Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
some backcountry campsites are flooded into July, making mid-July the earliest reliable
start date for this trip. Mosquitoes can be an irritant until August.
Use the north side of Trails Illustrated's 1:63,360 map No 302
Old Faithful
. Two
USGS quads also cover the route:
Old Faithful
and
Shoshone Geyser Basin
.
Shoshone Lake is a popular backcountry destination (about one-third of the entire
park's backcountry use is concentrated along the shores of the lake), so it's worth re-
serving sites in advance. Campsite 8R5 in particular gets booked early because of its prox-
imity to the Shoshone Geyser basin. Sites open to hikers along the northern shore include
8T1, 8R5, 8R3, 8R2, 8S3 and 8S2. The latter two sites make a good short overnight trip
from DeLacy Creek but are too far north to be convenient for your first night on this trip.
8R2 and 8S2 are mixed hiker- and boat-accessible campsites. All of the lakeshore sites are
'no wood fire' areas.
DAY 1: LONE STAR TRAILHEAD TO 8R2/8R3
6 HOURS, 11.6 MILES, 400FT ASCENT
For the first 2.4 miles to Lone Star Geyser,
Click here
.
Proceed past the geyser and turn
left after 0.3 miles at the junction with the
Howard Eaton Trail
to head southwest. The
trail passes the least-desirable campsite OA1 (campfires OK) to cross the Firehole River
on a footbridge. From here you follow the
Shoshone Lake Trail
5.8 miles south to the
Shoshone Geyser Basin. The trail soon passes a small thermal field of scalding hot pools
and hissing steam vents (so no, that growling isn't a grizzly bear!). Past OA1 you'll pass
the most attractive off-trail campsite, OA2 (campfires OK), in 0.4 miles, and finally the
best option for through-hikers, campsite OA3, in another 0.8 miles.
Climb south over the broad rolling ridge to cross the unsigned
Grants Pass
(8010ft),
which marks the almost imperceptible Continental Divide. The sandy trail heads down
through superb stands of tall, old-growth Engelmann spruce and whitebark pine to reach
the
Bechler River (Three Rivers) Trail
junction, which is about one hour from OA3 and
1½ hours from the trailhead.
Inviting campsite 8G1 (no campfires) is a short way down the Shoshone Lake Trail, on
a rise above the meadows framing Shoshone Creek, 2 miles short of the impressive Shos-
hone Geyser Basin.
The trail descends through the prime moose and bear habitat of
Shoshone Creek
meadows
, occasionally crossing the creek on log bridges. One mile from the Bechler
Junction a stock trail branches right over the creek to avoid the marshy geyser basin.
At the North Shoshone Trail junction (8.5 miles from the trailhead, 8.4 miles to DeLacy
Creek) it's worth detouring for an hour to explore the geyser basin. Cross the marshy area
on wooden logs and take the left branch to dump your pack in one of the bear-proof lock-
