Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: January 9th through January 15th, 2025

Transcript

This Week in Yellowstone: January 9th through January 15th, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

• 0:00
  recorded from the banks of the Yellowstone River, next to the border of the A-B Wilderness,
• 0:05
  and under the looming ridge lines of the Absaroka Mountains of Montana.
• 0:09
  This is This Week in Yellowstone for the week of January 9th to the 15th of 2025.
• 0:37
  Alright, with that very abrupt ending, we are starting This Week in Yellowstone.
• 0:42
  So this week in Yellowstone, winter has finally arrived, and since the year started, snow has been dumping, and that's great.
• 0:50
  But it's also been bringing both amazing experiences and some of those challenges that come with snowfall.
• 0:56
  So this week, like every week, I'm going to do my best to give you some relevant information for your upcoming visit.
• 1:02
  I may miss a few things and not cover some topics you'd like me to, but if there's anything you do want to know, just reach out and contact me.
• 1:10
  I'm the guy with the bison tattoo on most social media platforms, so you can find me there.
• 1:14
  Or go through my website, outdoor-society.com.
• 1:19
  So in this, I'm also going to refer to some locations of the park pretty casually.
• 1:24
  So if you're not familiar with the park, I would listen to this with the park map open, or at least jot down some locations to look up later.
• 1:32
  If I explained where everything was, then this would take forever, and it would be very informative, but I would be repeating myself a bunch every week.
• 1:41
  So we'll work out the kinks and problems when they come up.
• 1:46
  Same with my very excited NPR voice.
• 1:49
  Please note that this weekly report is for the drivable regions of the park only, and doesn't cover the experiences one may have to take when using a snow coach tour or a snowmobile tour into the interior.
• 2:01
  If you need information about that, contact those tour providers. They should give it to you.
• 2:06
  If they don't, ask them to. It's a good service, so they should be giving you.
• 2:10
  Alright, now that I've put all that awkwardness behind us, let's dive into what you need to know this week.
• 2:16
  The news of the week could add sound effects, not going to.
• 2:21
  This weekend, Yellowstone will mark the 30th anniversary of the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone.
• 2:26
  Passing through the Roosevelt Arch on January 12, 1995, eight grey wolves from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada got their first scent of their new home.
• 2:37
  The eight would be placed in holding pens at Crystal Bench in Lamar Valley and become the first wolves to roam Yellowstone since the 1920s when the last pack was killed.
• 2:46
  While no official events are planned to mark this historic occasion, there will be some small events all year by the numerous entities operating in the park.
• 2:55
  I will be holding guided hiking tours this summer, and we'll cover some of the wolves and go to some cool places like that, in the regions, and maybe give you wolf sightings.
• 3:06
  But other than that, if I hear of any events ahead of time, I'll do my best to let you know.
• 3:12
  There's some other news that I'm going to briefly cover.
• 3:16
  The state of Montana, led by Governor Gianforte, made famous for body slamming a reporter last decade, is suing the National Park Service over the Bison Management Plan that Yellowstone just released.
• 3:27
  Well, I could go into this in a lot of detail. I won't do that.
• 3:31
  I might do a standalone, like, special episode on news events like this in the future, but for now, I'm just trying to be as brief as possible.
• 3:39
  So if you're interested, give the topic a quick search on any of the news websites and you'll get the gist of it.
• 3:45
  Again, that is the state of Montana suing the National Park Service. You'll get plenty of news.
• 3:52
  So the experience of the week.
• 3:55
  This week, as every week, there's going to be a lot of amazing experiences to be had while in Yellowstone.
• 4:01
  But the one that stands out the most to me right now will be heading out to Round Prairie and checking out the moose, as well as scanning the hillsides for mountain goats.
• 4:09
  So moose sightings are not as common in Yellowstone as many people assume, given the proximity to the Tetons where there are just so many moose there.
• 4:17
  Sometimes it's ridiculous.
• 4:19
  But in Yellowstone, that's not the case. So seeing moose in the snow, still with antlers, in Yellowstone is quite awesome.
• 4:26
  And according to reports from friends who were there the other day, there are at least five bull moose out there hanging out.
• 4:32
  The drive out to Round Prairie, if coming from Mammoth, will also have you go past Slough Creek and through Lamar Valley, where wolves have been spotted pretty consistently in the last few weeks, months, years.
• 4:43
  I'll get more into the wolf sightings and all of that in the Wildlife Watch section in a few minutes.
• 4:50
  So that my tip of the week, tip of my hat, you can't see that, but very simple. Drive slow and only use approved pullouts.
• 5:01
  I know that this may seem like standard and boring advice, but I've seen so many vehicles off the road every time I drive in the park.
• 5:08
  It's a little ridiculous.
• 5:10
  The park roads have no shoulders on them, so once you hit the edge and you hit a little bit of that snow, you're more than likely to slide off and go right off the road, especially with snow and ice.
• 5:21
  And last week in the park, I saw a few cars off the road and watched a Jeep slide in the ice and go a dozen feet into the snow, just going too fast for the conditions.
• 5:31
  So what are the conditions? That was weird, right? What are the conditions?
• 5:36
  Anyway, the conditions I'll tell you about when I talk about the weather for the upcoming week.
• 5:42
  If you're like me and you're hoping for temperatures below freezing and the highs and as highs, so, you know, below 32 degrees and lows in the single digits and maybe even below zero, this week is a good week.
• 5:56
  It's not going to be the amazingly cold that we get in the winter sometimes, but it's going to be chilly.
• 6:02
  It will more than likely be cloudy this weekend with potential for snow on both Friday night and through Saturday in Gardner and the Mar Valley.
• 6:11
  There is a slight chance of snow for Sunday in those areas as well. Out near Cook City, it's probably going to snow Friday through Sunday.
• 6:18
  That's just a higher place, more in the mountains.
• 6:21
  The coldest days look to be Sunday and Monday in the northern range of the park, which is where I'm talking about, with a low around zero in the forecast.
• 6:28
  We're pretty much every day until Wednesday, we'll see highs in the 20s and lows around 10.
• 6:33
  By next Wednesday, the temperature will be rising close to freezing in the Mar and out at Cook City and crack the freezing mark in Gardner and Mammoth.
• 6:41
  Before another cold stretch looks to be returning at the end of next week, which I will cover in next week's episode.
• 6:47
  As always, this is the forecast as of Wednesday afternoon when I'm recording this for the coming weekend and things may change.
• 6:54
  As always, check the forecast for the region you are going to before you head out.
• 6:58
  If you go and search Weather Lamar Valley, something like that, you should get the National Park Service website with the weather forecast for that area.
• 7:08
  If not, and you want a good link that I use, reach out to me on social media and I'll hook you up with the one that I use.
• 7:15
  So now, the snowpack update.
• 7:18
  After a slow start to the snowy season, that's a lot of S's, we are finally catching up to a normal snowpack level.
• 7:25
  As of Wednesday afternoon, the 8th of January, the snowpack in Yellowstone is around 84% normal.
• 7:31
  It's a little more on one side of the park versus the other, but I just combined the two.
• 7:36
  Well, still lower than the average over the last 20 years.
• 7:39
  It's a great improvement over where we were last year this time when snowpack numbers were in the mid 50% range of average.
• 7:46
  So, we're 30% better.
• 7:49
  So, while the percentage helps, I do want to get a little deeper.
• 7:54
  So, I will tell you how deep the snow is in areas.
• 7:57
  The snow depth in areas like Lamar is around a foot or less along the valley areas and some, and then over a foot or so in the higher elevations.
• 8:06
  The higher you go up, the deeper the snow. It's pretty simple.
• 8:10
  The road conditions, as I mentioned earlier, so if you're heading to the park this week, expect the roads to be mostly covered in snow with a few patches of ice here and there.
• 8:19
  As I mentioned earlier, go slow and drive with caution and also know that most of the major pullouts in the park are plowed, but some of the smaller ones may still be full of snow.
• 8:28
  The park does their best.
• 8:30
  You know, I can't fault them.
• 8:32
  They have a priority and they need to do what they can with the limited budget.
• 8:36
  So, please remember that when driving in the park, speeding is not only illegal, but dangerous to you in wildlife.
• 8:42
  Animals can and will jump out in the road anywhere at any time.
• 8:46
  Cars may be stopped on the road around blind corners.
• 8:49
  Especially right now, the park is a lot more empty than normal, so people think it's okay to park, get out of their car, set up a tripod and take pictures.
• 8:56
  Don't do this. Use a pullout. You will cause an accident or maybe get hit by a car if you do this.
• 9:02
  So, please, please, please observe speed limit signs, youth pullouts if you are in a slow car and causing a backup and do not stop in the road.
• 9:10
  One of the things that I like to tell people is for up-to-date information, you can call 307-344-2117 for recorded information,
• 9:20
  or you can sign up to receive Yellowstone Road Alerts on your mobile phone by texting 821-90 to 888-777.
• 9:33
  Once you do this, you should get an automatic text reply. They'll confirm that you're signed up and provide more instructions.
• 9:41
  So, as always in the winter, anticipate possible road closures due to bad weather and dangerous driving conditions.
• 9:48
  The park, again, does their best job, but sometimes they have to shut things down for a bit.
• 9:53
  Alright, this is a fun one for me because it's kind of irrelevant. So, camping information, currently in Yellowstone.
• 10:00
  If you're heading to the park and hoping to camp, all I can say is have fun. The only place you can camp right now is Mammoth Hot Springs.
• 10:07
  There will be minimal amenities available at the campground, and you probably won't have anyone else around.
• 10:13
  You could also camp in the backcountry of the park if you felt so inclined. You need to check in with the park first.
• 10:19
  But if you're one of those people, you're probably not listening to this, and that's fine.
• 10:26
  So, if you do plan on doing some backcountry camping, like I said, talk to the park service first.
• 10:32
  Alright, probably the most important thing that people want to know is wildlife watching.
• 10:38
  So, I wrote all this out, and I'm just going to read it verbatim. I know this may be the most important part for many of you,
• 10:45
  so I apologize for burying it so deep in this. I did get you to read and listen this whole way, though, so I mean, I'm doing something right, I guess.
• 10:54
  Alright, where are the animals? Right now, bison are making their way to the lower areas of the park.
• 11:00
  So, you might see some out in Lamar. You could see quite a bit in Lamar.
• 11:05
  They're becoming more frequent as you head toward Mammoth, especially in Little America, which is that next gap between Tower and Lamar.
• 11:14
  Wolves have been spotted as of this week hanging around Slough Creek. That's pretty normal.
• 11:20
  They've been there for years off and on, so just know that wolves do move around a lot,
• 11:26
  so they may be there in Slough for a few days and go somewhere else, like Hell Roring or Lamar.
• 11:32
  You'll probably need to just drive back and forth and look to see where the wolf researchers and wolf-centric tours are hanging out.
• 11:39
  They can be spotted easily as they'll have spotting scopes set up, a pull-outs, and a top at the hills near the road.
• 11:45
  If there's a large crowd of people, stop. They're looking at something. No one really gathers to look at nothing.
• 11:51
  If you're hoping for moose, head east past Lamar Valley. You should see them between Pebble Creek and Baronet Peak if they're visible.
• 11:59
  Coyotes will be all over the place. It's pretty much their mating season right now, so they're going to be scampering about.
• 12:07
  So keep an active eye out for them at all times.
• 12:10
  Pronghorn will be near Gardner if they're visible, and Bighorn Sheep are also out that way,
• 12:15
  closer to the Yellowstone Hot Springs outside the park, and even up towards Point of Rocks at the start of Paradise Valley.
• 12:22
  So if you really want to see Bighorn Sheep, that's probably where you need to go.
• 12:27
  Other than that, it's kind of luck of the draw. Pigmeowls have been putting on a good show this winter for a lot of people.
• 12:34
  I've gotten some great pictures and seen four of them now.
• 12:37
  A few foxes have been spotted hunting through the region, typically more morning or late afternoon evening.
• 12:44
  And you should keep your eyes open for some eagles of both the bald and golden variety.
• 12:50
  They've been visible all over the place the last few weeks.
• 12:54
  As soon as I leave Livingston and drive down the park, I probably see ten eagles a day before I get to the park.
• 13:00
  And then in the park, there's even more.
• 13:03
  Alright, hiking news and updates.
• 13:05
  The main news and updates for hiking you'll need to know right now is that nearly every major trail adventure you'll be taking will require snowshoes or cross country skis.
• 13:14
  Last year that wasn't the case, but we have a better snowpack right now, so bring them.
• 13:19
  You could go without snowshoes, but you'll be postholing, which is sinking in the snow, like just deep and uncomfortable and annoying every step the entire time.
• 13:31
  So be prepared and bring snowshoes or skis with you.
• 13:34
  It'll make your day much better.
• 13:36
  Also, while it is cold out, remember to bring plenty of liquids while you're outside.
• 13:41
  It's very dry here, and if you're going to be above 6,000 feet, which is most of the park, you're going to get dehydrated.
• 13:48
  If you aren't actively pushing fluids.
• 13:50
  I know this sounds simple.
• 13:52
  I'm a hiking guide and the amount of people that don't drink enough water, that experience headaches, things like that is constant.
• 14:00
  So drink a lot of water, bring chapstick, bring lotions, you know, you're going to be dry out here.
• 14:07
  Alright, my trek of the week.
• 14:10
  This is something that I enjoy doing, so we'll see if you enjoy it too.
• 14:15
  So I don't lie, I'm probably going to repeat a few of these adventures every so often in the winter.
• 14:20
  But for now, since I'm off to a fresh start, I'm going to recommend a trail that's kind of the quintessential winter experience you get out and about, but it's not that long.
• 14:30
  That trail is Pebble Creek.
• 14:33
  No, just kidding.
• 14:34
  It's Trout Lake.
• 14:36
  Trout Lake is fantastic.
• 14:37
  It's near Pebble Creek where there's moose.
• 14:40
  It's near Lamar where you might see more wildlife.
• 14:43
  So Trout Lake is like this stunning small lake in the northern range of the Yellowstone.
• 14:48
  And basically it impresses everyone who makes the trek.
• 14:53
  Granted, the trek is mostly uphill.
• 14:56
  So as it is frozen in the winter, this small lake is actually like pretty serene and calm.
• 15:03
  There'll be some bison there.
• 15:05
  There might be some coyotes or foxes.
• 15:07
  And the other day when I was there, I actually saw wolf tracks around the lake, which was very cool.
• 15:13
  So it's a great short detour.
• 15:16
  It's not that far.
• 15:17
  It's less than two miles.
• 15:19
  There's a couple hundred feet of elevation right off the bat.
• 15:22
  But it's one of those easy day hikes in the park that's largely overlooked, especially in the winter.
• 15:28
  Yes, it's a short hike, so a lot of people at one hike won't do it, but it's a short hike in the winter with a hill, a big hill.
• 15:38
  So you may have this to yourself.
• 15:43
  You may be sharing it, but it's not going to be that crowded, especially compared with some of the other places I'll be recommending in later weeks that are a little more popular.
• 15:54
  The trailhead isn't signed super well, so if you're driving from Lamar and get to Pebble Creek, you've gone too far.
• 16:04
  It's between Lamar and Pebble Creek and right before you go through a very narrow section along the river.
• 16:11
  Or creek, I guess.
• 16:12
  It's Sodaview Creek, not river.
• 16:15
  When you do hike this, make sure you just don't hike to the first viewpoint and then turn around.
• 16:20
  Like any lake, the best experiences you can have are if you circumnavigate it, and there is a trail that goes all the way around.
• 16:27
  I kicked some steps around it before.
• 16:29
  We'll see if they're still there.
• 16:31
  But I tend to do the lake clockwise because that direction offers what I think are the best views.
• 16:36
  I mean, you get the same views if you look around, but there's no wrong way to do it.
• 16:40
  That's just my personal preference.
• 16:42
  Once you climb the hill and see the lake, follow path down the lake and then you'll walk around.
• 16:47
  If you head left, you'll cross a new bridge that they put over this creek.
• 16:51
  And then you can trace the lakeshore.
• 16:54
  If you do want a little more, you can follow a boot path on your left at the end of the large trees in that area to the top of a ridge where you can gaze down towards Sodaview Creek and Lamar Valley.
• 17:04
  I once sat on a rock there and was taking pictures and doing a time lapse, and a coyote came and sat about 30 yards away from me for five minutes and then walked away.
• 17:14
  It was awesome.
• 17:16
  Once you go around the lake, come back, know that there are a couple patches where it might be a little icy, a little less than ideal.
• 17:23
  That's where snowshoes and or traction devices will be very, very important.
• 17:29
  So that's kind of what to expect.
• 17:31
  But if you'd rather, this is my own shameless plug here.
• 17:35
  So I may share something interesting at the end or I might not.
• 17:39
  This might be just my shameless plug at the end.
• 17:42
  So if you'd rather snowshoe the trails with somebody who knows the park very well, I do offer a private guided snowshoe and hiking services in Yellowstone.
• 17:52
  And I love showing people around.
• 17:54
  My whole thing is taking people beyond the boardwalks.
• 17:57
  It's what I do.
• 17:58
  It's what I love.
• 17:59
  And I will make sure that you get to see something truly amazing.
• 18:03
  You can learn more about those.
• 18:05
  You can buy either contacting me directly through social media, Guy with a Bison tattoo.
• 18:11
  Or you can check out my guided snowshoe tours and hiking options at outdoor-society.com.
• 18:17
  I also have guidebooks there that will tell you basically how, where, and when to see wildlife all throughout the park.
• 18:25
  And I have a hiking guidebook to the area that has over 50 of my favorite hikes both in and out of the park that again take you beyond the boardwalks and give you kind of the love for the region that I have.
• 18:38
  And hopefully inspire you to come back.
• 18:40
  Again, all those are available at outdoor-society.com.
• 18:44
  Alright, finally after big swallow.
• 18:47
  I thank you for listening to this first episode.
• 18:51
  I will be doing this weekly unless it goes nowhere.
• 18:55
  But if it takes off and you enjoy this, definitely reach out to me.
• 18:59
  Let me know so I can keep doing it.
• 19:01
  And if there's things that are missing that you really want to know, I will happily add them.
• 19:05
  I'm talking to myself so it's not like super fun for me.
• 19:11
  But I'm pretending I'm talking to all of you and trying to use that.
• 19:14
  If there's any weird stutters, any weird just things that I say, that's just because I'm reading off a script that I wrote out trying to make it more personable and fun.
• 19:24
  Thank you for listening.
• 19:26
  Again, go to the park this week if you can, especially if you're local.
• 19:30
  And I will be talking to you soon.
• 19:43
  This week in Yellowstone is brought to you by the Outdoor Society, because that's my company, and that's where this is hosted.
• 19:49
  There are no sponsors. There's no ad breaks. This is a labor of love.
• 19:53
  So thank you all for listening.
• 19:55
  Copyright 2025, baby!