Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #51 Posted June 15, 2020 1 minute ago, roadsue said: Access passes are lifetime for people with a disabling condition. Oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #52 Posted June 15, 2020 27 minutes ago, Zackny said: I have no idea as i have never been there. @dennis may know. 25 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: I think a bear got Dennis. If not a bear, maybe some beer. Regardless, Dennis is MIA Yeah, Dennis disappeared in early June -- right around the time he heard I was traveling out there. I can hardly blame the guy. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Share #53 Posted June 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, Dottles said: Yeah, Dennis disappeared in early June -- right around the time he heard I was traveling out there. I can hardly blame the guy. GHOSTED!!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #54 Posted June 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: GHOSTED!!!!! Well, I was hoping he could give me a couple ideas on where to catch the Yellowstone Rail path. I've got the valley bike paths down -- and yes as a matter of fact one of the first things we plan on doing is riding our bikes out to Jenny Lake when we arrive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 15, 2020 Share #55 Posted June 15, 2020 6 minutes ago, Dottles said: Well, I was hoping he could give me a couple ideas on where to catch the Yellowstone Rail path. I've got the valley bike paths down -- and yes as a matter of fact one of the first things we plan on doing is riding our bikes out to Jenny Lake when we arrive. We skied to Jenny Lake last winter. It was sweet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #56 Posted June 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Zackny said: We skied to Jenny Lake last winter. It was sweet! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #57 Posted June 15, 2020 @Zackny where did you start from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 15, 2020 Share #58 Posted June 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, Dottles said: @Zackny where did you start from? The trailhead at Moose. We went past Jenny Lake then skied in to the lake. Didn’t see a soul til we were headed back. Felt like we had the whole place to ourselves😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #59 Posted June 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Zackny said: The trailhead at Moose. We went past Jenny Lake then skied in to the lake. Didn’t see a soul til we were headed back. Felt like we had the whole place to ourselves😁 Oh wow. You were fortunate. I don't think that's happening this weekend. Do you do a lot of traveling in Wyoming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 15, 2020 Share #60 Posted June 15, 2020 28 minutes ago, Dottles said: Oh wow. You were fortunate. I don't think that's happening this weekend. Do you do a lot of traveling in Wyoming? That was our first trip there. We spent 5 days in West Yellowstone and 3 days in Jackson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share #61 Posted June 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, Zackny said: That was our first trip there. We spent 5 days in West Yellowstone and 3 days in Jackson. West Yelliowstone is the cheaper, better stay if you want convenience to both Mammoth Hot Springs and the geysers. But when I was there 40 years ago it was a large mobile home park. I understand it's picked up since then. But my wife has never been so I thought it'd be nice to get her more centered to Jackson. If there's ever another time, we can go cheaper then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2020 Share #62 Posted June 16, 2020 We were there over Christmas. We did a VRBO on Hebgen Lake. Town was quiet. Looks loke it rocks during summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share #63 Posted June 16, 2020 31 minutes ago, Zackny said: We were there over Christmas. We did a VRBO on Hebgen Lake. Town was quiet. Looks loke it rocks during summer. Well my feeling is the way you are traveling matches my own. I'm spoiling my wife and taking her to Jackson. But in reality the extra price you pay to be around a lot of pretentious folks isn't worth it in my view. I took my wife up to Ketchem, ID and Sun Valley for a night just to experience it -- had a good time -- but then we headed for McCall which was just as good (better in my view) and a third of the price. So we'll do Jackson this time -- but if there's another time -- it's going to be off the beaten path. That usually means a couple towns over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #64 Posted June 16, 2020 Attached are some maps and pics that might be useful on the West Yellowstone to Warm River rail trail. I am not sure how far you want to ride on it. The full length is 54 miles with a side trip to Warm River Springs, 50 miles without the side trip. This requires a car shuttle. Most of it is flat or downhill. The section from West Yellowstone to the top of Reas Pass has the uphill sections, and one slightly gnarly but short downhill that you may want walk although that is not necessary. DH would not rate it as difficult, but it can be a challenge depending on your fitness and abilities. You can continue down the Idaho side of Reas Pass to Big Springs. One way to Big Springs is about 20 miles. I usually park and start on the west side of Iris Street in West Yellowstone just under the trees where Old Airport Road starts. You ride Old Airport Road west to the South Fork Road, then turn left (south) at the junction with Forest Road 478. All of this section is part of the Great Western Trail, so watch for the GWT signs. I will post some pics of those. Their sizes range from 2 inch square stickers to 8 inch square metal signs up to 18 inch square signs. The first part of the ride is on roads because the three trestles on the Montana side were removed from the actual rail trail years ago. The Forest Service is now looking into replacing them, but that may take years. Follow Road 478 long the river to a junction near the top of the pass where there is a prefab concrete vault toilet. You could pick up the rail trail here, but don't do it unless you have a fat bike. That section does not get much use and there is a lot of loose sand. Stay on the South Fork Road instead until it intersects the rail trail again. Don't skip the short side trip to Big Springs if you go that far. If you ride all the way to the Warm River Campground, you can take Highway 47 - the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway north back to Island Park and West Yellowstone (in a car), or southwest to Ashton. Note that there is one cattle guard on the rail trail that is broken, so you cannot ride over that one. The tunnel is also closed, but the trail goes around it. Let me know if you have any other questions. I will probably riding the trail on June 27th. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #65 Posted June 16, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #66 Posted June 16, 2020 Trailhead signs, and looking west on Old Airport Road 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #67 Posted June 16, 2020 Looking back at parking area on the west edge of West Yellowstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #68 Posted June 16, 2020 Bridge over the South Fork of the Madison River. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #69 Posted June 16, 2020 Junction with Forest Road 478 (South Fork Road). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 16, 2020 Share #70 Posted June 16, 2020 More pics are available, but I have reached my upload limit. Eventually, these and more maps and pics will be available on the GWT web site, but that will take some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share #71 Posted June 16, 2020 @jdc2000: What a great report! Incredible, actually. Thank you so much. My wife and I would love to hook up with you but I can't commit because we haven't gotten there yet. We'll be down in Wilson and plan on checking out on the 27th -- but need to get to Baker City, OR by nightfall (7 hour drive) and I had plan to go through Craters of the Moon on the way out for a short visit. But let's see how this shakes out. We will drive around the park one of the days and go through West Yellowstone to skip the grand loop mayhem on our way to Mammoth.I was thinking about doing a drive by Mesa Falls then on the return drive back. But I'm keeping it loose for now. Have you ever ridden across Teton Pass or caught the trail near Victor and/or Driggs? Probably pretty boring as the area north looks way more interesting. But again thank you for the directions. That's probably the best trail write up I've ever seen on a forum. Much obliged. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share #72 Posted June 16, 2020 https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=a9e626bdb1884b31b9000bf9bc9ed4d0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 17, 2020 Share #73 Posted June 17, 2020 Thanks for the link. I have ridden the Ashton to Tetonia section of the rail trail as well as the Victor - Driggs rail trail. I have not ridden the old road over Teton Pass, although I have been over it in a car back when it was the highway. There is info at the link below: https://friendsofpathways.org/our-trails-and-paths/teton-pass/#tab-id-3 The current Teton Pass highway has too much traffic for me to want to ride it. It is also steep - 11% in some areas. The valley on the Jackson Hole side of the pass has lots of bike trails you can ride also. You can ride out and into Teton Park, or west to Wilson. There is plenty of scenery on both the Idaho and Wyoming sides of the Teton range, although the Wyoming side is the steep side of the mountain range with (slightly) better views. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share #74 Posted June 17, 2020 12 minutes ago, jdc2000 said: Thanks for the link. I have ridden the Ashton to Tetonia section of the rail trail as well as the Victor - Driggs rail trail. I have not ridden the old road over Teton Pass, although I have been over it in a car back when it was the highway. There is info at the link below: https://friendsofpathways.org/our-trails-and-paths/teton-pass/#tab-id-3 The current Teton Pass highway has too much traffic for me to want to ride it. It is also steep - 11% in some areas. The valley on the Jackson Hole side of the pass has lots of bike trails you can ride also. You can ride out and into Teton Park, or west to Wilson. There is plenty of scenery on both the Idaho and Wyoming sides of the Teton range, although the Wyoming side is the steep side of the mountain range with (slightly) better views. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Was the Victor - Driggs route drab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 17, 2020 Share #75 Posted June 17, 2020 20 minutes ago, Dottles said: Was the Victor - Driggs route drab? Not at all. You can see the west side of the Teton range and the Big Hole Mountains also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share #76 Posted June 17, 2020 1 hour ago, jdc2000 said: Not at all. You can see the west side of the Teton range and the Big Hole Mountains also. I was hopeful you'd say that. Just thinking out loud here. If we head up into Jellystone one, two, or even three times (I seriously doubt the grand loop and one big swoop of the sites is happening -- but you never know if we catch favorable traffic conditions -- ha -- don't laugh) then driving around to Mammoth and Lemar Valley via West Yellowstone, there won't be much day left to do any real biking. We could also knock out Mesa falls on the return trip home. Since we're targeting our first day in Jackson riding up to Jenny Lake., I'm thinking it may make sense for us to go hit that trail out of Victor and up to Driggs or some other point mid week. It'd be a lot less driving for us --- especially since we've got 900 miles to to return home along with all the Jellystone runs. It's an hour and fifteen minutes just to get to the park boundary from from where we're staying. But we could cut out Lamar if we're able to get to Hayden Valley in on one of the other days biking north may open up. Just a lot up in the air as our schedule is pretty loose. The only true plan is to get up early on the days we plan on going into Yellowstone or those days we decide to go hiking. The remaining bike days get sleep ins. Anyway, again thank you for the info, JD. Big help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 18, 2020 Share #77 Posted June 18, 2020 The Park traffic has been a much lighter than usual for this time of year. The way to monitor that is to watch the West Yellowstone entrance webcam. If it looks like rush hour on the 405 from 6-10 AM, then it is crowded. If you see only a few cars, you should have no problems. Also look for the crowds at Old Faithful as eruption time nears. https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share #78 Posted June 18, 2020 I'm so ready to get out of here. Only one more day left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted June 18, 2020 Share #79 Posted June 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, Dottles said: I'm so ready to get out of here. Only one more day left. I thought you were already there and almost on your way home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share #80 Posted June 18, 2020 22 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: I thought you were already there and almost on your way home! I need to get out of here. I took a 4 day long weekend to Boise last year and that was it. I have work stuff to do but I'm more stuff than work these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2020 Share #81 Posted June 18, 2020 3 hours ago, Dottles said: I need to get out of here. I took a 4 day long weekend to Boise last year and that was it. I have work stuff to do but I'm more stuff than work these days. Your work called. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share #82 Posted June 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Zackny said: Your work called. I loved that movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share #83 Posted June 19, 2020 On 6/16/2020 at 11:59 PM, jdc2000 said: Not at all. You can see the west side of the Teton range and the Big Hole Mountains also. I think this might be our answer. I'm pretty sure I can get my wife on board. https://magicvalley.com/outdoors/ashton-tetonia-trail-offers-stunning-views-easy-rides/article_0dfc0602-09e5-5088-a22b-7bca7bef9d4f.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted June 19, 2020 Share #84 Posted June 19, 2020 https://tvtap.org/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share #85 Posted June 19, 2020 Well the departing day has arrived. We leave in about 7 hours from now when my wife returns from work. I imagine our friend Dennis will show up in about a week -- about the same day when I return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share #86 Posted June 20, 2020 Potty break in Pendleton, OR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Share #87 Posted June 20, 2020 Keep your driver awake. Stop and rest if she gets tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share #88 Posted June 20, 2020 28 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Keep your driver awake. Stop and rest if she gets tired. She was. We just arrived and she/we are grateful. Catch you tomorrow. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2020 Share #89 Posted June 20, 2020 Have a great trip! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Further Posted June 20, 2020 Share #90 Posted June 20, 2020 Enjoy !!!! Keep us posted 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share #91 Posted June 20, 2020 Heading out shortly. Another 7+ hours of real time driving to reach our destination after a short window to sleep. Nothing a little coffee can't help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share #92 Posted June 20, 2020 I just got a call from the Airbnb owner and he said the previous guest has not checked out yet and he's going to put us up in another condo for the night and give us back a night. We will have to move again -- assuming the guest returns and checks out -- but we get the weekly rate minus a free night stay. In Jackson, that's like a $200 value. For that price, I am glad to be inconvenienced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheep_herder ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Share #93 Posted June 20, 2020 29 minutes ago, Dottles said: I just got a call from the Airbnb owner and he said the previous guest has not checked out yet and he's going to put us up in another condo for the night and give us back a night. We will have to move again -- assuming the guest returns and checks out -- but we get the weekly rate minus a free night stay. In Jackson, that's like a $200 value. For that price, I am glad to be inconvenienced. That is not a bad Birthday Present. Hope you have a Great Day!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share #94 Posted June 20, 2020 31 minutes ago, sheep_herder said: That is not a bad Birthday Present. Hope you have a Great Day!! Thanks M! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share #95 Posted June 21, 2020 Landed awhile ago. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share #96 Posted June 21, 2020 This condo is upscale. Amazing views. I don't even want to know how much. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dottleshead ★ Posted June 22, 2020 Author Popular Post Share #97 Posted June 22, 2020 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share #98 Posted June 22, 2020 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share #99 Posted June 22, 2020 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 22, 2020 Share #100 Posted June 22, 2020 enjoy your trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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