Backpacking the Cascade Corner in Yellowstone National Park

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Waterfalls were perhaps the first natural landform that truly fascinated me. There was something about the phenomenon of water travelling so fast, so abruptly, and so seemingly endlessly that captured my attention in a profound way. I remember being amazed by them as a child during camping trips with my parents, with Cumberland Falls in Kentucky and Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee being the ones that made the biggest impression. As a young adult, I sought out waterfalls specifically during the backpacking trips I made along the Cumberland Plateau and Southern Appalachian Mountains. Along with natural arches, the Cumberland Plateau contains an impressive amount of waterfalls and I stayed busy seeking out new ones to visit and returning to old favorites.

One area famous for its thermal features in the West is of course, Yellowstone National Park. In early April, I received my confirmation e-mail from Yellowstone National Park that secured my reservation for a late August hike through the park – and in an area known for good camping and in close proximity to some of the park’s waterfalls and hot springs. That was assuming the park would be open for backcountry travel. Like many national parks, it was closed for a period of time as result of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Fortunately, Yellowstone, along with other national parks, eventually opened their backcountry trails and campgrounds and my permit was still valid. After camping out in the nearby Caribou-Targhee National Forest...

In Issue 48, @Mark Wetherington shares this report on a backpacking trip through Yellowstone National Park's Cascade Corner. You can read the full article below in Issue 48:

Go with the Flow: Backpacking in Yellowstone's Cascade Corner

Issue 48 Page 1