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Posted by Ballpark Frank (209.112.168.106) on 09:23:04 08/10/12
In Reply to: Required group size for Pelican Valley??! posted by RandalH
Randal,
I've been hiking Yellowstone since the late 1960s, and in all that time, the only absolute requirement for a group of 4 or more that I recall was on the Heart Lake trail, back in the early 1980s, after several maulings. That does not necessarily mean that over that time I was aware of every instance of that requirement being in place.
I have hiked as far as the Pelican Springs cabin on at least 4 occasions, going back to the mid 1990s, and out the first 3 or 4 miles several other times, and in no case do I remember ever seeing a requirement for groups of 4 or more posted.
We are talking "recommended" versus "required"!
Here is one suggestion for you and anyone else wanting accurate information on backcountry use in Yellowstone. Do not rely on the information desk in visitor centers. That is a pot luck situation. You might get someone that knows what they are talking about. You might not. How do I know that? For one, I worked in a Yellowstone visitor center, staffed an information desk, and overheard some of my peers dispensing bogus information! For another, I have experienced being fed bad information, as a visitor, on the other side of the desk. If you want the most accurate information available, go to the Backcountry Office. Even then, I have experienced the dispensing of erroneous info in that environment, but much less often. Virtually every time I received bad input in a Backcountry Office, it was either from a volunteer or a relatively new employee. The Resource Management/Visitor Protection district rangers have historically had the responsibility for managing the backcountry in their area, and they get to make the rules. They call the shots on temporary trail closures, due to carcasses or unsafe fords, due to high water. They maintain the backcountry campsites. They are also the entity that gets to clean up the mess, when something goes wrong out there. Any time you suspect you have been given inaccurate information on backcountry use, I would recommend first checking with the Backcountry Office, and if it still sounds wrong, contact the local rangers. They are the folks charged with enforcing the law and the policies. No Interpretive Division ranger is going to be issuing citations!
Here is an example of how the system can work, when you are utilizing the most accurate resource. One day, over a decade ago, we wanted to hike the Cygnet Lakes trail, but there was a carcass closure posted at the trailhead. We noticed the date on the closure notice was 8 or 10 days old. (Usually, the closure is posted for 7 days, then lifted.) We visited the Backcountry Office at Canyon, and inquired about the closure. We were working with a married couple, who were volunteers, staffing the office on a Saturday, but they knew their stuff. They said they would check with the District Ranger, which they did. We could overhear the radio conversation, and heard the District Ranger say something about having asked a particular ranger to remove the closure notice a day or two earlier. He was obviously peeved! We were then told that the closure should have been lifted, and we were free to hike the Cygnet Lakes trail. We drove back to the trailhead, just in time to see a patrol vehicle pulling away. The notice was gone!
Ballpark
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