Yellowstone - Thorofare

Introduction 

The Thorofare Trail is located in the South East corner of Yellowstone National Park. It crosses the Washakie, Teton and Absarokas Wilderness areas. It is the most remote wilderness in the Continental United States and home for the American Grizzly as well as wolves, bull elks and moose. The Thorofare trail is a one-way 36 mile long trail that crosses this area. If you are a serious backpacker who wants to tackle one of the most challenging traverse there is, look no further.

It was the Fall of 2018. We were 3 partners looking for an adventure in one of the wildest parts of the American West. Yellowstone National Park seemed to answer the call. One of the last untrammeled temperate ecosystem of the Northern Hemisphere, Yellowstone is a sizable 2.2 million acres of wilderness, larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
We set our sight on the Thorofare Trail. When studying the maps, we decided that we were going to use an alternative route:
The traditional route of the Thorofare starts at the northeast part of Yellowstone lake. It follows the lake down to its southern tip for 14 miles and beyond for another 18 miles. Most trip reports will advise to head west and join the South Boundary Trail which will take you for an additional 30 miles towards the Southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
Instead of going west, we headed North East, using an old hunting trail that would take us beyond the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, onto the Shoshone National Forest.

Although this route has very little elevation change, do not be fooled. This adventure is not for the novice or solo backpacker. The Thorofare trail is lightly used during the summer and sees virtually no traffic between October and June. As a consequence, it is wild and barely maintained. The route contains several river crossings. The Thorofare Trail has one of the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the lower 48 and they do not come unnoticed. In addition to grizzlies, black bears and mountain lions roam the area. Being in Yellowstone National Park, the weather can be treacherous no matter the season.
Between the required bear canister, bear deterrent, additional food and layers, expect your backpack to be quite heavy. Expect also some of the most gorgeous landscapes the West has to offer, tremendous wildlife spotting and fishing opportunities. If your fitness is good, I can only recommend this trek.

Additional note: The Thorofare Trail is horse-friendly as well. Please check with local rangers on the required permits to travel by horse.

Seasons and permits

The season you choose will dictate the level of difficulty. Summer provides the easiest conditions, but is also the season that sees the most traffic. This trail is frequented by both hikers and horse riders during the summer months. Fall and Spring are in my opinions the most interesting seasons. Late Spring or early Fall are preferable if you are wary of navigating on snow. Finally, winter provides exceptional backcountry skiing and snowshoeing opportunities. Expect temperatures to be in the negatives or teens.

Regardless of the season you choose to hike, a permit is necessary. It can be obtained at any Ranger station throughout the Park. More information is available here.

 Day 1 - Along Yellowstone Lake

We arrived at the Trailhead quite late (around 1pm), therefore our day was considerably shortened. This first day consists of hiking along the bank of Yellowstone Lake. After the first few miles on the trail, the feeling of solitude becomes striking. Solitude from other humans mainly, because solitude from wildlife you shall not experience. We spotted a magnificent bull elk in his prime. We didn’t just spot him, we heard him loud. Fall is the season when Elks reproduce. The trail is covered with paw prints from grizzly sows and their cubs following them. This was a reminder that this trail is better hiked by a group of people. A large group of 3 people or more is the best deterrent against grizzly bears. Of course, each one of us carried a can of bear canister. Firearms are also allowed in Wyoming and can be considered, if you know how to use them.

The first day consisted mainly of a series of meadows and pine forests. The meadows revealed a shiny yellow tall grass that had overgrown throughout the summer and was soon to be buried with heavy amounts of snow. Fall is a short season in Yellowstone and it starts sooner than in other parts of the continental US. It was October and the premises of Winter were everywhere: the wind was blowing hard, the days were getting shorter, animals were starting to migrate towards higher ground to their winter den and the bright colors of summer were starting to fade away, in place of shades of yellow and red, so distinctive of Autumn. It was a glorious sight.

We hiked 6 miles and decided to set camp on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. We lit a fire and cosied up. The silence of the place was striking. Our conversations were soft as if someone was listening. Yet we knew we were hardly alone. That night, the temperature got down to 10F.

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 Day 2 - Along the Yellowstone river

We woke up to a crisp and cold morning. The temperature was around 10F. We crawled outside our tents and rushed to lite the ashes from last night’s campfire. As we warmed our coffee, I noticed a layer of smoke above the lake. The water was evaporating. The lake’s water temperature was close to freezing.

As the sun rose, the temperature considerably warmed and for a few hours, slipped back into summer. We hiked along Yellowstone Lake for a good 7 miles covering a series of meadows and pine forests, akin to what we had seen the first day. As we got closer to the mouth of the lake, we started noticing a range of snow capped mountains in the distance. Besides the 2 or 3 river crossings where we were forced to remove our shoes, the trail was relatively easy to follow and we walked a hefty pace. We passed a ranger cabin called Cabin Creek Patrol Cabin, which was closed for the season. Rangers often patrol this area by horse during the summer and use this cabin for shelter.

Finally, we arrived at the mouth of Yellowstone Lake, where the Yellowstone river flows into one of America’s largest body of freshwater. The mountain range that seemed so distant now bestowed its splendor before our eyes.
The Absaroka Range stretches along the eastern boarder of Yellowstone. Its highest peak rises 13,153ft. As we passed the mouth of the lake, we entered a majestic golden meadow which displayed Fall’s full splendor before our eyes. The yellow grass contrasting with the snow capped mountains and blue skies presented a stunning spectacle. A true wild west landscape.

We walked for another 7 miles, negotiating a few river crossings, once passing through a swampy meadow that had been trampled by a herd of buffalos. Finally, we set camp on a little island in thee middle of the Yellowstone river, which we thought gave us protection from the grizzly bears whose presence were ever more noticeable.

After an unsuccessful try at fly fishing, we resorted to eating our own food. We gathered sufficient wood for the evening, sat around the fire and shared a well deserved gill of bourbon.

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 Day 3 - Across wide meadows and Towards Eagle Pass

Our plan over the next day was to hike over a pass named Eagle Pass which serves as a natural boundary between Yellowstone National Park and the Shoshone National Forest.

We knew today was going to be a long day. We had little information on the terrain ahead. We were also getting signs that a winter storm was on the way. We also didn’t’ have accurate mileage of the trail past Eagle Pass. What we knew for sure was that Day 3 was going to be at least 14 miles and 2,500 ft of gain. Therefore, we settled at dawn.

We spent the majority of the day hiking through wide open meadows. After about 4.5 miles of hiking, we headed NE. This is where our route diverge from the more traditional Thorofare trail. Nonetheless, we were excited. There was little to no reports of the terrain on that side of Yellowstone and we were looking forward to find out about it.

As we headed our way, the valley became narrower, sheltered by Table and Turret Mountains in the West and the Pinnacles Mountains in the East. Darker clouds started sneaking through the peaks, the undeniable sign of an upcoming storm. The subtle light it created made the view absolutely stunning.

Soon, rain started pouring. We passed another ranger cabin, closed for the season. Then we started climbing towards the pass. After 1000ft of climbing, the rain turned to snow. Soon we found ourselves hiking through a foot of powder. The scenery was sublime. It is incredible how snow can turn a once vibrant world into a whispering white paradise.

Finally, we had reached Eagle pass. From there, the trail goes down to the highway. How many miles? We don’t know. But that is a story for tomorrow.

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 Day 4 - Down Eagle trail

We woke up to a landscape blanketed with snow. It had snowed all night and there was no end in sight. We made a brief estimate of today’s mileage and planned to get back to the highway by sundown.
We packed our bags and started descending the north side of Eagle Pass, mainly through thick pine trees along a creek. Throughout the day, the terrain was bad, the trail was narrow and difficult to walk which slowed our progress. After a few miles downhill, we exited the forest and entered a wide meadow. The snow turned to rain.
Let me be frank: The trail in this area is some of the poorest I had ever seen. It visibly had seen little traffic. We had to go through at least 5 or 6 river crossings, some quite challenging. We alternated between meadows made of high brushes and dense wooded areas.

We had initially forecasted the whole distance to be less than 8 miles. It ended being a 3,200 ft descent of over 14 miles. As we got closer, river crossings became more and more treacherous and the rain became stronger.

towards the end of the day, we encountered a hunter on horseback. This was our first human sight in four days and a sign we were getting closer to civilization. We later learned that this area is popular for big game hunters.
Later on, while negotiating another difficult river crossing, we encountered a female moose and her youngster. casually hydrating in the creek we were so desperately trying no to fall into. Towards sundown, we were still on the trail. The rain intensified and we were eager to get to the highway.

Finally, we started seeing signs of civilization. One last river crossing, possibly the most dangerous one. Both the river and the sky were raging, as if nature was mad at us. We finally got to a dirt road. We crossed the Shoshone river and landed on the highway, at night. We were exhausted, we couldn’t feel our knees. We were cold and completely wet. But how delighted were we that we got to complete this adventure!

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