Mist& MountainsTouring Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Geysers.Hot springs.Fumaroles. Mud pots.Elk, and moose, and grizzly bears!We’ve all heard and read aboutYellowstone’s animals and thermalwonders, as well as the jaggedsnowy Teton peaks just a day’s rideto the south. But hearing is onething, and seeing quite another.Nowhere more than this amazingnorthwest corner of Wyomingargues for an article of larger photos— and fewer words. What follows,therefore, is a pictures-and-captionsinvitation to you so you’ll considerpedaling these two unique nationalparks. Yes, they’re popular; each isvisited by some three million peopleannually, most, of course, in cars.But as you’ll learn when you call orwrite for their free bicyclingbrochures, they’re attempting tobecome far more bike-friendly thanin the past. Come give them a try.

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JJuunnccttiioonn Tetons Public Affairs SpecialistJackie Skaggs says the very best time to pedalthe beautiful twenty-mile-long Teton ParkRoad is once it’s closed to cars each yearfrom the first of November to May 1. “Itmight be mid November or even the end ofthe month before snow covers the road, sothat’s two to four weeks of end-of-season rid-ing. We begin plowing in mid March, so nolater than April 1 you can walk, rollerblade,or bike without having to watch for traffic.”But do watch out for elk.

Story and photos by Dennis Coello

UUppppeerr GGeeyysseerr BBaassiinn —— YYeelllloowwssttoonnee

Right smack in front of Old Faithful Innyou’ve got two miles of paved pedaling,and nearby a couple more miles ofsmooth rock-and-dirt riding on theDaisy Geyser cut-off to additional steam-ing wonders at Biscuit Basin. Theroutes are short, but they’re fascinating.Ride them early in the morning if youwant to avoid the crowds, but look forbuffalo crossing your path. They weigha ton (literally), are unpredictable, andcan run faster than most people canpedal (30 miles per hour!). Plus, thereare four thousand of them in the park.

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YYeelllloowwssttoonnee Want to pedal the park butnot alone? Then sign up for the annualone-day spring or fall cycling tours andget to know three hundred other riders.Both begin in the town of WestYellowstone; the spring ride goes north,the fall ride heads sixty miles to OldFaithful and a shuttle back — or viceversa if you choose. (Contact the WestYellowstone Chamber of Commerce:(406) 646-7701, or www.westyellowstonechamber.com.)

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Sure, mountain bikes can go almost any-where. But pedal the foot-only trails ineither of these parks and you’ll be deal-ing with the law. Both the Tetons andYellowstone offer free bicyclingbrochures which tell of roads and trailsopen to us and what’s verboten to boot.Pay attention to the rules.

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TTeettoonnss This view of the Snake is fromSchwabacher Road, which drops steeplyfrom the shouldered but heavily traf-ficked US 191. Road riders sometimesmake a loop of 191 and the parallelingTeton Park Road. But a far quieter andsafer loop is available through the fif-teen-mile long unpaved four-wheel-driveRiver Road. As you’re riding throughthe sage and rabbitbrush, you’ll havegreat views of the Snake River on oneside and of the lofty Teton Range on theother. Not bad!

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A D V E N T U R E C Y C L I S T N O V E M B E R/D E C E M B E R 200 4 A D V E N T U R E C Y C L I N G.O R G 15A D V E N T U R E C Y C L I S T S E P T E M B E R/O C T O B E R 200 4 A D V E N T U R E C Y C L I N G.O R G 15

EEllkk Pedaling toward the summit ofMount Washburn, my riding companionSandy Nieweg and I were startled to hearthe sounds of bugling and the clacking ofrack against rack. Thankful to have anexcuse to stop, we peered over the edge tocount forty-three head, in addition to thetwo locked in battle.

OOlldd FFaaiitthhffuull IInnnn —— YYeelllloowwssttoonnee This mag-nificent structure opened in 1904 as thelargest log hotel in existence. Make reser-vations far in advance if you’re hoping tostay the night, but a meal in the huge din-ing room or just time sitting in the mas-sive lobby by the enormous fireplace isalso a thrill. More than ten thousand logswere required to build just the first storyof the Inn, and five hundred tons of stoneto build the fireplace!

BBiikkee ttoouurriisstt iinn tthhee TTeettoonnss This rider ispart of an Adventure Cycling tour groupon the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.

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HHoott SSpprriinnggss —— YYeelllloowwssttoonnee Be sure topack along a can of bear spray when youpedal the roughly six-mile-long dirt roadportion of the scenic Bunsen Peak Loopjust south of Mammoth. And watch thetraffic on the narrow two-lane paved roadif you ride the additional few miles backto where you began. In either direction,you’ll do some real climbing.

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YYeelllloowwssttoonnee ((LLeefftt)) Again, the distance isshort on this sometimes-paved, some-times-gravel off-the-main-road route, onlyfour miles round-trip from where the trailbegins southeast of Old Faithful Inn toLone Star Geyser and back. But the pathruns along the pretty Firehole River, invit-ing you to linger. If you don’t mind thecars, you can add more miles of pavementon the Grand Loop Road to Old Faithful.For that matter, Yellowstone has some350 miles of roads, and bikes are allowedeverywhere cars can go. But ride defen-sively! Motorists are as likely to be look-ing at the same sights you are.

GGrrooss VVeennttrree RRooaadd,, TTeettoonnss (( RRiigghhtt)) Thesetwo mountain bikers are just out of thenational park, in Teton National Forest,but as you can see, they’re not out of thepretty scenery. Look hard for the brightblue Gros Ventre River at the top of theframe, and the southern-Utah-colored redhills at top-left. From the Gros VentreJunction in the park to Horn Ranch highin the mountains alongside the GrosVentre Wilderness, you can pedal thisgravel and paved road for thirty-nine milesone-way.

Dennis Coello is an avid outdoor photographer andtravel writer living in St. Louis, Missouri. For overtwenty years, he has extensively traveled the UnitedStates and the world, mostly by bicycle. You can learnmore about his travels and photography at www.denniscoello.com.

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Grand Teton National Parkwww.nps.gov/grte/index.htm(307) 739-3300

Yellowstone National Parkwww.nps.gov/yell/index.htm307-344-7381

Adventure Cycling Maps TransAmericaBicycle Trail, Section 5 (BC-1522),Mountain Biking In and Around JacksonHole, Wyoming (BC-004), and GreatDivide Mountain Bike Route, Section 2(BC-202). For more information aboutAdventure Cycling maps, call (800) 721-8719 or visit www.adventurecycling.org/routes.