Wapiti Lake Trip - YNP - September 12, 2022
Nov 14, 2022 8:34:12 GMT -8
panatomicx, kayman, and 3 more like this
Post by scatman on Nov 14, 2022 8:34:12 GMT -8
This trip came the day after my Central Plateau day hike, and I was glad the first day was a short one because I was pretty tired from the day hike. This trip took us to Wrangler Lake for the first night at campsite 4W1 on a smoky day. On day day two, we headed to campsite 4B1 at Joseph's Coat Springs. This route was all off-trail, it included Sour Creek, the Bog Creek drainage, and finally dropping down into Joseph's Coat. Day three found us bushwhacking up Broad Creek in the rain until we reached the Wapiti Lake Trail. From there, we made our way to Wapiti Lake where we stayed for two nights. Day four was an eight mile day hike along Shallow Creek to the Hot Springs Basin Group. Our last day found us hiking all the way out from Wapiti to the Pelican Valley Trailhead, in a cold rain.
Here is our story:
Trip overview map
Day 1 - Wapiti Lake Trailhead to Wrangler Lake via the falls on Sour Creek
Before reaching the Wapiti Lake Trailhead, we had to shuttle vehicles, so this is
a shot looking out into Pelican Valley from the Pelican Valley Trailhead while I
waited for my ride to the Wapiti Lake Trailhead
Getting ready at the Wapiti Lake Trailhead, which was extremely crowded for
some reason
Heading out along the Wapiti Lake Trail through the northeast corner of Hayden
Valley
View to the north towards Mount Washburn
A look down into Hayden Valley, towards the Yellowstone River
A lone bull bison along the Howard Eaton Trail
The Howard Eaton Trail
The falls on Sour Creek - some call it the Falls of Hayden Valley
Off-trailing it back to the Wrangler Lake Trail
Sour Creek
Wrangler Lake Trail
Arriving at our campsite
Wrangler Lake
The bear pole at 4W1
Day 2 - Off-trail from Wrangler Lake to Joseph's Coat Springs
Wrangler Lake on the morning of day two
Crossing Sour Creek
The meadows along Sour Creek
A bend in Sour Creek
Bushwhacking to reach Bog Creek
Bog Creek
Gaining the ridge above Bog Creek
Looking back down towards the way we had come, at the meadows of Sour Creek
I just liked the looks of this rock out in the middle of nowhere
Reaching some thermal areas along Bog Creek
Still proceeding up Bog Creek
Interesting thermal feature along the creek
More Bog Creek
Some elk antlers along our route
We then turned off Bog Creek and followed a hot tributary through
more thermal areas
A large thermal area
Two different colored thermal pools
Heading back into the forest before reaching another thermal area
Thermal feature
Some small sulfur vents
One last thermal area
And back to the trees
Heading towards unnamed pond 8512
Lily pad covered pond 8512
Taking a break at the pond
Crossing the Wapiti Lake Trail before dropping down into Joseph's Coat Springs
More bushwhacking ahead
Arriving at the stream that will lead us to Joseph's Coat
Arriving at Joseph's Coat Springs
Joseph's Coat
Broad Creek flowing through the springs
Broad Creek
Joseph's Coat Springs
My tent at 4B1
Bison skull at the firepit
Lots of bones around camp
Elk carcass at camp
Day 3 - Joseph's Coat Springs to Wapiti Lake
Heading out in the rain
Time to head up Broad Creek
Broad Creek
Tall grass along the creek
We had to cross the creek a number of times
Back on the Wapiti Lake Trail
Trail junction signpost
Looking back on the meadows of Broad Creek
Wapiti Lake in the pouring rain
Day 4 - Day hike along Shallow Creek to the Hot Springs Basin Group
Wapiti Lake in the morning
The meadows along Shallow Creek
Stirred up some sandhill cranes
Some thermal features along Shallow Creek
Shallow Creek
The next group of images are all from the Hot Springs Basin Group - a place that could take a few days to explore thoroughly
Looking north and down on Shallow Creek
Heading back to camp along Shallow Creek
Back at Wapiti Lake
Day 5 - Wapiti Lake to the Pelican Valley Trailhead - a cold, rainy day
I left camp early on this one because I knew it would take me awhile to hike the 16.6 miles out, so I was by myself up until about a halfmile to go before the trailhead.
heading north from Wapiti, before turning and heading south
Meadows along a tributary of Shallow Creek, on the Pelican Creek Trail
Hard to see, but there are a group of sandhill cranes on top of the knob
Meadows along a tributary of Broad Creek
Butt pucker time! I ran into this bull around a corner of the trail
I got to herd this guy all the way to the meadows of Upper Pelican Creek
Meadows along upper Pelican Creek
Ran into another bull that I got to herd for about twenty minutes along Pelican
Creek
Time to ford Pelican Creek
This old bull paid me no attention
The meadows along Pelican Creek, at the end of the draw I'll be in Pelican Valley
proper
I started running into a lot of grizzly tracks just before entering Pelican Valley
Fresh tracks
Reaching Pelican Valley
Old junction sign for Pelican Creek
Large bison herd in the valley. A group of about forty of them stampeded
all around me coming off of a hill on the north end of the valley - a few
tense moments indeed.
The wide open Pelican Valley
The Astringent Creek trail junction signpost
More Pelican Valley
The old Pelican Creek Bridge
Lone tree in the valley
Wet trail
Arriving at the Pelican Valley Trailhead
The End.
Here is our story:
Trip overview map
Day 1 - Wapiti Lake Trailhead to Wrangler Lake via the falls on Sour Creek
Before reaching the Wapiti Lake Trailhead, we had to shuttle vehicles, so this is
a shot looking out into Pelican Valley from the Pelican Valley Trailhead while I
waited for my ride to the Wapiti Lake Trailhead
Getting ready at the Wapiti Lake Trailhead, which was extremely crowded for
some reason
Heading out along the Wapiti Lake Trail through the northeast corner of Hayden
Valley
View to the north towards Mount Washburn
A look down into Hayden Valley, towards the Yellowstone River
A lone bull bison along the Howard Eaton Trail
The Howard Eaton Trail
The falls on Sour Creek - some call it the Falls of Hayden Valley
Off-trailing it back to the Wrangler Lake Trail
Sour Creek
Wrangler Lake Trail
Arriving at our campsite
Wrangler Lake
The bear pole at 4W1
Day 2 - Off-trail from Wrangler Lake to Joseph's Coat Springs
Wrangler Lake on the morning of day two
Crossing Sour Creek
The meadows along Sour Creek
A bend in Sour Creek
Bushwhacking to reach Bog Creek
Bog Creek
Gaining the ridge above Bog Creek
Looking back down towards the way we had come, at the meadows of Sour Creek
I just liked the looks of this rock out in the middle of nowhere
Reaching some thermal areas along Bog Creek
Still proceeding up Bog Creek
Interesting thermal feature along the creek
More Bog Creek
Some elk antlers along our route
We then turned off Bog Creek and followed a hot tributary through
more thermal areas
A large thermal area
Two different colored thermal pools
Heading back into the forest before reaching another thermal area
Thermal feature
Some small sulfur vents
One last thermal area
And back to the trees
Heading towards unnamed pond 8512
Lily pad covered pond 8512
Taking a break at the pond
Crossing the Wapiti Lake Trail before dropping down into Joseph's Coat Springs
More bushwhacking ahead
Arriving at the stream that will lead us to Joseph's Coat
Arriving at Joseph's Coat Springs
Joseph's Coat
Broad Creek flowing through the springs
Broad Creek
Joseph's Coat Springs
My tent at 4B1
Bison skull at the firepit
Lots of bones around camp
Elk carcass at camp
Day 3 - Joseph's Coat Springs to Wapiti Lake
Heading out in the rain
Time to head up Broad Creek
Broad Creek
Tall grass along the creek
We had to cross the creek a number of times
Back on the Wapiti Lake Trail
Trail junction signpost
Looking back on the meadows of Broad Creek
Wapiti Lake in the pouring rain
Day 4 - Day hike along Shallow Creek to the Hot Springs Basin Group
Wapiti Lake in the morning
The meadows along Shallow Creek
Stirred up some sandhill cranes
Some thermal features along Shallow Creek
Shallow Creek
The next group of images are all from the Hot Springs Basin Group - a place that could take a few days to explore thoroughly
Looking north and down on Shallow Creek
Heading back to camp along Shallow Creek
Back at Wapiti Lake
Day 5 - Wapiti Lake to the Pelican Valley Trailhead - a cold, rainy day
I left camp early on this one because I knew it would take me awhile to hike the 16.6 miles out, so I was by myself up until about a halfmile to go before the trailhead.
heading north from Wapiti, before turning and heading south
Meadows along a tributary of Shallow Creek, on the Pelican Creek Trail
Hard to see, but there are a group of sandhill cranes on top of the knob
Meadows along a tributary of Broad Creek
Butt pucker time! I ran into this bull around a corner of the trail
I got to herd this guy all the way to the meadows of Upper Pelican Creek
Meadows along upper Pelican Creek
Ran into another bull that I got to herd for about twenty minutes along Pelican
Creek
Time to ford Pelican Creek
This old bull paid me no attention
The meadows along Pelican Creek, at the end of the draw I'll be in Pelican Valley
proper
I started running into a lot of grizzly tracks just before entering Pelican Valley
Fresh tracks
Reaching Pelican Valley
Old junction sign for Pelican Creek
Large bison herd in the valley. A group of about forty of them stampeded
all around me coming off of a hill on the north end of the valley - a few
tense moments indeed.
The wide open Pelican Valley
The Astringent Creek trail junction signpost
More Pelican Valley
The old Pelican Creek Bridge
Lone tree in the valley
Wet trail
Arriving at the Pelican Valley Trailhead
The End.
