I'll be up there next week. Awesome place to get in some good runs. I may just bring a trainer and Bike on a deck.

Anybody have good rides around that area?

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New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com

Please don't be one of the stupid people who think the parks are petting zoos. In Yellowstone...Buffaloes 5, people 0.

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#swimmingmatters
Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
The Doctor (#12)

There is a bike path through much of the Tetons and the Jackson Hole area. I normally am not a fan of bike paths, but it is really nice and gets you away from traffic. I used it when I bike toured, and I saw several people riding it with aero set ups on what looked like training rides.

The area is filled with trails, and if you are on trails with other people, you should be OK to run. However, they warn against trail running alone because there are a lot of grizzlies in the area, and they will see a running person as prey. For good running trails, leave Teton NP, and go to the adjacent Teton or Bridger Teton national forests. There are far fewer people there, and because there are fewer people there, you will see more elk. The trails are also smoother. If you want to rent a mountain bike from one of the many shops in Jackson, that is the place to ride.

Also on the grizzly note, a ranger who mountain bikes realized that I was bike touring alone and said that sometimes grizzlies will bluff charge bikes. Black bears typically aren't a threat, but grizzlies get freaked out by bikes. He said if you are riding and are charged by one, you should get off your bike and use it as a shield. Make yourself as big as possible, yell, and aim the bear spray at their feet. He and another ranger that I saw later while hiking were insistent on the bear spray for anyone on the trails alone (I bought some and never used it).

Have fun. It is beautiful country, and if you have never been there before, Yellowstone will blow your mind (unless you are one of those people who gets cranky without TV and internet).

I have a similar trip lined up at the end of next month. I'll be backpacking in Zion National Park for a week and I wasn't sure how to incorporate training if at all. With a week of hikes with plenty of elevation gain, I foresee my legs getting pretty worn out just from the hiking. Would it be smarter to just take the week off of training and get back to it the day I get home? Or should I add a few runs/ rides into the week and just hope my legs can take it.

I just got back from the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

First recommendation would be to NOT BIKE IN YELLOWSTONE unless you are up at the crack of dawn. There's too much traffic and not enough shoulder. I wouldn't ride the roads in Teton National Park during the day either.

I did ride up Togwotee pass during the day and that's about 15ish miles east of Teton. Great ride and not a ton of traffic with a very wide and perfectly paved shoulder along the highway.

We also stayed in Cody so I got a nice early morning ride there up Chief Joseph pass. That was my first HC climb :) Beautiful.

If you can do it (I couldn't due to time) I'd highly recommend riding Bear Tooth pass (known as the most beautiful drive in the US). I drove that and there was a lot of cyclists on that climb. It must be extremely popular and that was right during the middle of the day. Not ideal as there was plenty of slow moving traffic, but also not begging to die like you'd be doing mid-day in Yellowstone. And yes I saw a few cyclists mid-day in Yellowstone.

The elevation didn't really bother me and I've never trained at elevation. The highest I climbed on my bike was about 9600' at Togwotee.

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
Insta: chris.s.apex

I think you've got it all backwards. Your triathlon training has prepared you to visit those places and experience them to the fullest. So take this time to use your fitness to play in the woods. You can always get back to the daily grind, later.

Have fun!

 
Road riding in Yellowstone - Awesome, but scary. Be out there at the crack of dawn, and off the road by 7-7:30 am. Traffic is chaotic this time of year. Beartooth pass north of the park is an epic ride, but could be a bit of a haul depending on where you're staying. If you bring a Mt. Bike, the dirt roads around W. Yellowstone are great for riding.

For trail running- here are some options, but buy bear spray.

Fountain Freight road - Runs N/S from the Old Faithful area. Not too "out there" but runs past some thermal features, and you can get to Fairy Falls and in the Imperial Geyser from there, which are cool. Pretty flat. Lots of Bison, and people trying to take selfies with Bison.

Fairy Creek Trail - Nice remote loop, moderate climbing, but last time I was out there, there were fresh Grizzly tracks on the trail for 4 miles. Didn't see any people though, maybe the bear ate them.

Howard Eaton Trail - Just S of Old Faithful. Runs out to Shoshone Lake. More remote, pretty flat, would be nice for running.

Mary Mtn from the west side - Nice double track along the river, pretty flat, but this is prime grizzly habitat.

Solfatara Springs - Wont see many people on this one. Goes by some nice hot springs.


Lot of other good options here:
http://trailguidesyellowstone.com/information/yellowstone_trail_map.php

Glad you enjoyed our part of the country. We used to have to races at the end of June. Saturday a 8.8 mile run up the Beartooth Pass and Sundat a TT ride up fro 23 miles. Combine the time for the winner. ........I think this area is the best kept secret around.

It's beautiful. It makes me wonder why we live in farm country....seriously.

I saw a guy on a TT bike and aero helmet ascending the east side on Saturday. He wasn't even to the switch backs yet and I believe he was running when we came back down. I'm guessing the TT bike and aero helmet is probably not the best setup for Beartooth...lol. Had to be a STer.

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
Insta: chris.s.apex

i bike in the park (grand teton national park) just about every day i ride outside. there are bike paths on many of the roads. otherwise, i find traffic to be minimal on the roads where there is no bike path.

just my $0.02, but i do live/train here. :)

I think if you're going to have one national park, yellowstone is absolutely it(or maybe nationalize one of the big thru hiking trails, as an underdog contender). But otherwise, I wasn't terribly impressed. Olypmic Peninsula(and other areas in the PNW are comparable, I'm sure) has better forests(as do some areas of the east coast), Northern Nevada and Southern Arizona/NM have better deserts, the Rockies are more impressive, etc etc. That area is so varied, it should absolutely be a destination and preserved so it can be a destination. But I think that's it's strength-the variety of the environment, not the strength of the the environment. Lots of places are prettier, but not so varied.



I think if you're going to have one national park, yellowstone&the grand tetons should be combined for it. Absolutely(or maybe nationalize one of the big thru hiking trails, as an underdog contender). But otherwise, I wasn't terribly impressed. Olypmic Peninsula(and other areas in the PNW are comparable, I'm sure) has better forests(as do some areas of the east coast), Northern Nevada and Southern Arizona/NM have better deserts, the Rockies are more impressive, It doesn't have the best prairies. etc etc. That area is so varied, it should absolutely be a destination and preserved so it can be a destination. But I think that's it's strength-the variety of the environment, not the strength of the the environment. Lots of places are prettier, but not so varied.

Do the run to Mt Washburn (10,243ft) from Dunraven Pass. 7.3m round trip (according to my Garmin) with about 1300ft climbing. The "trail" is actually an old road and would make for a great run.

Pay attention when you get above 10k feet...there are bighorn sheep at the top but sometimes you have to look closely to see them as the blend into the rocks (other times, they are 15ft from the trail)! There are facilities at the top in case you need to hit the bathroom.

Even if you decide to not run it, hike it one day. It is the highest easily accessible mountain in Yellowstone.

Man...now I am really missing Yellowstone and it has only been a month. Epic place to visit.

One other little tidbit. If in yellowstone purchase the app gypsy:

http://gypsyguide.com/us/

The app costs $5.00 and is like a little tour guide on your phone. Possibly the best $5.00 I've ever spent as my first time through Yellowstone I missed a LOT. This time we missed nothing. Yellowstone has features found nowhere else on the planet and many others that are rarely found around the planet. Most are a very short walk from the road. All are easily accessible from the road. Don't miss out on anything. Some area well known and obvious. The other stuff is where the app is essential.

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
Insta: chris.s.apex

I walked up with the wife, ran down to the car while she went down the other side. I definitely felt the elevation. But it may have been my 5k PR with the elevation drop. Still the coolest trail run I have ever done.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.