Hey everyone! Corrie and I just kicked off our backpacking season with a four-day trip around Shoshone Lake  with the Shoshone Geyser Basin stealing the show. Here’s the play-by-play, complete with sideways rain, erupting geysers, and snow!

Day 1: The plan was simple: hike in via Delacy Creek, hike out via Lone Star, and shuttle the car. I dropped Corrie and our gear at Delacy and drove around to Lone Star to stash the car, then stuck my thumb out like it was 1973. Fortunately, it only took 15 minutes before a nice Idaho family pulled over—out of concern more than generosity—and gave me a lift back.

We hit the trail from Delacy around 2 p.m. in peak heat, but thankfully most of the path stays shaded. Early on, we passed a handful of day hikers coming back from Shoshone Lake—it wasn’t a wilderness vibe exactly, but not a zoo either.

Hikers on the Delacy Creek TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank Lily pads on Delacy CreekNPS / Jacob W. Frank

The trail along the east side of the lake is woodsy, with a series of short, steep hills, peeks of the lake, and a stretch where you're walking directly along a rocky obsidian beach. Gorgeous in theory. Less fun with a 40-pound pack and sore arches.

Backpacker on Delacy Creek Trail along Shoshone LakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank

We made it to our campsite on the southeast end, whipped up dinner, and watched the sky almost deliver a sunset before clouds shut the party down. It was windy all day, which meant no mosquitoes!

Windy evening on Shoshone LakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Day 2: The wind ghosted us by morning, which meant the bugs showed up in full force. We packed up and headed for the north shore, just as dark clouds rolled in over the west side of the lake.

Morning light on the south shore of Shoshone LakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank A storm builds over Shoshone LakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank Moose Bay seen from Delacy Creek TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Thirty minutes later, we were back on that beach section and things escalated fast: sideways rain, gusts over 30 mph, and surprise! I forgot my rain pants. We ducked into the woods to wait it out and witnessed a massive tree blow down across the hillside.

Eventually, the sun came back like nothing had happened. We crossed Delacy Creek, lunched beside a charming beaver dam, and aired out our soggy gear like feral hikers.

Beaver dam along Delacy CreekNPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker along the North Shore Shoshone Lake TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank

The north shore trail is more mellow than the east side—less climbing, more shoreline cruising. We climbed a small pass before descending into our next campsite, tucked near the lake, where we'd spend two nights.

Views of the Red Mountains from the North Shore Shoshone Lake TrNPS / Jacob W. Frank Views of the lake from the North Shore Shoshone Lake TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker along the North Shore Shoshone Lake Trail (2)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker along the North Shore Shoshone Lake Trail (3)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker along the North Shore Shoshone Lake Trail (4)NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Day 3: Our “layover day” was dedicated to exploring Shoshone Geyser Basin—and it did not disappoint. The forest en route was actual mature forest (not just ‘88 regrowth), with tall trees and a lush green carpet of berry bushes underfoot. Sunbeams sliced through like something out of a fantasy film. 

Hiker along the North Shore Shoshone Lake TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank Foest views along the North Shore Shoshone Lake TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank

We started our Shoshone Geyser Basin exploration at the boat landing shoreline before following the trail into the heart of the basin.

Hiker on foot bridge to enter Shoshone Geyser BasinNPS / Jacob W. Frank Hiker on foot bridge to enter Shoshone Geyser Basin (2)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Shore Group seen from the boat landing arNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SBSGNN009 in the Bog Spring GroupNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Immediately: geysers, technicolor pools, and that delightful "do-not-fall-in" geothermal energy. Rosette Spring, a brilliant blue thermal pool, was a big showstopper.

Shoshone Geyser Basin: Hiker on trail near Sulphur SpringsNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Sulphur Hills Group areaNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Hiker views the Little Giant Group from tNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Hiker on the trail near Little Giant GrouNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SMMGNN014 along Shoshone Creek in the MinNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Little Bulger Geyser eruptionNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Nearby, Minute Man Geyser was mid-eruption, and we lingered like total geyser nerds—Geysers of Yellowstone book in hand, cross-referencing field notes like it was some kind of hot spring safari.

Shoshone Geyser Basin: Rosette Spring and steam from Minute ManNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Minute Man Geyser eruption and Minute ManNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Minute Man Geyser eruption and Minute ManNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Wildlife-wise, we spotted a few sagebrush lizards—Yellowstone’s one-and-only lizard—just chilling on a log, soaking up the sun like tiny Jurassic parkour athletes. Very cool.

Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) sunning on a log in ShosNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Shoshone Creek and North Group steaming iNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SOGNN004 in the Orion GroupNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Then, as we made our way deeper into the basin, we wandered straight into a swarm of sand wasps. My first reaction was to panic and bolt like they were hornets with a vendetta. But after a few seconds of chaos, we realized they had zero interest in us.

Turns out they were busy digging little burrows right in the trail, presumably for nesting. Once I got over the whole “running from invisible danger” thing, I actually laid down on the ground to film them—they were fascinating to watch, like tiny excavators with wings.

Shoshone Geyser Basin: trail through former thermal areaNPS / Jacob W. Frank Sand wasp (Bembix americana) digging a hole in Shoshone Geyser BNPS / Jacob W. Frank

After a couple hours of wandering through the basin, the sky started giving us that “you might want to get moving” look. On the way back, we passed Minute Man again—its pool had completely drained, which I suppose is how you tell if you just missed it.

Shoshone Geyser Basin: Minute Man's Pool drained after eruptionNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Minute Man's Pool drained after eruptionNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SMMGNN031 in the Minute Man GroupNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Hike on the trail walks past an eruptingNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SMMGNN022 eruption alongside Shoshone CreNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SLGGNN04 in the Little Giant GroupNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Little Giant Geyser eruption with steamyNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: SLGGNN004 eruption in the Little Giant GrNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Thermophiles surrounding SLGGNN004NPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Geyser Basin: Sulphur SpringsNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Back at camp: naps, dinner, and a leisurely walk along the lake to wind down the day.

Evening storm clouds seen from the shore of 8R3NPS / Jacob W. Frank Concretion along shore of Shoshone LakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Day 4: We woke to light snow, cold temps, and the strong urge to stay in our sleeping bags. But we had 12 miles and a two-hour drive ahead, so after a caffeine infusion and a quick breakfast, we hit the trail.

The first stretch was backtracking toward the geyser basin, this time made magical with a dusting of snow. Bright green under snow is a less-common Yellowstone color palette.

Backpacker in summer snow storm along the North Shore Shoshone LNPS / Jacob W. Frank Summer snow storm along the North Shore Shoshone Lake TrailNPS / Jacob W. Frank
After a snack stop at the junction, we followed Shoshone Creek toward Grants Pass, passing yet another beaver dam (they’re crushing it out there). The forest transitioned from riparian edge to mature stands, and we took lunch at the top of the pass while trying to keep warm in the windy snowstorm.

Backpacker at North-South Shore Shoshone Lake Trail junctionNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Creek in a summer snow flurryNPS / Jacob W. Frank Shoshone Creek in a summer snow flurry (2)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker crossing Shoshone CreekNPS / Jacob W. Frank Flooded riparian area near beaver damNPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker near a riparian area along the South Shore Shoshone LNPS / Jacob W. Frank Backpacker in a summer snow storm near Grants PassNPS / Jacob W. Frank Forest views along the South Shore Shoshone Lake Trail near GranNPS / Jacob W. Frank

The trail then descended through meadows that were suspiciously bug-free (thanks, snow), and we started seeing signs of hydrothermal features again—close to Lone Star Geyser.

Elephant’s head (Pedicularis groenlandica) patch along the FNPS / Jacob W. Frank Hiker bridge near OA3 (2)NPS / Jacob W. Frank NPS / Jacob W. Frank Summer snow flurry on the Firehole RiverNPS / Jacob W. Frank
Just as we reached it, the snow picked up again. No big eruption this time—just some splashy teases—so we moved on.

Summer snow storm at Lone Star GeyserNPS / Jacob W. Frank Lone Star Geyser minor eruptionNPS / Jacob W. Frank

The last 2.5 miles to the trailhead were a slog. My feet were protesting. We were back in day-hiker land, dodging groups and bikers. Lone Star is one of the few trails where bikes are allowed—and never have I felt more jealous of anyone on two wheels.

At the car, we rejoined civilization with a victory lap to the Old Faithful General Store for cold drinks and salty snacks. We covered nearly 40 miles all told, including side trips.

Final Thoughts: Fantastic early-season trip. I think under normal circumstance the bugs are way worse. Shoshone Lake is much bigger than we remembered and the geyser basin was much bigger than we expected. We’ll definitely be back in the fall when the bugs are down, the skies are clear, and next time, we're bringing a boat.

Thanks for reading and I hope you're all doing well!

-Jake