Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: October 30th to November 5th, 2025

Transcript

This Week in Yellowstone: October 30th to November 5th, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park, where after Halloween
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only the Northern Road will be open, this is
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that Scott guy you know and love with a brand
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new episode of This Week in Yellowstone. What's
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up everybody, this week in Yellowstone National
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Park from October 30th, 2025 to November 5th,
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2025. I will try to convince you to visit a closed
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campground, update you on what Gateway towns
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will look like after the roads close, share a
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hike I absolutely adore out of Mammoth, and tell
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you about Yellowstone's least visited month.
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I'll also give you the complete weather forecast,
0:46
the snowpack update, the wildlife report, the
0:48
news, and everything else you need to have an
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incredible time this week in Yellowstone. Standard
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disclaimer, I might miss a few details here and
0:57
there, so please feel free to reach out with
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any questions. I also mention park locations
1:02
very casually, so if you're unfamiliar, a quick
1:05
search can help. Also know that this report only
1:09
covers the drivable areas of the park. I get
1:11
to say that again, since roads are closing. Also,
1:15
please know that this podcast is a passion project.
1:17
I'm not paid or sponsored. So if you enjoy it,
1:19
I'd love a review or a quick email. And if you
1:22
want to support my work further, you can check
1:24
out my guidebooks on hiking and wildlife watching
1:26
on my website, or you can join me for a guided
1:29
Yellowstone hiking tour. For details on all of
1:32
that, just visit Outdoor -Society .com or reach
1:35
out to me directly. All right, before I jump
1:38
into the news, I do have something to share that
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I forgot to mention last week, and that is about
1:44
the Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook.
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I mentioned that as a great source, and I said
1:49
if you go to Yellowstone forever, you can order
1:51
one. Also, there is a free version online, so
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just search Yellowstone Resources and Issues
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Handbook. And you should be able to find it also.
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I'm going to provide that link in the show notes
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So if you want the free ebook edition of the
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Yellowstone resources and issues handbook That
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is where it'll be it'll be on the link. I provide
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alright this week's Yellowstone news Last week
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snowstorm in case you missed the news last weekend
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through Monday The parks interior roads were
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shut down due to dangerous conditions and dozens
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of cars off -road Reports say that more than
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30 vehicle accidents were reported in a short
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span of time. Heavy snowfall combined with icy
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conditions made stretches of the Grand Loop Road
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and access roads, especially those at higher
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elevations, really hazardous, and park management
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suspended travel on all interior roads and advised
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visitors to adjust their plans or avoid certain
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areas altogether until conditions improved. The
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closures highlight how quickly Yellowstone's
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fast -changing weather can impact safety, access,
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and travel schedules. Officials urge those in
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the park or planning to visit to check real -time
3:00
road and weather updates, exercise extreme caution
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when driving, and be prepared for rapid changes
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and conditions. The story serves as a reminder
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of the combination of winter weather and mountainous
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terrain that makes even familiar drives in Yellowstone
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potentially very risky. So always check road
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conditions. Speaking of roads, the roads are
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closing. After October 31st, nearly all roads
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and entrances in Yellowstone National Park will
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be closed to regular vehicle traffic as the park
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shifts into winter mode. According to the MPS,
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the west, south, and east entrances along with
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the interior park roads will shut down until
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the spring. Starting in December, only over -snow
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travel, such as snowmobiles and snow coaches,
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will be permitted in the interior. The only section
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remaining open to conventional vehicles through
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the winter, weather permitting, is the corridor
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between the north entrance at Gardner and the
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northeast entrance by Silvergate Cook City. And
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that's via Mammoth Hot Springs Tower Junction,
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Lamar Valley. That is the only road you can drive
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starting November 1st until April. Well, March.
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But, you know, we'll talk about that later. If
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you're visiting the park and you're visiting
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the park next week, like that first week in November,
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and you're stoked about having a room in West
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Yellowstone for super cheap, not going to be
4:21
able to drive into the park unless you drive
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all the way to Gardiner. So hopefully that isn't
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happening to any of you listeners because I talked
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about it a couple of weeks ago. Finally, sunrise
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and sunset times. This weekend we'll be changing
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clocks back an hour meaning that sunsets will
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now be in the 5 p .m. range and sunrise will
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be around 6 a .m. I normally wouldn't mention
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this but early sunsets means shorter days in
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the park and a need to plan ahead. They also
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mean that if you want to wake up early and get
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to Lamar and sunrise you need to get up earlier
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than most probably want. Anyway plan ahead and
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enjoy my experience of the week. Take a walk
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down to the Slough Creek Campground. So one of
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my favorite things to do this time of the year
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is to head to Slough Creek. It's always a great
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spot to go to, but right now, it's even better.
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And when I'm there, I don't hike the trail out
5:12
to First Meadow or beyond, at least not right
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now. I do that once the snow starts to stick
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around a bit more and real winter is here. Instead,
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right now, I walk down to the Slough Creek campground
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along the closed section of the road. What makes
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going to the campground so much fun this time
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of the year is seeing all the animal tracks and
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the snow and mud in the area. There's no one
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camping down there and there's very few people
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that make their way down so it's really wild.
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You'll see where animals cross Slough Creek,
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you'll have a chance to watch for wildlife, listen
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for birds, and generally just be along a tranquil
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stretch of this iconic creek all alone. Usually
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in November, I see plenty of bear tracks out
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here, so make noise, carry bear spray, and keep
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it readily accessible and know how to use it.
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Now, the gate may be closed at the start of the
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Slough Creek Road by the time you listen to this.
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If it is, don't bail on this as an adventure.
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Instead of a short walk, it's going to be a five
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-mile round -trip hike, but it's still amazing.
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It's along a dirt road, it's mostly flat except
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for one big hill near the start and finish, and
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super scenic and calming. I'll definitely talk
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about this more as a snowshoe trek later in the
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year, but for now it's just a fantastic walk
6:25
that I absolutely love and I think you will too.
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If five miles sounds too long, consider walking
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from the pit toilet parking area down to the
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big bend of Slough Creek. It's about a mile each
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way and offers an awesome view of the creek,
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the hills nearby, and you should have plenty
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of wildlife sightings. Oh, one other thing to
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be aware of here, well, and everywhere in the
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park for that matter, is that bison are going
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to be around. If a herd of bison, or even a single
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bison, is blocking your path, you have two options.
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The first is to wait. If you wait, you could
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be there for hours. Seriously, they like to just
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hang out. The second option is to go around them.
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This is what I do, but it isn't always simple
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or easy. While the park rules and regulations
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say that you can be 25 yards from a bison, do
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not do this when passing them on foot. If you
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can. I mean, if you're by a cliff, you do what
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you can do, right? What you should do is try
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to move around them and give them 50 to 100 yards.
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It may mean that you have to walk up a hill through
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the prairie or even get your feet wet in a swampy
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area. but all of these things are better than
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getting charged or rammed by a bison give them
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plenty of room know that they're not going to
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move so you're going to have to go around them
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one other thing when you're moving around them
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try to figure out which way they're all moving
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and then go the opposite way so if they're all
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moving to your your right pass them to your left
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don't try and cut them off go clear around them
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there might be a big herd and it might take a
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while but you know again You're walking where
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they live, so you have to give them space and
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sometimes a short hike turns into a long hike
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because of a bison herd. My tip of the week.
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There will be minimal amenities outside of the
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park. So if you're visiting Yellowstone this
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week, don't expect much to be open in Gardner,
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Silvergate or Cook City. November is full on
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shoulder season, and many businesses have drastically
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reduced hours or even full closures until the
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winter season starts in December. Because of
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this, finding a place to eat in the gateway towns
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will be harder than normal. I wish I could give
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you a definitive list of what will be open and
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when it will be open, but part of the charm of
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small town life in Montana is a lack of up -to
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-date information on websites. If you're a trip
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this week and pretty much all in November, I
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wouldn't trust Google Maps or Apple Maps to give
8:52
you correct information about business hours.
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I would barely trust the restaurant's website
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or Facebook information. The best thing to do
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is to talk to your hotel's front desk if you
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can. That's about the only way you're going to
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know what's open. A month ago, I stayed in Cook
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City and there were two places open in Cook City
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to eat total. So, and they had reduced hours
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and reduced menu options. I do want to mention
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that this year the dining room by the hotel in
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Mammoth will be open. The food there is great
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and definitely worth eating there when you are
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in the area. Now for grocery stores, your best
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bet will either be to stock up on supplies in
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Bozeman or Livingston. Bozeman has tons of options
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for groceries. Huge town in Montana. They you
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will if you can't find it there, then it probably
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doesn't exist or you're very picky I don't know.
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That's a mean thing to say but um Bozeman has
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a lot of grocery stores and plate and things
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to buy good foods Livingston has two main grocery
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stores ones and Albertson's the other is a town
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in country Both of them are great. You should
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be able to find what you need Gardner also has
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a grocery store but it's small and may not have
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what you're looking for. So definitely plan ahead
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and consider stopping in Bozeman or Livingston
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before making your way to the park. Also know
10:11
that there is no grocery store in Silvergate
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or Cook City. There are two gas stations where
10:16
you can get the most basic of supplies. But with
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very few restaurants open and no place to eat
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aside from gas stations or to pick up groceries
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aside from gas stations, stock up well in advance
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before you get out to Cook City or Silvergate
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if you're staying there. My random Yellowstone
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fact of the week. November is Yellowstone's least
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visited month. So if you're thinking of heading
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to Yellowstone National Park in November, you
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won't see many other people. November is historically
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the least visited month for Yellowstone. Over
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the last five years, Yellowstone has averaged
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23 ,241 visitors for the month in November. That
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means just over 774 people enter Yellowstone
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each day in November. It's rational to assume
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that weekends are twice as busy as weekdays.
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So if you're visiting the park in November on
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Monday through Friday, you may be one of just
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like 300 or so people in the park that day. What
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makes this even crazier to think about is that
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with only about 51 miles of open road in the
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park, there will be fewer than six people each
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mile on a weekday. That's assuming everyone's
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spread out equally. More than likely, everyone's
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going to be congregated in a couple of spots,
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so it will feel and look very empty. And what
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I'm trying to say with these numbers is that
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if you're visiting the park in November, you're
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going to be mostly alone, especially if you choose
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to be. Why does park visitation drop so sharply?
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The park's interior roads close at the end of
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October. leaving only the northern road between
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Gardiner and Cook City, which passes through
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Mammoth Tower and Lamar, open for travel. Those
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hoping to visit the interior, where sites like
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Hayden Valley, the Grand Canyon, the Yellowstone,
12:00
Old Faithful, and all the geyser basins, you're
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going to have zero luck doing that in November.
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Snowmobile and snow coach tours don't start until
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mid -December. So with so little to do theoretically,
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why visit Yellowstone in November? The answer
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is simple. Even without access to the entire
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park, this is still Yellowstone. You still have
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access to thermal areas, you have world -class
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wildlife sightings, you can experience incredible
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hiking, and make memories that will last a lifetime.
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You also have the entire corner of the park largely
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to yourself. With potentially limited snowpack,
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cool temperatures, and mostly empty roads, pullouts,
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and trails, November has the potential to be
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a truly magical time. Sure, you're not going
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to go to the geyser basins and see fountain paint
12:47
pots or grand prismatic, or go walk along the
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canyon of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,
12:53
but the park is always more than that. A November
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trip to Yellowstone will surround you with wilderness
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beauty that helped inspire the region's protection.
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You'll get the last bear sightings, witness the
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bison migration from high ground to low ground,
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watch the mountains get draped in more and more
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snow, and hear wolves howl in the dwindling daylight
13:14
hours. While many of the professional wildlife
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watchers will leave the park in November, the
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potential sightings are still incredible for
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wildlife. A few wildlife -watching events that
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occur during November are the bighorn sheep mating
13:28
season, the last glimpses of bears before they
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enter torpor, the expanding movements of the
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wolf packs as they hunt more and more, there's
13:37
more moose visible as they leave the higher elevation
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landscapes, and the herding up of bison as they
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begin to start their search for food sources.
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Be aware that unlike the true winter months,
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there won't be a lot of people monitoring wildlife
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movements. making encounters with them a little
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harder to do. If you want tips and tricks to
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better spot wildlife, I strongly recommend picking
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up a copy of my Wildlife Watching Guidebook for
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Yellowstone. It's based on my entire lifetime
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of park visits. So, you know, or you can just
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contact me. I'll help you out. But, you know,
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if you want to support me, pick up a guidebook.
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If you're interested in hiking, hiking conditions
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in November are pretty good. If you talk to most
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locals and guides, which I'm both, they'll tell
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you that many of the best hikes in the park are
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found in Yellowstone's Northern Range. This happens
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to be the reason and the region that is accessible
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year -round, which is a bonus. While higher mountain
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trails will likely be inaccessible due to snow,
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like Spetsman Ridge Trail, places like that,
14:40
there are dozens of trails to choose from in
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the lower landscapes leading to breathtaking
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valleys, sweeping river views, incredible canyons,
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frozen lakes and waterfalls, and even miles of
14:51
ridge lines. Along the trails, you're going to
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see animal tracks in the frost and the snow and
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witness the transition of the landscape from
14:58
fall to winter. Of course, if you do come and
15:02
hike, Be prepared. You should bring traction
15:05
devices for your boots just in case the trail
15:07
is icy. Trails often get muddy too, especially
15:12
if it snows and then warms up. So bring an extra
15:14
pair of shoes or socks for after the hike. Now
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I could list every single hike that you may enjoy.
15:21
You know you could do but just contact me or
15:24
consider buying my hiking book. I've mentioned
15:26
that before I just don't want to you know hammer
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you with these details So the typical weather
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for Yellowstone in November November weather
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in the park can be slightly chaotic for those
15:36
not used to the Rockies Highs could be in the
15:38
50s or they could be far below freezing lows
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could be in the 40s or below zero It may be sunny.
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It may rain. It may be windy. It may snow It
15:48
may do all of those things in a single afternoon
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Because of that somewhat unpredictable weather
15:54
that we experience here, you'll need to layer
15:56
your clothes and bring extra stuff. Bring a hat
15:59
and gloves, a thermal layer, a heavy layer, something
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light, some rainproof clothing, and then you
16:04
have options for everything that may happen.
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Now, I wish I could say like, oh, this is what
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the weather will for sure be like in November,
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but last year we had almost no snow November
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and I was able to hike. deep into the backcountry.
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This year we have more snow and it seems colder
16:21
and windier. If you're not interested in hiking
16:23
and you just want to drive around, in November
16:25
roads are usually in manageable conditions, though
16:28
occasionally snowstorms can bring snow, leaving
16:31
the roads snowy and sometimes icy in patches.
16:34
During and after snow events, the park staff
16:36
works hard to keep the roads clear, plowing as
16:39
much as possible. Yellowstone National Park and
16:42
the surrounding areas can experience severe winter
16:44
conditions in November, including very heavy
16:46
snowstorms, nighttime temperatures near below
16:49
zero, and weather reminiscent of the coldest
16:52
winter days for most of the country. Road conditions
16:56
aren't likely to be perfect and don't expect
16:58
them to be. That way you'll be in the right headspace.
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Especially as you get in later in November, the
17:04
roads are going to get less and less fun. You
17:07
may encounter stretches of snow and compact ice.
17:10
You may have any number of issues. So drive slowly,
17:14
maintain a safe distance from other vehicles
17:16
and always be alert for wildlife as animals may
17:19
suddenly appear on the road. Also note that there
17:23
is no shoulder on the side of the road. Driving
17:26
off the road, even as little as like four or
17:29
five inches from the edge of the road, especially
17:31
if there's snow or mud, can quickly leave your
17:33
car stuck and unable to move. And that requires
17:37
a possible expensive removal. AAA and private
17:41
towing coverage do not cover national park roads.
17:45
I'm going to say that again. AAA and private
17:48
towing coverage do not cover national park roads.
17:50
If you need to get towed in the park by a service,
17:54
it is going to cost you a lot more money than
17:56
you expect. Now, even if the road is great in
17:59
Mammoth or Cook City, that doesn't guarantee
18:02
that every mile of the road is going to be in
18:04
good shape. Ice can linger in areas where daylight
18:06
is minimal, and black ice is always a possibility.
18:10
The section between Mammoth and Tower is really
18:13
twisty with elevation changes, that's where I
18:15
encounter a lot of ice and see a lot of cars
18:17
off the road, and snow is also typically deeper,
18:20
closer to the northeast entrance you get, so
18:23
knowing that, you can kind of plan ahead. And
18:25
while the speed limit may be 45 or 35 or 25 in
18:29
areas, you may not be able to go that, and that's
18:33
okay. Just make sure if someone is following
18:35
you, use the first pullout you see. Anyway, that's
18:40
kind of what I wanted to say about November.
18:42
I know I deviated about, you know, numbers of
18:45
visitation, but if you're visiting, be aware
18:47
that any number of things can and will happen
18:50
this month. With the government still shut down,
18:53
we're looking at potentially very few resources
18:57
available. So we don't want a repeat of what
19:00
happened last week. So, if you're visiting the
19:04
park and you don't know how to drive in the snow
19:05
or ice, do not drive in the snow or ice. You
19:09
may have to hire a guide to drive you around
19:12
that day, but that's better than getting in an
19:14
accident, potentially having something bad happen.
19:18
Also, always listen to this podcast. I will give
19:20
you the most up -to -date road conditions and
19:22
weather forecast for the coming week. Speaking
19:25
of, here's the weather for the coming week. All
19:28
right this week i'm officially entering winter
19:30
mode which means i'm not going to talk about
19:32
cody i'm not going to talk about west yellowstone
19:35
i'm only talking about lamar gardener and cook
19:40
city so the weather for lamar valley this week
19:43
looks to be pretty good actually uh thursday
19:47
partly cloudy high of 43 low of 21 friday high
19:51
of 45 low of 25 saturday high of 50 low of 33
19:56
Sunday, 32 % chance of rain, high of 49, low
19:59
of 31. That can be some snow, so keep an eye
20:03
on that. Monday, high of 51, low of 33. Tuesday,
20:07
high of 47, low of 33. Wednesday, high of 51,
20:11
low of 34, 38 % chance of rain. And it looks
20:15
like that's gonna be cold rain, so it could also
20:17
be snow. That brings us to Gardner, Montana.
20:23
Sorry, my phone that I pull up the weather had
20:25
a slight delay. Gardner on Thursday will be 49
20:29
and 25. On Halloween will be 51 and 30. On the
20:34
first of November, 54 and 37. Sunday the 2nd
20:38
will be 54 and 33 with a 24 % chance of rain
20:42
Monday will be 54 and 37 with an 11 % chance
20:46
of rain Tuesday will be 52 and 37 with a 17 %
20:50
chance of rain and Wednesday will be 56 and 37
20:54
with a 31 % chance of rain Next up Cook City,
20:58
Montana Cook City will be 39 on Thursday with
21:03
a low of 19 Friday will be 41 and 23. Saturday
21:08
will be 46 and 34. Sunday will be 45 and 32 with
21:13
a 40 % chance of rain or snow. Monday will be
21:17
48 and 34 with a 13 % chance of precipitation.
21:21
Tuesday will be 45 and 33 with a 31 % chance
21:25
of snow. Wednesday is going to be a little warmer
21:28
48 and 33 38 percent chance of rain or snow and
21:32
then after that It looks like everything gets
21:34
to snow, but we'll talk about that next week
21:36
speaking of snow here is the snowpack update
21:39
currently in Yellowstone National Park most of
21:42
the snowpack is a hundred and twenty five percent
21:46
of normal that very northwest corner where electric
21:49
peak is is that a hundred and fifty eight percent
21:52
of normal but generally we are doing very well
21:55
right now For those curious, last year at this
21:58
time, same day, 22 % of normal was our snowpack.
22:03
So when I was talking earlier about not quite
22:05
knowing what to expect with snow on the trails,
22:08
it's going to be much snowier this year so far.
22:11
Road conditions. So as I've mentioned numerous
22:14
times so far, all interior roads are going to
22:17
be closed on November 1st, the last day to drive
22:19
them, October 31st. The only road that will be
22:22
open after that is the road between Gardner and
22:25
Cook City, Montana. Please be aware that this
22:28
road can close at any time due to inclement weather.
22:31
For up -to -date information on the roads, call
22:33
307 -344 -2117 for recorded information, or sign
22:38
up to receive Yellowstone Road Alerts on your
22:40
mobile phone by texting the number 82190 to the
22:45
number 888 -777. Camping Information There is
22:51
only one campground open in the park right now,
22:53
and that's the Mammoth Campground, which is open
22:55
all year long. The Wildlife Watching Update.
22:59
So, this is going to be a little different than
23:02
it's been most of the summer. Those of you that
23:04
have been listening since the beginning know
23:06
kind of what's going to happen. Since the roads
23:09
are closing, And this episode's dropping on Thursday
23:12
and then Friday is the last day roads are open.
23:15
I'm not going to be talking about the interior
23:16
wildlife watching. By the time anybody comes
23:19
into the park, it's probably going to be too
23:21
late. So from here on out, the wildlife watch
23:24
report is going to be for the northern range.
23:28
That being said, wildlife watching is great right
23:30
now. Lamar Valley is absolutely popping there.
23:34
Couple as of a day or so ago, there's been a
23:37
carcass out and wolves have been feeding on it.
23:39
There's been some bald eagles and golden eagles
23:41
around. There's also been a few moose sightings
23:44
further out, out toward Cook City. There's been
23:47
some foxes by the road out there. Bighorn sheep
23:51
are starting their rut. I'm going to talk about
23:53
that next week. But if you want to see bighorn
23:57
sheep, definitely head out north of the park
24:00
kind of by the Yellowstone Hot Springs area by
24:03
Devil's Slide. Now, again, those are places I'm
24:06
mentioning. Look them up. You'll figure it out.
24:08
Yellowstone Hot Springs, north of Gardner, Montana.
24:11
This is a great place to see the bighorn sheep
24:14
battling. They're just going to be starting their
24:16
rut right now. So you may see a few, but that's
24:19
going to be picking up every single day more
24:21
and more and more. Elk are kind of all over right
24:24
now. If you drive old Yellowstone Road from Yellowstone
24:28
hot springs down to Gardner. You're gonna see
24:30
a bunch of elk out there Bison are all over the
24:33
place too. There's also elk hanging out in Mammoth
24:37
still saw a lot of them Big ol 24 the big bull
24:42
elk with a huge antler and a number 24 tag in
24:45
his ear He's roaming around, heard him bugle
24:49
once recently, so that was cool. That's going
24:52
to be winding down since the elk rut's pretty
24:54
much over. But other than that, you know, wildlife
24:57
watching is good. Bear sightings are going to
24:59
be very rare right now. Not impossible, but very
25:03
rare. Now I have a friend I'm going to interject
25:05
real quick that always laughs at me because I
25:06
talk about rare bears. Seeing a bear right now
25:09
is a rare bear. It's a fun rhyme. It's it's it's
25:13
a dumb thing that I get made fun of for so if
25:16
you're listening rare bear Anyway, if you're
25:19
looking for bears right now Head into Lamar look
25:22
up high on the hillsides. Most of them are going
25:24
to their dens They're gonna be out of their dens
25:26
and coming back in, you know popping in and out
25:29
constantly Especially with the changes in the
25:31
weather the good warm weather should have them
25:34
out still feasting If you really want to see
25:36
them, though, go to Tom Miner Basin before that
25:39
snow really stacks up. There's a few out there
25:41
still. I know somebody I know went last week
25:44
and saw seven bears out there. It's good times.
25:47
Great fun. Wildlife watching is really cool right
25:51
now. Everything is just toned down. So like I
25:55
get excited about all sorts of things that I
25:57
see in November that I may not care about earlier
25:59
in the year. The pronghorn are starting to leave
26:02
and they're walking out, right? There's a lot
26:05
of cool things that are happening. Strongly suggest
26:08
you drive, stop at a pullout, turn your car off,
26:11
roll down the windows and just listen for a while.
26:14
You might see some ermine running around their
26:16
little weasels and they are brown in the summer
26:19
and they turn white in the winter. Same with
26:21
snowshoe hairs. You might see some grouse walking
26:24
around. It is a good time to just to slow your
26:28
pace. and enjoy the day. Also because only one
26:33
road is open, right? It's a lot easier to cover
26:35
that ground multiple times. Sometimes I drive
26:38
from Mammoth out to Silvergate. I don't see anything,
26:41
but then I see a lot of stuff on the way back.
26:44
So put in some miles, drive safely on the roads,
26:48
don't stay out in terrible weather, but good
26:50
luck. It's a good wildlife watching time. Trail
26:53
alerts and updates. As of November 1st, All interior
26:57
trails will be off limits unless you hike to
27:00
them from the nearest closed gate. So I mean,
27:02
you can hike in, but probably not going to. So
27:05
that only leaves the northern range trails for
27:08
easy access, right? You can drive to the trailhead
27:11
there. Please note that the higher elevation
27:13
trails are going to have snow on them and appropriate
27:15
gear and clothing is needed for every hike right
27:18
now. Be over prepared. Also know that the Yellowstone
27:22
River overlook trail is open But you need to
27:25
follow the signs and park to the east of the
27:27
regular trailhead other than that enjoy hiking
27:29
It's a great time. There are some favorites If
27:32
you don't have my guidebook to hiking right now
27:35
pick it up ebooks of $10 super cheap I send it
27:38
to you right away paperbacks are a little more
27:40
expensive, but you know I wrote it so it's full
27:45
of actual like real knowledge and not just like
27:47
AI slop, right? So if you want to know really
27:50
where to hike right now, how to find wildlife,
27:52
check out my books. I know I'm plugging things.
27:54
I have one more plug I'm saving to the end. So
27:57
that leads us to the Trek of the Week. This week
28:01
if you're looking for a hike in Yellowstone that's
28:03
equal parts history, scenery, and adventure,
28:06
the Howard Eaton Trail from Mammoth to Swan Lake
28:08
Flat is hard to beat. Now, it's an 8 .4 mile
28:12
round trip journey and it follows one of the
28:14
most beautiful and historic stretches of the
28:16
park. Well, I mean, I wrote that and I could
28:19
say that about every stretch of trail in the
28:21
park. I love this section, though. It starts
28:24
just behind Mammoth Hot Springs and climbs steadily,
28:27
climbs about a thousand feet in total, and it
28:29
goes up toward the wide open meadows of Swan
28:31
Lake Flats. Along the way, you move past landscapes
28:35
that feel like snapshots of Yellowstone's Pass.
28:37
You go by the hot springs, right? You go by ancient
28:40
rock formations and sweeping mountain views that
28:43
tells the story of both geology and the early
28:45
exploration of the park. The hike begins near
28:48
the Beaver Ponds Trail and quickly heads uphill.
28:52
Passing narrow gauge springs and the terrace,
28:54
with the first third of a mile, you're going
28:56
to gain about 200 feet before crossing Upper
28:59
Terrace Drive near Orange Mound. And that's one
29:02
of the park's most photogenic travertine features.
29:06
Be sure to watch for the orange trail markers
29:08
that guide you safely through the thermal area
29:10
here. You're going to leave the pavement and
29:13
go through a thermal area. So there are orange
29:15
blazes on trees. Follow those. Around 1 .4 miles
29:20
in, you're going to enter the hoodoos. And that's
29:23
that maze of this ghostly gray limestone bulger
29:27
scattered across the hillside. These massive
29:30
chunks are actually remnants of ancient hot spring
29:32
terraces that broke off Terrace Mountain thousands
29:35
of years ago, tumbling downhill to where they
29:37
rest today. As you continue south, the trail
29:40
begins to open up, hugging rocky slopes before
29:43
revealing breathtaking views. To the east, you're
29:46
going to spot Bunsen Peak with Cathedral Rock
29:48
rising sharply nearby. If you look further out,
29:51
you're going to see the broad expanses of Swan
29:53
Lake Flat framed by the peaks of the Gallatin
29:55
Range. Mount Holmes, Antler Peak, and Quadrant
29:58
Mountain, they all make an appearance on the
30:00
horizon. Directly below you, the road winds through
30:04
the dramatic Golden Gate. This is one of the
30:06
older stretches of the road and one of Yellowstone's
30:10
most famous visitors, author Rudyard Kipling,
30:13
described the drive in 1889 with both awe and
30:16
terror saying, his stomach departed as the stagecoach
30:19
sailed out around the curve on a plank road built
30:22
out from the cliff. After soaking in the views
30:25
of Golden Gate and Bunsen Peak and all of that,
30:28
the Howard Eaton Trail climbs a bit more through
30:31
forested terrain, about 150 feet of elevation
30:33
gain, before leveling out and eventually meeting
30:36
Glen Creek Trail. And that's near the highway,
30:39
which is just south of Rustic Falls. If you hike
30:42
back, you can go see Rustic Falls. That's that
30:44
little falls that drops down and from there,
30:47
you know... Wander around enjoy the Bunsen peak
30:50
parking area if you have the energy and time
30:53
go summit Bunsen right like why not? Also, make
30:56
sure you have a snack here sit back look for
30:59
swans look for bison look for bears enjoy yourself
31:02
Also, just know that this route is more than
31:05
just a scenic day hike. It's kind of a piece
31:07
of Yellowstone's living history The Howard Eaton
31:10
Trail that I've mentioned a couple times now
31:12
was dedicated in 1923 and it originally stretched
31:15
for 157 miles around the park. It was built for
31:20
horseback tours after cars began to dominate
31:22
the main roads and it connected abandoned wagon
31:26
tracks and game trails into one continuous route.
31:29
It is named after Howard Eaton, the Dean of Yellowstone
31:32
Saddle Horse Guides and the Trail was designed
31:35
to give riders and now hikers a quieter, more
31:38
intimate view of the park. I'm recommending this
31:41
hike this week because it's only going to be
31:44
doable for a little bit before the snow falls.
31:47
And it gives you that experience of getting into
31:48
Swan Lake Flats when the roads are closed to
31:51
everyone else. I mean, who doesn't want to wander
31:53
Mammoth, the Hoodoos, Golden Gate, and Swan Lake
31:56
Flats without anyone else around? Now, as always,
32:00
be incredibly aware of wildlife in this area.
32:02
Bears, bison, elk, and occasionally wolves are
32:04
spotted here, so be loud, be alert, and always
32:07
have your bear spray out and quickly accessible.
32:13
Sign off for this week. I am selling calendars.
32:17
I do calendars every year. This I think is my
32:19
14th year of making calendars, maybe my 15th
32:22
year of calendars. They're always based on where
32:25
I'm at. So this year is obviously Yellowstone.
32:28
This year I am covering Kind of unique topic
32:32
for a calendar. I haven't seen one like it. So
32:35
it's pretty fun It's called Yellowstone's wild
32:38
remains and basically it's antlers skulls things
32:42
like that that I have found in the backcountry
32:44
over the past few years and taken pictures of
32:47
It's a standard 12 month calendar. I will provide
32:51
a link in the show notes for you if you're interested
32:53
This is another way, you know pick one of these
32:56
up It's a good way to show your appreciation
32:58
for the podcast without me doing like a Patreon
33:01
or something like that. But if you're interested
33:03
in a calendar, pick that up, interested in books
33:06
or tours, please reach out to me. I am wide open
33:09
in November right now. And honestly, November
33:11
is the raddest time to go on a hike. I have some
33:14
of my best memories every November from hiking
33:17
out here and my tours. We have some great times
33:20
in November. So I have some, a lot of availability.
33:24
So if you're here in the park, Look me up happy
33:27
to talk about how we can make something happen
33:30
Alright, that's it for this week in next week's
33:33
episode I return with all the information you
33:36
need to have a good week in the park That's including
33:38
the wildlife update the weather and trails and
33:42
everything else, you know in love for in this
33:44
podcast until then Happy trails and thank you
33:48
so much for listening This week in Yellowstone
34:00
is brought to you by the Outdoor Society because
34:02
that's my company and that's where this is hosted
34:05
There are no sponsors. This is a labor of love.
34:08
So thank you all for listening copyright 2025,
34:12
baby