I have heard the thorofare mentioned several time.What is it,and where is it,thx rusty51

Guessing your thinking of that area south of Yellowstone lake in WY with the mythical cutthroat trout fishing, elk herds, wolves and mr. grizz.

The Thorofare

Furthest from a road you can get in the lower 48 (or so they say....)

I'm reading "Elk of the Thorofare" by Bob Nichols right now. I think it was in Field and Stream in 1935. If half the story is true, it was a real cool place back then.

What dreams are made of from back in the day of hunting we will never see again. We are about 100 years too late.

Pretty country.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tho...mp;ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1097&bih=545

If you wanted buffalo, true. However, in the last 30 or 40 years, game numbers in the US have been at record levels.

I rode in there in 1980 on a pack trip, elk and sheep.
Was awesome back then, from what I hear it's changed some.
Still a great place to experience I'll bet.

Packed in with ten mules on a string and let me tell ya
After eight hours and pissing snow and rain your ready for a half a bottle
Of beam

I packed in 31 miles on horseback one year for elk there, beautiful country, kinda rough on horses, gotta use the switch back method traversing some of the mountains and the get off and led on the way down.

Saw grizzly, bison, some kind of horned goat or sheep and a few mule deer, chased a 360 class bull round and round a huge bowl, he was busy tending his cows and warding off a young satellite bull, could never get him to stop for the shot.

Gunner

The Thorofare is a river, but the whole general area is sometimes called the Thorofare. It's head waters and some of the headwaters of the Yellowstone river are only seperated by one divide. The Thorofare ends in the Yellowstone river inside Yellowstone National Park. Most of the Thorofare is outside the park.

The whole area is a sight everyone should see. Probably the best known way in is over Deer Creek Pass. Lots of horror stories about it but it is alot better than it used to be.

The hunting can be good, but it wouldn't be my first pick if a huge bull was my priority. If you want a traditional pack in wall tent hunt with decent hunting it should be near the top of your list.

Don't discount summer trips. It isn't hunting, but they are less expensive offer a great way to see the country and fish. Whatever kind of trip you take be prepared for some miles and hours on a horse/mule.

There are lots of outfitters that offer hunting and summer/fishing trips in there. I work for one of them. We do some trips where we start near Cody and end up near Moran, Wy (or the other way). They are usually 7 days. Or you can just go in and stay at one location. I work for Two Ocean Pass. Which got it's name because of a creek that literally splits on the divide into two creeks. Pacific and Atlantic creeks. You can guess where they end up. This "Parting of the Waters," as it's called, is a brief walk from our main camp.

That got my wheels spinning, thanks for the info. That country is definitely on my short list of places to visit.

How far is the hike to get into it?

18-20 miles the short way over Deer Creek Pass. You can get into the area multiple ways, from inside Yellowstone, up a couple different creeks on the North Fork before you get to the east entrance of Yellowstone. These routes I believe are a little longer but not quite as steep or rugged.

I know some people have gone in one end and backpack or horse pack out the other and have pickup arrangements made.

People also do the same leaving out of Cody up the South Fork river and go over to Dubois.

Definitely need a horse/mule to elk hunt there.

The trail in from the Nine Mile trailhead inside the park isn't bad, but it's a long way.

There is a trail that goes from the Elks Fork south over the top and into the head of open creek. There really isn't a pass there though, you are pretty much right on the peak. This way would be pretty high and then you'd have a pretty good trip down Open creek to the Thorofare.

The trail in from Moran at Turpin meadows would be pretty easy but again long. It takes about 8.5 hours horse back, with only one pretty easy pass. This is the way we usually go but we hit our camp before the Yellowstone or the Thorofare.

Like Partagas said there are several ways in. But none of them are short or easy. I see a few backpackers in there every summer. Usually they are resting in the middle of trail to scare my mules.

I hunted there the year ole Marty had a train wreck with his mule pack and damn near cut his head off, had it hung between a tree trunk and the mule wreck by a damn rope.

Ty, our guide said it was 31 miles in the way we went.

Gunner

Laffin... Great description...

Ralpie, do u ever run into the guys from shoal creek outfitters , tony or Brandon?

Its on my bucket list to do a horse back elk hunt there!

Dont ferget ta pack ya a bottle of liquid Advil fer yer sore arse.

Gunner

I've never heard of them before. Where is that camp?

The way in via Elks Fork is a bitch... and good luck. That way isn't maintained very well. At least it hasn't been since '06 I know when I opened it back up a bit it hadn't been done for quite a while. There's a long stretch of riding over large chunks of razor like rocks about as big as pumpkins that'll test anyones footgear and it'll tell you just how hard your pony's feet are...

Deer Creek will test your fear of high places ;-)

Via moran is the easiest... long though. But easy.

I'll be heading into Hawks Rest for a week in Aug. We're using the Moran route.

Took a few young pony's in a while back and now we've added the dreaded "backpack" in our training/desensitizing program as this always seems to get the string pretty riled up... good for a wreck for sure...

I might add the glory days of the Thorfare are over. The fishing isn'twhat it used to be the Elk and Moose are scattered. The bears and wolves have things a mess...
It is the most remote area in the lower 48 and still worth the trip in. You are for sure on trails few have trod. It's a soul altering experience and a reality check I look forward to everytime. It'll put life in persective for those who are open to it.

What messed up the fishing?

Just not what is used to be.. honestly I'm not sure. Whirling disease.. dunno... Lake trout in the lake took a bunch a fish outta the equasion.

Follow the deep cut on the right and it'll take you in and dump you out near open creek..once you top out and drop over.

Yes I love the bright backpacks in the middle of the trail. I've even started asking them, very nicely, to get off the trail a ways. And I've explained to them why. They usually take half a step off the trail and then stare at me.

Last summer I was coming down the Soda Fork with my dog right in front of me. All the sudden she goes on alert and barks. There is a backpacker right in front of me headed the same direction. He is now taking out his headphones. He was by himself and didn't hear two pack strings, and guests and dog approaching because of the headphones. Looked like good bear bait to me. After some small talk he actually did get off the trail a ways.

That's when you wish you had a bombproof pony a ride right up on him ;-)

Was riding 2 young ones on an all day "trail miles" training day last summer.. we were headed up some switchbacks and headed down were 2 back packs with humans attached... coulda been real bad but our pony's were pretty sure footed when they decided to quit the trail and go back down one switch back... whew...

Sounds like the kind of place I would like to hunt, alot of my hunting is for the country it is in.

Our horses don't mind too much. It's the bend the backpacks put in my mule string that causes wrecks.

A couple years ago we were coming up the Thorofare somewhere around Hidden creek and there was a dome tent set up right in the middle of the trail. That did cause my horse to try a 180 and the mules were ready too. We ran into them a little ways down the trail. These guys were on horses. They had no clue that camping in the middle of the trail might be frowned upon. They were nice guys just out having fun like the rest of us.

Ahhh dreaded alien dome tents... yeah I hear ya!

raybass,

It is indeed worth the experience. However, there used to be a fair share of hunters in many of the areas. Albeit it's been 7 years since I've been in there during the season.

Had exactly that same experience in the Gila twenty years or so ago. We were riding mules, but the campers (from Texas, naturally) had horses. Fortunately, our mules had been rode and packed enough in the Gila that they weren't spooked by anything (except llamas).

It would be worth the sore back side, hemorrhoids, crotch rot, hang nails and male pattern baldness and a foot fungus! Advil is cheap!

Thorofare I'd dare to say is not for puzzies

Any outfitters out the tired of wall tents and the weights and problems
Associated with them
Give me a pm or call me at
307-460-8679
Thanks. Wyo

You're right, Deer Creek will test your fear of heights. I hunted with Bill Perry in 2011 and the scenery is unbelievable. Camp was at the southeast corner of Yellowstone. Actually hunted within 200 yds. of the park boundary marker one morning. Going over the pass, I had an understanding with the mule I was riding. Told her that I hoped she didn't want to die that day as I had no plans to. As another post said, you will see country that very few people have ever seen.

Ralphie, shoal creek has a camp in pilgrim creek drainage and another up buy
Bobcat mtn

I did an elk hunt out of Hawks Rest in 2009. The country was awesome, but I was surprised how few elk we saw. Out of ten guided hunters, one guy took a smallish 5x5 and that was it.

Plenty of wolf and grizzly sign though. Got some great photos.

Went on my only guided hunt there in the early 80's with Randy Heacker. Awesome country.
I missed the bull of a lifetime at first light on the first morning of the hunt...a memory that has haunted me ever since.
I'd do it again if I could afford to!