Lamar River, Mist Creek, Pelican Valley, Hot Springs Basin, Rainbow Springs and Joseph Coat Springs

Keith

Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2014
Messages
75
@Joey and I completed a 7 day backpacking trip Sept 27th to Oct 3rd in Yellowstone. We started at the Lamar River trailhead, followed the Lamar River and Mist Creek, went over Mist Pass, through Pelican Valley to Wapiti Lake, around Hot Springs Basin and Rainbow Springs, down Broad Creek, around Joseph Coat Springs and finally to Canyon. It provided a complete mix of Yellowstone experiences – wildlife, rivers, passes, meadows, springs and thermals. We prepared for cold weather and rain by bringing lots of gear and lots of food. It would mean heavy backpacks!

Day 1 – Lamar Valley

We only planned about 5 miles on the first day but ended up going closer to 6 after going around a bison herd. I had spent the previous night at Madison and @Joey at the South Entrance. I spent a few hours that morning kicking around 100 Springs Plain (the other basin at Norris) while @Joey got out permits. 100 Springs Plain is interesting – especially the old signs:

IMG_1075.JPG

IMG_1090.JPG

IMG_1103.JPG

IMG_1084.JPG

IMG_1085.JPG

IMG_1105.JPG

IMG_1117.JPG

I particularly enjoyed Cinder Pool that has black sulfur beads floating on it:

IMG_1095.JPG


We met at Canyon, made our final preparations and then pre-positioned @Joey's van at the Wapiti trailhead before heading to the Lamar River trailhead. It was a pretty windy start but Lamar Valley is beautiful:

IMG_1160.JPG

I have a suspicion that something interesting can be found in these exposed cliffs – something I hope to explore next summer:

IMG_1158.JPG

About a mile into the trip we ran into two guys coming back down. They would be the first 2 of 8 people we would see that week. They didn’t warn us about the bison herd just over the hill:

IMG_1162.JPG

We made a couple attempts to go through the herd but the bison were intent on making us go around. We first attempted to go around to the right (the flatter portion) but we kept finding more. We eventually resolved to go over the hill to the left but a male shadowed us for about 200 yards so we had to go VERY wide to the left. It was not a fun way to start the trip but avoiding wildlife became a common experience on the trip.

We arrived at the campsite, set everything up and enjoyed a nice fire. We took in the lunar eclipse before going to bed. That was a special treat and my second lunar eclipse in the park – the first being during the winter 5 or 6 years ago:

IMG_1179.JPG

Day 2 – Lamar Valley

Day 2 was a little more ambitious at just under 12 miles. It started off with a thrill as we headed up the hill to the main trail I didn’t notice a bison waiting for us at the top. I heard it before I saw it charging me. When it was about 15 feet away I turned and ran back towards @Joey. He then snapped a good picture:

12087844_10153676835214766_3253173054986186848_o.jpg

We spent the entire day following the Lamar River:

IMG_1184.JPG
IMG_1202.JPG

I especially enjoyed our breaks relaxing soaking in the scenery:

12069000_10153676251634766_4833880828733965460_o.jpg

The rangers had warned us the camp site before ours was closed due to a carcass so of course we had to check it out. I had packed 3 bear sprays (I had intended to bring 1 spare but accidentally packed 2) spares) so we went in fully armed making a lot of noise. There was no longer a sign so I figured it had been cleared – flawless logic I’m sure. All we could find was a dug out fire pit:

IMG_1213.JPG

We did find an impressive amount of bear scat – including one with a bone fragment in it. Aside from the morning excitement, it was a delightfully uneventful day as we enjoyed hiking in the sun along the river and taking in the scenery.

Day 3 – Mist Creek

Day 3 started off pretty cold – our water bottles froze up. We only planned 5 miles but it was a section of the park that was new to both of us so we took our time enjoying the creeks, the meadows and the views:

IMG_1229.JPG IMG_1236.JPG IMG_1241.JPG

We left the Lamar River and switched over the Mist Creek which would lead us closer to Pelican Valley.

Our campsite was in a large picturesque meadow in a valley about a mile from Mist Creek Pass:

IMG_1254.JPG

We had hoped to see wildlife but were disappointed to find very little. We were starting to think the bears were getting ready for the government to shut down again. We even walked a good portion of the meadow at dusk but struck out.


Day 4 – Mist Creek Pass, Pelican Valley, Wapiti Lake

Day 4 was to be our longest at over 15 miles but it also promised to offer the most variety in scenery. It was colder than the night before so we waited for the sun to hit our tent before getting up. Joey spotted a deer in the meadow and elk in the hill above the valley so that was a good omen:

IMG_1266.JPG

We had a little over a mile climb to get to the top of Mist Creek Pass and the views looking back at the meadow were memorable:

IMG_1267.JPG IMG_1268.JPG

We also had great views to the east and south – Pelican Valley, Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb, Mount Sheridan, the Tetons and more:

IMG_1275.JPG

Our phones worked well enough at the pass to contact my wife and let her know we were alive. We also checked on football scores (Go Hawks!) and even a little Facebook with @scatman. At the bottom of the pass is Pelican Valley and we headed north through the heart of it. It seemed like every hill and turn we encountered a bison and had to give them a wide berth. Our 15 miles was getting hotter and longer! As we approached Raven Creek, Joey spotted a grizzly in the distance close to the trail. He has better pictures but here is mine:

IMG_1280.JPG

The grizzly stood up and checked us out which wasn’t very comforting. We crossed the creek, gave it a lot of distance and then took some pictures and video. @Joey then saw a second head pop up and he realized it was a sow with a cub. We packed up the cameras and walked very wide around her. The 15 miles was getting longer! We reached the edge of the valley, climbed a hill and enjoyed lunch with a view of the valley:

IMG_1289.JPG

I had half a bag of tuna and packed the remainder up in a ziplock bag.

The Pelican trail continues north popping in and out of meadows. It looks flat on a map but it’s surprisingly up and down and windy. Our 15 miles was getting longer! We visited a number of thermals along the trail:

IMG_1294.JPG IMG_1302.JPG IMG_1304.JPG

A few miles later we ran into a couple out for a day trip. I think @Joey subsequently figured at least one of them reads BCP. They told us they had recently visited Rainbow Springs and we told them we were headed that way as well. By now we were getting somewhat concerned about daylight. We had to keep dodging bison – our 15 miles was getting longer! We eventually came across the most impressive mud pot I’ve ever seen:


At this point we still had about 5 miles to go and were running low on daylight. With about 2.5 miles remaining we took a final break. I opened my food bag and realized my half eaten tuna had leaked all over my food bag. To make matters worse my phone was in there too! I was pretty angry with myself and without giving it much thought I dumped out the remaining tuna too close to the trail. Joey chastised me and we carried on. About a mile later a black wolf ran across the trail about 50 feet in front of us. It was exhilarating but it happened too quickly to take a picture. We later hypothesized that he went back to enjoy my tuna. We named him Ralph – he would become a big topic of conversation between Joey and me for the remainder of the trip. We figured he developed a taste for fish and starting fishing the Pelican River – especially after the pack chased him out for not sharing the tuna. We finally reached camp at Wapiti Lake with about 30 minutes of daylight so that was plenty of time to setup the tent and gather firewood so our “15 mile” day worked out perfectly. The woods near Wapiti are old growth, cool and creepy. The campsite is on a peninsula so all in all the area is very scenic.

That night the rain would start.

Day 5 – Hot Springs Basin and Rainbow Springs

I was enjoying the entire trip but I was really looking forward to Hot Springs Basin. I missed @Scatman’s trip their last fall because of a family wedding. @Joey was also interested in seeing Rainbow Spring a few miles deeper so we had several fun activities planned. It was raining as we departed but it wasn’t too cold. I was OK with it being from Seattle but @Joey wasn’t too pleased:

IMG_1332.JPG

We started by following Shallow Creek through a few thermals:

IMG_1333.JPG IMG_1340.JPG

We eventually reached the biggest thermal area and investigated the southern half:

IMG_1351.JPG

We then headed east to the second biggest area that @Joey calls a Caribbean lake. I’m sure the pictures would have been more impressive with sunlight:

IMG_1360.JPG

We then returned to the bigger area and explored the northern section which ended up being quite spectacular:

IMG_1373.JPG IMG_1375.JPG IMG_1382.JPG

It was then time to bushwhack a couple miles through the woods to Rainbow Springs. We didn’t know exactly what they would look like but had a pretty good idea of where they were located. We managed to find them without too much trouble. It’s not a huge area but it has some interesting features:

IMG_1384.JPG IMG_1387.JPG

This one is very interesting – the water flows all the way through this and down out at the bottom:

IMG_1391.JPG

I hope this isn’t the result of vandalism – the top of the cone is broken off and a few feet from the bottom of the feature (not seen here):

IMG_1399.JPG

We found the hot spring you can sit under – it even has built in seats:

IMG_1410.JPG

The foot prints that go up and to the right were not ours.

Once again we were running out of daylight so we had to get going back to camp. We decided on a more straightforward route to Wapiti Lake but we did divert a little for some other thermals. This lake was very hot and we gave it distance:

IMG_1421.JPG IMG_1424.JPG

We got back to camp with plenty of daylight and @Joey decided we needed to fix up camp and arrange the foot prep logs more optimally. They were previously laid out in a very strange formation:

IMG_1428.JPG

Day 6 – Broad Creek, Joseph Coat Springs

Day 6 would be mostly off trail with the backpacks in the rain. We followed the trail south from Wapiti for a little over a mile before breaking away and heading south down Broad Creek to 4B2 and eventually 4B1. We would spend the next 4 or so miles following Broad Creek through Broad Creek and its meadows which took us close to some thermal areas:

IMG_1432.JPG IMG_1434.JPG IMG_1436.JPG

We spent a little time looking for 4B2 but with the rain we were not in the mood for a protracted search. The rangers had indicated there was no sign of it remaining but when did we listen to rangers telling us no :)

I really enjoyed bushwhacking down Broad Creek but we gave up on keeping dry. The constant river crossings are bearable but the constant rain was a little annoying. Fortunately we were prepared with lots of clothing and food.

As we approached Joseph Coat Springs, Joey spotted 4B1 well before where I thought it would be according to my GPS data. The antlers helped:

IMG_1440.JPG

We spent about 45 minutes in the rain hoping for a break to set up the tent. We eventually gave up and put it up in the rain. It was 5PM. I was cold. I went to bed. @Joey ate and explored the springs. I had explored them extensively 2 years earlier so I was happy being dry and warm working on crosswords. It turns out my phone works better at Joseph Coat than it does in the front country. @Joey called his dad to get the weather forecast – it wasn’t very encouraging.

Day 7 – Bad Weather, Early return to Canyon

It rained all night. We had planned a return trip to Fairyland (we were there 3 years ago) but with the cold and rain we decided to get back to civilization. After 16 hours in the tent, we packed up in the rain and headed up the hill. We took in a few thermals – @Joey got a good picture of me:

11143281_10153676270299766_4402819333545730431_o.jpg

I took good film of him:


The climb out of Joseph back to the trail is a little over 2 miles. The rain alternated between drizzle and hard but we pressed on. Our feet were soaked but we stopped for food to reenergize ourselves. After reaching the trial it’s about 1 mile to 4M2 and then another 8 back to the road. We had both travelled that section a few times so I was pretty much on auto pilot to get back to the car. There are some pretty meadows as you get closer to Canyon. As we started down the final hill back to the car, I told @Joey it was all downhill from here. I was wrong. We saw people at the trailhead looking back up and a ranger coming closer to us in the distance. Then it occurred to me they were looking at something – then I noticed the grizzly in the trail about 100 yards ahead of us. It stood up and looked at us – we backed up and went very far off trail to get back to the car.

IMG_1451.JPG

It was time for quick coffee stop at Canyon and then over Dunraven to get back to my car. Then things got really exciting:

IMG_1465.JPG

The tow truck took us to my car and then I followed it and @Joey’s van to Gardiner.

IMG_1468.JPG

It was 5PM -- time for a quick shower before the 12 hour drive back to Seattle. I got home at 6AM, slept 4 hours and then watched football all day!

Featured image for home page:
slide.jpg

 
Last edited:
@Keith - Great report! You didn't let @Joey talk you into avoiding those bison did you? My advice is to just plow right through; bend them to your will so to speak. ;) Or you could use the Danny method and fire off your air horn when right in the middle of the herd and see what chaos ensues.

Pelican Valley is a special place. It's only fitting that you got to see a grizzly while passing through. The two times that I have been through the valley, it was really windy also.

Tell me more about Rainbow Springs. Can you soak in Wrong Creek where the warm water meets the cold? Did you guys try this? It sure looks like an interesting place.

What was the campsite by Joseph's Coat Springs like? Is it nice? Did the Ranger in the backcountry office give you a coordinate for the location, or did you just have to search for it?
 
Great Keith! Thanks.
Tell me, how does one effectively deploy three cans of pepper spray when one only has two hands. Mouthpiece? Codpiece?
 
@Keith - Great report! You didn't let @Joey talk you into avoiding those bison did you? My advice is to just plow right through; bend them to your will so to speak. ;) Or you could use the Danny method and fire off your air horn when right in the middle of the herd and see what chaos ensues.

We discussed both methods but took the @Joey/@Keith long way around method. What's an extra hour and mile on the trail when in paradise?

Pelican Valley is a special place. It's only fitting that you got to see a grizzly while passing through. The two times that I have been through the valley, it was really windy also.

I don't recall wind -- just the sun beating down on me. I probably would have walked right up to the bear -- @Joey is much better at spotting them. It was pretty thrilling -- my first bear in the backcountry!

Tell me more about Rainbow Springs. Can you soak in Wrong Creek where the warm water meets the cold? Did you guys try this? It sure looks like an interesting place.

I wish I had a picture of the hot springs flowing into the river. There certainly are plenty of places to sit down to each side of where I'm standing in this picture -- including some built in seats. There are various features flowing into Wrong Creek. It's pretty cool.

IMG_1415.JPG

I'll send you the route we took there and back. I used many of your Hot Springs Basin points getting there -- many thanks!

What was the campsite by Joseph's Coat Springs like? Is it nice? Did the Ranger in the backcountry office give you a coordinate for the location, or did you just have to search for it?

We just kind of stumbled upon it. I thought we might struggle to find it. We were walking down Broad Creek approaching the area and @Joey saw antlers and I said "there are antlers in 4B1" and boom there it was! It's up stream of where I thought it would be. I will send you the GPS coordinates. Here are more pictures. This is from across Broad Creek -- it's not flat. The site marker is in this picture but it's hard to pick out in the compressed image.

IMG_1440.JPG

There are two markers -- this faces the creek:

IMG_1442.JPG

This faces up the hill (towards 4M2):

IMG_1443.JPG

Over the top of the hill:

IMG_1445.JPG

Further up the hill:

IMG_1447.JPG

I already want to go back.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1444.JPG
    IMG_1444.JPG
    162.8 KB · Views: 8
Keith - Great report! You didn't let @Joey talk you into avoiding those bison did you? My advice is to just plow right through; bend them to your will so to speak. ;)
I told him that you would just walk right through them like the parting of the seas. :) He probably would have done it if it wasn't for me talking him out of it.
 
Thanks for writing this report up @Keith . And thanks for making this a great trip. And thanks especially for helping with the tow. Keith covered the cost of my van getting towed to Gardiner ($450), and was reimbursed by Triple A.

We had great weather the first few days. The last few days not so much. 3 days with no sun is about as much as I can handle.

This was my first time going up Mist Creek and over the pass. The meadows where we camped were beautiful. Both of those campsites are 5 star in my opinion - 3T3 and 3T2.

The Wapiti Lake area is one of my favorite places in the park. Beautiful meadows, big game, endless thermal basins, hard woods, little burn area, and few people. Even though I enjoy the dark woods coming over from Canyon, either the Astringent Creek Trail or the Pelican Creek Trail are my favorite ways to reach that area. And that campsite on the peninsula is awesome!

This was also my first time accessing Joseph's Coat via Broad Creek. Really, really beautiful area, even in the rain. I think it was the biggest surprise of the trip. There is no trail down the creek, but its pretty straight forward, follow the creek down.

Joseph's Coat is such a cool place. So is Hot Springs Basin Group. It was a bummer we didn't get down to Fairyland, but that place has become like a "notch on one's belt" for Yellowstone hikers, and it's quite boring compared to the other areas. Joseph's Coat is just plain awesome!

I was surprised that we didn't see more wildlife, and at how quiet every night was. The last 10 days down in the Thorofare was a "war zone" every night. And that last grizzly was a lot closer than 100 yards when we saw him :).

I've got a few pictures from the trip here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153676243659766.1073741875.672719765&type=1&l=22c5cddf66

Looking forward to next year's adventures.
 
Last edited:
Great report. Bummer the weather turned like that.
 
Thanks for writing this report up @Keith . Keith covered the cost of my van getting towed to Gardiner ($450), and was reimbursed by Triple A..

Triple A is pretty awesome -- my family uses a lot more of their services than we pay for.

This was my first time going up Mist Creek and over the pass. The meadows where we camped were beautiful. Both of those campsites are 5 star in my opinion - 3T3 and 3T2.

Definitely one of the surprise hits of the trip -- especially the meadow and the pass.

The Wapiti Lake area is one of my favorite places in the park.

Agreed all around -- I need to take my family up there!

This was also my first time accessing Joseph's Coat via Broad Creek.

Really fun stomping off trail -- all of it.

Looking forward to next year's adventures.

September? Canyon to Mammoth? Spruce Creek?
 
September? Canyon to Mammoth? Spruce Creek?
How about Fawn Pass, Sportsman Lake, and the Sky Rim Trail? Or maybe Pebble Creek to Mammoth? The 2 you mention might be better in August, when the weather is less likely to snow.
 
fantastic report - thanks for sharing!
 
How about Fawn Pass, Sportsman Lake, and the Sky Rim Trail? Or maybe Pebble Creek to Mammoth? The 2 you mention might be better in August, when the weather is less likely to snow.

@scatman told me to reserve August :). Both your suggestions sound great but I would lean towards Fawn/Sportsman/Sky Rim.
 
Joey and Keith, your video inspired me to try this hike. We were to try the Lamar River trail to Mist creek pass and then explore the Thermals along Pelican creek. Unfortunately, we over estimated our hiking abilities and only made it down to 3F1. This hike was harder than I anticipated but the views were absolutely gorgeous. Thank-You for the kick in the pants to get me out to Yellowstone. I do hope to return there one day and do some more exploring, it is just a bit far from Chicago. Your video was first class and I do look forward to watching more of them. Maybe even try out another of your favorite hikes. Thanks again and here's to maybe running into you one day on the trail.
C'ya
Cory
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
travel2walk Lamar River, Pelican Valley, & Speciman Ridge loop - Yellowstone, Jun 29 to Jul 3, 2021 Backpacking 15
BackpackingtheSierras Republic Pass Trail North Absaroka into Yellowstone Cache Creek and Lamar River Trip Planning 1
beaver-one Yellowstone advice: Lamar River - Pelican Valley - Mirror Plateau loop this summer Trip Planning 6
TheMountainRabbit Lamar River, Mirror Plateau, and Pelican Valley (Yellowstone NP) - mid-September 2020 Backpacking 28
scatman Mirror Plateau and the Lamar River Loop - Yellowstone National Park - July 7, 2016 Backpacking 38
Jon Carbaugh Yellowstone, Lamar River - August 2015 Backpacking 12
scatman Invite Mirror Plateau - Upper Lamar River - Hoodoo Basin - Yellowstone National Park Meet Up (Members Only) 27
Joey Yellowstone's Lamar River, Hoodoo Basin, and Eastern Boundary Loop Backpacking 24
P June Lamar overnight Backpacking 1
swmalone Questions about Lamar Valley Hikes Trip Planning 9
H Yellowstone/Beartooths Mid-July - Lamar Valley or Bearthooths? Or something else? Trip Planning 6
Nick Lamar Valley, Mammoth & Fairy Falls Hiking & Camping 7
fossana Colorado River talks in Springdale, UT (March 27th, April 5th) General Discussion 4
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Gallatin River -- September 7-9th 2023 Backpacking 12
BJett Rockcastle River No Shuttle Packrafting - Kentucky On The Water 2
Janice Such a GRAND Canyon - Deer Creek / Tapeats / Thunder River Backpacking 21
Kullaberg63 Suggestions for Escalante east of river, south of Choprock Trip Planning 4
scatman The Gallatin River, Bighorn and Fawn Passes, Yellowstone National Park - September 7, 2023 Backpacking 14
shredhiker Thorofare, Heart Lake, Snake River Sept. 2023 Backpacking 15
Ugly Headless Valley- Film about traveling the Nahanni River General Discussion 5
meowtaingal Wind river high route mid september Trip Planning 7
BJett Packrafting the Obed National Wild & Scenic River - Tennessee On The Water 1
kwc Savage River, Denali NP Hiking & Camping 1
D Wind River offtrail route questions Trip Planning 28
Rockskipper You think you found a pithouse, or maybe an Ancestral Puebloan tower near Green River, UT? It's maybe something even more interesting... General Discussion 3
SteveR Sheep River Road Ride on May Day Everything Else 2
F Upper Escalante River Backpack conditions Trip Planning 6
W Greetings from the West Side of the Winds (Wind River range) Noobs: Introduce yourself! 5
marquiri Wind River Range - Angel Pass Trip Planning 24
Writhdar Day hikes in the White Clouds and Lost River Range Hiking & Camping 1
BJett Packrafting the Cumberland River Below the Falls - Kentucky On The Water 6
Mikjik86 Backpacking The Wind River Range - Wyoming, September 2022 Trip Reports 3
kwc Cedar River Flow, Central Adirondacks On The Water 1
kwc Fall paddle on the West Branch of the Sacandaga River 10/23/22 On The Water 0
Jackson Heart Lake and Snake River for Labor Day Backpacking 23
Stephanie B Dirty Devil River Impassible at Poison Springs Canyon Off Road 0
R Wind River Range: Green River Lakes/Clarks Trail/Porcupine Creek Trail Trip Planning 3
BJett Amazing Appalachians - Backpacking/Packrafting the AT and Nantahala River Backpacking 5
Georgia Yankee Snake River; Wolverine, Coulter, Pilgrim Creeks, July-Aug. 2022 Backpacking 18
Mikjik86 Another Wind River Trip Planning! Elkhart/Titcomb/Knapsack/Shannons Pass loop back to Elkhart, or continue to Green River Lakes Trailhead? Trip Planning 10
wsp_scott Wind River Range Sept 2021 (part 2) Backpacking 4
wsp_scott Wind River Range Sept 2021 (part 1) Backpacking 16
WasatchWill WRHR - Day 7: Beaver Park to Green River Lakes Backpacking 15
BJett Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Packraft/Backpack Loop (TN) Backpacking 6
BJett Red River Gorge/Red Byrd Arch Packraft Trip - Kentucky Hiking & Camping 9
scatman Gila River - Gila Wilderness, New Mexico - April 18, 2022 Backpacking 61
B Wind river range mid sept. Trip Planning 8
andyjaggy Wind River Range Roberts Mountain Trip Planning 4
Rockskipper Application Period Open For 2023 Private River Trips Through Grand Canyon National Park General Discussion 0
marquiri Wind River Range - September 2022 Trip Planning 31

Similar threads

Back
Top