Water and stove for backcountry hiking in Yellowstone

hi

we’re planning a trip to Yellowstone and hoping to do a three-day backcountry hike if we get a permit. if any of you have done this before, could you let me know if it’s possible to find water along the way? And if we can transport it, are we allowed to use a stove?

thanks for any tips!

sandra

hello from the Rockies—I’m not familiar with the Canadian side. But I highly recommend getting a topographic map of the area where you’ll be hiking. Because it’s relatively hard to find water sources, springs, etc. The advantage of the map is that it shows water points, rivers. And if you want, you might consider investing in a Dromedary-style water bladder made by MSR—so when you pitch your tent, you’ll have water available in reserve.

hi there

we’re planning a backcountry three-day hike in Yellowstone during our trip if we can get a permit. if any of you have done it before, could you let me know if we can find water along the way? And if we can carry it, can we use a stove?

thanks for any details!

sandra

Are there permits for Yellowstone? In any case, backcountry camping is not allowed in US National Parks. You must camp in designated sites, and it’s first-come, first-served.

Hi Michel Yes, there are permits for the backcountry area—no wild camping allowed, but there are “sites” you need to book on top of that. And no more first-come, first-served at Yellowstone—everything is on reservation 6 months in advance! Some sites open up 15 days before

Hi Michel, Yes, there are permits for the backcountry area, no wild camping allowed, but there are “sites” you need to book on top of that. And no more first-come, first-served at Yellowstone—everything’s on reservation six months in advance! And some sites open 15 days before.

Got it. That’s not the memory I had of it, but I’ll take your word for it. My bad. It’s true that I don’t camp and I don’t do backcountry. 😎

I think your memories are good, but yeah, the rules have changed. There are still some first-come, first-served systems in certain parks, but not in Yellowstone. The downside of success!

I think your memories are good, but the rules have indeed changed. There are still first-come, first-served systems in some parks, but not in Yellowstone. The downside of success!

Yes, indeed. I had prepared and completed the Yellowstone loop in 2022—I might have missed those reservation details. 😉