Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: September 10th to September 16th, 2026

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This Week in Yellowstone: September 10th to September 16th, 2026 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park, where despite
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it being after Labor Day, there's still lines
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every morning at West Yellowstone, this is that
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Scott guy you know and love with a brand new
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episode of This Week in Yellowstone. What's up
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everybody this week in Yellowstone National Park
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from September 10th to September 16th, 2026.
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I'll talk about fall colors, share the history
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of the Nez Perce trail through the park, and
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try to remind you to be in the moment during
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park visits. I'll also give you the complete
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weather forecast, a really cool trail to hike,
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the wildlife report, and everything else you
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need to have incredible time this week in Yellowstone.
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Right off the bat, my standard disclaimer, I'm
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gonna miss a few details here and there. I also
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mentioned park locations very casually. So if
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you're unfamiliar with any place I'm talking
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about, a quick search online can help, or you
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can reach out to me directly, area code 406 -1873
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for text messages, or you can email me directly
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at theoutdoorsociety at gmail .com. Also, if
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there is any residual white noise or the audio
1:15
sounds a little off this week, I'm recording
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in a hotel room. I'm doing the best I can. There
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shouldn't be any major issues, but if you're
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like, hey, that sounds a little different than
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normal, that's why. Finally, in my disclaimer
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random talk in the very front, reminder that
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this podcast is a passion project of mine. If
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you enjoy it, I'd love a review or a quick email.
1:35
I'm not paid. I'm not sponsored. I do this as
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a labor of love. If you're finding that you really
1:40
want to support the podcast, consider picking
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up a hiking or wildlife watching guidebook of
1:44
mine, or you can book a guided hiking tour in
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Yellowstone's backcountry. I'm currently taking
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reservations for next year, so reach out for
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that. I'm very excited for next year's hikes,
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and if you're planning on visiting the park soon,
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I can hook you up too. Other than that, visit
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outdoor -society .com or contact me directly,
2:03
406 -589 -1873, or via email at theoutdoorsocietyatgmail
2:08
.com. This week's Yellowstone news. As of right
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now, time of recording, there's not a lot of
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news going on, which is always great. There are
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a few things I do want to mention, though. September
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14th the Rescue Creek area is going to be under
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construction. Now most of you may not know Rescue
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Creek as it's not been accessible since 2022.
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The floods washed out a bridge that was a great
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little path to a hiking trail there and nothing's
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happened since. Starting on September 14th they're
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going to be starting construction to rebuild
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the bridge and that will eventually open up this
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awesome hiking trail. It's not really important
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to anybody's visit. It's near Gardner. You have
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to walk to get to where that is anyway through
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the washout area. So most park visitors right
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now are not seeing this. But this is very exciting
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for hikers. I will be talking about this in the
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future. And as this updates, I will be telling
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you all about it because I love the Rescue Creek
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Trail and some of the opportunities it affords.
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And when it does open, this will obviously be
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my hike of the week. The other news is that there
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are some closures going on in the park right
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now Not anything that you have to really worry
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about but it's just that time of the year when
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things start closing on September 9th The Canyon
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ice creamery is going to be closed I know sad
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news on September 13th Bridge Bay campground
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the Bridge Bay backcountry office Bridge Bay
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Marina store the Lake General store Old Faithful
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Basin Store, Old Faithful Lower Gas Station,
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and the Bridge Bay Marina services will be closed.
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The gas station will be open for pumping gas,
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but like the building itself to go into will
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not be open. On September 14th, Bridge Bay Fishing
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and Sightseeing Chargers stop, Bridge Bay Motorboat
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rentals end, and the Indian Creek Campground
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closes. On September 19th, you know, so not this
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week but next, the canyon campground closes on
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september 20th bridge bay dock slip rentals and
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the yellowstone lake boat tours end and the canyon
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adventure store closes so there's some closures
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happening just know that also the roosevelt dining
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room is now closed roosevelt mercantile is closed
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no more horseback and stagecoach rides from roosevelt
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the old faithful bike rentals have ended and
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the museum of the national park ranger are now
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closed I'll keep talking about these closures
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as they happen, but other than that, that's the
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news. Not a lot going on. Can't really complain.
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The wolf hunt is going to be starting soon, but
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we'll talk about that later. Right now though,
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let's just jump right into this episode and my
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experience of the week. The first hint of fall
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colors in the park. There's a distinct moment
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in Yellowstone National Park when the frenetic
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energy of summer finally starts to give way to
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something really tranquil. It happens right around
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the beginning of September, so obviously I had
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to talk about it this week. The long lines of
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SUVs start to thin out at most of the entrances,
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the midday heat softens, and a quiet crispness
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settles into the mountain air. For those who
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prefer hoodie weather to sunscreen, the end of
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summer and early fall is the absolute sweet spot
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to experience Yellowstone. The most immediate
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change you notice during the end of summer, early
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autumn, is the temperature. Yellowstone's high
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-altitude environment means summer exits quickly,
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ushering in beautifully cool invigorating daytime
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temperatures that average in the low 60s and
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upper 50s. It's the kind of weather that makes
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hiking a joy rather than an endurance test. Now
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if you hike this summer, you know some of those
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days are really hot. And now we're getting to
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the end of those hot days and it's awesome. The
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best part for a lot of people who visit in the
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fall are those dramatic temperature swings. As
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soon as the sun dips below the ridges, the temperature
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plummets, frequently dropping below freezing
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by dawn. You may wake up to an early frost blanketing
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the thermal basins, and if you're lucky enough
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to catch that, you're going to see this surreal
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landscape that's hard to describe. There's crystals
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everywhere of ice, and it glimmers in the sun.
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It's truly magical. I'm going to be talking about
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that more in the coming weeks, but this week
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I'm talking about fall colors. As the cold nights
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that in the summer settle in, they trigger a
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complex chain of biological responses that drive
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the park's botanical transformation. While many
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who come to the park are hoping to see a brilliant
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display of fall colors, I want to tell you all
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to keep expectations low. It isn't that fall
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colors aren't found, it's just less than most
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people expect. This shifting landscape is heavily
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influenced by Yellowstone's unique ecology, which
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is dominated roughly 80 % by lodgepole pines.
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These resilient conifers use dark green wax -coated
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needles to maximize photosynthesis in a nutrient
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-poor volcanic soil, and they remain green year
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-round. However, it's the remaining deciduous
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flora that steals the visual show in autumn.
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As the photo period shortens, signaling a drop
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in sunlight hours, plants halt their production
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of chlorophyll. It's really hard for me not to
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make a Billy Madison reference here, but I'm
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going to continue. The green pigment degrades
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rapidly, finally unmasking these pigments that
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have been hidden in the leaves all summer. The
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process produces the brilliant shimmering golds
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of the quaking aspen. The aspens grow in vast
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colonial clones sharing a single interconnected
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root system, meaning the entire groves often
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change color in perfect genetic unison. So if
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you're taking a tour with me, I always point
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out and ask question How many Aspen trees do
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you think there are when you we see a small Grove
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and people count and then I say it's just one
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Because they all like pop out of the same now
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with this connected root system Then that means
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that they all change color at the same time and
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it's really magical to see all Of the trees at
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the exact same color, especially this gold and
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there's some really good Aspen stands in the
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park especially in the northern range and then
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down toward like Ferry Falls and stuff like that.
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Go there if you want to see some cool colors.
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You're also going to see some colors on the Cottonwoods.
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You're going to see them on the various shrubs
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that grow in the park and some of those return
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rust, crimson and orange. I really like to go
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to Blacktail Plateau or Lamar or Hayden and that's
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where you can really see some cool colors sweeping
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across the hillside. One really good hike to
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see just a wide array of colors in the park which
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isn't really what you're always going to see
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is the hell roaring trail down at the bridge
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and back and maybe like into the prairie and
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back so you get through all the trees especially
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the switchbacks going down to the bridge at hell
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roaring there's some really cool fall colors
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to pop there Again, it's not going to be that
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like East Coast brilliant fall color display
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where it's everywhere, or like the Ozarks or
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anywhere like that. It's going to be subtle in
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places and it's going to hit hard in other places,
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but it all blends together and allows you to
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understand how the landscape works. While the
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foliage steals the visual show right now the
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parks wildlife still provide an unforgettable
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acoustic backdrop So don't forget to look for
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wildlife. I know it's a Yellowstone podcast You're
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going for wildlife over plants and most people
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will do that If you are yeah reach out to me
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if plants are more important to you than wildlife
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when you visit Yellowstone National Park I just
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want to know if anybody like that exists If you're
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near Mammoth right now, you're obviously going
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to have the rut with the elk. Same with the Madison
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River area by West Yellowstone and also down
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by the lake. It's a great time. The bison and
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their massive herds are really like splitting
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up into smaller groups now that mating season
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is winding down and we're just getting to where
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bears are really packing on the pounds. I'm going
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to talk about bear hyperphasia in the next few
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weeks and so Stay tuned for that, but right now
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you're getting the first hint of fall colors
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in the park and that's what I want you to experience.
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Driving over the pass over Dunraven from Roosevelt
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to Canyon, that's a beautiful area to see it.
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Also, like I said, the Northern Range. even out
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toward the Beartooths if you drive past Cook
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City and hit the Beartooths there's some aspen
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and when they turn there's this beautiful turn
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of the road and then you hit the straight stretch
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and you see Pilot Nendex Peak looming overhead
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and you have this Grove Aspen right next to the
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road kind of leaning perfectly golden really
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beautiful really wonderful. So if you're coming
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to the park this week that's the experience I
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want you to have we're not at the height of it
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but We never know when the height of it's going
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to happen. We could get very cold very fast,
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and then all these colors go away quickly. Fall
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is short -lived here most of the time, so if
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you're here and you start seeing things turn,
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enjoy it while it lasts because it's not going
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to last that long. A few other places if you're
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curious where you can see some good fall colors
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right now. You can also drive from Mammoth to
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Swan Lake Flats. There's some good Aspen down
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there, and just little pockets here and there.
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you're going to see a lot of reds and oranges
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on the hillsides. Also, if you drive out some
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of the dirt roads outside the north side of the
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park, there's some good aspen out there that
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are slowly starting to turn. Again, we're early,
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but those nighttime lows are getting cold enough
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where it's really going to kick in very quickly.
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So I'm telling you now that, you know, you should
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be able to see them. If you don't, it's just
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maybe too early. But It's going to literally
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turn any minute now and that's why I wanted to
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tell you. If you do need more places to see fall
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colors or even like hikes with cool fall colors,
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I have my book, my hiking book mapped out with
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like waterfall trails or family friendly trails
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or fall colored trails or things like that. And
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that's a really good thing that you can use as
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a reference to know where fall colors are going
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to happen. So consider picking that up. Ebooks
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are just $10. Okay, I do want to talk more about
12:17
fall colors, but I'll probably be mentioning
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that in the next few weeks So this is just kind
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of that reminder is my experience of the week
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and I'm gonna talk about it incessantly for the
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next few months So we're not gonna dilly -dally.
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We're gonna jump right to the tip of the week,
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which is remaining in the moment for those that
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know me I you know, I've had quite a journey
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of being one of those like peak bagger types
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who's all about the stoke and let's go do all
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of these crazy things to then slowing down a
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bit and trying to appreciate just being fortunate
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enough to be out in the park big and small experiences
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things like that one thing i've noticed the more
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that i'm aware of myself drifting into the appreciation
13:02
of the moment mindset is that a lot of people
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who visit the park tend to be really focused
13:09
on seeing everything and doing everything on
13:11
their list and by all means Do that make sure
13:15
you see everything you want to but the one thing
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I beg of you to do is To remember the small moments
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to appreciate these small things in the park
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For many a visit to the park is a once -in -a
13:28
-lifetime experience Maybe you're gonna come
13:30
back five six seven times because once you visit
13:32
the park you're gonna want to come back that
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tends to be the common theme here, but You never
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know when it's going to be your last trip to
13:40
the park. We're not promised a tomorrow. We're
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not promised another trip. We're not promised
13:44
one last moment in Yellowstone. We only get the
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moments that we have at that time. And that's
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one reason that I wanted to talk about this.
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I got caught up a little this summer and being
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like, OK, I did my tour. I'm just going to drive
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home. Not even going to stop and take pictures.
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I'm just going to do what I need to do. That's
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my day. OK, check my box. Drive home. and it's
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really easy to get in that mindset. The one thing
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that I realized I didn't do that much of when
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visiting the park or even driving through Paradise
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Valley to get back home to Livingston was stop
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and appreciate a sunset or leave a little earlier
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and watch the sunrise and just sit and watch
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it not drive and try and race to the trailhead
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so then I can get there early. It's just making
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sure you take appreciation for these little moments,
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for these things that we can take for granted.
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Wildlife is one of those things. When you visit
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the park a lot, you're like, oh, it's a bison.
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Just drive right by it. Oh, it's an elk. Just
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drive right by it. And I get that, and I do it.
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I am a little jaded, I will admit, because I'm
14:48
fortunate enough to have Yellowstone as my backyard.
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However, I get to see an elk and a bison or a
14:55
coyote or a moose or a wolf or a bear in Yellowstone
14:58
quite often, and sometimes I just drive by. guilty
15:02
of this so I know we're all guilty of this or
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I'm just assuming I'm maybe maybe placing all
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of this on you so I apologize if you're a person
15:09
who can appreciate all of this as it happens
15:12
and really be in the moment all the time but
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I feel like we as a society struggle to do this
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and that's why I want to remind both myself and
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you all just to take an extra breath somewhere
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just to take some time to make sure that when
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we see something We're actually seeing it. We're
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not seeing it through our camera as we take a
15:34
quick picture. We're letting all of our senses
15:37
experience the moment. We're smelling the air.
15:40
We're feeling the coldness on our skin or the
15:44
heat, right? We're smelling maybe the sulfur
15:47
in the distance. We're setting up an entire system
15:51
of memories so that moment that we're in lasts
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a lot longer than us just looking at a picture.
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Take your picture. Please do. I love seeing people's
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pictures. Send me your pictures too. You have
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my text. I love seeing your trip. But make sure
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that you're there and make sure that you're experiencing
16:08
it. I have a few tips of just ways to remind
16:13
yourself just to slow down a bit. And the first
16:16
is to let the landscape set the schedule. Instead
16:20
of rushing from one must -see spot to the next,
16:23
give yourself permission to linger, to stay.
16:26
If the light changes, if the wind picks up, if
16:29
a bison appears, or steam starts drifting across
16:32
the meadow, stop and watch. Yellowstone rewards
16:36
curiosity quite a lot, and the more you stop
16:39
and slow down, the more you might see. The next
16:42
thing to do is choose a few moments to do absolutely
16:45
nothing. If you're one of those people that needs
16:47
a checklist, that needs to have a time frame,
16:50
schedule a time to do nothing at a pullout. Find
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one of those pullouts or a camp site or a picnic
16:56
area next to a riverbank or meadow, and just
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stay there for 10 minutes. Put the camera away,
17:05
notice the sounds, maybe grab a pair of binoculars
17:07
and just scan, but just notice what's there.
17:11
You don't have to do something in the park for
17:14
Yellowstone to be an impressive park. And again,
17:17
this is also something I'm talking to myself
17:19
about, so if you're feeling attacked on this,
17:21
it's also me. Follow the unexpected. If there's
17:26
something that looks interesting that's not on
17:28
your checklist or that's not on your itinerary,
17:31
do it. You see a side road, drive that side road.
17:35
There's a trail that looks interesting or a boardwalk,
17:37
take it. Do you hear something in the trees when
17:40
you're standing next to a river? Stop and listen
17:43
a little longer. Some of my best experiences
17:46
in the park come when I just sit there and I
17:50
allow the park to speak to me. And again, I know
17:55
this is kind of like hippie -dippy or whatever
17:56
you want to call it, but the park rewards you,
18:00
nature rewards you in a way that is so soul -nourishing
18:06
and I want you all to experience that. So one
18:09
other thing to do is look closely at things that
18:12
are ordinary. Not every memorable Yellowstone
18:15
moment involves those big sights. Watch a raven
18:18
work out a problem as he's up in a tree or notice
18:22
the patterns of how the steam drifts across the
18:24
hot springs. Listen to a creek and see how there
18:27
is a slight fluctuation of water levels here
18:30
and there. Watch the clouds moving across the
18:32
mountains or watch the light dance across the
18:34
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are moments
18:37
where your appreciation can grow so much when
18:41
you stop measuring everything against the biggest
18:43
attractions. and let the park just speak for
18:46
itself every corner of the park every inch of
18:49
the park is beautiful in its own right the last
18:51
tip that i really have been trying to do on my
18:54
own and i encourage everybody i give tours to
18:56
to do it but be curious and let your inner kid
19:00
take over when we get older we let a lot of our
19:05
curiosity and a lot of our questioning of things
19:08
and our experiencing of things tactilely drift
19:11
away If you see something in the prairie that
19:14
you want to pick up, pick it up. Set it back
19:16
in the same place. You know, don't pick flowers,
19:18
don't pull things off, but touch everything.
19:21
Smell things. Let your curiosity win over. Let
19:25
yourself feel far away from the rest of the world.
19:30
It's a very stressful time for a lot of people
19:32
and going to the park is an escape. The escape
19:36
isn't just about making sure we can disconnect,
19:39
but it's also about reconnecting. It's about
19:41
letting our feet plant roots in a new place.
19:46
Maybe you have to do something. I've had friends
19:48
that do this. Anytime they visit somewhere, they
19:50
take their shoes and socks off, they stand barefoot
19:53
in an area, and they let their feet expand on
19:56
the soil. If you have to do that, that's awesome.
19:59
Feel the wind. Breathe deep. Be in the moment
20:03
because we never know when it's our last time
20:06
to visit Yellowstone and I want you to enjoy
20:08
it So when you do know I'm never going back to
20:10
this park You feel that you've gotten everything
20:13
you possibly can out of it because that's what
20:16
I'm struggling to do all the time to My random
20:19
Yellowstone fact of the week the flight of Chief
20:22
Joseph and his Nez Perce through Yellowstone
20:25
the story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce flight
20:28
through Yellowstone is one of the most dramatic
20:30
episodes in the history of the American West,
20:33
and Yellowstone itself plays a surprisingly important
20:35
role in it. In the summer of 1877, several bands
20:40
of the Nez Perce were fleeing their homeland
20:42
under pressure from the U .S. government and
20:44
army. Settlers had increasingly taken over their
20:47
ancestral lands in present -day Oregon and Idaho,
20:49
and the government demanded that the non -treating
20:52
Nez Perce move to a reservation in Idaho. Rather
20:55
than quietly accept removal, roughly 750 to 800
20:59
Nez Perce men, women, and children began an extraordinary
21:03
journey eastward. They traveled with nearly 2
21:06
,000 horses and were pursued by the US Army.
21:09
It's worth noting that the popular version of
21:11
the story often makes Chief Joseph seem like
21:14
the sole leader of the entire escape. In reality,
21:17
the Nez Perce were guided by several important
21:19
leaders, including Joseph, Looking Glass, White
21:22
Bird, and some others. Joseph became the most
21:25
famous figure associated with the flight, but
21:28
this was a very collective effort by the entire
21:31
tribe, involving an entire community trying to
21:33
survive. By late August, after months of travel
21:37
and several battles, the Nez Perce entered Yellowstone
21:40
National Park on August 23rd, 1877. Yellowstone
21:44
was only five years old at the time, the national
21:46
park, and was still a very remote and underdeveloped
21:49
place. The Nez Perce spent about 13 days crossing
21:53
the region, covering an area that today includes
21:56
some of the most recognizable landscapes in the
21:58
park. The Nez Perce entered Yellowstone near
22:00
the Madison River, right by West Yellowstone,
22:03
and then their main route followed the Madison
22:05
and Firehole River toward the Lower Geyser Basin,
22:09
crossing the Central Plateau and Hayden Valley,
22:11
fording the Yellowstone River, and then traveling
22:14
around the north shore of Yellowstone Lake and
22:17
eventually crossing the rugged Absaroka Mountains
22:19
on their way into Montana. When you visit the
22:22
park now, you're actually mostly tracing that
22:26
route. If you come in through west and go out
22:28
the east entrance, you're following where they
22:30
went for the most part. One of the many remarkable
22:34
things about their time in Yellowstone is that
22:35
the Nez Perce largely managed to evade the army
22:38
while inside Yellowstone. There weren't really
22:40
the roads there, there's nothing there, and they
22:42
were skilled and experienced travelers who knew
22:45
the area. This was not unfamiliar wilderness
22:48
to them at all. They had traveled through the
22:51
park and used Yellowstone long before it became
22:53
a national park. Through archaeological research
22:56
and Nez Perce oral histories, travelers have
22:59
moved through there for thousands of years. Archaeological
23:03
research and Nez Perce oral histories indicate
23:05
that travelers moving through Yellowstone sometimes
23:08
built temporary shelters called wicky -ups and
23:10
harvested edible inner bark from trees when food
23:13
was scarce. The hydrothermal areas were also
23:16
associated with practical and cultural uses.
23:20
Yellowstone may have been famous to tourists
23:22
for geysers and scenery, but for the Nez Perce
23:24
it was part of a much older landscape of travel,
23:27
food gathering, hunting, and tradition. Their
23:30
journey through Yellowstone was not entirely
23:32
peaceful. At one point, the group encountered
23:35
about 25 tourists in the park, which was astonishing
23:38
for how remote it was, and some tourists were
23:42
taken hostage and robbed of supplies, and two
23:45
were killed during encounters with Nez Perce
23:46
warriors. These incidents became some of the
23:49
most widely retold stories from the Yellowstone
23:51
portion of the flight, and helped fuel the flames
23:54
of catching them. It is a reminder that this
23:57
was not a sightseeing trip through a beautiful
23:59
park. The Nez Perce were exhausted, grieving
24:02
after being shot at and having some of their
24:05
members die over and over again with encounters
24:07
with the military. They were short on supplies
24:09
and they were just hoping to get somewhere else.
24:13
Now growing up, this was like when I was growing
24:16
up, this was a known story. but when you'd go
24:19
to ranger talks this was this was a while ago
24:22
everybody like last century but you go to ranger
24:24
talks and for a while the ranger talks would
24:27
include a point about you know there were not
24:30
indigenous people that visited the park because
24:32
they were scared of the thermal areas and this
24:35
goes exactly against that and now we know that
24:37
that's not true that yellowstone was a huge huge
24:42
area for indigenous populations from around the
24:45
region to come to You may be wondering where
24:49
can I read about this Nez Perce route in the
24:51
park? Is there a good visitor center display?
24:54
Is there anything about this? And honestly, there's
24:56
only a small little sign that you can read and
25:00
then a small bit about it in a couple visitor
25:02
centers. There are much larger visitor centers
25:06
about this. There's also some good websites you
25:08
can read for more information about this. But
25:10
for the most part, there's just very little documentation
25:14
around the park of this happening. There are
25:18
some areas where I'm going to tell you to hike
25:19
this week that talk about this, but don't expect
25:22
to see a lot of information about the flight
25:25
of the Nez Perce through Yellowstone in the park.
25:28
Again, there's a nice little picnic area, there's
25:30
a little sign that you can read, but generally
25:33
it's just another story in the huge amount of
25:37
stories in Yellowstone National Park. So after
25:40
leaving Yellowstone and crossing the Soroka Mountains
25:42
into Montana, the Nez Perce continued northward
25:45
and their hope was eventually to reach Canada
25:47
where Sitting Bull and other Lakota had found
25:50
refuge after the Battle of Little Bighorn. They
25:53
came very close. The Nez Perce were ultimately
25:56
surrounded by US forces near Bear Paw Mountains
25:59
less than 40 miles from the Canadian border.
26:02
Their journey covered roughly 1 ,170 miles over
26:06
five months and remains one of the most extraordinary
26:09
forced migrations and military pursuits in American
26:12
history. Yellowstone was only one section of
26:15
that journey, but it captures much of what makes
26:18
the story so memorable. Incredible endurance,
26:22
expert knowledge of the landscape, encounters
26:24
between very different groups of people, and
26:28
the determination of entire community trying
26:30
to find safety and preserve a way of life. Perhaps
26:34
the most important takeaway of all of this is
26:38
that it's not simply the adventure of a famous
26:40
chief, but it's the story of hundreds of Nez
26:43
Perce, the families, the children, elders, warriors,
26:46
and leaders who traveled through some of the
26:48
most difficult terrain in the West while trying
26:50
to preserve their lives and their freedom. Their
26:53
passage through Yellowstone an important part
26:56
of the park's history and their history and one
27:00
that I really want to talk about because it's
27:01
important to remember not just the fun parts
27:04
of the park but also how the park was established
27:07
and what had to happen for the park to be the
27:10
way it is today. The weather for the coming week
27:14
As always, this is the best forecast for the
27:16
week at the time of recording. I'm recording
27:18
this on Tuesday because I'm traveling, so the
27:21
weather will probably change quite a bit, especially
27:24
that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, but it's a good
27:27
framework for what you'll be expecting. So let's
27:30
start with Lamar Valley. In Lamar, on Thursday,
27:33
high of 74, low of 43. On Friday, 68 and 36,
27:37
with a 15 % chance of rain. on Saturday 69 and
27:41
42 with a 60 % chance of rain late morning into
27:45
the evening and then should rain all night Sunday
27:48
rain 64 and 36 40 % chance and then Monday 63
27:53
and 35 rain showers in the morning then decreasing
27:56
Tuesday 67 and 39 and then Wednesday 67 and 36
28:01
with a 20 % chance of rain Gardner Montana Thursday
28:06
77 and 44 Friday 71 and 37 with a 15 % chance
28:11
of rain Saturday 71 and 44 with a 51 % chance
28:15
of rain late morning and the evening should rain
28:18
throughout the evening Sunday 65 and 38 with
28:21
a 24 % chance of rain Monday 65 and 35 Tuesday
28:26
70 and 38 and Wednesday 69 and 36 West Yellowstone
28:32
Thursday 72 and 42 Friday 69 and 33 with a 15
28:37
% chance of rain Saturday 70 and 40 with a 60
28:41
% chance of rain again late morning into the
28:44
afternoon rain looks to pick up over the evening
28:46
Sunday 62 and 35 with a 31 % chance of rain Monday
28:51
62 and 31 Tuesday 66 and 37 and Wednesday 66
28:58
and 34 in Cody Wyoming on Thursday 86 and 58
29:03
Friday 72 and 45 with a 15 % chance of rain Saturday
29:08
66 and 46 with a 40 % chance of rain again late
29:12
morning afternoon into the evening Sunday 72
29:16
and 47 24 % chance of rain Monday 73 and 45 Tuesday
29:22
73 and 48 and Wednesday 73 and 44 and Finally
29:28
Cook City, Montana on Thursday 70 and 44 Friday
29:33
64 and 37 with a 21 % chance of rain Saturday
29:37
63 and 43 with a 61 % chance of a quarter inch
29:41
of rain Sunday 61 and 37 with a 50 % chance of
29:46
about a tenth of an inch of rain Monday 60 and
29:49
36 12 % chance of rain Tuesday 64 and 41 9 %
29:54
chance and Wednesday 64 and 37 with a 22 % chance
29:58
of rain with the weather We're going to talk
30:01
about road conditions because it's going to be
30:03
a little cold. It's going to be a little rainy.
30:05
There is a chance that some of the higher elevation
30:07
areas will receive snow. Dunraven Pass, Sylvan
30:11
Pass, and then the pass between the spacing on
30:15
the name between Old Faithful and West Thumb.
30:17
Those may see some snow. Beartooth Highway will
30:19
definitely get some snow right now. May close.
30:23
Can't really guarantee much there because it
30:25
just depends how much it actually like how much
30:28
precipitation actually falls so be aware higher
30:31
elevations are going to have some closures because
30:34
of snow whether that's outside of the park or
30:37
inside the park remains to be seen i would bank
30:40
on it not really being closed inside the park
30:43
maybe dunraven but i doubt it i would say that
30:46
some of those dirt roads are going to be closed
30:48
like chittenden road probably going to be closed
30:51
the blacktail plateau road especially if it rains
30:53
they always close it when it rains so Expect
30:56
that, and if they're open when you get there,
30:58
they're open. If you do want to know what the
31:01
weather's going to be like, you can get up -to
31:04
-date road information by calling 307 -344 -2117
31:08
for recorded information about it, or you can
31:11
sign up to receive Yellowstone Road Alerts on
31:14
your mobile phone by texting the number 82190
31:17
to the number 888 -777. Camping information aside
31:23
from what I said is going to be closing everything's
31:25
open I will provide the opening closing dates
31:28
in the show notes to this So go ahead and check
31:32
that out the wildlife watching update So we are
31:37
getting wildlife watching sightings picking up
31:41
Bit more and more every week every day seems
31:43
to be a little better right now if you want to
31:45
see wolves Like, right at the time of recording.
31:48
The best sightings have been recently between
31:50
Mammoth and Roosevelt, especially by the big
31:53
curves by the Forces of Nature trail, above the
31:57
Blacktail Plateau, like the Blacktail Plateau
31:59
area. That's been a good area to see them. Also,
32:02
occasional glimpses at Hell Roaring, supposedly.
32:05
Lamar has been pretty slow the last few days,
32:07
but that doesn't mean anything it can pick up
32:10
at any moment. So I would still swing out there.
32:12
I do know that there's been some Big Bull Moose
32:15
spotted. out toward the northeast entrance road
32:17
toward cook city saw some video of people getting
32:20
way too close to one please don't do that i also
32:23
saw a story out of colorado where a woman was
32:26
attacked by a bull moose and got her leg cut
32:30
by the antlers so don't approach wildlife they
32:33
will run at you and you really don't want that
32:35
that's not fun at all bison are going to be like
32:39
i said off the top dispersing a bit and the big
32:43
herds are going to be smaller but that means
32:45
that bison are going to be spread more spread
32:47
out throughout the park there are a lot of old
32:49
bulls that are just kind of sitting off on hillsides
32:51
by themselves that's been really fun to see i
32:54
saw one out by grizzly lake i was just hanging
32:57
out all by itself just didn't seem to care about
33:00
anything and he seemed content and so i let him
33:02
be hayden valley has been pretty good too there
33:06
have been some sightings of wolves and bears
33:08
i've heard of some bears up over down raven pass
33:11
grizzlies with you know a decently old cub so
33:15
check that out otherwise it's just we're just
33:18
still at that almost season obviously elk are
33:22
going to be in mammoth and out madison river
33:25
out towards west yellowstone and they're going
33:28
to be bugling they're going to be running around
33:29
talked about that last week so stay away from
33:32
them too it's it's not it's not a fun time to
33:34
get too close to wildlife ever but especially
33:37
during their mating season I had a listener recently
33:41
email me about asking where to see bears, and
33:44
I'm going to say it again. We're still in this
33:46
bear inconsistency period. It's really hard to
33:50
know where to see bears. Most of them are up
33:52
over 10 ,000 feet with the whitebark pines eating
33:56
nuts and things like that, or they're eating
33:59
moths up on hillsides. As the storm comes in
34:02
with the cold temperatures and some snow, it
34:05
might start forcing some of them down a little
34:07
lower. would check where there's berries especially
34:10
that northern range there could be some more
34:13
grizzlies spotted around the Mystic Falls area
34:17
where they were the spring and they had that
34:19
closure they tend to go back to where they were
34:21
in the spring because that's where they den so
34:23
I would check that out also I would expect Merry
34:26
Mountain as purse trail to probably have some
34:28
grizzlies out there and then out the east entrance
34:32
especially as you get up towards Sylvan Pass
34:34
that area is really gonna pick up for grizzlies
34:36
black bears are kind of all over honestly we've
34:39
had more black bears in the town of livingston
34:41
in the last week than i've seen in the park recently
34:44
so who knows if you're going to see any bears
34:47
but drive around early mornings i've been having
34:50
more luck in the evenings to be honest and i
34:52
know a lot of people that have been doing that
34:53
too oh and great gray owls are starting to be
34:57
seen more and more around the lake area like
35:01
the lake hotel area and all of that so Go out
35:05
there in the evenings, that might be a good place
35:07
to see them. I know this time of the year is
35:09
when sightings really start to pick up. Other
35:12
than that, if you need more wildlife information
35:14
up to date, reach out to me via text or email,
35:17
or you can pick up my wildlife watching guidebook
35:19
that I've written over my entire lifetime of
35:22
wildlife watching in the park. I think it's a
35:24
great resource. People seem to agree. So check
35:26
that out at outdoor -society .com or message
35:30
me and I can send you that. Trail alerts and
35:33
updates. Backcountry conditions page is updated
35:36
once again. I'm just linking to that I do like
35:39
mentioning that every week Just so people know
35:41
that that is a amazing resource that link is
35:44
in the show notes I do want to say that right
35:46
now Make sure when you're hiking to make a lot
35:49
of noise and to keep your eye out for carcasses
35:51
One way to see if there's carcasses around are
35:54
there a lot of crows and Ravens and magpies and
35:57
Eagles near something if so don't hike out there
36:01
there's probably something dead and that means
36:03
that there will probably be bears there if not
36:06
already they'll be coming soon so avoid carcass
36:09
sites at all costs and the park will put up signs
36:12
when they know there's a carcass but as staffing
36:15
kind of decreases right now there's less people
36:18
out hiking so if you come across something reported
36:21
immediately and let the park know because they
36:24
don't always send somebody to every trail as
36:26
I say every week carry bear spray have it readily
36:29
accessible and not in the bottom of your backpack,
36:32
have it very quickly accessible, like one or
36:34
two seconds accessible, and know how to use it
36:37
before you need it. Read the instructions, practice
36:40
a little bit, know how to use it. It will be
36:43
very important because a bear is not going to
36:45
give you time. My Trek of the Week. The Nez Perce
36:49
Trail, but not to Mary Mountain or even Mary
36:51
Lake. One of the underrated hikes in Yellowstone
36:54
to experience not just the history of the Nez
36:56
Perce Trail, but also an opportunity to step
36:59
away from the park's famous boardwalks and busy
37:01
roadside attractions, is the Nez Perce Trail.
37:04
While one could do the entire 20 .2 mile one
37:08
-way Merry Mountain Nez Perce Trail across Yellowstone's
37:12
central plateau, which is awesome, this route
37:14
can and should be enjoyed right now as a flexible
37:18
out -and -back hike from the Nez Perce Trailhead.
37:20
I do want to mention right away that this route
37:23
is often closed for bear activity, so always
37:26
look at the backcountry situation report and
37:29
signs of the trailhead before hiking it. Sometimes
37:31
the website isn't updated and you get to the
37:33
trailhead and it's closed, but that's just the
37:35
breaks of Yellowstone. The trailhead is located
37:38
in the Old Faithful area along the Grand Loop
37:40
Road near Nez Perce Creek. From there, the trail
37:44
immediately heads away from the road and into
37:46
Yellowstone's backcountry, passing through open
37:48
meadows, forests, and the Nez Perce Creek drainage.
37:52
As I mentioned, this hike can be a 20 -mile day,
37:56
but I think you're going to enjoy it a lot more
37:58
by simply choosing your own turnaround point.
38:01
Makes it a practical alternative to this full
38:03
one -way trek where you also have to figure out
38:05
cars and all of that. Plus, Day hikes like this
38:08
should serve as a way to whet your appetite for
38:10
longer days on your next visit. I feel like a
38:14
6 -10 mile out and back provides a good introduction
38:17
to this trail and its landscape. The terrain
38:20
offers a quieter side of Yellowstone with broad
38:23
meadows, creekside scenery, some cool thermal
38:26
areas, and an excellent opportunity to see wildlife.
38:30
You may come across antlers, skulls, and bones
38:32
along the trek too, which is always awesome.
38:35
Just remember to leave them there. Aside from
38:38
the history of this trail, which I talked about
38:39
earlier, one especially interesting aspect of
38:43
this full Mary Mountain Nez Perce trail is the
38:45
connection to Yellowstone's geothermal landscapes.
38:49
Mary Lake and several backcountry thermal areas
38:51
are located near the midpoint of the complete
38:54
20 .2 mile trail, but reaching them is going
38:57
to be too long of a day. If you do end up crushing
39:00
a ton of miles, Know that these are not developed
39:04
geyser basins with boardwalks and signs and things
39:07
like that. There is just a boot path that is
39:09
sometimes visible. Hikers completing only a short
39:13
out and back will still see some cool thermal
39:15
areas, but the larger features are going to have
39:18
to wait for a return trip. The appeal of making
39:21
the Nez Perce Trail an out and back hike is that
39:23
there's no need to reach any place in particular.
39:27
Instead, it's about the experience of just being
39:29
in a quieter section of the park, which is what
39:31
I talked about earlier, too. You get to follow
39:33
the creek, you get to cross it a couple of times,
39:36
you get to connect to natural history and human
39:38
history, and you get to walk several miles into
39:41
the backcountry and probably not see another
39:44
person. There's a really good chance you're gonna
39:46
see more wildlife than people, which I always
39:49
enjoy. If you're curious how I usually do this
39:52
as an out and back, I'll tell you. I tend to
39:54
hike 5 .3 miles one way and then turn around.
39:58
I know that's the specific thing, but this allows
40:01
me to pass through the initial open areas and
40:03
pass Colick's Basin in the first couple of miles,
40:06
which is a cool little thermal area, then enter
40:08
the trees for a bit before merging another open
40:11
meadow for another couple of miles. There are
40:14
numerous creek crossings, hidden gyms, and wonderful
40:17
places for silence and solitude along this route,
40:20
making it truly ideal for this time of year.
40:23
I always want to get out to Monkey Lake, which
40:25
sounds cool, but there are no monkeys there,
40:27
or so I've been told. I don't actually know this.
40:30
I've never seen one there, but, you know, if
40:32
anybody has seen a monkey at Monkey Lake, let
40:34
the park know. They'll probably want to. But
40:37
if you do go to Monkey Lake and back, it's about
40:39
a 15 -mile day instead, so I usually go near
40:42
it, but then turn around. By doing that, it's
40:45
just a fun walk there's really no elevation gain
40:48
there's nothing too strenuous maybe you know
40:51
your feet might get a little wet here and there
40:53
from marshy area but it's late in the season
40:56
should be dry and if you do this early in the
40:59
morning after a really cold night there might
41:01
be some frost in some thermal areas or there'll
41:03
be steam in thermal areas that you wouldn't know
41:05
we're there if you hiked in the heat of the day
41:08
this is a fun hike to do especially in that thermal
41:10
area where most all the trails are boardwalks.
41:14
So if you are there and you're wanting to hike
41:15
and you get to the trailhead and there's not
41:17
a bear closure sign, hike out for a few miles.
41:20
Very least, you're just going to have a fun experience
41:22
where very few people go. And it's like I said,
41:25
it's going to whet your appetite to want to do
41:27
even more in some of the lesser known trails
41:30
of the park. That's it for this week in next
41:34
week's episode I'm gonna return with all the
41:35
information you need to have a good week in the
41:37
park Including the wildlife weather and trail
41:40
updates until then pick up a guidebook of mine.
41:43
Tell your friends family neighbors strangers
41:46
everyone about this podcast Send me an email
41:50
if you like it. I like to hear from you and Talk
41:53
to you next week. Happy trails Abrupt ending!
42:08
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42:10
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42:12
just me. I do this. It's a labor of love. If
42:15
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42:17
it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening
42:20
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42:23
2026, baby!