Is the West side of Yellowstone and Teton worth the trip?
12-20-08, 06:59 PM
#1
Every day a winding road
Thread Starter
Is the West side of Yellowstone and Teton worth the trip?
I am starting to think of places I want to tour in 2009. Yellowstone and Teton are again on the list.
To add a little variety, I thought I would ride up through the parks then come back down the outside of the parks on the West side back to Jackson.
I'd either take Teton Pass or go around.
Is it worth it to go down the West side? Or am I better off (scenery wise) to stay in the parks?
To add a little variety, I thought I would ride up through the parks then come back down the outside of the parks on the West side back to Jackson.
I'd either take Teton Pass or go around.
Is it worth it to go down the West side? Or am I better off (scenery wise) to stay in the parks?
12-20-08, 10:21 PM
#2
Hooked on Touring
I used to live in Jackson and know the west side - having biked it and camped it numerous times. For a first trip I would obviously suggest the parks, but for a loop the west side would be nice.
From West Yellowstone you can take the old railroad bed to Big Springs, Idaho if you have a mountain bike. Hwy 47 has almost no traffic but not much scenery, either since it is in pretty dense forest. Upper and Lower Mesa Falls are nice. Traffic on Hwy 33 has gotten worse because of spillover development. If you do the west side, make sure to ride into the west edge of the Tetons from Driggs. There is nice camping and hiking with only a fraction of the people in the parks.
Hwy 31 over to Swan Valley is narrow and crests a low pass. Hwy 22 over Teton is very steep and has significant commuter traffic in addition to tourist traffic. Hwy 89 from Alpine to Hoback has been recently rebuilt with wide shoulders. Since it follows the Snake River thru the canyon it is relatively level - and winds USUALLY are from the southwest.
Another option - if you are REALLY daring - is to make a loop from Yellowstone eastwards to Cody and then come back thru the Northeast Entrance. The Shoshone Highway is spectacular, Cody is a nice town with a historic downtown. Then you can take the Dead Indian Highway back to Cooke City and the Lamar Valley region of the park.
Personally, I would rec the latter. If you can do a little bit of hardpack dirt, there are options I can show you in Jackson Hole so that you have a different route out and back.
From West Yellowstone you can take the old railroad bed to Big Springs, Idaho if you have a mountain bike. Hwy 47 has almost no traffic but not much scenery, either since it is in pretty dense forest. Upper and Lower Mesa Falls are nice. Traffic on Hwy 33 has gotten worse because of spillover development. If you do the west side, make sure to ride into the west edge of the Tetons from Driggs. There is nice camping and hiking with only a fraction of the people in the parks.
Hwy 31 over to Swan Valley is narrow and crests a low pass. Hwy 22 over Teton is very steep and has significant commuter traffic in addition to tourist traffic. Hwy 89 from Alpine to Hoback has been recently rebuilt with wide shoulders. Since it follows the Snake River thru the canyon it is relatively level - and winds USUALLY are from the southwest.
Another option - if you are REALLY daring - is to make a loop from Yellowstone eastwards to Cody and then come back thru the Northeast Entrance. The Shoshone Highway is spectacular, Cody is a nice town with a historic downtown. Then you can take the Dead Indian Highway back to Cooke City and the Lamar Valley region of the park.
Personally, I would rec the latter. If you can do a little bit of hardpack dirt, there are options I can show you in Jackson Hole so that you have a different route out and back.
12-21-08, 08:46 AM
#3
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Nice photos jamawani. FWIW, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone were the highlights of my travels out west. A welcome break from the endless sagebrush vistas. The bad part is knuckleheads in mammoth motorhomes—generally towing something. Had I had a magic wand, they'd have all disappeared in a puff of smoke. Otherwise, very much worth the effort, as jamawani's photo's attest.
12-21-08, 10:48 AM
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Yes. Wonderful. Although when we did it we came from West Yellowstone, MT (nice KOA there with mini golf!) down through Idaho. Coming out of the (warm river?) valley was pretty hellish at the end of the day, but then we also had like 15 miles of NOTHING but rolling hills and high wind until we got to our stay in Ashton. Ashton to Victor was not a whole lot better, but the view from our campground of the back side of the Tetons and the ride over Teton Pass made it worth it. Teton is steep and pretty hard, it will be the hardest climbing of the trip. The descent is FAST FAST FAST make sure you are properly loaded and that your brakes are in good order. One of my companions hit 66mph on the descent. I got stuck behind a UHaul with badly smoking brakes that had to use the guard rail a few times to help it slow down.
