Chapter 4 – Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks

After a stormy night we cycled an easy 82km mostly on paved road and highway to the west gate of Yellowstone. We left Montana, entered Idaho for 30km, then re-entered Montana, and finally got in Wyoming.  The plan was to (gladly) abandon the dusty roads of the Great Divide route for a week in order to explore Yellowstone and the Tetons.

Yellowstone

 
We spent a night in West Yellowstone stocking up food and planning our stay in the park, which is truly huge. Being the 4^th July all the campsites were expected to be full and we had some bad time trying to figure out how to move around. No public transport is available, and cycling in and out was unthinkable. But, we later found out that some of the campsites in the park have a “hiker biker” spot, which means that they won’t turn away hikers and cyclists, and they usually charge half price for them (around 8$ each). 

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/bicycling.htm  

Cycling in Yellowstone can be amazing, but dangerous too. The park is definitely not set for cycling. The roads are busy with RV and not all the sections have shoulders, but early morning cycling along the rivers is magic.

The first night was spent in the Madison Campground, 23km from West Yellowstone, flat and nice. We arrived early, set up the tent and cycled down Old Faithful for a geyser day. We soon realized that Yellowstone is not as much a National Park as a Theme Park. All the villages are run by the same organization and are exactly the same. Cars, RV, buses are everywhere and you have strictly to follow the routes. Bikes, and I say bikes, not cycling, are forbidden on most paths too. Still, it’s worth seeing. Wildlife is so domesticated that wonders around the roads and is not bothered by humans. We saw no bears but many signs “be bear aware”. The sign should have read “be human aware”. Motorists were generally very nice to us though. Most people were impressed by the idea that you can cycle so far away and treated us something like celebrities, taking pictures, giving us support and free Gatorade (it looks like we look fit and have been described as Bad Asses :).

At first we wondered if we would see any bison, we then realized they are everywhere

Refreshing our feet in the cool waters of the river after a super hot day, priceless!

Scenes of ordinary life (an elk is better than a bison)

The day after we moved to the Cnyon Campsite, 58km mostly hilly. It was a beautiful sunny day and the road followed a river up a green valley. Once camped we went to check the canyon, but it was so hot that we quickly got back for an ice cream and some shadow. Tim, another cyclist we met at the campsite, told us that as soon as we left 3 bison got in the campground and passed 1m from our tent. I’m really glad I was not there!

On the third day we moved to Grant Village, 67km down the road, following the Yellowstone river and passing through the amazing Hayden Valley. We started very early so to spot wildlife. It was cold and the mist was raising from the river hiding bison and a herd of elks. Elks and bison abound and we found ourselves cycling among a herd of 100+ bison, literally at 1m distance. That was quite something to start the day with.

Cycling with bison at 1m distance, that was a good shot of adrenaline

Hayden Valley, the best part of Yellowstone

In case you had any doubt

Grand Tetons

On the fourth day we left Yellowstone and headed to the Tetons, a 94km cycle, mostly downhill, to Jenny Lake with a stop at the beautiful village of Colter Bay by the Jackson Lake. Along the road we met a few cyclists following whether the Great Divide or the Transamerican, it was nice to have a chat with fellow cyclists and to share stories laughs and tips.

If Yellowstone was nothing really remarkable (apart from its wildlife), the Tetons were truly a gem. They stand out from a distance and they attract you like a magnet. Cycling toward them was like heading to heaven and we knew we would have had a great time there, and so we did!

In Colter Bay

Heading to Jenny Lake campsite

The weather started to change. After a month and more of sunshine, finally we had to use our waterproof gear. The forecasts for the next day were not encouraging and we decided to do a short walk up to the Amphitheater Lake, 10 miles away with 1000m elevation gained. In 2 hours we were up and after a quick break it started to rain. It was like being back to Scotland and that felt quite good.

Wet dinner, still gnammy

The day after we went for a more demanding walk. The weather was supposed to be better and we set off early to the Paintbrush – Cascade Loop, a 19 miles trek up to 3200 meters. It took us 9 hours but getting up there, in the snow and beautifully alpine landscapes, was worth every drop of sweat. Wildlife abounded there too: we saw many marmots and pikas, a moose and eagles. Back to the campsite we were dead tired and more stinky than ever. We used the lake to take a quick shower and went for an early and deep night sleep. We knew it was our last day in the Tetons and felt quite sad to leave them but the show must go on!

Taking a bath after a long walk...

Hunger is the best sauce...