With so many beautiful natural areas nearby in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, many hiking aficionados dismiss Yellowstone. They would rather go just a little south to the Tetons, for example. Yellowstone has a bit of a reputation as a mass-tourism magnet, which is true considering that something like 95 percent of park visitors never leave the pavement.
Indeed, when I was living there for a summer and went out hiking on my days off, I rarely saw anyone else on the trails. But this was one of the benefits of hiking in Yellowstone. While on the way to the trailhead you may get stuck in a traffic jam while everyone gets out of their cars to photograph a buffalo, as soon as you get your boots on the trail, you might just have it all to yourself.
