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Completely agree! It's disrespectful and in bear country, can be quite dangerous.

Same experience for me. But yeah, mother with cubs is always good to avoid.

It's definitely a great little park!

There aren't very many steep dropoffs at all. One or two steep hillsides you might pass along, but for the most part it's very mild in terms of that.

Thank you! Couldn't agree more.

That's up above Lake Solitude. If you're able to take the shuttle each way across Jenny Lake, it's still close to 20 miles round trip. The alternative would be to backpack the Paintbrush-Cascade Loop. That's also 20 miles but offers lots of places to camp along the way if you're not comfortable with that kind of mileage in a day. Even if you are, since the mileage is the roughly the same, might as well get another canyon in there!

It took me seven weeks, but it should have taken eight. I had miscalculated how much my metabolism would spike so I didn't pre-ship myself enough food, which left me rushing from one town to the next.

Not usually. Negative bear encounters are incredibly rare, so during that time the park will do a reroute to avoid the densest bear area, but to my knowledge, there's never been a conflict along the trail. The bears just want to be left alone, so as long as people do that, the bears focus more on finding food. To answer your other question, once kids are back in school, the traffic drops off quite a bit. That's also a really good time because it's a narrow window between the end of the peak summer season and Labor Day weekend. So there will be other people, but it won't be peak summer busy.

My pleasure and glad you found it helpful!

Great point. This was one of my earliest videos so I was still experimenting with formats and wasn't doing much pre-planning, unfortunately.

Bears use the area from time to time, but since moving here in 2008, I've never heard of a negative bear encounter along this trail. I've also hiked it dozens of times and very rarely see bears. It's also highly likely that if you did actually see a bear, it'd be a black bear, and around here they pretty much all have the attitude, "Don't bother me and I won't bother you."

Thank you and glad it helped! The best audio to deter a bear is a natural human voice. That's plenty to make them aware of your presence.

My pleasure!

Thank you and congrats on completing it!

That sounds awesome! Haven't heard of that before but thanks for mentioning it.

Exactly what a normal wild bear does. I've had the same experience.

Great question! There's definitely wildlife along the trail. Some of it is exciting to see, some of it scary. In terms of the scary, obviously rattlesnakes are up there. I had a few encounters with them, but staying completely still as soon as you hear the rattle gives them a chance to move off peacefully. Another one was hearing a mountain lion in heat just up a hill from camp. Fortunately she wanted nothing to do with us, but the sound kept me up a little later than usual, even long after she had moved off. Similarly, I was about to setup camp in another spot another evening, and heard loud roaring up the hill. I continued hiking another couple of miles and slept peacefully. It really all boils down to instincts and knowledge. Learn about rattlesnakes and gila monsters because you will encounter them, but the knowledge will keep you safe. Likewise, if you have a bad feeling about a certain spot, tread cautiously. Most wildlife wants to avoid spending the energy on a fight. That's why even though I probably heard bears and mountain lions, I never actually saw them. The closest I got to a jaguar in the Santa Ritas was seeing a paw print. Truth is, encounters with them along the AZT are incredibly rare at best. So while the possibility is there, it's highly unlikely you'll have a bad experience with anything. In terms of other wildlife, I saw a few small elk herds, coatimundi, mule deer, and lots of unique birds. So while there are dangerous animals on the trail, trust yourself to act accordingly when/if you do encounter one so that it doesn't take away from the excitement that the rest of the trail provides.

@@FreeRoamingHiker Holy cow. I absolutely love your response. Thank you for taking the time. I consider myself an adept outdoorsman, and as I do further research on the AZT, I haven’t been able to stumble upon the kinds of wildlife that one could face, see, and/or hear on or from the trail itself. I’m aware of the wildlife that’s out there, all around the state since I hunt. I do really trust my instincts, and love that you pointed it out. It has saved me more times than I can count now. My primary reason for asking those questions is because I WANT to encounter wildlife, but not mess with it. The last thing I’d want is to become someone else’s diner or to go out on a rattlesnake bite! Yikes! I love Arizona because of its diverse terrains and wildlife. As the last male in my family, I’d like to be well aware of what I’m getting into, to hopefully make it home in one piece haha, with some minor bruises or scratches, (from the fun on the adventure)!

@@WildVinny Fortunately, you're definitely a lot more likely to get some bruises and scratches than have a negative wildlife encounter. I certainly had my share, as do many others. Of course a little common sense goes a long way in making sure it doesn't get much worse, as I'm sure you're already well aware and prepared for. I was also hoping for some great wildlife opportunities, but didn't see quite as much as I was hoping for. I was really wanting to get a look at a jaguar or ocelot, but the only real chance for those is in the Huachucas or Santa Ritas, both of which come and go quicker than you're expecting, unfortunately. And of course, most other things larger than birds are just sporadic encounters every few days or so, whether it's a rattlesnake, deer, elk, or something else. That being said, I think I only saw rattlesnakes 2-3 times on the entire trail, which includes a black rattlesnake in the Mazatzals that I nearly stepped on, but someone just ahead of me missed. Sounds like you'll be in good shape either way though. You obviously know how to behave in the outdoors, so you'll be fine. The best advice someone gave me though for seeing some rarer creatures (which I didn't take as much as I should have) is to hike pre-sunrise and post-sunset. That's when a bit more wildlife comes out along the trail. But anyway, I also love that state. It's been a few years since I've been back down there and that's a few too many. Would love to get back down there soon and relive some of the trail for a bit!

@@FreeRoamingHiker I’ll definitely take into consideration hiking pre sunrise and post sunset, with extra caution. I’m sure it would’ve felt like winning the lottery, should you have seen a jaguar and/or an ocelot! I’ve heard they’re really elusive, and as far as my knowledge goes, we should only have “one” wild jaguar is this state. I’m an Arizona native, raised and born. There’s a reserve down in Sonora, Mexico where there should be a few hundred to a little over a thousand of them wandering around. Some males there, they migrate north in search of new territory or a female up north. As luck has it they only get one of the two…Why there aren’t a few more known jaguars in AZ? I have no clue, there has to be a reason for it though. And as for ocelots, there are very few reports on them. If they are here then they’ll hang in what’s called “sky islands”, basically up in peaks where the temperature is a lot cooler and different than the lowlands. I would assume they’d go up there when temps rise, and then they come down to the bottom of canyons, streams, and rivers when it’s cooler. Maybe there are a handful here, who knows. Like the male jaguars, male ocelots will migrate north into AZ from the same area, Northeastern Sonora. They do span as far as Argentina! Whatever wildlife I can see on my journey, I’ll take. Something is better than nothing! I think for myself I would settle to see bison along the way towards the end and wild horses. Magnificent animals. I hope you do get a chance to come back to AZ to relive some of that, as well as add more great memories! There’s quite a bit to do out in this state.

@@WildVinny I think if I were born and raised there, there's a pretty good chance I'd still be there too. I spent 4 years in Phoenix only to realize that I don't like big cities, so I've been in Jackson Hole since, minus the 2 months to hike the AZT in 2016. But I do still have a pretty massive AZ bucket list that's still waiting for some checks. But from the research I've done, it seems like jaguars used to be as far north as southern Colorado and the Grand Canyon. It'd be great to get them back up that way some day! Bison along the trail would be a treat too, but I didn't see any - still too early on the North Rim for them on a northbound hike. And my thinking is it might take more backpacking in the sky islands than a thru-hike allows to really see an ocelot. But what a treat that would be! Do you know when you're hiking it?

Thanks! I haven't gone over to Leigh Canyon yet, but every time I pass that view of the Grizzly Lakes I'm very tempted 😅 And glad you made it out safe! That can be a scary place to be in a storm.

@@FreeRoamingHiker Yeah. I’m tempted as well. Very remote canyon though. 🤔. I’ll probably never do it.

Yeah, definitely a higher probability of running into a grizz or two back there.

Exactly!

You bet!

My pleasure! June's a beautiful time to be out here.

@@FreeRoamingHiker Since you live around there, is there a hiking guide(s) or company you'd recommend for any of the longer more challenging trails? I'm a solo traveler and usually stick to day hikes of short to medium length -- but I would be interested in a long day hike or overnight backpacking if the price is reasonable.

Grand Teton National Park doesn't allow any commercial hiking guides in the park, so you'll need to fly solo for that. However if you're interested, I wrote a hiking guide that's got plenty of good longer and overnight hikes, which is here: Grand Teton National Park doesn't allow any commercial hiking guides in the park, so you'll need to fly solo for that. However if you're interested, I wrote a hiking guide that's got plenty of good longer and overnight hikes, which is here: Grand Teton National Park doesn't allow any commercial hiking guides in the park, so you'll need to fly solo for that. However if you're interested, I wrote an ebook hiking guide that's got plenty of good longer and overnight hikes, which is on my website at freeroaminghiker.com Also happy to help if you have any other specific questions!

Excellent! Have a blast down there and enjoy the hike!

Sorry! I must have misspoke. The hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls is 6 miles round trip, 3 miles one way.

Excellent idea!

That would certainly be effective, but only if it's used in emergency situations. It also might not buy you as much time as bear spray, but could still be an effective enough alternative.

Good point thanks

My pleasure and I'm sure you'll love the AZT! It's a remarkable trail.

Such a minor sounding lesson with such profound consequences. Great advice to change them though! Wish I had brought a second pair along. Congrats on doing the Camino!

Should be perfect! The winter season got off to a really late start this season so you should be good in late July.

Most of the snow in the main Cascade Canyon is pretty much melted by late June. However you can definitely hit snow higher in the North Fork and toward Lake Solitude at that time. As for the South Fork that's harder to get up at that time due to it being relatively narrow compared to the North Fork. Granted it also depends on the season, and so far this one's off to a pretty slow start, so you could potentially luck out, but only time will tell. Hope that helps and feel free to ask if you have any other questions!

@@FreeRoamingHiker i really appreciate the info. I’m going to be there the last week of June so I was really hoping to take this trail up to the forks

You bet! And late June the forks shouldn't be a problem at all, especially with how warm it's been overall this season. You may hit a bit of snow but I wouldn't expect it to be too much at all.

@@FreeRoamingHiker thank you my liege

Anytime!

That's a great question! While I do think Cascade is a bit more scenic than Paintbrush, that would also eliminate the North Fork of Cascade Canyon, which is absolutely stunning. You could camp in North Fork your last night and head out Cascade, or you could go out Paintbrush and then day-hike Cascade, which is pretty easy, especially compared to the Teton Crest Trail. Part of the magnificence of that last stretch is the Paintbrush Divide, which is what really makes it worth it. Of course it's also a grueling ascent from the Cascade Forks, so you have Cascade Canyon as an escape route if you're not up for it for whatever reason. So in a nutshell, I'd give Paintbrush a go if only for the divide, and day-hike Cascade. If the trail's beating you up more than you expected, head out Cascade. Hope that helps and feel free to ask anything else!

@@FreeRoamingHiker Thank you for the quick response as that helps.

My pleasure!

Great point! I had other people recommend that to me as well and wish I had listened.

Thank you and glad you found it useful!

Exactly! It's incredible how misunderstood they are.

Thank you for the kind words! August is a spectacular time to do this hike. Along the way there are 3 camping zones - Lower Paintbrush Canyon, Upper Paintbrush Canyon, and the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. The Lower Paintbrush and North Fork each have designated campsites that are first come-first served for any permit holders for that night, ie, the park will hand out 20 permits (for example) for each of those 20 sites for any given night, but it's first come-first served for those 20. So the earlier you are the better the picking. Upper Paintbrush doesn't have any designated campsites. Rather, you just find a good looking place to put down your tent. My only real advice, however, comes from the fact that Lower and Upper Paintbrush are only a few miles apart, so you might find that second day to be a little uneventful since there aren't really any other trails to explore once you're back there. I'd recommend spending that first night somewhere along Leigh Lake, which is at the mouth of Paintbrush Canyon. That kind of breaks you in to the area, leaving about 7 miles or so the next day to get to Upper Paintbrush, which wouldn't be bad since you'd have all day. Then over to North Fork for the third night. Hope that helps and is what you were looking for. If not, please feel free to ask if you have any other questions!

Great info. I assume I need a permit for each night/location, correct? So I need my days and locations firmly in mind when I go to reserve a permit? If I do the first night at Leigh Lake, does that require a permit also? Once again thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Who's music?

Thank you! It was definitely an incredible experience that showed me plenty of amazing hidden secrets throughout the state.

Yikes! That happens with wind blowing the wrong way too. Glad you made it out safe!

My pleasure!

That all sounds pretty infuriating! Some people shouldn't even be allowed around bears or any wildlife.

Thank you! I prefer just getting straight to the point.