Hiking trails in Yellowstone

It isn't just weekends that the popular trails in Yellowstone will be crowded, it's every day when they are a bunch of people in the park. Hikers just don't show up on Saturday and Sunday. However, as noted above, if you get off the real popular ones, you shouldn't be crowded. When you get to Grand Teton, make sure you hike from Colter Bay to Hermitage Point on Jackson Lake. If the trail is not closed for wolf babies, it's a great hike of about 4-5 miles and takes you to the edge of the lake looking out over Elk Island and up to Mt. Moran, one of the prettiest sights we have ever seen. Also, make sure you take the Moose/Wilson Road and stop at the visitor center of the newest part of Grand Teton, the Laurence Rockefeller Reserve and take the very easy hike to Phelps Lake. It's beautiful and well worth the trip, the Rockefellers took out all 30+ cabins at their place at Phelps Lake and turned it back to nature and it's almost impossible to see where the land had been used. Also, a very nice hike is from the visitor center at Jenny Lake over to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point on the far side of the lake. Pretty easy hike but spectacular views, especially as you get closer to the foot of the mountains and the falls. Have a great time, Grand Teton is our favorite place to go in the summer, not because we hike, but because we fish Jackson Lake and sightsee all over the Park about three weeks each summer.

Thanks for the replies and tips. We do plan to get bear spray and are going to the Grand Tetons also. The trails sound a lot like ones on the East coast-popular ones can be crowded on the weekends and other ones will be less so. Thanks again.

We, too, are hikers. In our experience with multiple visits to Yellowstone, once you get away from the short geyser, mud pot walks and get on a real trail, you will only see a few people. Most do not come to Yellowstone to hike but they're missing out on some great views. :) Here's the official Yellowstone site which covers a lot of park information - good readying. It also gives some hiking information and there are many books to purchase with hiking information.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/hiking.htm

I hope you're also planning to visit nearby Grand Teton Nat'l Park. That is where we really enjoy hiking.

http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/hike.htm

You might be interested in the book `Tracking the Spirit of Yellowstone' by a former Ranger. He claimed, at the time, that there were part of Yellowstone that had never seen man.
When we were younger, a few years ago, we hiked both Yellowstone and the Tetons BUT used hiking sticks and really good boots. We did see people hiking in flip flops, however. No matter the crowds the views are spectacular.

If you don't want to run into people, consider the trails in the Beartooth-Absaroka Wilderness area, immediately to the North of Yellowstone. 2.2 million acres of land where motorized travel is not allowed. The largest area of alpine tundra in the continental US. Hundreds of alpine lakes. Glaciers with 10,000 year old grasshoppers frozen in the face and the largest expanse of land over 10,000 feet in elevation in the continental US. Be very aware that winter doesn't let go until August and reappears in September. Also, altitude can be a killer, literally so don't just plow in without preparation. Finally, help will be a long time coming and your cell phone won't work, so don't travel alone, let the rangers know of your plans and be sure to let them know when Elvis has left the building. BTW, the elevation of much of the Beartooths is too high for Grizzlies, so you won't have to worry about being mauled to death, but falling off the namesake peak will be just as painful and deadly.

On popular trails in YNP you will be in a crowd. Like the trail to Yellowstone Falls. But there are hundreds of miles of less traveled trails and on some of those you will not see anyone. Popular trail after all implies lots of people want to see whatever it is. Just remember that YNP got over 4,000,000 visitors in 2015 and the Shenandoah probably gets less than a few percent of that.

YNP trails have their own special dangers that you should be aware of. First of course is the Grizzly bear population. Carry bear spray. And second is the geological hydrothermal features. There are a lot of fumaroles and such that you might encounter.