Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: January 22nd to January 28th, 2026

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This Week in Yellowstone: January 22nd to January 28th, 2026 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where those who
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had binoculars or a good enough spotting scope
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could witness a mountain lion and its cubs way
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off on a mountain This is that Scott guy you
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know in love with a brand new episode of this
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week in Yellowstone What's up everybody this
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week in Yellowstone National Park from January
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22nd to January 28th 2026 I'll talk about coyote
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mating season by the way coyote Not coyote was
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the most common pronunciation last year. I'm
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going to tell you about a trail that will have
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you standing above a stunning section of the
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Yellowstone River. I'm going to give you an update
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on the wolf that was poached out of Gardener
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and even tell you about the wolf reintroduction
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that happened 30 years ago. No, not the one last
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year from 30 years ago, the one this year from
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30 years ago. I'll also give you the complete
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weather forecast, the snowpack update, the wildlife
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report, and everything else you need to have
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to have an incredible time. this week in Yellowstone.
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Quickly my standard disclaimer I may miss a few
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details so please feel free to reach out to me
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with any questions. I also mentioned park locations
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casually so if you're unfamiliar with some place
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I'm talking about a quick search can help. Also,
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know that this report only covers the drivable
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areas of the park, and that this is a passion
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project of mine. If you enjoy it I'd love a review
1:27
or a quick email just to say that you like what
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you hear. If you want to support my work further
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you can check out my hiking and wildlife watching
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guidebooks, or join me for a guided hiking tour
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in Yellowstone's backcountry. For more information
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visit outdoor -society .com or you can contact
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me directly. Seriously though. You should really
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come book a trail with me. I've been doing some
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cool things and I'm really excited to share some
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of this with more people. So book a tour, come
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hang out in the park. This week's Yellowstone
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news. Biggest news of the week right now is there
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is a wolf poached by Gardiner Montana. A wolf
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from Yellowstone's ecosystem has been killed
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and this one is under active investigation as
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an illegal killing also known as poaching. Montana
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Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens are seeking
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information after a GPS collared gray wolf believed
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to be from Yellowstone National Park was killed
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in Montana around Christmas. The wolf's tracking
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collar sent a mortality signal from the Jardine
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area just north of Yellowstone's boundary just
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by a gardener and that mortality signal alerted
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biologists that something had gone wrong. When
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wardens responded they found the collar had been
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cut off and thrown into a tree but the wolf's
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body was never located. That detail is significant.
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The missing carcass and discarded collar strongly
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suggest someone deliberately removed evidence,
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complicating the investigation and raising red
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flags for wildlife managers. Now, poaching of
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wolves is not uncommon in the area, and this
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is just sadly nothing new. More than likely,
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if you want to know my opinion on this, this
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is done by a local This is done by someone who
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lives in the Gardiner Jardine Paradise Valley
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area, and it was done purposely because they
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hate wolves. Preliminary information indicates
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that the wolf was likely killed around 10 p .m.
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on December 25th, 2025, within the Wolf Management
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Unit 313. That unit had been closed to wolf hunting
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since November 16th, after the legal quota was
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met. Under Montana law, killing a wolf in a closed
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unit is illegal, making this incident a clear
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violation of state regulations if confirmed.
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FWP is asking anyone with information to contact
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the Gardiner Game Warden or submit tips through
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TIPMONT, that's T -I -P -M -O -N -T, and just
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search for that online. A reward of up to $1
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,000, I've heard $15, and I hear it's going to
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be bumped up to $2 ,000 very soon, is probably
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going to be available for information that helps
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solve the case. The wolf is believed to have
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been part of the Junction Butte pack, one of
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Yellowstone's most well -known packs, and a frequent
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favorite of visitors watching wolves in Lamar
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Valley and that hell -roaring area that I've
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talked about. Now the pack has already experienced
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several high -profile losses in recent years,
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and each death adds to concerns about how vulnerable
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Yellowstone's wolves can be once they cross park
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boundaries. The poaching of this wolf, number
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1478F, highlights a long -standing tension in
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the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Inside the
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park, wolves are fully protected. Step across
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the invisible park boundary, and those same animals
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are suddenly subject to state hunting and trapping
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regulations. In this case, this is poaching,
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which is illegal, and the person who did this
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is pretty terrible, and hopefully loses hunting
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rights for the rest of their lives. There are
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so many ethical and conscientious hunters, and
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this person is not one of them. They're tarnishing
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the reputation of legal hunters everywhere and
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really just doing nothing positive for a conversation
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that needs to have of what does a greater Yellowstone
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ecosystem look like with wolves and grizzlies.
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everybody. I saw people on one side celebrating
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this as like, yes, let's kill all the wolves,
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smoke a pack a day, things like that. And then
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the other was all hunters need to die. I saw
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that online just earlier and neither of those
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are right. And every time that this happens,
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we get less and less close to having some sort
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of a solution. So, the loss of a collared wolf
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is especially troubling for scientists. These
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collars provide critical data on movements, survival
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rates, pack dynamics, and causes of mortality.
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That information helps researchers understand
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how wolves use the landscape and how human activity
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affects them. When a wolf is killed illegally
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and the collar is destroyed or discarded, that
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data disappears with it, creating gaps in long
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-term research that has been ongoing since wolf
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restoration began. As the investigation continues
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for this, officials are urging the public to
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come forward with any information. Now one interesting
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thing I found when researching this was a short
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paragraph in the Cowboy State Daily newspaper
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out of Wyoming. It said, Probably time we have
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a serious talk about how the current brand of
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wolf watchers is impacting wolves and helping
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put them at risk. But that's something for a
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later day. First, we deal with poaching. My experience
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of the week. Coyote mating season. In late winter
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when Yellowstone feels quiet and locked in snow,
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coyote mating season brings the landscape to
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life in subtle but powerful ways. From late January
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through February, Coyotes across the park enter
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a brief but intense breeding window. And for
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visitors willing to slow down, listen, and linger,
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it can be one of the most rewarding wildlife
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experiences Yellowstone offers. Now I wrote about
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this last year, but I wanted to do something
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different this year, so if you want even more
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information on coyote mating season, reach out
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to me, I'll send you the link from last year's
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episode. But, according to the National Park
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Service, coyotes typically form strong pair bonds,
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often lasting for multiple years, and mating
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season is when those bonds are renewed and reinforced
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through sound, movement, and shared purpose.
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This is the time of the year when Yellowstone's
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soundscape changes too. Coyotes become more vocal
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right now, especially at dawn, dusk, and during
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the night. Their calls are not random noise,
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their communication Mated pairs howl together
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to strengthen their bond, announce territory,
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and signal their presence to neighboring coyotes.
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Group yipping and chorus howls often ripple across
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the valleys, echoing off the snow -covered hillsides,
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providing a soundtrack to a cool winter day.
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The MPS notes that these vocalizations play a
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key role in courtship and territorial defense,
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making winter one of the best times to hear coyotes
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even when you can't see them. Coyotes also change
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how they move across the landscape during mating
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season. Pairs travel together more frequently,
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often hunting in loose coordination and spending
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long stretches simply walking side by side. These
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moments, where two coyotes trot across an open
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snow field, pausing to look back at one another
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or stopping to scent mark, are quiet expressions
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of partnership. The International Wildlife Damage
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Management Council, interesting website, describes
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mating as a short but highly synchronized period
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with females receptive for only a few days, which
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explains the heightened focus and intensity seen
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during this time. As mating concludes, coyotes
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begin preparing for the next stage, denning and
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pup rearing. Even before pups were born in April,
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pairs started inspecting potential densides on
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south -facing slopes, hillsides, and well -drained
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soils, often using old badger burrows and digging,
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or digging their own. This preparation is part
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of the ritual, too. It's a shared investment
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in what comes next. Their winter diet of voles,
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mice, and carrion from winter -killed elk fuels
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this demanding season, keeping them close to
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open valleys where prey is accessible beneath
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the snow. For visitors, this is an invitation
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to watch them. Bring binoculars, park the car,
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turn off the engine, stand outside, let that
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cold sink in, and just listen. Coyote mating
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season isn't flashy or guaranteed. for the coyotes
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out there, but when it happens, or being able
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to hear that chorus at twilight, seeing a bonded
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pair moving with purpose, it feels like being
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let in on something private and ancient. Winter
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in Yellowstone rewards patience, I've talked
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about that so many times, and few experiences
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capture that better than standing in the cold,
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hearing coyotes announce their lives in the snow
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covered world. My tip of the week, make sure
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you don't dump your drink at a pullout. It's
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easy to think that dumping a half -finished cup
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of coffee or a melted soft drink out of your
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car window at a pullout in Yellowstone is harmless.
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It's just hot liquid, right? Or even cold liquid.
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In a place as vast and wild as Yellowstone National
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Park, though, even these small actions can have
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big consequences. And that's something that not
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everybody who visits the park thinks about. I
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am talking about this this week because I've
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seen this a lot recently. I go to pull out and
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there's coffee dumped out. There's tea dumped
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out. There's just liquids everywhere. Now most
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of you listening aren't going to do this, but
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I know people who are professional wolf watchers
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who do this. So I'm just saying this to remind
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it because with a little awareness, visitors
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can help keep the parks cleaner, safer and healthier
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for wildlife and for the people who come after
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them. One of the biggest concerns about this
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is animal safety. Many of Yellowstone's animals
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are drawn to unfamiliar smells, especially sweet
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or food -related scents. Coffee, soda, sports
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drinks, and flavored teas all contain sugars
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or strong aromas that can attract wildlife to
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roadsides and pullouts. When animals start associating
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these areas with food smells, they spend more
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time near the roads, and that increases the risk
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of vehicular collisions. Bison, elk, foxes, bears,
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and even small mammals can be interested in this.
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and killed simply because they were lured close
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to traffic by something as simple as a poured
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out drink. More than likely it's going to be
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foxes and it's going to be coyotes, there's going
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to be some birds, there's going to be a few other
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things there, but you shouldn't want to attract
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any animal to the road or to a bull out. There's
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also an issue of what's actually in those beverages,
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so like sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners,
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and acids that don't belong in natural soils
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or waterways in the park will get there if you
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keep dumping it out. Over time, repeated dumping
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and the same pullouts can alter the soil chemistry,
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affect plants, and potentially contaminate nearby
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streams or thermal runoff areas. Obviously that's
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extreme, but it can happen. Yellowstone's ecosystems
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are finely balanced shaped by geology, water,
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and climate over thousands of years. Introducing
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more human -made substances, even in small amounts,
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can slowly chip away at that balance. Obviously,
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we could talk about just putting pavement through
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a prairie and what that does, but that is again
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conversation for later, we're only talking about
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drinks. Beyond wildlife and ecology, there's
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a shared visitor experience to consider. Pullouts
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are places where people stop to take pictures,
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scan for wildlife, or simply enjoy the views.
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Sticky pavement that will ice over, lingering
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odors, stained everything, that kind of takes
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away that sense of wildness that makes Yellowstone
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special in the first place. Keeping these spaces
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clean helps everyone enjoy the park the way it
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was meant to be experienced. The good news is,
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this is really easy to take care of. Hold onto
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your drink until you reach a restroom sink, a
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trash can, or your lodging for proper disposal.
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Many parking areas and developed sites in Yellowstone
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are equipped for this, and planning makes it
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easy. So Yellowstone thrives when visitors act
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as stewards. Choosing not to dump drinks at pullouts
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is a small, thoughtful decision, but it helps
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protect wildlife, preserves the natural systems,
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and keeps the park wild for generations to come.
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At least for the day. Just don't do this. And
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again, if you see a professional photographer
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doing this, if you see anybody doing it, report
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them, even if it's your guide. My random Yellowstone
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fact of the week. The 1996 wolf reintroduction.
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As many know, The initial release in 1995 involved
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14 wolves captured in Alberta and British Columbia,
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and those were placed in three pens throughout
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the park. I talked about this again last year
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very in -depth, so if you want that episode,
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shoot me a message and I'll send it to you. These
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pens gave the wolves a period of adjustment before
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full release into the ecosystem of Yellowstone,
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and it allowed them to see the landscape, learn
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the sounds and smells, and develop social bonds
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with minimal human contact. When the pens were
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opened in March of 1995, most wolves remained
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nearby, establishing the first modern packs in
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the park. Encouraged by this early success, park
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biologists in the U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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moved forward with a second round of transplants
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in January of 1996. This time, 17 wolves were
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captured from wild populations in Canada and
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placed into four pens located at strategic sites
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across the park. Crystal Creek and Rose Creek,
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which were reused from 1995, plus two new locations,
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Nez Perce Creek and Blacktail Plateau. These
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sites spread across northern and western Yellowstone,
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and they were chosen to encourage wolf establishment
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beyond a single area and to help distribute packs
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across a suitable winter range. Each group remained
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in its pen through the cold months. It was fed
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carcasses of elk, deer, moose, and bison, while
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biologists monitored their health and behavior.
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Wolves were fitted with radio collars so scientists
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could track movements after release, and human
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interaction was kept minimal to maintain natural
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wariness. By April 1996, the pens were open and
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the wolves dispersed into the surrounding terrain.
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Most settled nearby, quickly forming social groups
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and beginning to hunt elk and other ungulates,
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pioneering a new era of predator -prey dynamics
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in the park. The result by the year's end was
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dramatic. The combined 1995 and 1996 releases
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produced nine packs totaling about 51 wolves
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in Yellowstone. Some packs even produced pups
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while still in the acclimation pens, a surprise
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that accelerated population growth and helped
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establish stable family groups. These early outcomes
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were so strong that they reshaped the recovery
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plan itself. The original blueprint for wolf
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restoration called for releases over multiple
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years, perhaps three to five, to reach recovery
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benchmarks. Yellowstone's 1995 and 1996 successes,
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however, meant that additional transplants were
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no longer necessary. Wolves were reproducing,
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surviving, and expanding on their own far sooner
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than managers expected. So the reintroduction
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program was concluded earlier than originally
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planned. Survival in those first two years was
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notable. Of the total wolves translocated, only
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a small number of mortalities were documented
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through 1996, and most deaths were linked to
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human causes, such as collisions or removal outside
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the park boundaries, rather than failure to adapt.
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This relatively low mortality helped fueled confidence
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that wolves could not only persist, but thrive
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in Yellowstone's harsh winters. Because of 1995
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and 1996, those reintroductions to wolves, this
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is one of the most compelling success stories
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in conservation history. The weather for the
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coming week. So last week I was excited about
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this potential for snow that was in the forecast
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at the end of like the seven days. That didn't
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really happen. We got a little light dusting
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of snow, but other than that, it's gone. The
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snowfall that was supposed to come vanished from
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the forecast and we didn't really get it so I'm
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a little bummed out by that so this week's weather
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forecast I'm just gonna read like I'm not excited
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about it and maybe it'll switch to snow later
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you know kind of like trick it but I don't think
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that's gonna work so the weather for Lamar Valley
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on Thursday the high will be 28 and the low will
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be 5 on Friday it's gonna be nice and cold high
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of 17 low of negative 10 on Saturday high of
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15 low of 1 Sunday high of 20 low of zero Monday
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high of 25 low of 11 Tuesday high of 30 low of
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14 and Wednesday high of 32 low of 17 Now there
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are a few days where there's like an 18 or 30
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percent chance precipitation I'm not holding
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my breath Like I said if it happens great, but
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I'm not not too sure we're gonna see Substantial
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snow in January in Yellowstone National Park
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the weather for Gardner, Montana On Thursday,
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a high of 31, a low of 6. On Friday, high of
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16, low of negative 5. Saturday, high of 19,
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low of 5. Sunday, high of 25, low of 3. Monday,
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high of 28, low of 14. Tuesday, 33 and 17. Wednesday,
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35 and 19. Again, still some chance of precipitation,
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but... I don't know. I don't know everybody.
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It's kind of frustrating not to see heavy snow
18:45
in the forecast. But let's check Cook City. In
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Cook City, on Thursday, there's a high of 24,
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a low of 5, 33 % chance of some snow. Friday,
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high of 14, low of negative 9, 24 % chance of
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snow in the morning. Saturday, high of 11, low
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of 3, 41 % chance about an inch of snow in the
19:06
afternoon evening Sunday high of 18 low of 1
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20 % chance of snow in the early morning Monday
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high of 22 low of 12 32 % chance of snow in the
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afternoon evening Tuesday high of 26 low of 15
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34 % chance about a half inch of snow and Wednesday
19:26
high of 29 low of 18 40 % chance about three
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-quarters of an inch of snow so Obviously not
19:34
ideal. I just, yeah, I don't know what to say
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about the snow and lack thereof in the forecast.
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So yeah, hopefully it changes. If it doesn't,
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then we will have a conversation in this podcast
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about low snowpacks historically going into the
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month of February. I'll be doing that in two
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weeks. So let's get to the snowpack update. As
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of January 21st, the snowpack is around 112 %
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in normal for this time of year. Last year on
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this date, we were averaging around 88 % of our
20:08
normal level. This is good news, right? But the
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lack of snow in the forecast is going to see
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these numbers drop dramatically over the next
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week. This is the snowy time of the year, and
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without a lot of snow right now, we're going
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to probably see this dropping in the 90s, if
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not the 80 percents, by next episode, if not
20:26
the episode after. road conditions inside the
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park the only road that's open as always is or
20:32
always in the winter not as always always right
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uh the road that's open right now is the road
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between garden of montana cook city montana you
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can drive your own car there decent shape um
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with some of the snow potential coming it might
20:47
be a little icy in spots it was actually better
20:49
from roosevelt to pebble creek than anywhere
20:54
else in the park the other day. From Mammoth
20:57
to Roosevelt, it was a little icy in corners,
21:00
it wasn't ideal. Now that all could change, but
21:03
just know that it's not terrible, but weather
21:06
can change. So if you want road information,
21:10
you can call 307 -344 -2117 for recorded road
21:14
alerts, or... Just sign up and receive Yellowstone
21:17
Road Alerts on your mobile phone by texting the
21:20
number 82190 to the number 888777. Camping information.
21:27
There's only one campground open in the park
21:29
right now, and that's the Mammoth Campground.
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I saw some people there last week, and that was
21:33
cool. Mammoth is open year -round, so if you're
21:36
coming this week, it'll be cold, but it'd be
21:38
cool to camp. Just make sure you're bundled up,
21:40
because those lows well below zero are very cold.
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The wildlife watching update. So part of the
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problem for me of doing this only once a week,
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I'm not going to switch to twice a week. Sorry,
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it's too much work. But by doing it once a week,
21:55
sometimes I'm not able to share some really cool
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experiences, which is why again, like if you're
22:00
visiting the park, reach out to me. I'm happy
22:02
to help. So last week, there was an opportunity
22:06
to see one of the most rare animals to see in
22:09
all of Yellowstone, mountain lions. I mentioned
22:12
off the top and I'm going to talk about it a
22:14
little bit here. So Mount Everts is a big mountain
22:17
located near Mammoth kind of to the north. It's
22:20
right like Lava Creek and the Gardiner River
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flow together and then run parallel to it and
22:25
then it kind of goes like all the way out toward
22:28
Gardiner Jardine area and drops down to meet
22:30
the Yellowstone River. That area Mount Everts
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right below the very summit of it which I got
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to hike and look down at place I've stood if
22:39
I looked right down from it There was a mountain
22:42
lion that had dug up a previously killed carcass
22:46
and shared it with her young. It was a very rare
22:50
sight. It was a multiple day experience and all
22:53
visible from those pullouts right by the Gardiner
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River Bridge. It was really cool. You needed
22:58
a spotting scope to see it. Binoculars even were
23:02
stretching it. I got to see it. It was so awesome.
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I hope all of you or, you know, everybody that
23:08
was there that listening got to see that too
23:12
because you know it's a mountain lion in the
23:14
park. In all of my years of visiting I've seen
23:16
very few mountain lion. One of which I saw jump
23:20
out of a tree hit the middle of the road and
23:22
jump out of sight in the evening hours. Another
23:25
one I watched as it like flicked its wrist over
23:28
an edge. All I saw was its wrist. I don't really
23:31
count that. And then a while ago I saw one that
23:33
was very sick and dying out in a field. So I
23:37
don't also don't count that because it was, you
23:39
know, basically dead. So this was one of the
23:42
first like live ones I've seen and definitely
23:44
the first live one I've seen in the previous
23:46
years. So it was really cool. You never know
23:48
what's gonna happen and the only way sometimes
23:51
you might Know what's going on is if you stop
23:53
and ask people what they see so do that Don't
23:57
be harassing about it But ask people what they're
24:00
looking at more than likely they're gonna share
24:02
and if they don't let you know then they're just
24:04
being jerks So I don't I don't know what to tell
24:06
those people but always ask do it with a smile
24:09
on your face Not demanding to look through their
24:11
scope and people will hook you up with some information
24:15
other than that Wolves have been off and on for
24:19
the last week. They've been picking up the last
24:21
few days out in Lamar, especially that western
24:26
side of Lamar and then out toward Little America.
24:29
They might be moving east or west in the next
24:31
few days. No one really knows. They might get
24:33
a carcass. Who knows, but it's worth driving
24:35
out. There's also been some golden eagles. There's
24:38
been some bald eagles. There's been a lot of
24:40
bison. The moose are still hanging out by Pebble
24:42
Creek and Round Prairie. I've seen bighorn sheep
24:45
above the confluence. The otters at the confluence
24:47
haven't been seen as recently, but that doesn't
24:51
mean that they're just not going to pop up elsewhere
24:53
very soon. So again, if you see somebody looking
24:56
at something, they might be looking at ducks.
24:58
That was me the other day taking pictures of
25:00
some ducks and people were like, do you see the
25:02
otters? And I was just looking at ducks, you
25:04
know, and they were very upset. that they stopped
25:06
and asked, but sometimes I take pictures of birds.
25:10
Birding -wise, haven't heard much about pygmy
25:13
owls this year. There have been a decent amount
25:15
of fox sightings out toward Cook City and also
25:19
kind of in that Lamar Canyon area, so keep an
25:22
eye out there. Coyotes are everywhere traveling
25:24
together in large groups, small groups, like
25:26
I talked about earlier. Couple solos just sleeping
25:30
out in the Sun when it's there. It's really fun
25:33
bison are on the move I got caught in two bison
25:35
jams the other day So just know that that may
25:38
happen a pronghorn and elk are largely gonna
25:40
be visible out by Gardner And if you want a big
25:44
herd of bighorn sheep, they're still hanging
25:46
out kind of north of the park out by the Yellowstone
25:50
hot springs devil slide area. So it's a good
25:54
week again for wildlife watching definitely You
25:58
know, stop and scan, listen a lot. I heard a
26:00
lot of coyotes howling all over the park the
26:03
other day. So that was really cool. That's why
26:06
I mentioned it this week in my kind of experience
26:09
of the week. So maybe you'll see the wolves.
26:12
Maybe you won't. But either way, you're going
26:13
to see something cool. You're going to be able
26:15
to go wildlife watching in Yellowstone. Like,
26:17
how great is that? Very quick plug before I get
26:21
to my truck of the week. I obviously do guide
26:23
services in the park and I would love to show
26:26
you around on the trails. Yellowstone is fantastic
26:28
from the roads, but the minute you get off trails
26:30
the magic of the whole region really comes alive.
26:34
I want to share that with you. If you want any
26:37
sort of experience reach out to me. I probably
26:39
offer it So you never know just shoot me a message
26:42
and we can make something happen If you'd rather
26:44
not hike with me, you know and listen to this
26:47
voice for hours and hours and hours on a trail
26:49
You can pick up one of my guidebooks I have a
26:51
wildlife watching guidebook to the park and all
26:54
my favorite trails in the Greater Yellowstone
26:55
ecosystem So you can pick those up. Everything
26:58
is outdoor -society .com Not the word dash, but
27:02
the actual dash Speaking of hiking trail alerts
27:05
and updates there are no official trail alerts
27:08
this week, but honestly snow in the park still
27:10
poor You know Make do the further east you get
27:15
the better will be for snowshoeing and cross
27:17
-country skiing, but it's still not great. So
27:21
best of luck Now if you are interested in hiking
27:24
now, here's my track of the week So I've been
27:27
debating recommending the Hell Roaring Bridge
27:29
Trek during the winter, because usually it's
27:31
a bit of a journey that should only be done by
27:33
skilled snowshoers and backcountry skiers, like
27:35
very skilled. However, with the absolutely atrocious
27:39
snowpack in the lower elevations and the scaling
27:42
back of snow in this coming week, I feel like
27:45
it's kind of a good idea. So, um, before that
27:48
though, Please know that this is a good idea
27:51
only for those with the right gear, the right
27:54
clothing, and the right experience to take a
27:56
winter trail adventure in Yellowstone. Despite
28:00
the lack of deep snow, this is still not an easy
28:02
walk in the park. If you want something easier,
28:05
reach out to me or pick up my guidebook. So the
28:09
hell -roaring region of the park is one of my
28:11
favorites and a place where I lead tours to unseen
28:14
wonders and spots that leave visitors wishing
28:16
they could spend longer in the area. In the winter,
28:20
hell roaring is largely ignored by park visitors,
28:23
giving those willing and able to get out an opportunity
28:26
to have this place to themselves. While I could
28:29
recommend an 8 to 12 mile trek here that would
28:32
just absolutely blow you away, I'm instead being
28:34
responsible and only recommending a 4 mile out
28:37
and back trek that's going to whet your appetite
28:39
for more days in hell roaring. For this trek,
28:43
you're going to start at the pullouts on the
28:44
main road about a half mile west of the road
28:47
to Hell Roaring Trailhead. This road is seasonally
28:51
closed, that Hell Roaring Trailhead road, and
28:53
so you're going to have to park at the pullouts.
28:55
That's your only option. Once you've parked,
28:58
just walk on the side of the road to the Hell
29:00
Roaring Road and then follow that down to the
29:02
trailhead. The trailhead from the pullout is
29:06
about a mile. Once you're on the trail, just
29:09
follow it down as it makes its way through trees
29:11
to an opening that gives a fantastic view of
29:13
the Yellowstone River and the Hell Roaring Plateau.
29:17
From here, the trail switchbacks down the hill,
29:19
losing about 450 feet of elevation in less than
29:22
a half mile. It eventually levels, mostly signaling
29:26
that you're nearing the bridge. After a few more
29:29
rolling hills, you're gonna once again drop,
29:32
and then you're gonna reach a stunning suspension
29:34
bridge over the Yellowstone River. This bridge
29:37
sits 175 feet above the river and spans a narrow
29:41
rocky canyon. Take your time here and look all
29:44
over the place. Once you're done enjoying the
29:47
bridge, head back the way you came. While you
29:50
could go deeper into Hell Roaring, this isn't
29:52
the best time to do it, even with this lack of
29:54
snow. Save the energy that you have to do another
29:58
short hike somewhere and then come back on a
30:01
warmer day to do something long. Now, very important
30:04
that I mention this. Please know that this area
30:06
is popular for bison, and you will probably have
30:09
them around. Stay 25 yards away from them at
30:12
all times. If you do have to go around them,
30:16
go at least 30 to 50 yards away. If they're blocking
30:20
the trail, do not try to scare them. They may
30:22
charge. Instead, go around. Going around may
30:26
make the trail steeper and more sketchy. So definitely
30:29
know that this is a distinct possibility, something
30:32
that happens to me probably 50 % of the time
30:34
when I do this in the winter. So just know this
30:36
before starting, and be smart, don't take any
30:40
risks. Again, miles for this total trail, about
30:43
four -ish, and the elevation loss and gain is
30:47
about 600. Alright, that is it for this week
30:51
and next week's episode. I'm gonna return with
30:53
all the information you need to have a good week
30:55
in the park that once again as always includes
30:58
the wildlife update, weather, trail updates,
31:02
everything else I can think of to talk to you
31:04
about. Until then, book a tour with me, pick
31:07
up a guidebook of mine, and happy trails in Yellowstone.
31:21
Abrupt ending! This week in Yellowstone is brought
31:24
to you by The Outdoor Society. That's my company.
31:26
It's just me, I do this, it's a labor of love.
31:29
If you like it, tell your friends, rate and review
31:31
it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening
31:35
and I hope to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright
31:37
2026, baby!