- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 4,593
When my son asked me to plan a backpacking trip for this summer that he and his girlfriend could go on, I had originally wanted to backpack into Shoshone Lake and visit the geyser basin, but the criteria that he gave me didn't work out for the dates that were available so I instead planned a five day trip along the Chain of Lakes on the Central Plateau in Yellowstone. The Chain of Lakes includes Ice, Wolf, Grebe and Cascade Lakes from west to east. This would be a shuttle trip with us leaving a vehicle at the Grebe Lake Trailhead and then hiking in at the Ice Lake Trailhead. The distances between the lakes were short, so we included some day hikes into the mix, one being to Little Gibbon Falls, another around Wolf Lake, and finally a day hike from Grebe Lake to the summit of Observation Peak.
From a waterfowl perspective, this was a wonderful trip. We saw three great blue herons, numerous osprey, two loons at each lake, various ducks, sandhill cranes, and the swans at Grebe put on a show for us while we were camping there.
I haven't backpacked with my son in eight years, so I was excited to spend some time with Hugh II in the backcountry again. This would also be my son's girlfriend's first backpacking trip and Hugh wanted to keep it to short days so that Grace would have an enjoyable time.
Of course, I'll be extending this report to getting up to Yellowstone and some time spent in Jackson after completing our time in the backcountry, so grab hold and put your seatbelts on.
Getting there:
It is tradition when driving up for backpacking trips in Yellowstone to fuel up with breakfast at Sill's in Layton, UT. While we were driving up from Salt Lake, Hugh and Grace would be driving in to meet us at Old Faithful from Portland, OR.
Arriving at Sill's Cafe
I opened the door and this is what I see. So let's see if we can do some epic shite.
I had the ham and cheese omelet with hash browns and toast
We hit the historic part of Idaho Falls as I searched for some beer from Bombastic Brewery.
I was unsuccessful in my beer search, but I like the name of this business.
Dinner at Hank's in West Yellowstone
Arriving at the Old Faithful Lodge, this raven greets the Scat family upon getting out of our car
We stayed at the Lodge cabins the first night
The three stooges at Old Faithful geyser
Since I was hauling in a vintage external frame pack, I had to get this sticker at the
general store
Had to hold my hand over the setting sun for this shot of Old Faithful erupting
Trip overview map
Day 1 - Ice Lake Trailhead to Campsite 4D2
Very short first day as we would just follow the west and north shores of Ice Lake to campsite 4D2 on the east side of Ice. Before hitting the trailhead though, we enjoyed breakfast at the Old Faithful Inn.
Day one overview map
Heading to breakfast. Is this considered EPIC? Trying to do epic shite.
Starting to get Hayden Valley vibes here. 
Canada geese at the Old Faithful Geyser
Group shot at the Ice Lake Trailhead
Overexposed, but you get the idea - this pack can haul some gear, heading towards the west side of Ice Lake
Ice Lake
Trail junction. Howard Eaton Rocks!
On our way to 4D2
Arriving at 4D2 still intact.
Setting up our tent at 4D2
Sleeps three comfortably
The Scatman gold hammer! Yikes!
Time for the day hike to Little Gibbon Falls. Crossing the Gibbon River at this point
Trail junction sign
Little Gibbon Falls
Harebell and large mushroom at the falls
Nice to see he has the Scatman smile down.
I crossed the river again to get above the falls and get this shot.
The bear pole back at camp
Dusk on Ice Lake.
Day 2 - Ice Lake to Wolf Lake
Day 2 overview map
Another short day at almost three miles to campsite 4G7 on Wolf Lake. We took a short break on our way after crossing the Gibbon River for the second time.
While at Wolf Lake, it began to rain in the evening and rained continuously throughout the night.
Hugh II, getting water from Ice Lake for morning breakfast
Holy cow! This gold hammers has amazing similarities to Thor's hammer.
On our way to Wolf Lake. New lodgepoles from 1988 on either side of the trail.
Aster along the trail
Crossing the Gibbon River for the second time
Richard's geranium near our break spot
Wolf Lake through the trees
Outlet of Wolf Lake (Gibbon River)
One of the streams that flows into Wolf Lake, seen on our hike around the lake
Orange dragonfly on our way around the lake
We checked out campsite 4G6 while circling the lake
Fording the outlet to get back to camp
Relaxing at the firepit
Our tent at 4G7
Sheila can't do the Scat scowl.
The lone flower on the lily pads on Wolf Lake
Rain delay at Wolf
Day 3 - Wolf Lake to Grebe Lake
Second shortest day of the trip heading over to Grebe and campsite 4G4 on the north side of Grebe.
Day 3 overview map
Vintage! The Park Service had replaced this wonderful wooden sign with a shorter metal one.
Crossing the outlet again
Crossing an inlet to Wolf
One of many squirrels encountered on this trip
Setting up camp at Grebe
View from our tent to the lookout on Observation Peak
Testing out a new pillow by Sea to Summit. Katie didn't like it after using it the night before.
There were two swans and one cygnet on the lake while we were there.
After paddling around a small area to the northeast of us, they then came on shore near our eating area.
The female kept showing me the bottom of her foot
Pure vintage - sign and pack.
I then took a walk down the outlet of Grebe Lake
Lily pad covered outlet to Grebe
Shots along the outlet
Western fringe gentian
Swans back on the lake when I returned from the outlet
Silhouettes of two squirrels quarreling with one another at camp
Day 4 - Day Hike from Grebe to the Summit of Observation Peak
All of us headed over to Cascade Lake, but only Hugh II and I summited Observation Peak
Day 4 overview map
This should get me to the top of Observation
Leaving Grebe Lake
Only a couple of miles to Cascade from the trail junction
Pearly everlasting
West shore of Cascade Lake ahead
Cascade Lake and our trail
Mileage sign for Observation Peak Trail
Lupine along the trail
Getting up above Cascade Lake with Hayden Valley off in the distance
Grebe lake below
View to the east from the trail towards Hedges Peak
Big mushrooms on Observation Peak
The firepit at campsite 4P1
Benchmark on Observation Peak
We made it.
White Peaks, Mount Holmes and Dome Mountain to the west
Electric Peak to the northwest
@TractorDoc , I think I found the old Army Trail from Observation to Cook Peak and beyond.
Looking down on our tent at Grebe Lake
Wolf Lake
Ice Lake
A hawk soars near eye level with Norris Geyser Basin in the distance
Cook Peak to the north
Hammer Time! Can't touch this.
On our way back down the mountain, looking over into the Tower Creek Drainage
Dropping down to Cascade
View from the trail between Cascade and Grebe Lakes
I took this same picture back in 2019
2019 shot
Back at Grebe
Two classics.
At dinner time, the swans were back on land just to the south of the eating area.
And then they came right into camp
And spent some time just watching us eat.
And then back to the lake. Truly amazing and worth the price of admission.
A sandhill crane across the lake later in the evening
Day 5 - Grebe Lake to the Grebe Lake Trailhead
Day 5 overview map
Longest day of the trip not counting Observation Peak. Pretty easy hike out to the car.
Is that going to be enough calories? I liked these and will eat them again in the future.
First one must find the trail.
So long Grebe Lake
The Big Cheese
Passing through and open area on our way to the trailhead
Map of area at the Grebe Lake Trailhead
The Jansport D2 external frame pack made it.
@Rockskipper , I'm pretty sure that's a mule on that can.
We then drove south through Hayden Valley and along Yellowstone Lake and then on to Signal Mountain Lodge
For The Signal Mountain of Nachos!
Not just one order, but two!
Not as nice as the Dusty Mule, but anytime you have a grizz calling out for beer then you know it's got to be okay.
After Signal Mountain, we drove to Jackson and checked into our motel for the night. The next day we shopped around Jackson.
Breakfast at the Virginian
A spinach, jalapeno and pepper jack omelet for starters. They used to serve this with sliced red potatoes, so this was a downgrade in
my view.
Wall shot at the Virginian of the grizzlies feeding at the Canyon platform back in the day.
Then on to Moos for a Oreo malt with dark malt. I was in heaven!
And some Zonker Stout ice cream for dessert.
Jackson Wildlife
And on to the Cowboy Bar
Then
And now.
Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin', rawhide
Through rain and wind and weather
Hell bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side
All the things I'm missin'
Good vittles, love, and kissin'
Are waiting at the end of my ride
Move 'em out, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!
And to finish our day, some dinner at the Merry Piglets
The real bikini pose @Rockskipper. Nothing says bikini pose like merry pigs in bikinis.
And then on to Logan, UT
If you see this truck, just follow it to the end of the rainbow. It leads to this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aggie Ice Cream and a Cookie Overload!
Mount Logan and Logan Peak from Aggie Ice Cream
More Vintage! The Utah Theatre on Center Street was there when I went to school in
Logan. And look at what's playing - Jaws! Vintage!
And last but not least, we stopped in Willard at Grammy's for peaches, pears, squash and corn before completing our journey back
in Salt Lake,
The End.
From a waterfowl perspective, this was a wonderful trip. We saw three great blue herons, numerous osprey, two loons at each lake, various ducks, sandhill cranes, and the swans at Grebe put on a show for us while we were camping there.
I haven't backpacked with my son in eight years, so I was excited to spend some time with Hugh II in the backcountry again. This would also be my son's girlfriend's first backpacking trip and Hugh wanted to keep it to short days so that Grace would have an enjoyable time.
Of course, I'll be extending this report to getting up to Yellowstone and some time spent in Jackson after completing our time in the backcountry, so grab hold and put your seatbelts on.
Getting there:
It is tradition when driving up for backpacking trips in Yellowstone to fuel up with breakfast at Sill's in Layton, UT. While we were driving up from Salt Lake, Hugh and Grace would be driving in to meet us at Old Faithful from Portland, OR.
Arriving at Sill's Cafe
I opened the door and this is what I see. So let's see if we can do some epic shite.
I had the ham and cheese omelet with hash browns and toast
We hit the historic part of Idaho Falls as I searched for some beer from Bombastic Brewery.
I was unsuccessful in my beer search, but I like the name of this business.
Dinner at Hank's in West Yellowstone
Arriving at the Old Faithful Lodge, this raven greets the Scat family upon getting out of our car
We stayed at the Lodge cabins the first night
The three stooges at Old Faithful geyser
Since I was hauling in a vintage external frame pack, I had to get this sticker at the
general store
Had to hold my hand over the setting sun for this shot of Old Faithful erupting
Trip overview map
Day 1 - Ice Lake Trailhead to Campsite 4D2
Very short first day as we would just follow the west and north shores of Ice Lake to campsite 4D2 on the east side of Ice. Before hitting the trailhead though, we enjoyed breakfast at the Old Faithful Inn.
Day one overview map
Heading to breakfast. Is this considered EPIC? Trying to do epic shite.
Starting to get Hayden Valley vibes here. Canada geese at the Old Faithful Geyser
Group shot at the Ice Lake Trailhead
Overexposed, but you get the idea - this pack can haul some gear, heading towards the west side of Ice Lake
Ice Lake
Trail junction. Howard Eaton Rocks!
On our way to 4D2
Arriving at 4D2 still intact.
Setting up our tent at 4D2
Sleeps three comfortably
The Scatman gold hammer! Yikes!
Time for the day hike to Little Gibbon Falls. Crossing the Gibbon River at this point
Trail junction sign
Little Gibbon Falls
Harebell and large mushroom at the falls
Nice to see he has the Scatman smile down.
I crossed the river again to get above the falls and get this shot.
The bear pole back at camp
Dusk on Ice Lake.
Day 2 - Ice Lake to Wolf Lake
Day 2 overview map
Another short day at almost three miles to campsite 4G7 on Wolf Lake. We took a short break on our way after crossing the Gibbon River for the second time.
While at Wolf Lake, it began to rain in the evening and rained continuously throughout the night.
Hugh II, getting water from Ice Lake for morning breakfast
Holy cow! This gold hammers has amazing similarities to Thor's hammer.
On our way to Wolf Lake. New lodgepoles from 1988 on either side of the trail.
Aster along the trail
Crossing the Gibbon River for the second time
Richard's geranium near our break spot
Wolf Lake through the trees
Outlet of Wolf Lake (Gibbon River)
One of the streams that flows into Wolf Lake, seen on our hike around the lake
Orange dragonfly on our way around the lake
We checked out campsite 4G6 while circling the lake
Fording the outlet to get back to camp
Relaxing at the firepit
Our tent at 4G7
Sheila can't do the Scat scowl.
The lone flower on the lily pads on Wolf Lake
Rain delay at Wolf
Day 3 - Wolf Lake to Grebe Lake
Second shortest day of the trip heading over to Grebe and campsite 4G4 on the north side of Grebe.
Day 3 overview map
Vintage! The Park Service had replaced this wonderful wooden sign with a shorter metal one.
Crossing the outlet again
Crossing an inlet to Wolf
One of many squirrels encountered on this trip
Setting up camp at Grebe
View from our tent to the lookout on Observation Peak
Testing out a new pillow by Sea to Summit. Katie didn't like it after using it the night before.
There were two swans and one cygnet on the lake while we were there.
After paddling around a small area to the northeast of us, they then came on shore near our eating area.
The female kept showing me the bottom of her foot
Pure vintage - sign and pack.
I then took a walk down the outlet of Grebe Lake
Lily pad covered outlet to Grebe
Shots along the outlet
Western fringe gentian
Swans back on the lake when I returned from the outlet
Silhouettes of two squirrels quarreling with one another at camp
Day 4 - Day Hike from Grebe to the Summit of Observation Peak
All of us headed over to Cascade Lake, but only Hugh II and I summited Observation Peak
Day 4 overview map
This should get me to the top of Observation
Leaving Grebe Lake
Only a couple of miles to Cascade from the trail junction
Pearly everlasting
West shore of Cascade Lake ahead
Cascade Lake and our trail
Mileage sign for Observation Peak Trail
Lupine along the trail
Getting up above Cascade Lake with Hayden Valley off in the distance
Grebe lake below
View to the east from the trail towards Hedges Peak
Big mushrooms on Observation Peak
The firepit at campsite 4P1
Benchmark on Observation Peak
We made it.
White Peaks, Mount Holmes and Dome Mountain to the west
Electric Peak to the northwest
@TractorDoc , I think I found the old Army Trail from Observation to Cook Peak and beyond.
Looking down on our tent at Grebe Lake
Wolf Lake
Ice Lake
A hawk soars near eye level with Norris Geyser Basin in the distance
Cook Peak to the north
Hammer Time! Can't touch this.
On our way back down the mountain, looking over into the Tower Creek Drainage
Dropping down to Cascade
View from the trail between Cascade and Grebe Lakes
I took this same picture back in 2019
2019 shot
Back at Grebe
Two classics.
At dinner time, the swans were back on land just to the south of the eating area.
And then they came right into camp
And spent some time just watching us eat.
And then back to the lake. Truly amazing and worth the price of admission.
A sandhill crane across the lake later in the evening
Day 5 - Grebe Lake to the Grebe Lake Trailhead
Day 5 overview map
Longest day of the trip not counting Observation Peak. Pretty easy hike out to the car.
Is that going to be enough calories? I liked these and will eat them again in the future.
First one must find the trail.
So long Grebe Lake
The Big Cheese
Passing through and open area on our way to the trailhead
Map of area at the Grebe Lake Trailhead
The Jansport D2 external frame pack made it.
@Rockskipper , I'm pretty sure that's a mule on that can.
We then drove south through Hayden Valley and along Yellowstone Lake and then on to Signal Mountain Lodge
For The Signal Mountain of Nachos!
Not just one order, but two!
Not as nice as the Dusty Mule, but anytime you have a grizz calling out for beer then you know it's got to be okay.
After Signal Mountain, we drove to Jackson and checked into our motel for the night. The next day we shopped around Jackson.
Breakfast at the Virginian
A spinach, jalapeno and pepper jack omelet for starters. They used to serve this with sliced red potatoes, so this was a downgrade in
my view.
Wall shot at the Virginian of the grizzlies feeding at the Canyon platform back in the day.
Then on to Moos for a Oreo malt with dark malt. I was in heaven!
And some Zonker Stout ice cream for dessert.
Jackson Wildlife
And on to the Cowboy Bar
Then
And now.
Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin', rawhide
Through rain and wind and weather
Hell bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side
All the things I'm missin'
Good vittles, love, and kissin'
Are waiting at the end of my ride
Move 'em out, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!
And to finish our day, some dinner at the Merry Piglets
The real bikini pose @Rockskipper. Nothing says bikini pose like merry pigs in bikinis.
And then on to Logan, UT
If you see this truck, just follow it to the end of the rainbow. It leads to this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aggie Ice Cream and a Cookie Overload!
Mount Logan and Logan Peak from Aggie Ice Cream
More Vintage! The Utah Theatre on Center Street was there when I went to school in
Logan. And look at what's playing - Jaws! Vintage!
And last but not least, we stopped in Willard at Grammy's for peaches, pears, squash and corn before completing our journey back
in Salt Lake,
The End.
Last edited:
