclimate to the altitude before hitting any real difficult sections.

For planning, I’d suggest buying the Data Book and Trail Guide as soon as you can. There is a map book, but it’s a little too hard to read for my old eyes. I used Topo Explorer! Colorado to make maps. Maps aren’t really needed except as a safety backup should you have to leave the trail in the middle of a segment. (I’m not recommending not carrying them. It’s just the data book is very good.)

I asked my son and he suggested 8 to 12 miles a day for planning purposes. I think it’s pretty reasonable. It’s easier to plan shorter and go longer than the other way around.

(This is from the point of view of newer backpackers.)

Gershon

#12

Thank you! So it’s sounding like we would be better off starting in Denver? That’s one of the first things we need to figure out - then we’ll go from there. If the snow is bad in the south, then we’ll start in Denver to give it some time to melt.

I appreciate that estimate for distance. We were thinking 10 miles per day, so we’re right in line with your recommendation.

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#13

There are a lot of advantages to starting in Denver. First of all, you start at a lower altitude. For those who live at low altitude, many recommend staying there for 24 hours to prevent more serious forms of altitude sickness.

The first half of the trail is easier to plan as resupply is relatively straightforward. As most people start in the north, there will be a lot of info about trail conditions on this forum.

I really liked the temporary start to segment 1 this year and we plan to use next summer to avoid a road hike at the beginning.

Don’t worry about crowds. We never had to share a campsite. Some days we didn’t see anyone but a few bikers.

I’m still new enough to remember our mistakes. The biggest one was carrying to much weight. If you choose the CT, I can give some info on resupply until Salida. It can be easier than it looks.

Gershon

#14

Are the resupply points listed in the guidebook? I just ordered that so should have it next week. I don’t typically plan ahead, but if we will have to ship food out, we’ll have to plan ahead. Ouch!

Nancy from Family on Bikes

#15

Yes, the resupply points are in the guidebook. You will also want to have the databook. It’s a lot easier to find the water locations in the databook.

Everyone plans differently. This year, if we go, I’m planning two drop boxes. Jefferson and Twin Lakes. They only have small stores there. The stores are also the post office. If you put CT thru-hiker on the box, they are available everyday. They keep the boxes for 30 days, so you don’t have to plan too much.

You might go to www.backpackers.net and ask about gear. We are kind of old school and inexpensive, so aren’t much help. I will say that if your pack is more than about 44 liters, it’s too big. But a lot of it is personal preference. With your biking experience you probably have most of what you need. One thing we didn’t know is a pair of shoes likely won’t last the whole trail. A new pair in Salida would be good insurance.

Our plans this year are to just meander at 7 or 8 miles a day, eat a lot of wild raspberries, take a lot of pictures, and end up where we end up. If we make it to Salida, we will be real happy. We are a blend of hikers in that we enjoy the camping experience as much as the hiking.

gerson

#16

PMags’ CT End to Eng guide is a great place to start and it is free.

Karlg

#17

Thanks! I’ve got the guide in the mail and can’t wait to get it!

Nancy from Family on Bikes