When I went to the Yellowstone River to research this book I had already fished it many times over the years. Like most folks, I'd fished the Buffalo Ford area in the Park, drawn some trout to flies in Paradise Valley, seen the edges of Yellowstone Lake, and thought I knew the river. I'd just need to spend a summer seeing some of the missing pieces, and I'd turn the puzzle into a picture. Many are seldom seen, never by the casual visitor. To see each part of the river requires a special trip, and extra effort, and time.
Some parts take lots of time.
The upper river, for example, meanders through the remnant part of the Park above the lake, far from any road. The source itself lies outside the Park, tucked away even more remotely inside the Bridger-Teton Wilderness of Wyoming. You can get to the upper river by boat up the lake, by horseback, or by a long backpack trip. But you'll never see it if you have to drive to it. The canyons, both the Grand and Black, are difficult to get into, more difficult to move along.