Yellowstone National Park: Chain of Lakes
I have long daydreamed of backpacking in Yellowstone National Park to seek out its abundance of wildlife. While many see Yellowstone only from a car or a short day hike, I wanted to immerse myself more in the backcountry. So after my backpacking trip in Glacier National Park, I made the most of my trip north to visit Yellowstone on my way home, and do a backpacking trip there as well. I had planned a more difficult 6-day trip in the southern section of the park, but there were issues with that trail. I was lucky enough to get a recommendation and permit from a ranger for an easier 5- or 6-day trip near Canyon Village. I was still recovering from a cold from my previous trip, and didn’t mind having a more relaxing, low-mileage trip. As part of my grand tour, I planned to follow up the backpacking with some wolf-watching and sight-seeing in the Park. There was rain in the forecast, with mild temperatures. This 5-night backpacking trip offered very short mileages, lakes every night, and plenty of privacy, as I would have each site entirely to myself (a dynamite Yellowstone policy).
Location of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming
Altitude change for the entire trip; lol, a very relaxing trip!
GPS Track of my backpacking trip along the Chain of Lakes in Yellowstone National Park
After hiking out from Bowman Lake head in Glacier National Park, I drove to Helena, Montana for a hotel stay, hot shower, refeuling, and boot dryout. From Helena I drove to West Glacier, where I spoke to the ranger there about trail conditions, and he set me up with an alternate trip on the Chain of Lakes. I resolved to do the original trip I had planned (Two Ocean plateau loop out of Heart Lake) in a future year, if possible. I spent the afternoon visiting the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, taking photos and marveling at the wolf and grizzly exhibits, before driving to Heart Lake campground where I had made reservations many months ago. The next morning, I set off for the Grebe Lake trailhead, north of Canyon Village in the park.
GRIZZLY AND WOLF DISCOVERY CENTER SLIDESHOW
Day 1: Grebe Lake Trailhead to Cascade Lake: 6.3 mi* / 10.1 km
The drive to the trailhead was about 1.5 hours within the park, so I had a leisurely start to my hiking at ~ 9:30 am. The day was cool, around 50°F, with grey, overcast skies, but no rain yet. It was much cooler than it had been further north in Glacier National Park.
Upon arriving at Grebe Lake, I was greeted by a pair of Trumpeter Swans with cygnets! I saw few people: one group of backpackers exiting and a couple duos of day hikers. Grebe Lake was broad and peaceful, with a slight breeze riffling the water.
Turning east, I headed toward Cascade Lake, beyond which was my first campsite of the trip. As I arrived in the early afternoon, the rain began to splatter, and continued as I set up my tent and hung my food. The ranger had informed me that each site (designated, e.g., 4E4) is open only to the holder of that permit, with one group or permit per site. This guarantees real solitude, and I loved not having other campers close by in the same area, especially after the popularity of the campsites in Glacier National Park. It truly adds to the feeling of being in a wilderness surrounded by large wildlife, even along this relatively tame and easy hiking trail.
As the rain spattered intermittently, I filtered water, had some dinner, and re-hung my food on the convenient bear poles. I took some photos of the sunset over the hills to the northwest, with some thunderclouds signalling their imminent arrival. The forecast held rain and possible thunderstorms for the next afternoon, and my plan was to hike up to Observation Peak before they started.
Day 2: Cascade Lake Camp to Observation Peak 6.0 miles / 9.6 km
Although I didn’t get as early of a start as I wished, I headed up the trail to Observation Peak mid-morning. The grade was easy, but I had little time at the top before the rain began. I didn’t want to be at the top or descending the ridge when the lightning arrived, so I took some photos, enjoyed the view, and hustled down the hill in a hurry. I rested in my tent a bit, and by the late afternoon, the sun came out, along with blue skies. I hoped it was the end of the rainy weather. At dinner I saw a pair of sandhill cranes fly over and land near the base of the trail to Observation Peak, trumpeting their unique calls as they circled and landed.
Day 3: Cascade Creek to Wolf Lake 4G6: 5.9 miles / 9.5
It was quite cold in the morning and foggy, so I stayed in my tent until ~ 7 am. There was frost on my tent fly and some outside items, so I was glad I brought my water filter inside my sleeping bag to avoid freezing. Hearing some crashing in the brush, I peered out to see a herd of elk coming across the drainage between my tent and Cascade Lake.
I packed up and headed west, under sun and clear blue skies with few clouds - perfect hiking weather. Before Grebe Lake, the runny nose from my cold turned into a nosebleed. ‘Great’, I thought. ‘Here I am in grizzly country and I’ll have blood all over my clothes.’ I quickly laid down on my pack with my head back and fortunately avoided a mess. Passing north of Grebe Lake, I came fairly quickly to the trail to Wolf Lake, which was visible across the fields. The campsite for Wolf Lake was nestled in the trees, not close to the shore, and there was enough of a breeze to dissuade the few mosquitoes that were still hanging about. The usual camp chores ensued, hanging my food, gathering and filtering water, checking out the space. I had hoped to circumnavigate Wolf Lake, but it was quite marshy, and the ground outside the meadow was full of deep ruts and overgrown tussocks, making for very uneven walking and unsure footing. Ever cautious about a twisted ankle when backpacking solo, I decided to enjoy the views of Wolf Lake that I had.
In spite of my cold, I was struck by how pungent the woods smelled in Yellowstone; the different odors lingering in the air were much more noticeable than in any other wilderness ecosystem I had visited. Perhaps this was due to the rich biodiversity of these lakeside settings, and/or the combination of lower wind and lower elevation. Whatever the cause, I thoroughly enjoyed sniffing deeply and experiencing this aspect of the wilderness. During the afternoon, I saw several hawks, a northern harrier, and an osprey circling the meadows and lakes. Toward the evening, I heard and saw some sandhill cranes cruise in for a landing. The solitude at Wolf Lake was delightful.
Day 4: Wolf Lake to Ice Lake 4D2 6.7 miles / 10.8 km
It was quite cold in the morning, requiring all my layers! After breakfast I packed up most of my camera gear, knowing I had a wide but shallow wade across part of Lake Wolf to continue to Ice Lake. A woman was fishing as I came up to the crossing, and she packed up and headed west as I was re-donning my boots and socks. The trail was a delightful stroll through a sunny forest, with several creek crossings. Some were hoppable, others I chose to wade across out of skepticism of my footing on the long logs. There were several designated campsites at Ice Lake, and I had chosen the eastern one (4D2) furthest from the western trailhead, which offered several nice tent sites appropriately distanced from the lake. It was quite windy in the afternoon, and the stiff breeze made this site much colder than the previous sites, which weren’t all that warm! I explored a bit and found a delightful spot nestled in some trees and protected from the wind. After setting up and anchoring my tent firmly, I had lunch and set off for a hike around the lake to near the trailhead at it’s eastern edge. I spied a deer exploring the warmer waters at the shoreline, and a flock of Canada Geese feeding lazily.
Ice Lake Slideshow
I had brought a new wide-angle, bright lens on this trip (Sony G 15 mm f1.4) to attempt more night-sky photography, and my homework had suggested Ice Lake might offer a suitable venue to experiment. Plus, I wouldn’t have to stay up too late to capture the Milky Way over the lake. Surprisingly, some hikers walked into my campsite around 8 pm and startled me, saying they were “just looking around.” This would seem more appropriate as a daytime activity, but fortunately they left quickly when they saw me busy with my tripod. Sigh, poor camping etiquette. It was still great to have the area to myself as night fell. After dark I was up with a flashlight to take several photos and experiment with compositions. There were quite a few satellites that interfered with the pristine night sky. As it was cold, I didn’t linger too long and was happy to crawl in my warm sleeping bag.
Day 5: Ice Lake to Grebe Lake Outlet 4G5 5.6 miles / 9 km
Morning at Ice Lake without the wind
It was COLD during the night, and I slept poorly. I added my rain jacket to all my layers and regretted not bringing booties for my feet, as my lightweight mat isn’t full length. I stayed in the tent until around 7:30 a.m., and noticed there was ice in my platypus water reservoir in the morning! Fortunately, I slept with my water filter. The lake was serene and still in the early morning, before the wind. Some fishermen came through the camp walking along the lake, yelling very loudly to scare off bears and talking loudly to each other. Sigh.
The day warmed up as I had breakfast and packed up, and my hike back to my last campsite at Grebe Lake was under warm sunshine.
The tent sites at 4G5 were not superb, but I found a site near the trees in some sun. Views and access to the lake from this site are acceptable, but there isn’t a great spot to lounge near the lake.
Day 6: Grebe Lake to Trailhead Exit 4.8 miles / 7.7
The mist was rising off Grebe Lake as I hiked around to check out the other sites on my way back to the trailhead. Site 4G3 was scenic and had nice lake access. The little cygnets were demonstrating their swimming abilities next to Dad.
I made it back to the trailhead and into Canyon Village just before the showering area closed for lunch and cleaning. Hot shower, laundry, and more relaxation: a great end to a very relaxing backpacking trip in Yellowstone!
My first backpacking trip in Yellowstone was a relaxing and immersive experience; it was so relaxing it was almost glamping! The mileage each day was very low with minimal changes in altitude. While many could hike this entire trail easily in one day, I enjoyed taking the time to savor the sights, sounds and smells, to watch birds, and enjoy the good weather.
I absolutely love the Yellowstone policy of each designated site dedicated to the single permit holder. This offers a much more remote wilderness experience, so important in this ecosystem that is so teeming with wildlife! I highly recommend the Chain of Lakes trail for an easy multi-night adventure in Yellowstone.
Photos by Cris Lewis Sony alpha 6600, Sony 18-135 mm lens, Sony G 15 mm f1.4
*Mileage reported is as captured by GPS track, and may be an overestimate of actual mileage.
LOGISTICS AND TIPS
I highly recommend visiting the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. It is highly educational, and the size of the large grizzlies there will earn your humility and respect!
Like Glacier National Park, Yellowstone is home to both black bears and grizzly bears, so proper food storage is strictly maintained, and carrying bear spray is required, as is watching a mandatory orientation video. Fortunately, heavy bear canisters are not required, and pole structures for hanging food are present at each campsite. It does require throwing a line over the pole; practice makes perfect!
There is limited wi-fi access in the park, particularly in the Canyon Village area. Canyon Village has all the amenities - restaurant, showers, laundry, educational exhibits, fuel, etc.