CDT Trail Towns: Yellowstone National Park
CDT Trail Towns: Yellowstone National Park
I am frequently asked about town stops on the Continental Divide Trail. There are so many options that hikers in the planning stages typically want to get as much input in regards to trail towns as possible. To this end, I’ve created my take on CDT trail towns. This is in no way meant to replace Yogi’s CDT Handbook (and in the text I reference things she has said in her book and maps she provides). Yogi is a friend, I used and loved her handbook so visit her website and see if her Handbook is for you. Without further ado…CDT trail towns presented in a south bound order.
Welcome to Wyoming!!!
Old Faithful Village, WY: First things first…the PO doesn’t take ATM/Debit Cards (or at least they didn’t when I was there), so don’t expect to buy stamps and get cash back…doesn’t work here. Also, lodging here is pretty unrealistic. You might be able to score a room but it will probably be pricey. Expect that you will have to hike out at least a few miles to a campsite.
Getting a campsite and a permit can be tough. Be patient with them in the Backcountry office. I had a new volunteer and she was trying to be very helpful with her limited knowledge. We calculated a 30mile day and then realized it was a 42 mile day but since we were a day away from the backcountry office when we realized we got to Heart Lake, pleaded our case to the Ranger (who was very nice) and she gave us permission to camp at a vacant site at Heart Lake. We had a permit but it was not conducive to staying to the campsites and since we told her we would hike on and try to make it if she didn’t have a site, she worked really hard to help us. On the flip side, I know people who didn’t have as good an experience with the same Ranger. Trying to follow the rules and pleading your case may work. But I found that everyone was very helpful in Yellowstone.
Side note, you are allowed to swim/bathe/soak in coldwater streams that have hot spring empting into them as was explained to me by the Heart Lake Ranger. She asked me if we soaked in Witch Creek (I think that’s the name) on the way into Heart Lake. I told her “no, I didn’t think we were allowed to be in them.” She told me that we had to avoid the hot pools but that open, flowing streams with hot water mixed in were ok. So factor that in when hiking toward Heart Lake. It’s right off the trail so be appropriate as it’s not too far from a road and kids may be hiking in the area.
Grant Village, Yellowstone NP, WY: I went to Grant Village in 2006 to camp with Skittles and Matti. It was pretty spread out and far from the road but you could probably get a ride to it from either Old Faithful or where the CDT crosses the South Entrance Road. I remember enjoying the shower there.
