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Author	Message Text
brux	08/14/2024 01:09PM   If you're looking to car camp, West Tensleep Campground is small, off the beaten track, and has lots of hiking options.
Banksiana	08/14/2024 11:10AM   Ignoring instructions and giving you three options. Stanley Idaho, for sheer vertical spectacular the Sawtooth are tough to beat. Most of my time here has been in winter, but there is good hiking from the Stanley Lake campground and the Iron Creek Campground. Last time I stayed there the Stanley Lake Campground was full but I was the only camper at Iron Creek. If you opt for Stanley make certain to plan your drive so you experience the incredible scenery between Stanley and Salmon (head into or out of montana on 43) in one direction and the Galena Pass to (or from) Sun Valley/Ketchum in the other. Hiking in the Stanley area I did encounter other hikers every couple of hours or so. The Gros Ventre: Surprisingly close to Jackson to be so empty. I stayed at the Granite Creek campground, I think two other sites were in use. Great hiking- never saw anyone on the trails and a hot spring (wade across ice cold river and find hidden pool near rushing waterfall) to soak away the soreness. Also a developed hot spring area (fee) that I never visited. Road was rough. Pony, MT: The least traffic. Great hiking and gravel biking from the Potosi Campground (I was in south loop). No one in the campground. Lots of dispersed camping along the creek upstream of the campground. Never saw anyone on the trails. Stopped as an overnight and ended up staying three nights.
AlmostCanadian	08/14/2024 08:24AM   Maybe check out the Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming? I have not been but my brother and dad went a few years ago and hiked Bomber peak. They spent a couple days camping/hiking and were lucky enough to see a couple bull moose! Not sure how much snow there will be on these mountains this late in the summer, but they are 12-13,000 feet tall. As a bonus, they are probably the closest big mountains to MN; only about 12 hours from Minneapolis.
naturboy12	08/14/2024 09:20AM   Don't discount Glacier and definitely don't compare it to the crowds at RMNP. It's not nearly as busy and is well worth the visit. None of the day hikes we took when we visited were crowded. It's a dream of mine to spend a few days hiking the backcountry there, and you would see very few people other than at the starting/ending points if you get away from the main travel trails.
gbgraves	08/14/2024 02:01PM   Yellowstone backcountry. We hiked a few nights out of the Hellroaring Trailhead in N/NE Yellowstone earlier this month. It was incredible. Developed areas in Yellowstone are borderline miserable, but the backcountry (especially northeast side with bigger mountains, longer views, and lots of wildlife) is totally unspoiled with very few people. Permits in the Blacktail / Hellroaring areas are easy to get and cheap. Lot of great hikes in the Wind River Range of WY as well.
billconner	08/15/2024 06:56AM   High Uintas, north east Utah. Very beautiful.
tumblehome	09/03/2024 10:41AM   We sure do live in a scenic and beautiful country.
Banksiana	09/03/2024 02:38PM   Lucky you. The Wind River area is stunning. Thanks for reporting back.
afromaniac	09/04/2024 08:45AM   That is amazing, I just hiked from Green Lake to New Fork Lake on a thru hike in early August. Absolutely stunning country! Pinedale is a fun town too.
brux	08/17/2024 02:49PM   Safe travels!
WanderingWoodsmanMN	08/16/2024 06:56PM   Just wanted to say a hearty thank you for the incredible suggestions here! Hitting the road tomorrow and will see where I end up westward but definitely have a few future trips in mind now as well. Fantastic group, thanks all!
jhb8426	08/15/2024 12:58AM   AlmostCanadian: "Maybe check out the Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming? ... Not sure how much snow there will be on these mountains this late in the summer, but they are 12-13,000 feet tall. " brux: "If you're looking to car camp, West Tensleep Campground is small, off the beaten track, and has lots of hiking options." Both are in the same location. Tensleep is an entry point to the Cloud Peak wilderness. Generally Tensleep is snowed in until mid June or so. Might find snow in the higher elevations of the Cloud Peak area now. I've been there twice (July/August). Great area. The higher peaks are more than a day hike from Tensleep.
Pinetree	09/02/2024 10:34PM   No question about it. The Beartooth Mountains west of Yellowstone Park. Lakes galore great fishing back country. Drawbacks. I got caught in a blizzard first day of Summer one year and you are in Griz country. Been to Cloud peak but Beartooth's so much nicer. No Griz in Cloud peak area though-at least there never was in the past. Little less altitude also. Done back country of Yellowstone and seen very few people, yes Griz country again. Depends where you go, but I recommend Bear spray. Counter Assault good brand.
WanderingWoodsmanMN	09/02/2024 11:15PM   Hi friends, Just wanted to thank everyone once again for all of the excellent suggestions and let y'all know that I ended up hiking the Wind River mountains near Pinedale, WY! It was so interesting driving from MN to the flats of the highlands with the mountain range in the distance and the wild landscape. Green Lake and especially Little Green Lake was incredible! Ran into one guy who had backpacked in all his photography gear just to take photos for 3 days of that area with Squaretop Mountain. I had one of the most picturesque dispersed camps along the Green River for the first two nights I have ever seen! Saw the sunset to the west and the supermoon rise to the east, as well as a moose and her calf there. Photographers Point and a further loop made for a fantastic day hike nearer to town. Saw a HUGE bull moose just hanging out in the shade of a rock on the back half of the loop there. I also have plans to visit to visit all the other places mentioned here for the future- thanks again all! Heading up to BWCA a few times this fall yet for my favorite time of the year up there...
WanderingWoodsmanMN	08/13/2024 10:20PM   Hi friends, Following up from a previous post, thought I would pose another question- if you could take a week from work to drive from MN and hike one trail out west (Wyoming/Montana) that had big ole snow capped mountains and not a lot of people (thus not Glacier/Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park/etc) with dispersed camping around, where would you go? I have the itch to try a new hiking trail out west and might just leave on Friday/Saturday. Lots of great suggestions from the last post but just thought I would throw it out there one more time before the trip! Thanks all!
YetiJedi	08/15/2024 11:25PM   The Mallard Larkins Pioneer Area has always been pretty lonely. Not the highest peaks on the list but I've been there several times and never seen another person. John Muir Wilderness will get you up over 10,000 feet and is a lonely hike but there will be a few people. Wind River Range has high peaks and solitude can be found easily enough with planning your route.
afromaniac	08/30/2024 03:08PM   Update? Where did you end up going? Was going to throw in the Wind River Range as an option in WY. Cloud Peak is beautiful too but it is more heavily traveled.