Backpacking Yellowstone: Quiet Wild Moments

Yellowstone – the world’s first National Park – is known throughout the world for its thermal features but it is also famous for its wildlife. During this particular backcountry camping trip, we respectfully shared the land with some of these magnificent creatures.

After we obtain our backcountry permit (they are free at any Ranger Station or Visitor Center), we arrive at the Cascade Lake Trail Picnic Area (about 1.5 miles north of Canyon Junction). We park the car and get our backpacks ready for three nights of camping at Cascade Lake.

NPS Map showing Cascade Lake Location

It’s late afternoon before we begin our 2.2 mile hike to Cascade Lake. The trail is fairly easy and flat. We walk through open meadows and watch for wildlife. We see a bison lying down in the meadow but not much else.    

Cascade Lake

Cascade Lake is just ahead of us. We keep walking through a meadow turning right at the trail that goes to Observation Peak. Within a short distance, we find the spur trail that will lead us to our designated campsite at the edge of the forest near Cascade Lake.

Here, we setup our camp starting with the designated area for cooking and hanging food. Next, we follow the narrow foot trail another 100+ yards where we find a level area big enough to set up our two-person tent.

 Campsite Trail with Tent in Background

Tent at edge of forest

View of Cascade Lake from tent

Spur Trail To/From Campsite

While we still have some daylight, we walk to Cascade Lake to get some water for cooking. The water looks clear but it is important to purify the water to be safe from giardia. While my Hubby is collecting a container of water, I look around the area. A nearly full moon is rising over the top of a ridge. That’s when I see him. In the meadow, a grizzly bear has his nose to the ground totally engrossed in his search for food. Now, I don’t mind getting a bear hug from my Honey Bear but that is as close to a bear encounter that I wish get.

Moonrise & Grizzly Bear

Back at our campsite, my Honey Bear starts the evening fire in the designated food area. He boils a pot of water for a couple of minutes and then purifies it even further with iodine tablets. As darkness descends upon the landscape, the campfire helps us to see what is within the confines of its lighted area. I can’t help but wonder if there is a bear watching us from somewhere beyond our circle of light.

We don’t do any cooking for dinner – just cheese and crackers, nuts, and other snacks. After we get done eating, we hang our food keeping our campsite clean and safe. We are constantly “Bear Aware”. What happened to the bear in the meadow? He’s not Yogi the Bear (the lovable cartoon character from Jellystone Park) looking to steal our picnic basket. Okay, maybe he would steal our food if we didn’t properly store it. So, I named the bear from the meadow Yogi.

The full moon rises higher in the night sky. Its light finally penetrating the tree tops and casting a soft light on our surroundings. It’s getting late and the campfire isn’t needed as a light source anymore,. After we completely extinguish it, we head down the trail to the tent. We use our flashlights to sweep across the area and talk while we walk. It was the longest 100 yards. Once inside the tent, I lie awake listening for sounds but I don’t hear anything. The forest is eerily quiet tonight. Where are you Yogi? I ask God to protect us and fall into a restless night sleep.

After daylight arrives, I am able to sleep for an hour or so. Meanwhile, my Hubby has brought the food bag down from the hanging pole and has water boiling on the camp stove. We have a gourmet breakfast consisting of oatmeal, breakfast bars, and cups of hot cocoa.

After we hang the food and cleanup the campsite, we get ready for our six mile (round trip) hike to Observation Peak. More ambitious people might do Observation Peak as a day hike (11 mile round trip from the Cascade Lake Trail Picnic Area parking lot). We prefer to take our time and really enjoy the hike and the scenery. After all, the beauty of a hike is as much about the journey as it is about the destination.

At Cascade Lake, the trail to Observation Peak is a steady 1,400-foot climb to the summit. As we begin our trek to the top, we get a nice view of Cascade Lake. Except for some bison grazing on the hillside, we have the trail to ourselves.   

View of Cascade Lake

The trail passes through meadows and stands of burned pine tree forests. We called them “ghost forests”. Fallen logs along the trail serve as nature’s furniture offering us a place to “sit a spell” and listen to the sounds of Yellowstone. In the distance, a bull elk is bugling his mating call. From their perches in the pines, the birds are serenading us with their songs. Alone on the trail, we take a moment to stop and appreciate the beauty of Yellowstone’s quiet wild.   

Ghost Forest of White-Bark Pine Trees

The summit to Observation Peak is just over the next hill.

Almost to the Summit

The panoramic view of Grebe Lake and the valley below is rewarding and well worth hiking here. For some reason, I can’t get the tune “On top of Old Smoky” out of my head. Here at the top of Observation Peak (9,397 feet high), it is cold and windy. I use the side of the abandoned lookout tower as a shield from the wind.

Abandoned Lookout Tower

View of Grebe Lake

It’s time to begin our return hike to our campsite at Cascade Lake. The scenery is just as good going down the trail as it was going up the trail.   

 Trail Views

Trail View of Cascade Lade

We arrive back in camp by 6:30pm. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of Yogi the Bear. A lone bison grazes in the meadow near Cascade Lake.   

Bison in Meadow near Cascade Lake

While we gather wood for a fire and get water from the lake, the sunset is painting the sky in vibrant shades of pink, red and orange.    

Sunset at Cascade Lake

Once again, my Hubby builds the evening campfire. By 10:45 pm, we decide to hang the food, extinguish the fire, and go to the tent for the night.

What a difference from last night. Tonight, the forest is alive with the sounds of nature. We can’t see them, but two bull elk are bugling constantly somewhere near our tent. Hearing the bugling of an elk is considered a “true Yellowstone experience”. It is thrilling – at first… but at 3am, you just want to yell “SHUT UP!” I take all this activity as a positive sign that Yogi the Bear has left the area.

After spending the night wandering around our campsite, the bugling elk leave just before dawn. Aaah, peace and quiet at last …. THUD, THUD, THUD! What is that? It’s the squirrels. They are in the trees dropping pine cones to the ground all around our tent. Eventually, one of the pine cones hits the tent. I think that was their intent all along – they just had poor aim.

Now that he is awake, my Hubby starts a campfire and prepares breakfast for us. When we camp, he does all the cooking and cleaning. Gotta love that!

While he fixes breakfast, I stay in the tent observing the sunlight and shadows playing across the roof of the tent. Using my vivid imagination, I see what looks like pencil drawings of a cat, a bird and a man’s face.

Tent Shadows (black marker used to enhance facial features)

While we are eating breakfast, we hear voices coming from the meadow. It is Saturday morning, so we are not surprised to see hikers on the trail today.

While those hikers head to Observation Peak, we will hike to Grebe Lake (a four mile round trip hike from Cascade Lake).   

Trail Cascade Lake to Grebe Lake

Beyond Cascade Lake, the trail to Grebe Lake involves crossing small streams (using logs or rocks or just jumping across it) and climbing over fallen tree trunks – think of it as nature’s gym set. The forest floor is carpeted in colors often found in a harvest-time cornucopia that is filled with red apples, yellow bananas, and oranges.

Near one fallen tree, a lone bison stands quietly about ten feet off the trail. He sees us and moves away deeper into the tangled web of downed trees.   

(Bison photographed using a telephoto lens)

After awhile, we enter a forest at the edge of Grebe Lake. The forest is a combination of new and mature pine trees. We take this opportunity to sit underneath the shady canopy of the forest and enjoy the solitude. A Mountain Chickadee sings to us, a squirrel scolds us from a nearby tree, a waterfowl honks as he flies overhead, a few insects buzz around us and the breezes are like a soft whisper. These quiet wild moments are what my Hubby loves about Yellowstone.

The afternoon sun is working its way westward. That’s our signal to return to camp.   

Grebe Lake

Once again, we see a full moon rising over the ridge. Yogi is gone but four deer are running back and forth across the meadow. A coyote must be chasing them.

A short time after we enter the tent, we hear a yelping bark. We assume it’s a coyote. Last night’s dueling bugling elks have moved further away from us. We do hear an owl hooting … otherwise, a much quieter night.

This is our last morning of our camping trip. For breakfast, my Hubby pours the boiling purified water into packages of dehydrated food and prepares a hot breakfast for us.  

It’s early afternoon by the time we have cleaned up, packed up, and begin the 2.2 mile hike back to our car. The afternoon is warm and the backpack is heavy on my shoulders. When we reach the picnic area, I happily drop my backpack next to our car. I’m more than ready to return to civilization. Three nights of camping was a compromise during this trip – I like the creature comforts of a hotel room; Hubby likes the solitude of wilderness camping. Right now, it’s time for a hot shower and a real hot meal. Canyon area – here we come!

Over the years, my Hubby and I have driven and hiked through Yellowstone’s many scenic natural areas. No matter how many times I visit Yellowstone, I never get tired of seeing its ever-changing scenery. I invite you to view my other blog posts on Yellowstone National Park by clicking on the following links:

Yellowstone: A to Z

Introduction to Yellowstone: Basic Park Highlights

Yellowstone: A Geyser Gazers Guide to the Upper Geyser Basin
Yellowstone: It's Cookin' in the Biscuit Basin
Yellowstone: Touring the Black Sand Basin
Yellowstone: A Ton of Fun at the Canyon
Hiking Yellowstone: Fairy Falls & Imperial Geyser
Yellowstone Scenic Drive: Firehole Canyon

Yellowstone Scenic Drive: Firehole Lake

Yellowstone: Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail
Yellowstone: Fountain Flat Drive & Beyond

Grand Loop Road - Upper Loop (coming soon)

Grand Loop Road - Lower Loop (coming soon)  

Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot Springs is Really Cool (Lower Terraces)

Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot Springs is Really Cool (Upper Terraces)

Yellowstone: Hell's Half Acre

Hiking Yellowstone: Monument Geyser Basin

Yellowstone: Mud Volcano - Stop and Smell the ... Sulfur?
Hiking Yellowstone: NW Corner - More Space; Less Crowded

Norris Geyser Basin: Back Basin - Some Like It Hot

Norris Geyser Basin: Porcelain Basin - Some Like It Hot
West Thumb Geyser Basin: Two Thumbs Up
Whatta Falls - Waterfalls in Yellowstone NP

Planning a visit to Yellowstone? Food and lodging options are available inside the park and in the towns just outside the park (West Yellowstone, Gardiner, and Cooke City/Silver Gate – all in Montana).. I strongly suggest making lodging reservations in advance. Yellowstone is a popular destination and “No Vacancy” signs are common especially during the peak summer months. Since opinions, preferences, and budgets vary, I recommend checking a trusted travel source for current reviews.

My best advice is this - don’t just drive through Yellowstone – experience it!

The National Park Service has created a series of short videos titled “Inside Yellowstone”. It’s a fast and fun way to learn about the Park. Click on the following link to begin this Yellowstone experience.
Inside Yellowstone: A Series of Short Videos

Family vacations created some of my favorite memories. To start planning your memorable trip to Yellowstone, please click on the following link:

Plan Your Visit - Yellowstone NP