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One of the beautiful things about Yellowstone National Park is
the 18 million acre ecosystem of which it is the centerpiece.
Yellowstone borders six major national forests which completely
sustain Yellowstone's wild nature. In terms of scenery, some of
these national forests actually beat out Yellowstone in the eyes
of many people. The photo above was taken on the Chief Joseph
Scenic Highway, a relatively short drive from the northeast entrance
of Yellowstone.
One could easily spend years in Yellowstone and never fully learn
it's secrets. It really is that big. But if you feel like you
want to try something different, the national forests bordering
the park can offer a more remote alternative experience as well
as contrasting scenery. All of these forests are in fact grizzly
bear country so please follow the standard precautions. Additionally,
all of these national forests offer outstanding trout fishing,
scenery, camping and wildlife viewing. The entire ecosystem it
world class. Let's put it this way - if any of these national
forests were out east, they would have been protected as national
parks years ago and easily be the most visited national parks
in the U.S.
Grand
Teton National Park is only six miles south of Yellowstone
and is without question a "must see" side trip. It's already
covered on this site.
Bridger- Teton National Forest: This gigantic 3.4 million
acre national forest makes up the eastern boundary of Grand Teton
National Park, so a quick visit is very easy. Almost all of the
roads east of Grand Teton are gravel and wind up into the comparatively
gentle mountains and pretty forests. Some of the biggest elk and
moose in the U.S. call this national forest home. I'll never forget
that fall morning, the woods blazing orange and yellow when I
heard giant steps coming towards me from the brush. I quickly
hid behind a large aspen trunk and watched as a gigantic bull
moose trudged through camp, huffing loudly, only to disappear
into the tree line with falling colorful leaves blowing in the
wind. The forest stretches up to Yellowstone and down to the famous
Wind River Range. Fantastic camping, fishing and wildlife watching.
Includes the Gros Ventre Wilderness (317,000 acres), Teton Wilderness
( 585,000 acres), and the Bridger Wilderness (428,000 acres).
(307) 739-5500.
Caribou-Targhee National Forest: This huge 2.63 million
acre national forest borders Grand Teton National Park to the
west. Great wildlife viewing, camping and fishing. A different
look compared the the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Contains
two wilderness areas - The Winegar Hole Wilderness (17,000 acres)
and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness (123,000 acres).
(208) 524-7500.
Gallatin National Forest: The "Gallatin" as
it's known is another very large, wild national forest at 2.1
million acres. It borders Yellowstone National Park to the north.
This is really a spectacular national forest which contains portions
of both the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness(944,000 acres) and the
Lee Metcalf Wilderness (254,000 acres). The rivers here teem with
trout, and offer classic rocky mountain scenery. Excellent camping,
wildlife watching and scenery. (406) 587-6701.
Custer National Forest: This scattered 1,287,000 acre national
forest is just northeast of Yellowstone and contains a very large
portion of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. You may have heard
of the Beartooth Highway. It is an absolutely spectacular drive
that winds it's way through this national forest from Red Lodge
to Cooke City at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone. A long,
tricky drive but possibly the highlight of your trip. Plan for
the whole day as the road is slow going and the jaw dropping views
are many. (406) 657-6200.
Shoshone National Forest: The Shoshone is a big 2.5 million
acre national forest that borders the eastern half of Yellowstone.
Much of the geology was formed by volcanic activity, providing
for a surreal experience. The forest contains parts of 4 wilderness
areas: The North Absaroka, Washakie, Popo Agie and Fitzpatrick,
for around 1.5 million acres. It also contains the Chief Joseph
Scenic Highway, as seen above.(307)-527-6241
This popular hand GPS unit is very useful
when driving remote backroads:
Garmin
Etrex Venture HC GPS Receiver
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