Where to go, last minute, early August, with wife, for 2 weeks, with no backcountry permits?

[scatman]

Not much, just peanuts.

Should have seen that one coming.

 

[forest dweller]

I'm seeing some beautiful places in Olympic NP on YouTube and I spoke to someone from the wilderness information center there...he said he wouldn't be surprised if Covid restrictions were lifted soon and the quotas were done away with. pretty much opening up most of the backcountry campsites. Glacier is still a place I'd consider, I like my odds with an entire 2 weeks.

 

[forest dweller]

Still considering the Teton Wilderness / Thorofare, just not in my number 1 or 2 spot. Perhaps with a group of guys it would move up closer to 1...my wife hopes to see others and I'm OK with that.

 

[ridings82]

A few options...

1. Uintas - Highline trail or make your own loop. Plenty of options. No bears. Lots of high alpine lakes and tundra. Generally not crowded and often a lot of solitude (Avoid Red Castle and the Kings Peak areas). Bugs aren't bad by August. Fishing is great.
2. Wind Rivers - Fewer trails to make loops but plenty of ways to connect if you're into that sort of thing. Unbelievable granite and high alpine lakes. More crowded than Uintas but easy to lose people (avoid Titcomb Basin, but don't because it's amazing). Need bear canisters.
3. Bridger National Forest - You can make a few loops hiking north towards Yellowstone. Look at Bridger Lake / Hawk's rest as a far north point and turn around or loopback. The downside is that you need bear canisters and bear spray. The upside is that the trails are mostly flat and follow the river basins. This also means a different kinds of scenery and views.

 

[swmalone]

Hey, a good friend just gave me an idea, though I’m not sure he meant to. Since I have a lot of extensive backcountry experience (though some is admittedly mythological) and am from the mythical West, I’ve been thinking about starting my own guiding business. I’m going to call it Gentle Adventures and it will be for people like you who want to get out but don’t have the time to really research things. @scatman @outdoorfool and some others who are even more knowledgeable than I am will possibly come along or at the very least advise us.

Each guided trip will provide gourmet food (including circus peanuts) and will come completely equipped with everything you need. All you have to do is show up with a big wad of cash. You and your wife can be our first clients. Since it will be the first trip out, I’ll give you a good discount.

We’ll start out small to slowly build up your confidence. Since people love national parks, our first trek will probably be something along the lines of walking the boardwalk around old faithful. Don’t laugh, it can be really scary when the crowds start running to catch the next eruption. From there we’ll build up to more courageous things like wading in the Snake River near Flagg Ranch, which will give you a taste of both Yellowstone and the Tetons. From there, we’ll visit the grizzly bear refuge on top of Bozeman Pass where the bears are almost within reach and you can smell their breath (and the rest of them).

These are just the beginning get your toes in the water type things. We’ll gradually branch out until you’re fearless and can even do things like drive over Beartooth Pass.

It will be a life-changing experience, guaranteed. Life insurance will be included in the cost. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll run some numbers by you. Some of this will of course depend on what the advisers want from the deal.

I think your guide service would be perfect for my in-laws. Definitely more enjoyable for them then the trips I take them on. Also as an added bonus might be more enjoyable for me if they went on your trips.

 

[Bob]

Bob Marshall