How will Targhee National Forest amplify your senses? If you are used to vacationing in popular areas where there are too many people, you will quickly understand how.
You may be used to seeing blinding neon lights and headlights, smelling car exhaust and stagnant air, hearing discordant music competing with loud, obnoxious, riotous people, all of which are purposefully meant to disorient, distract, and desensitize you to your surroundings, shutting down your senses due to overload, preventing you from experiencing anything with joy or clarity.
What if you could explore an area where your mind explodes from the sheer delight of everything that you experience? Like the overwhelming smell of pine sap mingled with damp moss. Or, your ears thrum from hearing a gazillion bird songs mingling together, competing with the breeze that make the aspen's leaves rattle together. Or, the feel of a cool wind that is perfectly touched with moisture, refreshing you. Or being able to actually see more stars than the sky can hold because they aren't competing with the city's lights?
I know there are grunches of locations on the planet where you can enjoy such sensations, but I am awed by the splendor of Targhee National Forest in Idaho, neighbor to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
As an Idahoan by birth and living in the southeast part of the state, West Yellowstone was always tantalizingly accessible. As Yellowstone grew in popularity and crowds increased, I longed for a place that offered more intimacy to its surroundings and escape the commercialism that is consummate with crowds.
In all its subtlety and grandeur, Targhee National Forest, often overshadowed by Island Park's renown, became the escape that would remove me from the populous and immerse me into pristine wilderness.
What is the easiest way to get to Targhee National Forest, and by far the most beautiful route? Instead of traveling Highway 20 North from Ashton to Island Park, take a right into Ashton and follow Highway 47, the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. This scenic loop takes travelers through vast meadows and farm fields, emerging them into canyons where rivers escape, and introduces them to the western edge of Targhee National Forest.
There are some notable highlights you shouldn't miss when exploring Targhee National Forest. I will attempt to list a few. Six miles northeast of Ashton, you will pass a sign indicating Cave Falls 19 miles to the east. Only venture here when summer is well under way. It is often snowed in until June and the road is mostly dirt and gravel. However, this area is a great home base to camp rustically, get off the beaten trail, and explore Targhee National Forest in depth.
One popular question most sportsman have is where can you fish at Targhee National Forest? You will pass clear rivers and creeks from where you can fish. The fishing guidelines that apply to Henry's Fork apply to all the rivers and creeks in this area. A popular location for families with youngsters is to fish off the bridge where Warm River and Robinson Creek meet. Anywhere along these creeks and adjoining rivers is a great place to fish for various types of trout.
Targhee National Forest is a quiet haven for recreationalists of all kinds. If you have motorized means of transportation aside from your vehicles, and are itching to find a trail to bust out on, you can park at the Bear Gulch Trailhead (1 mile north of Warm River, on the west side of the road). Bear Gulch has a large parking area, ideal if you are hauling a trailer full of ATVs. It is a great stopping point if you want to hike around the area. It offers picnic tables and restrooms as well.
At the north end of the Bear Gulch parking lot, you will notice a little trail that tunnels under the highway. Follow this trail for 1/4th of a mile, and you will come to the Rail Road Tunnel. Though the tunnel is blocked due to a collapse a few years ago, you can continue on the trail around the tunnel, heading north. This stretch of trail allows use of dirt bikes, four wheelers of modest size, mountain bikes, or you can just hike the 38 mile long Rail Road Trail and dive deeper into Targhee National Forest.
However, if you park at Bear Gulch and want to loop back south to the Warm River Campground, no motorized transportation is allowed (a gate at the end prevents you from entering the campground should you choose to break this rule). Once you get your fill of trail riding and trail finding, continue on north for more surprises. Targhee National Forest is most visited because of its Mesa Falls.
You will be delighted to find the less visited Lower Mesa Falls where you can easily find a place to park and walk a short distance to the handicap accessible overlook. You will be surprised at how far up the mountain you have traveled as you peer down towards the falls. Bring binoculars or a camera with a zoom feature as this will give you a great detailed perspective of the rushing water and the canyon below.
Up river towards the summit is the acclaimed but little known Upper Mesa Falls. It was once a treacherous place to visit because the steep hillside sloped precariously down to the river and falls, but now is a safe, enjoyable place to get a great view of the falls. A complete boardwalk with several overlooks helps photographers and tourists alike get a fabulous perspective of the tumbling water, the green canyon walls, and downriver. The entrance fee is $5.00 per vehicle, well worth the safe passage to view the spectacular, untamed falls.
Highway 20 continues on through Targhee National Forest and eventually meets up again onto highway 20. Before you rush to Island Park or to West Yellowstone, take time to explore the dirt roads off the main Highway 47. You will find Warm River Springs, where Warm River originates, and many other sites that will surprise you, help you feel a little victorious for discovering these hidden sites, and help you escape the crowds found further north.
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