shredhiker
Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2023
- Messages
- 188
We'd talked about hiking Pebble Creek for a few years, even had a permit for it one year which was canceled due to the 2022 flood. After a pretty tough Bechler hike in 2024, I promised my wife we'd do something easy the following year. I set my sights on spreading this hike out over a few days, got a decent spot in the permit lottery, and was able to secure campsites for our August travel window. We flew into Idaho Falls, did our usual bear spray, camp fuel & grocery run, then made our way to Madison campground to spend a couple or nights.
We made good enough time getting camp set up, that we left for a few hours to visit Firehole Canyon, walk around Fountain Flats, visit Black Sand Basin and just enjoy the scenery with no set plans for the evening. Once we got back to the campground, we walked down the river for a bit, then headed back to our campsite to make hotdogs on our little car camping grill.
The following day we enjoyed fresh cooked egg & cheese sandwiches for breakfast, then made our way toward Mammoth to pick up our permit. Amber had never visited the south rim at the Canyon, so that was our next stop, enduring the crowds long enough to take in the views. From there we found some roadside parking near Biscuit Basin, where we tried to assess the aftermath of the eruption that has it closed, but couldn't really see a lot. We cut across to the CDT and followed it toward Old Faithful to Morning Glory. This was actually one of the more enjoyable thermal walks we've had; practically no one on that section of trail and the geysers & springs were fantastic.
As we made our way back toward camp, there was easy parking at the Midway Geyser Basin so we stopped in there for a bit. Traffic leaving the park wasn't terrible, so we headed into West Yellowstone to grab some fresh meat to make burgers for dinner. I also enjoyed a couple of Wind River Brewing 'roaring pikas' that I can't recall where we purchased.
Day 1:
We arrived at the now defunct Pebble Creek Campground around noon, where we would ultimately begin our hike. After double and triple checking our packs, she got comfortable at one of the picnic tables while I drove to Warm Creek Trailhead to drop off our car. Having had poor luck hitching a ride in the park before, I remembered to make a cardboard sign that read "Pebble Creek CG 8 Miles" which didn't seem to help much. After nearly 90 minutes of waiting, I was just about to drive back to our starting point & sort the ride out after the hike, when a nice gentleman stopped to offer me a ride. His name was Adam & he happened to be a guide for Yellowstone Safaris headed up to the Beartooths on his day off. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, he refused to accept any gas money as he dropped me off.
I probably should have done a bit more research on starting this hike, as the trailhead was surprisingly difficult to find. What was once the first 1/4 mile of trail was completely unrecognizable since the flood. After stumbling our way across several awkward water crossings, we finally found the trail as it went into the trees and began to climb uphill. It certainly would have been easier to start from the trailhead at the main road, but we opted to use this one as it had picnic tables & pit toilets that my wife could utilize while I was waiting for a ride back.
The 800' climb in the first mile was not for the faint of heart, but soon enough we got out of the trees into a beautiful clearing and the trail got much easier. Overall, it was pleasant though uneventful 4 mile trek into 3P1, which sat down in a little hole off the mail trail with a decent water source and nice views. We arrived at camp around 4pm, which gave us ample time to enjoy a relaxing evening. Sunset was particularly nice.
Day 2:
There isn't much of a story to tell for our 2nd day. Weather was great, which it had been the entire trip. We took our time, covering the 6 miles to site 3P5 where we'd spend a couple of nights. Scenery was beautiful most of the day, and the trail was quite easy. We hardly noticed that were were making our way uphill throughout the day. It was suggested that we hike this route in the opposite direction, but had to roll with the permits we got. I really think from a scenic standpoint, the way we did it was more enjoyable.
That evening fellow BCP member @TheMountainRabbit met us at camp an hour or so before dark. Having collected plenty of wood for a nice campfire, we stayed up pretty late getting acquainted, sharing the obligatory hiking & bear stories.
Day 3:
TheMountainRabbit and I had an off trial excursion planned for the day, while Amber hung around camp. I opted to leave my trekking poles in the car for this trip, anticipating an easy hike. That was a decision I'd soon come to regret, as we began to make our way up toward Wolverine Peak. The terrain heading up Pebble Creek was easy enough to navigate, but we found ourselves working our way up some steep sections of loose rock & dirt. I was having a tough time keeping my footing secure, and was using up a lot of energy to cover a relatively short distance.
As we got up near 10k in elevation, my living at sea level started becoming very apparent. Richard was gracious enough to stop & take breaks as often as I requested, but eventually it became apparent I was going to have a heck of a time on the route back down. Some 800 vertical feet from the summit, I decided it was time to call it a day as I knew I'd be close to my limit by the time we got back to camp. Once again Richard offered to stop for a long lunch, but ultimately we decided that I'd just hang there as he continued on the summit & we'd hike back together.
I was a little bummed to get so close and not be able to complete the attempt, but the views were still great, and it was definitely the wiser decision. I definitely should have brought my poles along on this hike, my reason for leaving them that I'd bent one to the point it was no longer usable & a single pole was only really useful for water crossings. I've since replaced the pair of them. Hopefully he can chime in here with a summit photo or two. He hung around camp with us for an hour or two, and then headed out in time to reach the trailhead before dark.
Attached is an approximation of the route we followed, with the red marker being a pin I dropped at my ending point for the off trail travel.
Day 4:
We wasted little time getting up and moving toward the trailhead. Normally we'd stay in Silvergate or head up toward the Beartooths to camp after this trip, but I found a good deal on a night at the Old Faithful Inn, so that would be our destination after hiking out. The descent was steep, dropping around 1,000 ft over 2 miles, but we made good time getting back to the car.
We stopped in at the Silvergate general store for some snacks and a Wifi check-in. Talked to a few folks there about the hike we'd just done, and one gentleman commented he'd been out there several times before exploring off trail around upper Pebble Creek. He mentioned that many years prior, he went out with a group that actually managed so summit Wolverine Peak from the north side; though he said he couldn't recall any details beyond it taking the better part of the day to route find their way up there. We grabbed lunch and a beer from Beartooth Cafe before heading back down toward Old Faithful.
Staying at the Inn was a decent experience for the $200 price tag (for context, I don't think you can find a room anywhere in the GYE for under $150 during peak season these days) It was nice being able to walk the upper geyser basin after the crowds were gone, but the only convenient food option is the lousy overpriced buffet. I'm glad we finally spent a night there after years of talking about it, but I don't think we'll be doing it again. While we didn't encounter any wildlife on the hike, we had a pretty great bald eagle sighting at the UGB that evening.
We made good enough time getting camp set up, that we left for a few hours to visit Firehole Canyon, walk around Fountain Flats, visit Black Sand Basin and just enjoy the scenery with no set plans for the evening. Once we got back to the campground, we walked down the river for a bit, then headed back to our campsite to make hotdogs on our little car camping grill.
The following day we enjoyed fresh cooked egg & cheese sandwiches for breakfast, then made our way toward Mammoth to pick up our permit. Amber had never visited the south rim at the Canyon, so that was our next stop, enduring the crowds long enough to take in the views. From there we found some roadside parking near Biscuit Basin, where we tried to assess the aftermath of the eruption that has it closed, but couldn't really see a lot. We cut across to the CDT and followed it toward Old Faithful to Morning Glory. This was actually one of the more enjoyable thermal walks we've had; practically no one on that section of trail and the geysers & springs were fantastic.
As we made our way back toward camp, there was easy parking at the Midway Geyser Basin so we stopped in there for a bit. Traffic leaving the park wasn't terrible, so we headed into West Yellowstone to grab some fresh meat to make burgers for dinner. I also enjoyed a couple of Wind River Brewing 'roaring pikas' that I can't recall where we purchased.
Day 1:
We arrived at the now defunct Pebble Creek Campground around noon, where we would ultimately begin our hike. After double and triple checking our packs, she got comfortable at one of the picnic tables while I drove to Warm Creek Trailhead to drop off our car. Having had poor luck hitching a ride in the park before, I remembered to make a cardboard sign that read "Pebble Creek CG 8 Miles" which didn't seem to help much. After nearly 90 minutes of waiting, I was just about to drive back to our starting point & sort the ride out after the hike, when a nice gentleman stopped to offer me a ride. His name was Adam & he happened to be a guide for Yellowstone Safaris headed up to the Beartooths on his day off. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, he refused to accept any gas money as he dropped me off.
I probably should have done a bit more research on starting this hike, as the trailhead was surprisingly difficult to find. What was once the first 1/4 mile of trail was completely unrecognizable since the flood. After stumbling our way across several awkward water crossings, we finally found the trail as it went into the trees and began to climb uphill. It certainly would have been easier to start from the trailhead at the main road, but we opted to use this one as it had picnic tables & pit toilets that my wife could utilize while I was waiting for a ride back.
The 800' climb in the first mile was not for the faint of heart, but soon enough we got out of the trees into a beautiful clearing and the trail got much easier. Overall, it was pleasant though uneventful 4 mile trek into 3P1, which sat down in a little hole off the mail trail with a decent water source and nice views. We arrived at camp around 4pm, which gave us ample time to enjoy a relaxing evening. Sunset was particularly nice.
Day 2:
There isn't much of a story to tell for our 2nd day. Weather was great, which it had been the entire trip. We took our time, covering the 6 miles to site 3P5 where we'd spend a couple of nights. Scenery was beautiful most of the day, and the trail was quite easy. We hardly noticed that were were making our way uphill throughout the day. It was suggested that we hike this route in the opposite direction, but had to roll with the permits we got. I really think from a scenic standpoint, the way we did it was more enjoyable.
That evening fellow BCP member @TheMountainRabbit met us at camp an hour or so before dark. Having collected plenty of wood for a nice campfire, we stayed up pretty late getting acquainted, sharing the obligatory hiking & bear stories.
Day 3:
TheMountainRabbit and I had an off trial excursion planned for the day, while Amber hung around camp. I opted to leave my trekking poles in the car for this trip, anticipating an easy hike. That was a decision I'd soon come to regret, as we began to make our way up toward Wolverine Peak. The terrain heading up Pebble Creek was easy enough to navigate, but we found ourselves working our way up some steep sections of loose rock & dirt. I was having a tough time keeping my footing secure, and was using up a lot of energy to cover a relatively short distance.
As we got up near 10k in elevation, my living at sea level started becoming very apparent. Richard was gracious enough to stop & take breaks as often as I requested, but eventually it became apparent I was going to have a heck of a time on the route back down. Some 800 vertical feet from the summit, I decided it was time to call it a day as I knew I'd be close to my limit by the time we got back to camp. Once again Richard offered to stop for a long lunch, but ultimately we decided that I'd just hang there as he continued on the summit & we'd hike back together.
I was a little bummed to get so close and not be able to complete the attempt, but the views were still great, and it was definitely the wiser decision. I definitely should have brought my poles along on this hike, my reason for leaving them that I'd bent one to the point it was no longer usable & a single pole was only really useful for water crossings. I've since replaced the pair of them. Hopefully he can chime in here with a summit photo or two. He hung around camp with us for an hour or two, and then headed out in time to reach the trailhead before dark.
Attached is an approximation of the route we followed, with the red marker being a pin I dropped at my ending point for the off trail travel.
Day 4:
We wasted little time getting up and moving toward the trailhead. Normally we'd stay in Silvergate or head up toward the Beartooths to camp after this trip, but I found a good deal on a night at the Old Faithful Inn, so that would be our destination after hiking out. The descent was steep, dropping around 1,000 ft over 2 miles, but we made good time getting back to the car.
We stopped in at the Silvergate general store for some snacks and a Wifi check-in. Talked to a few folks there about the hike we'd just done, and one gentleman commented he'd been out there several times before exploring off trail around upper Pebble Creek. He mentioned that many years prior, he went out with a group that actually managed so summit Wolverine Peak from the north side; though he said he couldn't recall any details beyond it taking the better part of the day to route find their way up there. We grabbed lunch and a beer from Beartooth Cafe before heading back down toward Old Faithful.
Staying at the Inn was a decent experience for the $200 price tag (for context, I don't think you can find a room anywhere in the GYE for under $150 during peak season these days) It was nice being able to walk the upper geyser basin after the crowds were gone, but the only convenient food option is the lousy overpriced buffet. I'm glad we finally spent a night there after years of talking about it, but I don't think we'll be doing it again. While we didn't encounter any wildlife on the hike, we had a pretty great bald eagle sighting at the UGB that evening.