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This Week in Yellowstone: August 6th to August 12th, 2026 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where I still
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have dust and dirt all over my legs from today's
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adventure, this is that Scott guy you know and
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love with a brand new episode of This Week in
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Yellowstone. What's up everybody? This week in
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Yellowstone National Park from August 6th to
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August 12th, 2026, I'll talk about how to maximize
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wildlife watching during the slow season for
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animals, discuss wildfire smoke impacting the
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park, and tell you about a boat on Grand Prismatic
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Hot Springs. I'll also give you the complete
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weather forecast, a cool trail to hike, the wildlife
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report, and everything else you need to have
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an incredible time this week in Yellowstone.
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Standard disclaimer, gonna miss a few details
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here and there. I research everything, I do my
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best, and sometimes I just skip over things,
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so if I misspeak, it's probably an accident or
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I typed something wrong, so sorry about that.
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I also want you to know that I mention park locations
1:04
very casually. If you're unfamiliar with what
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I'm talking about, a quick search can help, or
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you can contact me directly, 406 -589 -1873 for
1:13
text messages, or you can email me at theoutdoorsociety
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at gmail .com. I'm also found online at some
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variation here and there of the guy with the
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bison tattoo, so feel free to reach out there.
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Finally in this quick intro, please know that
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this is a passion project of mine this podcast
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is something that I do for fun I'm not paid I'm
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not sponsored so if you enjoy it I'd love a review
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on whatever podcast player you listen to or just
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shoot me an email and say thanks or if this podcast
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has been useful for you if you'd like to do more
1:49
than that you can support my work by checking
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out my hiking and wildlife watching guidebooks
1:53
or join me for a guided hiking tour in Yellowstone's
1:56
backcountry. For more information on all of that,
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visit outdoor -society .com or contact me directly
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with all the information I gave you in the previous
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paragraph, which would be like 30 seconds ago.
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All right. This week's Yellowstone news. First
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bit of news is coming straight from a ranger
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that I talked to the other day, and it is pretty
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simple. Stop speeding in the park. A couple weeks
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ago, the ranger I was talking to was telling
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me that they arrested somebody for going 102
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miles an hour in the park. The fastest speed
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limit in the park is 45 miles an hour. Most of
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the sections that are populated are 25 and 35.
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And by populated, I mean like busy intersections,
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things like that. However, there's animals all
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over the place and every year dozens upon dozens
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of animals die because they're hit by cars in
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the park. That's not including the little ground
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squirrels that you're going to see squished all
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over the place when you're driving through, but
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those can also be avoided by driving slow and
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being alert. Talked to a ranger, they said, hey,
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can you please mention to drive the speed limit,
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use pullouts, be a responsible driver when you're
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in the park and don't go 102 miles an hour, which
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is absolutely wild. I have an idea of where that
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was, but still, it's inexcusable. The park is
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a place to enjoy, to slow down, to get away from
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it all. If that's something that you struggle
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doing, then maybe the park isn't for you. I hate
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to say that, but if you have to rush to each
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of these places as fast as you can or you don't
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respect speed limit signs because you're a good
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driver, don't be that person. The park is beautiful.
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Not every place is going to be drop dead gorgeous,
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you know, but it's a place to be respectful,
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to be slower and to enjoy nature. So if you want
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to speed, go elsewhere. But drive the speed limit
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when you're in the park, please. Also, this was
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brought up I was talking to the stranger about
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it then later that day There is a fatality accident
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because people were speeding and went out of
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the lane is what I've heard So please be safe.
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Please stay in your lane. Please do not speed
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And I feel like the news section has gotten really
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negative. So I apologize for that I am gonna
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also mention real quick. There's another bison
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incident videos going viral No one got tossed
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this time, but there was a kid that got chased
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by a bison. This is because people see the bison
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next to a boardwalk and they continue to walk.
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Do not do this if there's a bison blocking the
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boardwalk or right next to it. Wait or turn around
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and go back the way you came from. If you have
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to wait a while, that's just life in Yellowstone.
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Don't force the issue, please. Obviously Bison
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are very aggressive right now, and the rut is
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going on, and I've talked about all this before,
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so that will be the end of that. Alright, one
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more news story that's also a bummer. I am so
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sorry. I want to have positive news stories,
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and I do. I just remembered one and I'm gonna
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mention it right after this one, but... There's
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a petition that was shared with me that I'm going
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to share with all of you, and that is to tell
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Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to close hunt
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area one to wolf hunting. The Mali pack is one
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of the last remaining packs originally established
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during Yellowstone's historic wolf reintroduction,
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and this pack has left the park boundaries and
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established a den. In this area, four wolves
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can be legally killed this fall. during Wyoming's
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wolf hunting season. There's a petition to try
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and get that hunting district closed so that
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pack can continue to be established. Chances
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are if it's not, that pack will be eliminated.
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Generally, if there is a disruption due to hunting
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of a pack when they're outside, that pack doesn't
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necessarily survive too well. There will be some
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wolves that could survive, but they're identity
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as a pack will potentially be gone forever. So
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if you feel passionate, but passionately about
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that, I have the link for the petition in the
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show notes. And as promised, here's some cool
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news. The Voices of Yellowstone First People
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Celebration is going on from August 2nd to August
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8th. I just about missed it this year, so there's
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a couple days for you to catch it. August 2nd
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through 8th in Gardiner. You can take part in
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the Voice of Yellowstone First People Celebration,
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which is a week -long event to honor and celebrate
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the diverse cultures of the indigenous peoples
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of Yellowstone, past, present, and future. There
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are scheduled events, Their opening ceremony
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is already over. The lighting of the teepees
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every night is really cool. There's a market
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there. There's special guests and a potluck.
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I will have the link in the show notes for this
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as well. I thought that this was going to be
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later, so I apologize that I missed this and
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did not mention it in the event section last
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week, but you can still catch it August 2nd to
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August 8th. So you have a few days and it's really
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cool if at the very least you just go. To Gardener
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at in the evening and just see the teepees just
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illuminate right by the arch and then the mountains
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in the background It's truly spectacular really
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gorgeous and everybody there is really sharing
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a lot of vital information That's really cool
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to know so check that out again. I'll share more
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information in the show notes My experience of
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the week looking for wildlife in the slow season
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It shouldn't come as a secret to listeners of
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this podcast that the peak of summer is the hardest
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time to see all of the wildlife you're hoping
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to see while visiting the park. It isn't that
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all the wildlife has gone from the park, it's
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just that those of us fortunate enough to be
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here all the time are spoiled with May and June
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and then again September and October when we
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can really see everything. And while those months
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are insanely good for wildlife viewing, These
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months are known as the slow wildlife watching
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season for a lot of people. However, August still
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holds some of the best surprises and moments
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that make it such an important time to visit.
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Now, obviously the highlight is always the bison
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rut in August. The bison rut pops off and it
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is just pure energy and awesomeness. Bison are
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rolling around in the dirt. They're running after
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each other. You can hear grunts from miles away.
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It is truly a fantastic time. If you go to Lamar
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Valley or Hayden Valley, you are going to see
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the bison rut going on. Pretty much guaranteed.
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Sometimes the bison roam around and aren't quite
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as visible from right next to the road. But generally,
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if you go to either of those two valleys, you
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are going to have bison sightings, you're going
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to see rut activity, and it's going to be really
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cool. One positive thing about the rut going
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on too for wildlife watching is It's not positive
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for the bison, but it's positive for wildlife
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watching and I want to make sure to make that
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clear But if you are out watching the rut sometimes
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bison get injured during the rut injured animals
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will be hunted by wolves and Then they will be
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eaten by other predators when they're dead so
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As morbid as it is, sometimes bison get injured,
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sometimes they die, and those bison become food.
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So if you want to see things that are really
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cool and maybe graphic, hanging out by the bison
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rut allows you another opportunity to see some
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of those things. They're not guaranteed, obviously,
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but when there is lots of activity like this,
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everything kind of comes alive. I'm not going
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to talk much more about the bison rut. throughout
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all of this because i've talked about it a lot
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and there's other things that are going on wildlife
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wise especially in august and right now i wrote
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this out and then i was in the park today and
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i was hoping that it was true because the timing
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of this is you know just dumb luck and it's happening
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right now there are some Bull elk that are hanging
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out around mammoth around some of the females
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and they're already starting to do just the earliest
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signs of rut activity I didn't hear any bugling
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today, but there's elk with Antlers coming in
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to mammoth and it's really cool I've also seen
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some great pictures of some bull elk around the
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lake area out along the Madison So this is a
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time when the elk rut really starts to happen
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And I know August is kind of the time where we
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get most visitors We get almost a million visitors
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to the park in August and everybody wants to
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see bears and wolves Bears and wolves are still
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possible to see but you might have to shift your
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expectations on what you really will see expect
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that if you see a bear or wolf, it's going to
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be luck and good timing on your part. There's
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not much you can do to control that. However,
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you can control seeing elk, seeing bison, seeing
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the pronghorn with their babies still, seeing
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all of the newly fledged flying around eagles
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and osprey that are all around the park. It's
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a time of lots of energy. It just has shifted
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from that insanity that is May and early June.
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July is kind of a balanced period and then August
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has that feeling, like I said, of slowing down.
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But it's only because the larger predators, especially
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the bears, do go higher up into the mountains
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and are a little harder to see. bear spotting
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is much harder to see right now. And as frustrating
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as that is, it does make those sightings that
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much more unique. I'll talk about where to go
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in the wildlife report, but I want you to know
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if you're coming to the park right now, set those
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bear expectations a little lower. If you saw
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people that came in May or June and you're like,
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I want to see that, that's a special time of
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the year. That only happens then. This is a different
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time of the year that is still really good It's
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just not as consistent and not as close to the
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road So you're gonna have to put in some work
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or just like I said have some luck Yellowstone
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is all about luck in timing and there's nothing
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you can do about it you can race here and there
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and hope to see things at the crack of dawn and
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Then you may see nothing and then you'll drive
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you'll leave it'll be noon You'll round a corner
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and there'll be a wolf that's happened to me.
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It's happened to a lot of people and it's just
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how Yellowstone operates. One place I can't recommend
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enough for just a unique wildlife watching experience.
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If you're dead set on seeing some babies and
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seeing some animals running around wildflowers,
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really increasing your grizzly opportunities,
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as well as some cool marmots and picas, go up
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to the Beartooth Highway. I know it's an added
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drive. I know that it's not necessarily on everyone's
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itinerary, but going up there right now is truly
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beautiful. And I will tell everybody to do it.
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And very few people take me up on this. And those
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that do are always like, wow, that was amazing.
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Well, not everyone, but you know what I mean.
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There's baby mountain goats. I almost call them
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big corn sheep. One of the things that a lot
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of people do out here is they conflate Big horn
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sheep with mountain goats. Mountain goats are
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white and have pointy horns. Big horn sheep have
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the curled horns, at least the males do. The
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females have pointy horns, but they're not like
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bright white. Anyway, that's a complete aside.
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Wildlife watching right now is very good. It's
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just at a slower pace. If you go out in the morning,
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you go out in the evenings, you're going to have
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your best luck. the temperatures are going to
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be pretty hot this week and everything gets a
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little lazy then so you still might see things
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during the middle of the day but please know
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that if you're dead set on seeing the big animals
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aside from bison you need to be up early you
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need to stay up a little late and you should
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see something if you put in enough time also
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like i said it's just luck sometimes you're just
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in the wrong place at the wrong time but There's
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so many opportunities for great moments that
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don't revolve around making sure you get that
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checklist of animals so Wildlife watching is
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still good. It's gonna be slower. It's gonna
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put a little you're gonna need to put in a little
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more work But I like this time of the year. I've
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had some my better wildlife sightings in August
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and If you're here long enough, or you have good
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luck or Yellowstone just blesses you you are
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going to see amazing things My tip of the week,
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there return a wildfire smoke and how to deal
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with it when you're visiting Yellowstone. So
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if you're here in the park this coming week,
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you're probably going to notice some wildfire
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smoke drifting in the region from fires burning
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outside the park. While hazy skies are never
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ideal, they don't have to put a damper on your
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vacation. Smoke conditions out here change dramatically
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throughout the day. Sometimes it's going to be
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really smoky in the morning and then blow out
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other times the smoke will roll in. Smoke will
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impact your visit here and there but you can
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still enjoy incredible wildlife watching, hiking,
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geyser gazing, and photography by staying flexible
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and planning around the conditions. A little
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preparation go a long way toward making the most
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of your time here and this is what I'm going
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to tell you kind of what you can do and just
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be ready. Obviously if you have any condition
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that makes smoke in the air a problem. It's not
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going to be ideal. I do know of some people who
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that impacts, and they canceled the trip to Glacier
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because the smoke was just so bad up there. However,
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it doesn't look like it's going to be super bad
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this coming week. It could all change, but it's
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not worth canceling your trip over right now.
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So here we go with some tips I have for you all.
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The best way to know what the air is going to
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be like during your visit is to check the air
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quality index or AQI before heading out each
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morning. The National Park Service provides real
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time air quality information for monitoring stations
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both in and around Yellowstone and I have a link
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to that in the show notes. You can see what the
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AQI is that day and it's an easy to understand
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color scale. Green indicates good air, yellow
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means moderate conditions, orange signals that
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sensitive groups should limit prolonged outdoor
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exertion, and red indicates unhealthy air for
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everyone. Because Yellowstone covers more than
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2 .2 million acres, air quality can considerably
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differ from one area of the park to another.
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One section may have noticeably hazier skies,
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while another remains clear. And that just depends
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on wind direction, location of the incoming smoke,
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and how the mountains interact and all of that.
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Obviously, if you're planning to take a hike
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or other physical activities, you're going to
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have to do a little bit of planning if the smoke
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is bad. Mornings are sometimes your best opportunity,
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as overnight weather patterns can sometimes improve
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local air quality before daytime winds begin,
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but that's not always the case. For instance,
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today, on Wednesday, it was smokier in the morning
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and then cleared out a bit in the park. If the
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air does become hazier later in the day, or even
17:06
in the morning, consider shifting to lower impact
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activities like walking a boardwalk, watching
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wildlife, enjoying a ranger program, spending
17:15
time at the visitor centers or museums, you know
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things like that. The main thing to do when it
17:21
is smoky is to keep remaining flexible with your
17:24
itinerary because you just can't control some
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things. And while the smoke is bad or can be
17:30
bad at times and bad for you, there are some
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times where it has an unexpected silver lining
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for photographers. Sunrises and sunsets during
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smoky periods in Yellowstone are some of my favorite
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sunrise and sunset pictures I've ever taken.
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You get this glowing red orb. The clouds have
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a decent haze to them. It's just so unique. It
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looks otherworldly and a lot of Yellowstone looks
17:55
otherworldly anyway, so it just adds to that.
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If you're a photographer and you're here when
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it's smoky and you're just like, oh, that's going
18:01
to ruin everything. It's not. You may have to
18:04
change some settings around to handle it, but
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it's really cool. It's also worth remembering
18:08
when visiting the park and it's smoky out that
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you aren't just here for those big vistas. You're
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still going to be able to see Old Faithful's
18:16
eruption just fine. You're going to see the colorful
18:18
hot springs, the mud pots, see wildlife, enjoy
18:22
the waterfalls, and all of those things that
18:25
are there because it's not just about the big
18:27
views. It's about the smaller moments too. While
18:30
the haze and the smoke could roll in and block
18:33
visibility a mile or three or five away. You're
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still gonna have everything right up front and
18:39
ahead of you Perfect and wonderful. So if it
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is gonna be smoky this week, which I can't really
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predict But it looks like it's gonna be a little
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smoky then do the best that you can check that
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a QI Talk to the park about where it may not
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be smoky But again that the main thing to do
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check that a QI and just kind of go out and have
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the best day you can Smoke will impact you if
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it's around But you don't have to let it ruin
19:07
everything. Obviously, if you have a health condition,
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I do want to say that it isn't great. And you
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may want to look into something different if
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you have a severe health condition where smoke
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impacts you. Otherwise looks to be OK this week.
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My random Yellowstone fact of the week, the boat
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on Grand Prismatic. Most people who stand on
19:29
the boardwalk overlooking Grand Prismatic or
19:31
going up to the overlook never imagined that
19:33
scientists once floated a boat across its nearly
19:36
boiling waters. Yet for a brief period in the
19:39
90s, 1990s, a specifically designed research
19:42
vessel called the Little Dipper allowed geologists
19:45
to venture into the center of Yellowstone's largest
19:48
hot springs collecting measurements and observations
19:50
from parts of the spring that had never been
19:53
directly studied. It remains one of Yellowstone's
19:56
most memorable hydrothermal research projects
19:59
and helps scientists better understand one of
20:01
the park's most iconic natural wonders. Grand
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Frismatic Hot Spring is the largest hot spring
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in Yellowstone National Park and one of the largest
20:08
in the world. According to the National Park
20:10
Service, it measures between 200 and 330 feet
20:13
across and is more than 121 feet deep. Its striking
20:18
blue center is surrounded by brilliant rings
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of yellow, orange, and red and green created
20:23
by communities of heat -loving microorganisms
20:26
known as thermophiles. While the spring has fascinated
20:29
visitors for generations, its immense size made
20:32
it difficult for scientists to fully understand
20:35
what was happening beneath the surface. Studying
20:38
the spring from the shoreline could only reveal
20:41
so much about its depth, water circulation, temperatures,
20:44
and underwater structure. Yellowstone Park geologist
20:48
Rich Hutchinson believed that there had to be
20:51
a better way to study. In the early 1990s, he
20:55
worked with Livingston, Montana boat builder
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Mark Poppett to create a small research boat
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specifically designed for Yellowstone's thermal
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features. The design drew inspiration from an
21:05
earlier research craft that had been used in
21:08
hot springs in New Zealand, but it was customized
21:10
for the unique challenges found in Yellowstone.
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The result was Little Dipper. an eight -foot
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long, four -foot wide vessel built with multiple
21:19
flotation chambers that would keep it afloat
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even if the hull were compromised while operating
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on some of the hottest water found anywhere in
21:26
the National Park Service. Before tackling Grand
21:30
Prismatic Hot Springs, the team tested the Little
21:32
Dipper on Emerald Pool in Black Sand Basin. Once
21:36
they were confident in the boat's design and
21:37
performance, they turned their attention to Yellowstone's
21:40
largest hot springs. One of the boat's most innovative
21:44
features was a circular opening in the middle
21:46
of the hull. This porthole allowed scientists
21:49
to lower instruments directly into the hot springs
21:52
without having to lean over the side of the boat.
21:55
Researchers could collect water samples, measure
21:57
temperature at certain depths, and gather information
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about the chemistry and circulation of the spring
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while remaining safely seated in the center of
22:06
the vessel. In 1996, Hutchinson and Yellowstone
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National Park photographer Jim Pico carefully
22:13
rode Little Dipper onto Grand Prismatic Spring.
22:16
The pictures from that day have since become
22:19
some of the most recognizable images of scientific
22:21
research ever conducted in Yellowstone. While
22:24
it's easy to think, oh, they just went on a boat
22:26
ride, the scientific research that they did was
22:30
very difficult and very dangerous. The temperature
22:34
in the spring is about 199 degrees Fahrenheit,
22:39
meaning that falling into the spring would almost
22:40
have certainly been fatal within seconds. The
22:43
danger of the work became the source of one of
22:45
Hutchinson's most memorable comments. According
22:47
to the USGS, the researchers did not wear life
22:51
jackets during the expedition, even though they
22:53
were constantly told to. When asked why, Hutchinson
22:57
reportedly joked, it's not going to be much of
22:59
use if you go into the drink. His dark humor
23:02
reflected at the reality that no safety vest
23:04
could protect someone from the boiling water.
23:08
The expedition allowed scientists to gather valuable
23:10
information directly from the middle of Grand
23:12
Prismatic Spring. They measured the temperatures,
23:15
like I said, and did all of these things that
23:17
really helped them understand how the different
23:20
communities of thermophilic microorganisms occupied
23:25
the different temperature zones around the spring.
23:27
And that helped better understand just how the
23:29
Grand Prismatic worked. Determining the spring's
23:33
depth was a little more complicated than expected.
23:36
Hutchinson lowered a sounding line from the boat
23:38
and measured more than 120 feet. He later questioned
23:41
whether the sounding line may have folded over
23:43
itself during the measurement, illustrating just
23:46
how difficult it is to determine the spring's
23:48
exact maximum depth. Today, the Park Service
23:52
continues to list Grand Prismatic Spring as being
23:54
more than 121 feet deep. So after the successful
23:59
use of the Little Dipper, it was also used on
24:01
morning glorying pool and frying pan spring.
24:04
The boat even served another important purpose
24:07
by helping people, scientists, remove trash that
24:10
visitors had thrown into thermal features over
24:12
the years. Coins, rocks, and other debris that
24:14
can clog the underground plumbing systems were
24:16
removed to better protect all of these features
24:19
we love today. So Little Dipper is no longer
24:22
used. Today, scientists have access to advanced
24:24
sensors, aerial imagery, remote monitoring equipment,
24:27
and other technologies that reduce the need to
24:29
place researchers directly on this hazardous,
24:34
dangerous pool. Even so, the Little Boat remains
24:38
an enduring symbol of scientific curiosity and
24:40
ingenuity. It transformed Grand Prismatic Spring
24:43
from something that could only be admired from
24:45
the shore into a floating laboratory, helping
24:48
researchers unlock new insight into one of the
24:51
most extraordinary hydrothermal features on the
24:53
planet. The weather for the coming week. As always,
24:58
this is the best forecast I can give you at the
25:00
time of the recording. I'm recording this at
25:02
545 on Wednesday night. This is the latest record
25:05
and turnaround time I've had in quite a while.
25:08
We're gonna start as always with Lamar Valley
25:11
and the weather this week looks pretty good on
25:14
Thursday a high 85 a low of 43 Friday 88 and
25:18
48 Saturday 87 and 50 Sunday 85 and 48 Monday
25:23
84 and 49 Tuesday 83 and 48 and Wednesday 80
25:28
and 47 in Gardner, Montana It's gonna be a little
25:32
hotter on Thursday a high 88 and a low of 45
25:35
Friday 91 and 48 saturday 90 and 50 sunday 87
25:41
and 49 monday 87 and 49 tuesday 86 and 49 49
25:47
is a popular temperature and wednesday 83 and
25:50
48 in west yellowstone montana on Thursday 87
25:55
and 40, Friday 89 and 42, Saturday 87 and 47,
26:00
Sunday 85 and 45, Monday 85 and 46, Tuesday 84
26:06
and 44, and Wednesday 81 and 43. For Cody, Wyoming,
26:11
Thursday has a high of 93, low of 57, Saturday
26:15
93 and 61, Saturday 90 5 and 64, Sunday 92 and
26:21
60, Monday 90 and 62, Tuesday 89 and 61, and
26:27
Wednesday 86 and 59. And finally Cook City, Montana.
26:32
On Thursday 80 and 46, Friday 82 and 50, Saturday
26:37
83 and 51, Sunday 80 and 49, Monday 79 and 50,
26:42
Tuesday 79 and 49, and Wednesday 76 and 47 with
26:47
a 10 % chance of rain. The road conditions for
26:51
the park. No main park roads are closed. There's
26:54
construction here and there, but nothing too
26:56
bad. It should be minimal delays. And just know
26:59
if they're are any accidents or weather shifts
27:03
or thunderstorms that cause any flooding or rock
27:05
slides, the park will close the road and then
27:08
clean it up. If you want up -to -date information,
27:11
you can call 307 -344 -2117 for recorded information.
27:16
I don't like that I say rec... information twice
27:18
in there i need to change that can somebody remind
27:20
me and then if you do want to sign up for road
27:23
alerts on your cell phone it's what i do it's
27:26
the best way to do it you can text 82190 to the
27:30
number 888777 camping information everything
27:35
that's going to be open is currently open if
27:37
you're camping it's absolutely great just stay
27:40
away from wildlife and no wildlife does roam
27:42
through campgrounds and there's not much we can
27:44
do about that so stay safe stay alert The wildlife
27:48
watching update so as I talked about earlier
27:51
Wildlife watching is hit and miss right now What's
27:54
pretty cool is the wolves have been viewed in
27:57
the northern range really well from the forces
27:59
of nature trail I drove by this morning, and
28:02
there were so many cars and tour groups everybody
28:04
out there looking, it's awesome. Also if you
28:07
go to Lamar, heard some wolf reports out there,
28:10
so that's good. Some grizzlies up on the hillside
28:13
out there as well. Bighorn sheep are visible
28:16
from calcite springs again, at least they were
28:18
the other day. And then bison are everywhere
28:21
in Hayden and Lamar. Elk are starting to gather,
28:25
like I said, in Mammoth and that's really fun.
28:28
They're also out the north entrance as always.
28:30
Pronghorn are out that way as well. And then
28:33
I've been seeing a lot of badgers. The other
28:35
day I was at Slough Creek and I got done with
28:38
a tour. Shout out to my tour from last week.
28:41
They're awesome. And of course, they left and
28:45
one minute later when I was talking to a ranger
28:46
about a horse I discovered. Long story there,
28:50
but. When they left then immediately a badger
28:54
came out and walked across the road I felt so
28:56
bad that they left but you know again, it's that
28:58
Yellowstone timing So there's a badger out there
29:00
traipsing around in the middle of the day. That's
29:02
time to see badgers you know, early morning,
29:04
evening, but they're active during the day. And
29:07
generally, I think wildlife watching is good
29:09
right now. Like I said, you're going to have
29:10
to put in the work. Going out to the east entrance
29:13
road is a good idea. It's been decent out there
29:15
for bears and bighorn sheep. Not how it used
29:18
to be earlier in the year, but, you know, you
29:21
could get lucky. Also, Beartooth Highway. That's
29:23
just what I'm telling people right now if you
29:25
want mountain goats and things like that. It's
29:27
a good time to be in the park. Wildlife watching
29:30
is good. Early morning in the evening. Even get
29:33
lucky with seeing animals during the middle of
29:36
the day maybe. But you know, you see what you
29:39
see and that's the beauty of Yellowstone. Come
29:41
in. Hopefully you get to see everything. Oh yeah,
29:44
there have been some moose out there. Northeast
29:47
entrance as well. So they a couple of them have
29:50
really large paddles their antlers and then yeah
29:53
It's it's a good time if you need more tips reach
29:56
out to me I've been trying to answer everybody
29:58
that's been texting that's been emailing me.
30:01
I'm a little behind on that I apologize, but
30:04
I'm getting to it. I promise so thank you Quickly
30:08
for my trail alerts and updates section the backcountry
30:11
conditions page is updated again There are some
30:14
place that haven't been updated But generally
30:16
you're gonna know what's going on just by checking
30:18
that again a link in the show notes There should
30:21
be three links in there if I forget I'll add
30:23
them as best I can if I don't add them and forget
30:26
in the next Hour or two like I'm gonna finish
30:28
recording this and then go eat dinner And then
30:30
I'll post it if I forget somehow in transit message
30:33
me. I will send you those links via email or
30:35
text Alright, when you hike, please stay away
30:39
from wildlife. 25 yards from bison, things like
30:42
that. Make it 50 right now. If you see bison
30:45
on the boardwalks, I've talked about this on
30:46
my standalone bison episode. Never mind. Listen
30:48
to that standalone bison episode. Also, carry
30:51
bear spray. Have it readily accessible and not
30:53
in the bottom of your backpack or the side of
30:55
your backpack. Have it right where you can grab
30:57
it quickly and know how to use it. My Trek of
31:02
the Week. If you're looking for a hike in Yellowstone
31:05
that combines a beautiful waterfall, quiet forest,
31:08
and one of the park's best hidden views of Old
31:10
Faithful, it's hard to top the Mystic Falls Trail.
31:14
Now most people that hike this go just to the
31:16
falls, I'm going to tell you how to do it a little
31:18
differently. This moderate hike is roughly four
31:21
miles round trip, if you include the overlook,
31:24
which is about 600 feet of elevation gain. Now
31:26
that is from the trailhead, so it's going to
31:28
be, where you park now, it's going to be more
31:30
like five miles. It delivers far more variety
31:34
than it's relatively short distance would suggest,
31:37
and it's really one of my favorite hikes in the
31:39
Old Faithful area because you get to see something
31:41
cool. Normally hikers would begin at Biscuit
31:45
Basin, but as you may know, things are a little
31:48
different the last few years. Following the hydrothermal
31:51
explosion at Black Diamond Pool in July of 2024,
31:55
Biscuit Basin is still closed as they're evaluating
31:59
what to do. That thing is still exploding off
32:01
and on. It's not going to open for a while. Fortunately,
32:04
after the bear attack had it closed again, Mystic
32:08
Falls is still accessible and you can go out
32:11
there But before you head out always swing by
32:14
that old faithful visitor center and make sure
32:16
that you know how it is Once you're on the trail
32:20
and you're hiking the crowds begin to fade away
32:23
pretty quick It's you know, the falls are pretty
32:26
popular, but they're not that popular comparatively
32:31
to how a lot of people think of national park
32:33
hikes. You won't be alone going to the falls,
32:36
but it's not going to be so overrun that it's
32:37
not going to be enjoyable, more than likely.
32:39
Obviously a weekend could be a little different,
32:41
but it's a great little path that winds through
32:45
a mature forest and then follows the little firehole
32:48
river upstream. And it's not a bad start, it's
32:52
just nice and relaxing, know that animals are
32:54
there, you're going to have some squirrels, you're
32:56
going to have maybe bison, and of course there
32:59
are bears in the area so be aware. After a little
33:03
more than a mile, you're going to start hearing
33:05
Mystic Falls before it comes into view. The waterfall
33:08
itself drops 70 feet over volcanic rock as it
33:11
tumbles off the Madison Plateau into a narrow
33:14
canyon below. It's one of Yellowstone's tallest,
33:17
easily accessible waterfalls. How's that for
33:20
a couple of caveats there? But it's really cool,
33:23
the cool mist and rushing water make it a perfect
33:25
place to pause for a few minutes, especially
33:27
on a hot day. Many hikers will turn around here,
33:31
and there's nothing wrong with that. If you hike
33:32
there and you turn around, great. It's worth
33:34
the walk alone. But if you have some energy and
33:37
you want a really cool experience, the best experience,
33:41
like, is... right up ahead after you climb a
33:45
series of switchbacks. You know, the best things
33:47
in life aren't easy, but they're worth it. So
33:50
you go up the switchbacks, and that's the steepest
33:52
part of the hike, but it doesn't last long. As
33:54
you gain elevation, the forest gradually opens,
33:57
revealing increasingly expansive views across
33:59
the upper geyser basin. Eventually, you're going
34:02
to reach one of Yellowstone's most underrated
34:04
overlooks. There's no signs, there's nothing
34:06
there, but you'll know it. From the ridge, the
34:09
entire upper geyser basin spreads out below with
34:13
countless steam plumes if you're there in the
34:15
morning or evening just rising for the landscape.
34:18
On days with good visibility, you can sit there
34:20
and watch Old Faithful erupt from nearly a mile
34:23
away. It's so far away that you can watch it
34:26
go off, you don't hear any sounds, you're just
34:29
there and you're witnessing Old Faithful just
34:32
in pure wilderness bliss from about a mile away.
34:37
One important thing to do before you do this
34:39
to catch a little fable is to check when it's
34:42
going to erupt. If you miss an eruption and then
34:45
you have to wait for quite a while, like it goes
34:47
off when you're hiking and you have to wait there
34:49
for 85ish minutes or so, then it's not necessarily
34:54
going to be the most fun wait. So try and time
34:57
it. I talked last week about geyser predictions
35:00
and all of that. Check that out and then time
35:03
your hike. to try and do it so you can sit there
35:06
for 20 -30 minutes, watch it erupt, then hike
35:09
down. When you hike down you can either retrace
35:11
your steps or you can continue along the Mystic
35:14
Falls Loop Trail which eventually reconnects
35:18
with the back of the Geyser Basin and then back
35:20
the way you came. I like to do the loop on this
35:23
just because you get different views and you
35:25
might see some animals or something. Well access
35:28
has changed because of that biscuit base enclosure
35:31
Mystic Falls is still one of the rewarding little
35:34
hikes in the park and if you can do it do it
35:37
bring plenty of water carry bear spray and Give
35:41
yourself enough time to really make an opportunity
35:44
to get up to the overlook and watch old faithful
35:47
erupt It's one of my favorite underrated things
35:50
to do. I hope you have an opportunity to do it.
35:53
Like I said Old Faithful is about a mile away.
35:55
It's not going to be close, but it's just so
35:58
cool to be that far away. And sometimes it's
36:01
nice in life to get a different perspective from
36:04
things. If you've seen Old Faithful from the
36:08
boardwalk right there and then you've gone to
36:10
the overlook at Old Faithful and you've seen
36:11
it from all the normal places, this is that next
36:14
place to go. And you just get to hang out in
36:17
nature and just watch the geyser basin for as
36:20
long as you want. I hope you hiked this. If I'm
36:23
there, I hope to see you there. And that's it
36:27
for this week. In next week's episode, I'm going
36:29
to return with all the information you need to
36:31
have a good week in the park, including the wildlife
36:33
weather and trail updates. Until then, pick up
36:37
a guidebook of mine. Tell your friends about
36:39
this podcast. Know that I truly appreciate you
36:42
all for listening and I'll see you next week.
36:45
Well, I'll talk to you next week. Bye. Abrupt
36:59
ending! This week in Yellowstone is brought to
37:01
you by the Outdoor Society. That's my company.
37:04
It's just me, I do this, it's a labor of love.
37:07
If you like it, tell your friends, rate and review
37:09
it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening
37:12
and I hope to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright
37:15
2026, baby!