Escaping Humanity at Shoshone Lake

More on Shoshone Getting There: Commercial airlines serve the following airports near Yellowstone National Park all year: Cody and Jackson, Wyoming; Bozeman and Billings, Montana; and Idaho Falls, Idaho. The West Yellowstone, Montana, airport is open from June to early September. North entrance: Near the gateway community of Gardiner, Montana, the north entrance is the only park entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year. November through April, the north entrance provides the only access to Cooke City, Montana. Beyond Cooke City, the road is closed to wheeled vehicles November through April. West entrance: Adjacent to West Yellowstone, Montana, the west entrance is open to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through the first Sunday in November. South and east entrances: Open to wheeled vehicles from the first Friday in May through the first Sunday in November. Northeast entrance: Near the gateway community of Cooke City, Montana, this entrance is open year-round for wheeled vehicle access to Cooke City through Gardiner and the north entrance. Logistics: Boating is permitted only on Yellowstone, Lewis, and Shoshone Lakes, and the Lewis River Channel. Boaters must have a permit sticker. Cost for nonmotorized boats is $5 for 10 days or $10 annually. The cost is double for powerboats, including canoes equipped with outboard motors. Weather in Yellowstone can change rapidly, and snow can fall at any time of year. The park gets more precipitation in May and June than in any other months. Even during summer, the nighttime temperature typically falls into the 30s. While You're There: Yellowstone National Park is loaded with activities, including fishing, biking, climbing, camping, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing. Contact www.nps.gov/yell or call (307) 344-7381. Lodging: Overnight accommodations abound in Yellowstone National Park. For more information, log on to http://www.yellowstoneparknet.com or call (307) 344-7311 for reservation information. Camping: Backcountry camping is allowed only at designated sites that must be reserved in advance. Free permits, which can be obtained no more than two days before heading into the backcountry, are available at ranger stations. Campsites may also be reserved by mail, at a cost of $20. Outfitters/Resources: Information about the park is available online at www.nps.gov/yell or by calling (307) 344-7381. Numerous outfitters operate in the area, too. Log on to http://www.yellowstoneparknet.com.

The lower two miles of the channel can be paddled easily, but the upper mile is shallow and swift. Chest-waders can be helpful, since the water is bitterly cold and there's little shore room for lining a boat without wading.

The first of the Shoshone Lake campsites are near the outlet of the Lewis River Channel. Families should reserve one of these, since everyone's apt to be tired after the morning's paddle. The trip uplake can then be continued in the morning, when the water is usually calm. The Shoshone Geyser Basin is at the opposite end of the lake, 6.5 miles away. The broad, marshy Moose Creek drainage, on the southern shore of the lake, makes a lovely side trip, and is a good place to see moose and various other wildlife.

Resting at nearly 7,800 feet, Shoshone Lake often isn't ice-free until mid-June. The water temperature is only slightly above freezing. As on Lewis Lake, a west wind blows the length of Shoshone most afternoons. Within a matter of minutes, "it's not uncommon to get waves up to four feet," said Justin Ivary, current backcountry ranger. He and other rangers recommend crossing Shoshone Lake only at the Narrows, where the distance across is pinched to about half a mile (compared to four miles at the lake's widest spots). But even that precaution doesn't assure safety if the wind is howling; backcountry ranger Ryan Weltman lost his life at the Narrows on July 3, 1988.

"He was crossing in some pretty big waves," Ivary said. "He tried to stay with his kayak [after it tipped]. By the time he started swimming to shore, he couldn't make it."

Visitors who leave their boats to hike in the burns should be wary of the wind as well. Some of the lodgepoles left standing during the fires of '88 fall during every gale. "Widow-makers," woodsmen traditionally called such trees. We watched from our canoe as one fell near a group of backpackers.

Although separated by just five miles, Shoshone and Yellowstone Lakes are on opposite sides of the Continental Divide. Water from Yellowstone Lake flows into the Yellowstone River, then to the Missouri and the Mississippi before spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Shoshone drains into the Lewis River, which flows into the Snake, the Columbia, and finally on to the Pacific Ocean.

That distinction makes a major difference in fishing regulations. Lake trout, which are not native to the region, are considered vermin on Yellowstone Lake, where their presence was first confirmed in 1994. They are a serious threat to the survival of cutthroat trout, which are vital to bears, otters, eagles, and other predators. Park regulations require anglers to kill any lake trout they pull from Yellowstone Lake.

But Shoshone and Lewis Lakes were barren waters when Congress created the park in 1872. Less than a mile downstream of Lewis Lake, 29-foot Lewis Falls prevented the upstream migration of West Slope cutthroat, a separate subspecies from the Yellowstone cutthroat. Efforts to stock the lakes with cutthroat failed, but imported lake trout and brown trout thrived after they were planted in 1890. Eastern brook trout also have taken hold. The park manages the species as game fish, with a five-fish daily limit that can include no more than two browns or lakers.

Fishing is best in October, when the trout move into the Lewis River Channel for spawning. It's good, too, just after ice-out, when both species cruise the shallows for food to put meat back on their winter-weary bodies. At such times, fly-fishermen attempt to match whatever insects might be hatching, or fling large streamers. Spin fishermen can use a variety of hardware, including Rooster Tail or Mepps spinners.

The action is slower in summer. Persistent anglers plumb the depths or fish during evening rises on the lakes.

The fishing "gets overlooked because it's quite a bit of a hike back there," said Rob Orsini of Jacklin's Fly Shop in West Yellowstone, Montana. "You can easily find a stretch of river to yourself."

And that's the whole point, isn't it?

Dan Hansen is an avid paddler who lives in Spokane, Washington.