Yellowstone National Park and Shoshone Lake

[Pringles]

Hi, I've moved. I used to live in Michigan's Upper Penninsula, and now I live in Wyoming, near Yellowstone National Park.

Now I have a whole new set of places to play. I paddled once on Lewis Lake last summer, and thought it was beautiful, and now I want to go back. Has anyone here paddled Lewis to Shoshone Lake, and camped on Shoshone Lake? I've read that in the earlier summer, the outflow from Shoshone is such that you have to line your boat up to Shoshone Lake. And I've read that later in the summer, the water drops down and you have to drag/pull your boat up. Has anyone here got any experience with getting to Shoshone Lake? My boss and her husband are setting up a trip for us next summer, where they hike, I can canoe/kayak or hike in, we spend the night, then spend another day at a backcountry geyser basin, and then the third day hike/paddle out. It sounds pretty cool. We're planning on sometime in the second week in August.

Any information about paddling there would be appreciated. Heck, any information about paddling there, Yellowstone Lake (sheltered day trips would be best), or down in the Tetons would be great. I am in love with the scenery, and terrified of the wind. And the grizzlies. Oh, and the rattlesnakes.

Thanks. Pringles

 

[Guest]

Hi, I've moved. I used to live in Michigan's Upper Penninsula, and now I live in Wyoming, near Yellowstone National Park.

Now I have a whole new set of places to play. I paddled once on Lewis Lake last summer, and thought it was beautiful, and now I want to go back. Has anyone here paddled Lewis to Shoshone Lake, and camped on Shoshone Lake? I've read that in the earlier summer, the outflow from Shoshone is such that you have to line your boat up to Shoshone Lake. And I've read that later in the summer, the water drops down and you have to drag/pull your boat up. Has anyone here got any experience with getting to Shoshone Lake?

Any information about paddling there would be appreciated. Heck, any information about paddling there, Yellowstone Lake (sheltered day trips would be best), or down in the Tetons would be great

Paddling in Yellowstone and the Tetons has long been on my bucket list. I’ve just always been leery of the tourist hordes, not so much in the being there as the getting there.

Somewhere in my paddling guide library is a copy of this slender guidebook, which now seems pricey out of print:

http://www.amazon.com/Paddling-Yell...=1450026185&sr=1-2&keywords=paddling+Shoshone

I’ve never seen a paddling guide for Wyoming, but I know there are books for just across the border Montana and Idaho.

http://www.amazon.com/Paddling-Mont...d=1450026746&sr=1-1&keywords=Paddling+Montana

http://www.amazon.com/Kath-Rons-Gui...qid=1450026782&sr=1-1&keywords=Paddling+Idaho

I see guidebooks for Christmas.

 

[yellowcanoe]

No Title

The tourist hordes are nothing to fear.We stayed at Madison Campground for a week in August 2012 ( later in the month) just walked in. Most western campers are RVers. Lewis Campground prohibits any combined unit over 25 feet. So this only allows little Tab trailers and nothing bigger. Plus its first come first serve. We found everything really really easy to see as long as you get going at seven am. Parking lots fill by eleven am and two pm there isnt any hope of getting parking.. But we were able to get away on some wonderfully secluded trails.

Yellowstone Lake itself did not yank my chain. Anything that big to be attractive to me has to have islands.. and lots of them Looked more like a big wide bowl.

http://www.canoekayak.com/canoe/shoshone/#i6RFaJHvjJ2XAzTO.97

It might be wise not to meet this on the water

 

[Pringles]

I enjoyed the article. I guess I just have to go do it.

As to crowds, people here complain about how crowded it is in the summer. But I spent two years near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That has twice the visitors, and one quarter the space. The traffic jams are annoying, but sometimes they lead you to bears and wolves (and sometimes to people excited about seeing bison... ). The visitors don't arrive until after Memorial Day, and they don't truely crank up until after mid-June. Until then, it's mostly locals and dedicated wildlife watchers. I learn a lot then. Similarly, after the first week of October, you can drive down the middle of the road, stop, get out, walk around your car and take pictures of whatever, then get back in and drive on, and there is no one to be bothered. The bison and antelope look at you like you've lost your senses, though. I will still go in the summer though, because it's Yellowstone. And I can.

I paddled in the Tetons once. I had just bought a folding kayak, and I put it in the car and went off on a three week trip to the west. I stayed at the Lizard Creek Campground one night, which isn't that far from Lewis Lake Campground, and in the morning, while the fog was still heavy, I put in at the campground and paddled up and down the shore. At first, I just knew the Tetons were "over there," but eventually the fog lifted and geeze it was pretty. So here I sits, staring out the window, thinking about fog on Jackson Lake and Mount Moran peeking out from behind the fog, and now I have to go there, too. It was sublime. I think I'm gonna spend my whole salary on stickers and permits for my boats. Goes to a good cause, I guess.

I'll check my library and see if it has that book. We very well may. (Duh.) But no matter how much I love books, talking to someone with firsthand experience is very valuable! Maybe I'll go and come back and report that experience. I did paddle on Lewis Lake once last summer. It was very beautiful. It was kind of odd. Along with having the regular safety equipment I carry in my kayak, I had bear spray. If something happened, and I had to go to shore--well, it's best to be prepared. There also seem to be thermal features that drain directly into that lake. The high altitude lakes, like Lewis Lake and Yellowstonne Lake, have the shoreline plants that are so pleasing to paddle by. Down at my town's altitude, the shores of the lakes are rocks, rubble, very dried driftwood, and dried mud. If I drive a couple of hours, then I can get to some seriously nice places. Oh, has anybody paddled in Bighorn Canyon? It's got plenty of motor boats, but if you get there early in the morning, you can paddle through a canyon with 800 foot high cliffs. It's beautiful.

 

[dogbrain]

Lately I do the trip out to Shoshone in October every year and have been going out there for almost 30 years on a regular basis, sometimes in a canoe and sometimes in a kayak (and a few times across the lake on skis). Most of the boating campsites are inaccessible to hikers, although I suppose you could shuttle some people from somewhere along the shore if necessary. My understanding is that the campsites are pretty full every day during the middle of the summer, but the trip is well worth it. In October I might see one other group if anyone at all, but haven't been out there in the summer in many years. Most of the remaining parts of the Yellowstone backcountry are pretty empty of people with a few exceptions.

To get to the channel you'll start at the campground and follow the west shore of the lake. Starting on the east side of the lake is a mistake, from personal experience. Yes, you'll be lining your boat up the last mile or so of the channel to get to Shoshone regardless of the flow levels. When the water is higher you can float back down without hitting many rocks, but at low water you'll hit a bunch. The rocks in the channel are nasty. It's all sharp volcanic rock that hasn't been rounded like you find in most streams. Whether you decide to run it or not depends on how much you care about the bottom of your boat. I usually have to wear neoprene socks since the water is pretty cold, but it may be fine in the summer.

If you're going for just a couple nights and want to go to the geyser basin, I would generally shoot for a campsite near the narrows on Shoshone and stay there both nights. Make sure and pick one of the sites on the south side of the lake if you don't want to get windbound. If the wind isn't too bad you can make the day trip down to the geyser basin and back, then paddle out on the third day. If you have more nights you could move to the west end of the lake and camp near the geyser basin which is probably the best plan. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the wind can really be a problem on this lake. The east shore is especially dangerous as is the paddle through the narrows. Getting to the geyser basin and having to paddle through the narrows in a strong afternoon wind can be a harrowing experience. Some have died including a Park Service ranger a few years back. It's best to travel through the narrows in both directions early in the morning. The final issue with this trip is the wind when you come out of the channel to paddle back across Lewis Lake.

There are confusing regs regarding campsites, but if you haven't camped in the park before, you must have a permit for a specific site for each night. Some sites on Shoshone are only open for your first or last night and some only allow a single consecutive night. Fires are prohibited at all Shoshone Lake campsites. Also, in addition to purchasing an annual boat sticker you have to get the boat inspected upon entry to the park each time.

There generally aren't as many grizzly bears in the Shoshone Lake area as there are in other parts of the park, but there are black bears. The southern part of Lake Yellowstone has lots of them. There are no rattlesnakes in this part of Yellowstone.

One other note of caution is that the water temperature of this high mountain lake rarely gets much above 50 degrees, so hypothermia is a potential threat if you capsize and can't get to shore quickly.

A nice day trip on Yellowstone Lake is from Grant Village to west thumb geyser area and the Bridge Bay area possibly out to Stevenson Island. The rest of the lake would be open for a multiday trip but the wind issue is even greater out there. Jackson Lake down in the Tetons has lots of Islands and is a nice place to check out, especially with the mountain views.

OK, that's all I have unless you want more specifics.

 

[Pringles]

Thank you for all the great information Dogbrain! I may make this a day trip, just getting to Shoshone Lake, before trying to do an overnight. I did an overnight hiking trip last summer and am familiar with the rules. I also had my boat inspected and bought my sticker for last year, but only got out once. There are just too many options around here. I can't decide whether to go backpacking or kayaking, so I go wolf watching or bear watching. You said that when you come out of the channel to paddle back across Lewis Lake, you have wind problems. If you cut right and hug the shore, do you still have problems? And, in the Tetons, aren't there some smaller lakes where wind isn't an issue? Thanks again. Pringles

 

[daveo4]

Welcome back, Pringles! I check your blog occasionally for new adventures but haven't noticed any in a long while. Hope you keep that going now that you are in a new area.
Regards,
Dave

 

[dogbrain]

No Title

Hi Pringles, that right shore coming out of the channel is really shallow all the way over to the geyser basin on Lewis Lake, so the waves can get a little bigger along that shore. The best strategy is to just head straight to the southwest into the wind. I've never been windbound coming out of the channel. A day trip up the channel is nice too. There's a trail to the Shoshone outlet at the spot you would have to start lining your boat upstream. Although I've never done it, I always thought it would be easier to just portage the canoe on that trail. Not so if you have a bunch of gear. Here are a couple photos from my trip this past October. I spent 4 nights out there and didn't see another person. The wind was also unusually calm the entire time. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. DB

 

[Pringles]

Oooo. Pretty. But then everything's pretty. Too many choices. Thanks again for all the info!

 

[Chip]

At summertime level, I dragged my kayak up the Lewis. Here's a TR: http://chipwalsh.org/GoWest12/Yel-Ss-Lake.html

The rangers had me totally psyched out about bears. I figured I was sure to be attacked, but never saw a bear on this trip. I did almost knock myself out while stringing up my food.

The bottom of the Lewis is boulders that are challenging to walk through. I recommend you have at least one hiking stick to help steady yourself, and there were not many to be picked up along the river.

 

[Guest]

Lately I do the trip out to Shoshone in October every year and have been going out there for almost 30 years on a regular basis, sometimes in a canoe and sometimes in a kayak (and a few times across the lake on skis).

Dogbrain, that’s some good first-hand information, I cut, pasted and printed a copy for my Wyoming file.

I’ve been to Yellowstone three times on cross-country trips, unfortunately always near the height of the season. Well, I’ve been through Yellowstone three times, twice heading west and once heading south. On each occasion we have timed our arrival for shortly before dawn and been ready to beat feet away from traffic jams by noon.

While it is fun to watch people get out of their cars and wander through a herd of habituated bison or elk I never witnessed the eagerly anticipated bestowal of a Darwin Award as I sat in traffic.

Coming out of the solitude of the Wind Rivers and into the hordes of Yellowstone was too soul jarring to stick around. The Wind Rivers and Big Horns are among my favorite places on earth.

The Smokies are bad, but I think Yosemite takes the cake for most vehicles per mile of roadway.

Or at least did; I haven’t been to Yosemite since 1978. Picture three guys in a ’67 VW bus, circling the country for a month on combined kitty of a couple hundred bucks apiece. We arrived in the wee hours and eventually found a pull-in campsite between two motor homes. The pull off was too small to accommodate an RV, and just barely fit the bus. Yippie!

We celebrated our fortune. And we didn’t get much sleep. Shortly after dawn we were not so gently informed that the dumpster needed to be returned to our “campsite”.

The vehicle density in Yosemite may have improved, or at least became so intolerable that the NPS instituted quotas and began running shuttle bus service. I don’t ever see myself willingly crammed on a tourist shuttle bus, so I’m glad a got to see Yosemite a couple of times in the 70’s.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

My son moved to Idaho Falls two summers ago, so we have been getting more familiar with the Tetons. Still avoiding Jellystone. Been there in the past, and didn't care for the crowds or the landscape FTM. At least, not enough to choose it over other places nearby.

In Teton, String Lake to Leigh lake is a nice day trip. The portage is short, and wind isn't too much of a problem. Paddle-in campsites on the mountain side of Leigh are by reservation, IIRC, and equipped with bear vaults. Still trying to talk the Mrs, into an overnighter there.

Jackson Lake - yes, Kim, it has islands! It's a big lake and can be windy at times, but a beautiful place to paddle. Signal Mountain campground is fairly crowded, but a nice place to car-camp and right on the lake. It's 1st come, 1st serve - no reservations. Here's a little secret though.....most folks stopping at Grand Teton (man, I still get a chuckle about that name) are really just on their way to Jellystone. Because of this, several campsites empty out every morning. One has only to hang out for a little while and grab a site when it becomes vacant - and there are no bad sites (unless you travel by behemoth).

The Snake River from Jackson dam down to Moose is a pretty popular trip and can be done by competent river paddlers. It's an all-day trip though, so I've only done the upper part so far.

Mike - Kath & Ron's Idaho guide is known locally as " The Purple Book". It's pretty complete for good class 2-3 and under trips and mostly up to date (with the notable exception of the Boise river city stretch), but I think it's recently out of print - so if you're planning a trip, get your copy early.

 

[yellowcanoe]

No Title

Hmm I actually like Yosemite. We never went far as the village in the valley. Campsite up high.. plenty to do. Bear ate our lunch pack. This from three years ago at Yellowstone. Will go back if the roads are open in April. Descending to Cody from the East Gate was simply awesome. We've been there in winter too for ten days of cross country skiing. Hmmm the Montana Beer Festival in April.. Moose Drool is my favorite ale.
Last visit Yellowstone in 2012. this is from the basin Old Faithful is in.. Lots of room did not have to elbow crowds.. They come and go regularly like the geyser. Never had a roadside car jam. Perhaps this is because visitor behaviour has changed. The animals no longer block the roads. You will have trouble even finding a bear. That was not so when I was little. In the sixties and seventies there were issues with crowds and animals seeking handouts.
Got nothing to sell. But I am a native Californian and even after my parents moved East we traveled to LA a lot. Mostly by air but sometimes by car. I have some memories of Yellowstone as a kid (not pretty) ( one trip when my father was home from the Middle East in 1955, and a long one in 1967).. and from when my kids were young ( getting better by the 1980s), a winter trip in 1992 and a trip in 2012.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

What can I say....I am spoiled. So many places around here I'd rather go to than The Caldera.

 

[Guest]

What can I say....I am spoiled. So many places around here I'd rather go to than The Caldera.

Understandable. It may be even harder coming for someone coming from too near the east coast megalopolis. Coming off of trip somewhere I have escaped from too many people, too little elbow room I need a slower acclimation to syphilization than sitting in NPS traffic.

Or any traffic/too many dang people. I’ve never managed to visit the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. I’ve driven past it dozens of times. Once I made it as far as the lobby.

Same with coming out of the Wind Rivers or the Bitterroots. Or the Chiricahuas. Or even the swamps of eastern North Carolina.

Just transiting the I-70 Front Range in Colorado is disheartening. I know there is still some fine, low population density country in Colorado, but I always come back to an allegory offered by a guy at the bar in a Wyoming cinder block roadhouse. Illustrating his perception of the Rockies he told me:

If you drive up 30 miles of dirt road in Wyoming or Montana you’ll find scowling cowboys in rusty pickup trucks with gun racks. If you drive up 30 miles of dirt road in Arizona or New Mexico you’ll find scowling Chicanos in rusty pickup trucks with gun racks.

If you drive up 30 miles of dirt road in Colorado you’ll find aging hippies in fern bars talking about biorhythms.

“Fern bars” dates that quote to the late 70’s/early 80’s.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Timing is everything. We visited the ADK museum last July, parked in front. There were two of us. We got there at opening time. There were two of us in the parking lot.. Crowds later. It was Thursday in July
And the only NPS traffic I have seen in the last few years is at 2pm in Arches and in Glacier on Going to the Sun Road. We wrote off visiting Arches after 10 am to four pm and parking anywhere in Glacier after 10 . Fortunately there is a hikers bus so really no issue. The GTTS Road was under construction( repair) and it typically took two hours to go forty miles.

To each his own.I expect to continue to enjoy National Parks with some scheduling to avoid parking hassles and hope they remain crowded and loved by all. If they are not crowded, it means that technology has driven people too much inside.. I have probably visited 2/3 of them and hope to go to more before dead.

We will enjoy Christmas weekend in Acadia NP.. Looks like the weather will be fine for paddling!

 

[Pringles]

Thank you Dave08. When I changed jobs, the new job doesn't "give" us space. I keep waiting for the old job to overwrite things, but, well, that hasn't happened yet.

Chip, I read your trip report, then I went back and read your car trip report. I think that when it comes to car travel, we are kindred spirits. People ask me if I travel alone, as if that were evil, or I don't know what. But when I travel alone, I get to see what I want, or bypass what I think is boring, or not worth spending more time on. And I never fight about where to eat or what to see or when to stop or where to camp. Anyway, I will keep in mind all that you said about the paddling in Yellowstone. Since I've been in the area, the wind has amazed me. As you described, it goes from nothing, to something, extremely quickly.

I do have many places to go around here, as you do Steve in Idaho. I can got to the Bighorns, or lakes in the Beartooths, or Bighorn Canyon, or the Shoshone National Forest or, well, there are lotss of places. But for the moment, I enjoy Yellowstone's beauty and the wildlife.

Thanks for all the information! I'll be processing it, and try to figure out what I can do safely. Pringles

Sent from my iPad

 

[coldfeet]

I was dreaming about what to do this summer and I was planning on driving to see our daughter in Denver. Then I thought about Yellowstone then paddling and this thread came up when I searched in google.
I love Canoetripping!
Will read your posts again and look at ideas if I do go.
PS, Pringle. I went to Copper Harbor last summer! My friends family lives up in the UP western side. Iron Mountain. I had pasties every day!

 

[ppine]

Generalizations about people in the West are amusing.
Shoshone Lake would be a great place to paddle. I lived at the other end of the state and paddled the N Platte River often.
My Old Town canoe had a sticker under the forward deck that reads "Yellowstone NP Boating Permit 1968."

I first visited the Park in 1955. Dad came out in 1938 driving his grandparents out from Seattle when he was 14.
At one time there were a lot of boats on Yellowstone Lake.

 

[coldfeet]

Everyday getting closer to this plan. Sadly also because of the virus. I usually wouldn’t have time during the summer to try this drive. About 2000 miles one way. Just wonder if Yellowstone will be open? Crazy thought but one never knows. Best to all