Teton Challenge is one of the most physically demanding trips that Overland offers. Over the three weeks that students will spend in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, they will average 8 to 10 miles per day on the trail, attend an in-depth mountaineering school, summit the Grand Teton, and test their rafting skills on the Snake River just south of Jackson Hole. Renowned for its incredible viewpoints, winding rivers, and wildlife sightings – it is certainly no walk in the park. Yet, for the past two years, we have heard feedback from students and leaders alike that there is room for more miles and more elevation – more challenge, and more fun. So, when the people speak, we listen!
This past fall, members of our trip planning team including myself, Brooks, and Katherine, took a week-long venture into the Lamar Valley, in hopes of finding some amazing new trails for our groups. We were in search of two things:
- An unbroken, seven day backcountry that had the right mix of challenge, fun, reward, and safety.
- A trail system that is far away from the crowds of Yellowstone but is also established enough to allow Overland students to bond without impacting the natural resources and beauty that Yellowstone has to offer.
We found all of that, and more.
While I would love to say that this trek was special from the moment we left the trailhead, that wasn’t entirely the case. The roar of the busy East Entrance dissipated in minutes as we began to climb through a thick forest of lodgepole pines. We crossed four, maybe five creeks as we powered through beautifully established switchbacks, gaining nearly 2,500 vertical feet in three miles all while shrouded by a cool shade. With no views, we were beginning to remark that it was the kind of climb that won’t work on its own – tiring and unrewarding – but that is when the trail began to level off, the trees fell away, and we saw what was on the other side of the ridge that we had just summited.
Nearly 50 miles of wild, Yellowstone landscape lay before us, almost entirely untouched by humans except for a thin trail that wound along the Cache Creek and the Lamar River. We could see the entirety of our week-long trek from that one viewpoint. We stopped for a silent snack, took in the views, and pictured twelve Overland students sitting on the same log that we were. THAT is when we knew this trail was going to be special.
Over the next few days, the trek only got better. Every campsite that we scouted was nestled up alongside a flowing river – the perfect water source for our groups, and a great place to dip your feet in after a hard day of hiking. The trails themselves had been maintained this past summer, often wide enough for two to walk shoulder to shoulder, and there was never any bushwacking needed.
Much of the hike was spent in the shade of towering pines, but Katherine reflected that she loved the moments when the trail would open up after miles in the woods, revealing a wide plain dotted with bison and framed by rolling hills. The fall colors against the bright blue sky were almost like a painting.
Importantly, the trails were quiet. Overland groups are large, loud, and respectful, but sometimes can be a little too fun. It is summer camp, after all! Animals want nothing to do with us and stay as far away as possible, but it is often other hikers whose own quiet we feel like we are impeding the most. In the Lamar Valley, that was not a worry for us. We passed a few friendly rangers, as well as some other folks who were enjoying their solitude in the woods, but otherwise we felt free to talk, sing, and act like nobody was watching – because, truly, nobody was.
The hikes themselves were stunning and well suited for a group of motivated students, but my personal favorite part was when it started to get dark. Each night, the three of us sat by a warm stove, each with a cup of tea in hand, listening to elk bugling in the distance as we tried to name constellations. On a few particularly cloudless nights, I saw a higher concentration of stars than I had ever seen in my life. It was truly remarkable, and I don’t believe it is something that I will soon forget.
Similarly for Brooks, his favorite moments were those in the early morning as the three of us got ready for each day. There is something that is exciting and daunting about setting out for a long day of hiking, but it was the unknown of what the day may bring that made it that much more fun.
Those moments of stillness are exactly what we hope Overland groups are able to find. There is so much excitement surrounding summit attempts, water activities, and how many miles a group can get through in a day, but it is the moments of quiet understanding that create lasting memories. To us, this trail afforded the opportunity for all of the above.
Brooks, Katherine, and I have done quite a bit of scouting in our collective 8 years on the trip planning team. We all know that the process of finding a new backcountry for Overland groups is tricky – there might be a perfect formula, but there is never quite a perfect trail. That remains true for the Lamar Valley as well, but we think it is about as close as you can possibly get.
