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This Week in Yellowstone: June 11th to June 17th, 2026 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where the hills
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are emerald green and full of wildlife 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 June 11th to June 17th 2026 I hope
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to convince you to set an early morning alarm,
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tell you to take those side roads, and let you
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know why moose are so tricky to find in Yellowstone.
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I'll also give you the complete weather forecast,
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a cool trail to hike, the wildlife report, and
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everything else you need to have an incredible
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time this week in Yellowstone. standard disclaimer
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I'm gonna miss a few details here and there so
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if there's something that you need more information
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on reach out to me I also mentioned park locations
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very casually so again if you're unfamiliar a
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quick search online can help or just reach out
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to me you can text me 406 -589 -1873 also This
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podcast is a passion project of mine. I do not
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get paid for this. I am not sponsored. So if
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you enjoy it, I'd love a review or a quick email.
1:18
If you want to support my work, you can check
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out my hiking and wildlife watching guidebooks,
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or you can join me for a guided hiking tour in
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Yellowstone's backcountry. For more information
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on all of that, you can contact me directly at
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that phone number I just gave or go to outdoor
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-society .com. This week's Yellowstone news.
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So the main news that happened today in the park
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on Wednesday June 10th was that we had some snow
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in the park Couple roads were closed for a little
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bit and now the roads are open Snow in June is
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actually pretty common. There are a lot of people
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I don't want to say freaking out but I can't
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think of a better word off the top of my head
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right now so there are a lot of people reacting
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to this snow that we just had is like they can't
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believe it happens all the time happens almost
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every June one year on June 21st which was the
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solstice to start summer I went on a hike and
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I got snowed on You're at elevation in the Rockies,
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so expect snow every month. It may not happen,
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especially July and August. It rarely happens
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then, but it can snow every month, and we're
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just seeing that right now. So roads are open
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again. Doesn't look like there's another storm
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coming in, so it shouldn't happen again in June,
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but it might, so be ready. Otherwise, the only
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other news story really worthy of talking about
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right now is that the May 2026 visitation statistics
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came out, and visitation in May of 2026 was the
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busiest on record for the month of May, and it
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showed a 20 % increase from May of 2021, which
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was Yellowstone's most busy year. However, this
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is only up 1 % from last year's May visitation.
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In May of this year, we saw 773 ,653 visitors.
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That's about 11 ,000 more visitors than came
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in May of 2025. So visitation is up. However,
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it's just one of those, you know, parks popular.
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A lot of people came out. We had a low snowpack,
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so that really helped get more people in. I threaten
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this every time I talk about park statistics.
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I love park statistics. I can do a deep dive
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into this. If anybody is really interested in
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a deep dive in park statistics, reach out to
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me. Happy to just jump in and do just a full
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standalone episode. I will dive into this a little
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more next week's episode, but this week is pretty
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busy. So we're just going to jump right into
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the experience of the week. My experience of
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the week is embrace the early mornings now most
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people don't associate Vacations with alarm clocks
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or waking up early for most of us We wake up
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pretty early when we're working and then we're
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on vacation. It's kind of nice to sleep in especially
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if you're away from home There's not as many
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responsibilities like sleeping in is great I
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love sleeping in but if you do sleep in in Yellowstone
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National Park You're going to miss some of the
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most exciting moments in the park Some of the
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park's most memorable moments happen before breakfast
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right after sunrise, and visitors who embrace
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the early mornings often see a side of Yellowstone
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that many others will never experience. The first
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thing you're going to notice when you're up way
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too early, or the right amount of early, is you're
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going to notice how alive the park feels at dawn.
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While most visitors are still tucked away in
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lodges, campgrounds, cabins, and hotels out of
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the park, Yellowstone's wildlife is already active.
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National Park Service after all recommends dawn
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and dusk as the best time for wildlife viewing
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and it's easy to understand why. Cool morning
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temperatures encourage animals to move, feed,
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and travel before the heat of the day sets in.
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Mid -June is an especially exciting time because
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many young animals are still visible across the
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park. Bison calves are going to be dotting the
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valleys with their reddish coats. Elk cows are
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going to be you know, protecting their newborn
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calves, and bears are spending long hours foraging
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for food or moving their cubs around. In places
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like Hayden, Lamar, even out in SLU, Little America,
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all those places, you are going to have some
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really good wildlife viewing very early in the
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morning. The scenery itself also seems to come
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alive in a different way during the first hours
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of daylight. Yellowstone's geothermal features
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never stop working. but they often put on their
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most dramatic displays when the morning air is
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still really cool. Overnight temperatures in
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June can still dip into the 20s, 30s, and that
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can create ideal conditions for thick steam to
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rise from geysers, fumaroles, and hot springs.
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As sunlight begins filtering across the landscape,
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enormous clouds of steam can be seen drifting
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through the geyser basins, creating scenes that
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feel almost otherworldly. Places like old faithful
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Norris upper geyser basin can look completely
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different But also just all of those little thermal
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areas that you drive by and don't think much
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of are all going to be steaming in the morning
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and Just with that soft morning light creates
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an atmosphere that is just perfect The sunrise
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itself is worth seeing and so by mid -June the
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sun's gonna rise around 6 a .m. and the light
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just starts peeking over the mountains and across
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Yellowstone's rivers, forests and valleys and
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lakes, transforming the landscape just into this
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beautiful glowing golden early morning view.
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Yellowstone Lake often lies really calm in the
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early morning hours reflecting the surrounding
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mountains and sky. Mist can rise from rivers
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and wetlands while the first sunlight illuminates
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distant peaks. The famous viewpoints, they're
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all going to be extremely gorgeous. Being in
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the Grand Canyon at sunrise, really cool. But
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those little roadside pullouts that barely earned
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a glance the day before can suddenly become one
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of the most memorable stops of an entire trip
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when you see it at sunrise. There is another
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practical benefit to getting an early start.
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As we know Yellowstone is one of the most visited
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national parks in the US and June marks kind
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of that beginning of the really busy summer season.
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During the day parking lots fill, traffic backups
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develop, and popular attractions become crowded
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as the morning progresses. Visitors who begin
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early before sunrise or right at sunrise often
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enjoy several hours of relative solitude. They
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find easier parking, quieter boardwalks, and
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less congestion on the road. There's something
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special about standing near Old Faithful or walking
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to the Grand Prismatic Overlook when there's
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only a handful of other people around. These
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moments become increasingly difficult to find
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as the day unfolds, and that's why it's even
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better to have those. The atmosphere of Yellowstone
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also feels very different in the early morning.
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The air is going to be really crisp and cool,
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birdsong carries across meadows and forests,
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the sound of rushing river and bubbling thermal
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features seem more noticeable when there's fewer
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people around and less road noise. Instead of
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rushing from one famous attraction to another,
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the early hours invite visitors to slow down
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and appreciate the park itself. Yellowstone has
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always been a place of grand scenery and iconic
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landmarks, but it's often the quieter moments
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that leave the strongest impressions. Perhaps
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the greatest reward for getting up early is that
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the day is still ahead of you. By the time many
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visitors are finishing breakfast and waiting
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in line at West Yellowstone, you've already seen
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wildlife in the valleys, you've seen geothermal
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basins have steam rising from them and the steam
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vanishes as it gets warmer, you've seen the sunrise,
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and you've visited some of the park's most famous
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attractions without anybody else there. Rather
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than losing sleep, you've gained access to a
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more dramatic peaceful version of Yellowstone
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that just feels more connected to the rhythms
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of the park itself. I do want to say that when
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you do enter in the morning, and if you're thinking
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about hiking it early in the morning, don't start
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hiking right at sunrise. Wait a little bit. Sunrise
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is a really good time, you would think, to go
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out. However, This is the time where bears are
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really active where you may also come across
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Sleeping bison that you don't see below the stage
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So give the day a little bit of time to wake
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up before you hit the trails Use those really
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early morning hours around sunrise to drive around
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go to the more populated or popular boardwalk
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areas and That way you can be safe and not be
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in the backcountry where it's a little more dangerous
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really at that dawn time So next time you're
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tempted to hit the snooze button when you're
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visiting Yellowstone, consider what you're gonna
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be missing. The wildlife is already gonna be
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moving around, the thermal features are gonna
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be sending clouds of steam into the morning air,
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the first sunlight's gonna paint the landscape
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in gold, and long before the crowds arrive, Yellowstone
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is waiting for you and wanting to put on one
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of its best shows of the day just for you. My
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tip of the week. Take the side roads. If you
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want to experience Yellowstone a little differently,
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there's an easy way to do it. Most visitors stick
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to the main roads, rushing from Old Faithful
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to Canyon to Mammoth to Lamar and back. What
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many don't realize is that some of Yellowstone's
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most memorable moments happen just a few miles
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off the main route. There are some short scenic
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drives that offer a slower, quieter side of the
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park, where wildlife sightings, waterfalls, rivers,
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and wide -open landscapes often outshine the
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more famous attractions. One of the classic side
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roads is Virginia Cascades Drive, a narrow one
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-way road just east of Norris. The 2 .5 mile
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drive follows a given river through dense lodgepole
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pine forest before arriving at Virginia Cascades,
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which is a 60 -foot waterfall. Waterfall is not
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quite the right word. It's a cascade, right?
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It tumbles over volcanic rock and it's like a
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giant water slide. The road itself feels like
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stepping into an older less hurried Yellowstone
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and since RVs and buses aren't permitted traffic
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is usually light making it peaceful and a much
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better way to avoid that busy highway. It's also
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that stretch is not the most exciting stretch
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in the park from Norris to Canyon so having these
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two and a half miles really helps break it up.
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This is also a really cool area to have a picnic
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midday. A little farther south, the Firehole
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River Drive offers another worthwhile detour.
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Running alongside the Firehole River near Madison
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Junction, this short one -way route reveals the
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side of Yellowstone many people just speed past
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again. The road traces the river, which cuts
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through a dramatic canyon with overlooks of waterfalls,
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river scenery, and just a great way to enjoy
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Yellowstone, right? This is what Yellowstone
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used to be. There used to just be narrow roads
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and a slower pace of travel. Firehole River is
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one of Yellowstone's most unique waterways because
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it's warm by the park's geothermal activity upstream.
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So it creates landscapes unlike anywhere else
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in the park. Along this road though, this is
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a great place to see the water features, look
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around, look for birds. The osprey have a nest
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there. I usually see eagles. There's sometimes
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bison just walking down the road. It's a gorgeous
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drive that really should be experienced. In fact,
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I take this every time I drive by it, so I think
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you should too. Near Yellowstone Lake, Goal Point
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Drive offers a completely different experience.
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The seasonal road meanders through lakeside forests
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and then drops down the shoreline where the viewpoints
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of the lake and the surrounding area are unrivaled.
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The drive is especially rewarding for bird watchers
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and photographers with opportunities to enjoy
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sweeping views across North America's largest
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high elevation lake, a chance to just see some
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wildlife as they're walking along the shoreline.
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I've seen elk out here and bison and again, as
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I mentioned, lots of good birds. So this is also
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a really good place for a lunch spot, so when
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you're driving by the lake and you need something,
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go down Gold Point Drive, have a lunch, take
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in the views, wade in the water a little bit,
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and just enjoy the lake. Now for wildlife enthusiasts,
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Blacktail Plateau Drive is one of Yellowstone's
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most underrated roads. This about six mile one
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-way gravel route between Mammoth and Tower winds
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through open meadows, forests, and high ridges
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that provide excellent habitat for wildlife.
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I just drove this the other day and I saw three
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bears in one mile. So definitely go up there.
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The National Park Service really highlights this
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as the drive that gives you a more rustic alternative
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to the Grand Loop. You may see elk, you're probably
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gonna see bears there, there's bison, and there's
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other animals, as well as wildflowers are starting
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to pop off right now, and sweeping views of the
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northern range. Early mornings and evenings are
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usually the best here, but I drove it in the
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middle of the day when I saw my bears, so you
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just never know what you're gonna do. Again,
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do not skip Blacktail Plateau Drive, especially
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early morning or the evening. Now, if your goal
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is spotting predators, Slough Creek Road deserves
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a place on your itinerary. Located just west
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of Lamar Valley, this gravel road leads to one
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of Yellowstone's most celebrated wildlife watching
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areas. I think I've talked about this before,
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but a lot of people just lump in Lamar Valley
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as that whole northern range as soon as you leave
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Tower Roosevelt Junction and go all the way to
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Cook City, that's Lamar Valley. Technically,
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that is not true, but... you know it's easy to
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lump it in there however slew creek is its own
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unique area and it is one of the better places
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that's why i'm mentioning it it's a short out
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and back road when you drive it i usually see
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coyotes bears uh there's some badgers out there
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there's some cool birds there's a wolf den that
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was out there i'll talk about that in a little
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bit probably and then you know there's just Big
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big views with bison with pronghorn with elk
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all of those also There's a mountain nearby there
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that has some mountain lions, so maybe you'll
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get lucky and see one of the elusive mountain
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lions The road itself is short But it is one
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of those places where it opens the door to one
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of the richest wildlife habitats in the entire
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Greater Yellowstone ecosystem If you're driving
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over Dunraven Pass, there's Chittenden Road which
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is just a branch off of Dunraven Pass. While
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many visitors know Mount Washburn as one of Yellowstone's
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premier hikes, fewer take the spur road that
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climbed toward the mountain's trailhead. Even
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if you're not planning a hike, when open, the
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drive up Chittenden Road rewards visitors with
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sweeping mountain views and excellent opportunities
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to spot bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, black bears,
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marmots, all sorts of wildlife. It's often really
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windy up here, but on clear days you're going
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to have an amazing opportunity to take in Yellowstone's
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immense scale from up above. There's also a side
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road heading back to West Yellowstone that I
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highly recommend. It's a one -way road heading
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west that skirts along the river and allows you
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a chance to slow down and enjoy a few more moments
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in the park before you exit. Sometimes there's
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bison down there, sometimes there's elk, usually
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there's some birds. and it's just not that popular
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of a drive so if you're like battling crowds
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in West Yellowstone like heading back in the
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afternoon and everybody's stopping for a bison
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one last time and you don't want to deal with
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that take the side road for a mile or so and
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just have it to yourself it's great there are
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a couple other side roads that i could mention
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here but part of the reason i'm telling you just
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a few of them is you have an opportunity to look
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at a map and say i want to drive this other road
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Drive that road, see what's down there. Worst
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case is you drive a couple more miles. Best case
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is you have an opportunity to drive somewhere
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that you didn't know existed and have a new memory
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of the park that rivals any other memory. Yellowstone
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side roads aren't just shortcuts or alternative
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routes. They're invitations to slow down. They
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encourage you to trade the rush of seeing everything
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for the experience of truly seeing something
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unique. While everyone else is rushing back and
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forth between the park's headline attractions,
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these quieter roads offer a chance to discover
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the Yellowstone that many people miss. A place
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of hidden waterfalls, wildlife filled meadows,
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peaceful lakeshores, and unexpected moments of
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solitude. My random Yellowstone fact of the week.
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Why are moose so hard to see in Yellowstone?
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If you ask visitors what they hope to see in
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Yellowstone, Most are going to mention bears,
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wolves, bison, or elk. If you start prying, most
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people want to see a moose. Now if you talk to
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the people that have been in the park a lot,
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what's an animal they haven't seen? A moose.
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This can be a little surprising. Moose are huge.
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They can weigh almost a thousand pounds, and
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they can stand six feet tall at shoulder. You
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would think something this large would be easy
18:39
to spot. Yet many people spend days in Yellowstone
18:43
without seeing a single moose. and the reason
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has less to do with the animal itself and more
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to do with what happened to Yellowstone about
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four decades ago. For much of the 20th century,
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moose were far more common in Yellowstone than
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they are today. According to the National Park
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Service, Yellowstone's moose population reached
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roughly a thousand animals in the 1970s. Today,
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fewer than 200 remain in the park. The northern
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Yellowstone population has declined by at least
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75 % since the 1980s. One of the biggest turning
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points came during the historic fires of 1988.
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Those fires affected about 36 % of Yellowstone
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National Park, transforming hundreds of thousands
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of acres of forest. While many Yellowstone species
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quickly recovered, the moose did not. National
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Park Service notes that moose were the only native
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ungulate in Yellowstone whose population declined
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after the fires. Elk, deer, bison rebounded,
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but moose numbers continued to fall. So why were
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the moose hit so hard? The answer lies in the
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type of habitat they depend on. Unlike many moose
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populations elsewhere in North America, Yellowstone's
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moose rely heavily on mature spruce and fir forests
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for winter survival. The 1988 fires burned large
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areas of those older forests, removing important
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winter habitat and reducing available browsing.
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After the fires, deeper snow accumulated in places
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where those protective forest canopies had been
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lost, making survival even more difficult. The
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winter of 1988 -89 was very harsh, and many older
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moose died during that period. In a sense, many
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moose didn't simply disappear. They lost the
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habitat that made portions of Yellowstone attractive
20:28
to them in the first place. The fires weren't
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the only factor, however. The MPS points to combination
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long -term moose decline including habitat loss,
20:39
predators, hunting pressure outside the park,
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and changes to the surrounding ecosystem. Moose
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reproduce more slowly than elk and are naturally
20:48
less numerous, making population recovery a much
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slower process. Another challenge for visitors
20:54
is that Yellowstone isn't necessarily the best
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moose habitat in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem
20:59
anymore. Many of the region's moose are found
21:01
in areas outside the park, particularly in wetter
21:05
habitats and drainages that provide the food
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and cover they need year -round. Within Yellowstone,
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moose are now often found in the park's northeastern
21:13
corner near Cook City and Silvergate, or the
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southeastern corner, which is the side of the
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lake that no one can get to. Now this isn't to
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say that you're not going to see a moose There
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have been more moose hanging out the last couple
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of years by like floating Island Lake Even out
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by Indian Creek campground by Swan Lake flats
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that area is rebounding But the numbers of moose
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that are around still are not that high if we
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think that there's about 200 250 moose in the
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park There are about 80 to 90 wolves in the park.
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So there's only two and a half times more moose
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than wolves in the park, and wolves are still
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one of those very rare things to see, and so
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moose need to be treated that way as well. Moose
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are also pretty solitary. They don't like to
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be by the roads, and when you have a landscape
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the size of Yellowstone, they have a lot of places
22:07
to go where they aren't gonna ever see a person.
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That's why Yellowstone visitors can always see
22:13
hundreds of bison, dozens of elk, a couple bears,
22:17
some wolves, and still go home without seeing
22:19
a moose. Ironically, that rarity is part of what
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makes a moose sighting so memorable. When one
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finally steps out along a willow -lined creek
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or appears beside a quiet river at dawn, you're
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looking at one of Yellowstone's most elusive
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success stories and one of its most challenging
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conservation puzzles. The next time someone tells
22:39
you they didn't see a moose in Yellowstone, it
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isn't because they weren't looking hard. It's
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because they're searching for an animal whose
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numbers have never fully recovered from a dramatic
22:48
shift in the park's landscape that began with
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the fires in 1988 and continues today. Now, if
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you do want to see a moose, what I always tell
22:57
people, go to the Tetons. There's a lot more
23:00
moose down there. There's also a lot of moose
23:02
out by Big Sky, that whole Gallatin Gateway along
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the Gallatin River. There's even a lot of moose
23:08
in Paradise Valley if you go into the Absaroka
23:11
Beartooth Wilderness. There's a couple drainages
23:14
that I hike at near my house, and there's moose
23:16
there all the time. We even have a resident moose
23:19
near Livingston that comes into town sometimes.
23:22
But in the park, it's just a lot more rare. So
23:25
if you're looking for moose, best of luck, and
23:28
if you don't see one... Now you at least know
23:30
why. It's not you. It's the moose. The weather
23:34
for the coming week. So as always, this is the
23:38
best forecast for the week at the time of recording.
23:40
It is 4 p .m. on Wednesday, June 10th, so this
23:44
is going to change a couple times depending on
23:46
what day you're around. Forecast always changes,
23:49
but this should be within the ballpark of what
23:51
you'll experience. So let's start with Lamar
23:53
Valley. where right now it's currently 40 degrees.
23:56
On Thursday, it's going to be much warmer. 62
23:59
is a high, 33 is a low, no real rain. Friday,
24:04
69 and 37. Saturday, 57 and 31 with a 24 % chance
24:09
of rain, largely in the morning and evening.
24:12
Sunday, 65 and 32 with early morning chance of
24:15
rain. Monday, 70 and 39. Tuesday, 76 and 45.
24:20
And Wednesday, 75 and 40. The weather for Gardner,
24:26
Montana Thursday Highest 67, Low of 37 Friday
24:30
Highest 74, Low of 40 Saturday Highest 60, Low
24:34
of 34 30 % chance of some rain Sunday 67 and
24:39
36 with a 13 % chance of morning rain Monday
24:43
74 and 43 Tuesday 81 and 49 Wednesday 80 and
24:49
43 In West Yellowstone, Montana, Thursday Highest
24:53
61, Low of 30, Friday 69 and 33, Saturday 60
24:58
and 29, Sunday 66 and 31, Monday 72 and 38, Tuesday
25:04
76 and 43, Wednesday 76 and 38. In Cody, Wyoming,
25:11
a high of 72 and 48 for Thursday. Friday will
25:14
be 79 and 45. Saturday will be 58 and 42 with
25:19
a 33 % chance of some rain. Sunday, 68 and 45.
25:24
Monday, 76 and 50. Tuesday, 87 and 58. And Wednesday,
25:30
85 and 52. And finally, we end the weather with
25:34
Cook City, where it's currently snowing and should
25:37
continue to snow through the night. On Thursday,
25:40
high of 58, low of 35. On Friday, high of 64,
25:44
low of 37 with some rain in the evening. Saturday,
25:48
high of 52, low of 30 with a 31 % chance of rain
25:52
throughout the day. Sunday 59 and 32 with some
25:55
rain in the morning, Monday 65 and 40, Tuesday
25:59
71 and 46, and Wednesday 71 and 40. Now obviously
26:04
these temperatures and this forecast can change
26:06
a bit, but it's gonna be cold in the morning,
26:09
hot in the daytime. By the way, 70 in the park
26:12
will feel like 80 or 90 even if there's no humidity.
26:16
Please take the warmer days seriously, wear layers,
26:19
and be ready to shed layers when needed. So the
26:23
road conditions road should be opening up in
26:26
the morning as I was recording. There's another
26:28
alert that A couple of the roads are closed again,
26:31
so check the roads before you go into the park.
26:33
They should be open Thursday morning and shouldn't
26:36
have any problem throughout the week. Beartooth
26:39
Highway may be closed, so we're just going to
26:42
see what happens there. If you do want up -to
26:44
-date information, you can call 307 -344 -2117
26:49
for recorded information from the park, or you
26:51
can sign up to receive Yellowstone Road Alerts
26:53
on your mobile phone by texting 82190 to the
26:57
number 888... 777 Camping information. Mammoth
27:03
is open, Madison is open, Fishing Bridge is open,
27:06
Bridge Bay is open, Tower is open, Canning is
27:08
open, Indian Creek opens on the 12th, Slough
27:12
Creek opens on the 15th, and Lewis Lake also
27:14
opens on the 15th. That's pretty much all of
27:17
the campgrounds that are open. The only one that
27:20
is not going to be open for a little bit longer
27:22
is going to be Grant, which is closed until June
27:26
26th. The wildlife watching update so I teased
27:30
this earlier. It's not is it teasing if it's
27:33
not good news It looks like distemper has run
27:37
rampant through the wolf packs again The wolves
27:40
in the den apparently all the pups have died
27:43
If not all of them most of them because of distemper
27:46
is the rumor it looks like this is another very
27:48
bad Puppy year for the park wolf populations
27:52
will continue to drop. It's currently in the
27:54
80s right now Probably will drop much lower by
27:57
next year, so we will continue to monitor that.
28:00
That is something I wanted to mention right off
28:02
the bat in case you're going and you're wanting
28:04
to see pups. It's not gonna happen this year,
28:07
unfortunately. Very sad, but there's not much
28:10
we can do about it. The one thing we can do about
28:12
it, continue to support places that support wolves.
28:17
If you're active voting and you care about wolves,
28:20
maybe don't vote for people who are super anti
28:23
-wolf. That's all I'm going to say about that.
28:26
It's a very complicated issue. So right now,
28:29
wolf populations struggling in Yellowstone. All
28:32
right, positive wildlife watching news. Right
28:35
now, Lamar Valley is absolutely popping off with
28:38
activity. This last week has been insane. There's
28:42
been grizzlies on carcasses getting chased off
28:44
by wolves. Everybody's been chasing the coyotes
28:47
off the carcasses. There's been a bison funeral,
28:50
which I'm going to talk about in a couple of
28:51
weeks. There have been all of these things in
28:53
Lamar Valley that you definitely need to get
28:55
out there and see. Will they continue through
28:57
this coming week? Who knows, but Lamar Valley,
29:00
Little America, that whole north eastern side
29:03
of the park, definitely very good. there's mountain
29:06
goats up on baronet peak people are seeing i
29:08
mentioned moose earlier people are still seeing
29:10
some moose out by cook city so hit that up i
29:13
also heard like i mentioned there's some moose
29:16
that are hanging out by floating island lake
29:17
every so often so that's good Pronghorn are gonna
29:20
start having their babies. Best place I usually
29:23
see them is Little America by the Specimen and
29:26
Ridge West trailhead, so by the Yellowstone River
29:29
picnic area. There's usually a field that they
29:31
have their babies out there. There's been lots
29:33
of black bears all around the Bermuda Triangle,
29:36
which I've recently talked about. And then when
29:38
you dip into Hayden, you're gonna see lots of
29:41
wildlife out there. It's really starting to pick
29:42
up in Hayden as well. Heading out the east entrance,
29:45
bighorn sheep, grizzly bears all over. It's a
29:48
good place to go. Just make sure you keep your
29:50
distance. Big horn sheep are also visible from
29:54
calcite springs. There's babies still running
29:56
around out there, so check that out. There's
29:59
some badgers out by Slough Creek and out by the
30:02
petrified, not the petrified tree area you're
30:05
thinking of, but the petrified forest trail just
30:08
near Slough Creek. There's a couple out there
30:10
as well. Other than that, I didn't see a lot
30:14
driving up from West to Mammoth the other day.
30:17
Maybe it was just my timing, but saw a couple
30:19
bison, one elk. But that doesn't mean there's
30:23
going to be nothing there. Just know that that
30:25
may not be the most active place. You may see
30:27
some bison in the thermal areas as well down
30:29
around Old Faithful. And then as you get further
30:32
south, wildlife activity is really just going
30:34
to be hit and miss. Your main corridors, the
30:37
Northern Road from basically hell roaring up
30:42
to Tower, then out to Soda Butte or Round Prairie,
30:47
Pebble Creek area by Lamar, that's gonna be that
30:50
main corridor. Take those side roads, take everything
30:53
you can, and you should have some good luck.
30:55
Obviously mornings, evenings, cooler weather,
30:58
really gonna help. Saturday could be very good
31:00
based on that cold weather. I could, again, I
31:04
love talking about where the animals are, but
31:05
also there's, you know, that worry that I'm gonna
31:08
tell everybody to go to the same spot. If you
31:10
need more information, reach out to me. I have
31:12
a really good wildlife watching guidebook that
31:14
I wrote based on my entire lifetime of visiting
31:17
the park. If you pick that up, guarantee you're
31:19
going to have better success than if you just
31:21
wing it. Trail alerts and updates. The most interesting
31:25
trail alert I saw the other day was that the
31:29
trail heading out of Mammoth that goes around
31:31
Beaver Ponds or up Sepulcher Peak. I know everybody
31:34
pronounces that word different. I say Sepulcher.
31:37
Sepulcher. Say it how you want. I did sepulchre
31:41
and the other day by myself, 12 miles round trip,
31:44
3 ,500 feet of gain, and on the way back I...
31:47
Check the signs and there's a mountain lion warning
31:49
out there. So that was a pretty cool sign Didn't
31:51
see anything saw lots of bear scat lots of bear
31:54
prints bears are everywhere right now carry bear
31:56
spray I'm gonna have a link in the show notes
31:59
to the conditions page for the backcountry Use
32:01
that if you're in mammoth and you want to know
32:04
specific trail conditions beyond the easy trails
32:07
Go down to the backcountry office. The people
32:09
working down there are awesome They gave me a
32:12
lot of information, which is why I did the hike
32:14
that I did. So, you know If you're hiking, carry
32:17
bear spray, have it readily accessible and not
32:19
in a backpack, and know how to use it, you may
32:22
only have two or three seconds. Also, if you've
32:25
made it this far and you're still listening,
32:28
I know what to do obviously, but do you know
32:30
what to do if you encounter multiple bison on
32:34
a trail while hiking? If you do, message me.
32:38
If you don't already have it and you message
32:40
me, maybe I'll send you a guidebook or something
32:42
because I love interactions. But I'm just curious
32:45
what you think you do if you encounter bison
32:47
while hiking. There's more than one correct answer,
32:51
but I'm curious what most people think. All right.
32:54
That leads me to my Trek of the Week, which I
32:57
was going to. say to do the hike that I just
32:59
did but that seemed lazy. Instead I'm going to
33:02
tell you to do a hike that I think is perfect
33:04
for this time of year and that is the seven mile
33:07
hole trail in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
33:11
So the following is an excerpt from a hiking
33:13
guidebook that covers 50 of my favorite trails
33:16
in and around Yellowstone National Park. So if
33:18
you like what you hear and you want to know more,
33:20
pick up my hiking guidebook and it basically
33:23
is descriptions just like this. So, starting
33:26
at the end of the most dramatic sections of the
33:28
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, this trail is
33:31
largely overlooked. No boardwalks are found,
33:34
nor are there any amenities you find when driving
33:36
and hiking along the north rim of the canyon.
33:38
Instead, what you find here is a long and wonderful
33:42
trail along the canyon rim where sweeping views
33:45
of the treeline cliffs continue to leave one
33:47
in awe. While the rest of the views of the Yellowstone
33:50
Grand Canyon often leave people speechless, the
33:53
subtle beauty along this trek makes the canyon
33:56
and river feel more approachable and gentle,
33:58
welcoming you as you hike downriver. Across the
34:01
way, keep an eye out for Silver Cord Cascade,
34:05
a waterfall that is most impressive after heavy
34:07
rain or during the early summer months, like
34:10
now. The hike is honestly a spot in the canyon
34:13
area where one can truly take a deep breath and
34:15
relax in nature. The first half of the trail
34:18
is in the woods with minimal views, but once
34:21
you do get views, they'll be etched in your mind's
34:24
eye forever. With the added bonus of being able
34:27
to walk directly through a thermal area before
34:29
reaching the Yellowstone River, this trail could
34:32
become a yearly tradition for you. The important
34:35
thing to know about this trail is that you get
34:37
what you want out of it. Hike here with an open
34:40
mind and lowered expectations. Not because they
34:42
won't be met, but because this trail will reward
34:45
you well. All you have to do is be open to its
34:49
wonders. For the first 1 .3 miles, the trail
34:52
runs parallel to the canyon rim with great views
34:55
every so often. The path meanders in the woods
34:58
a bit, but the canopy is welcomed, absorbing
35:00
the sounds of the nearby infrastructure of Canyon
35:02
and replacing it with the sounds of wind in the
35:05
trees and the river below. The next mile of the
35:08
trail is well maintained single track, passing
35:10
through part of a forest that is now home to
35:12
grizzlies and black bears as well as bison and
35:15
elk. The path rises and falls in manageable sections,
35:19
never really climbing steeply. At 2 .4 miles,
35:22
you'll reach a clearing slash seasonal pond.
35:25
Be aware that this is the one section of the
35:27
trail that may have some mosquitoes, and they
35:29
are aggressive mosquitoes, so come prepared.
35:33
For this entire section, you'll have gained around
35:36
400 feet in elevation. If you look north in the
35:39
clearing, you'll see Mount Washburn rising in
35:41
the distance. If you feel called to summit the
35:44
mountain from this trail, please contact me or
35:46
pick up this guidebook. There's also a hidden
35:49
and overlooked thermal area on the spur trail
35:51
that is the Washburn Hot Springs. It is one of
35:54
the smelliest hot springs. I'm going to talk
35:56
about smelly hot springs later a couple weeks
35:59
from now, but... This is a fantastic side trek.
36:03
It adds, you know, four miles, but Washburn Hot
36:05
Springs, if you love the smell of, like, acidic
36:09
awfulness and thermal basins, you will love Washburn
36:12
Hot Springs. If you want more and you want to
36:15
summit Washburn, it is a serious day. It's a
36:18
fantastic hike, but it's better to do as a point
36:20
-by -point with two cars. So, beyond the clearing
36:23
on the main trail of 7 mile hole, the trail continues
36:26
to pass through the forest, with minimal views
36:28
emerging until 3 .3 miles from the trailhead.
36:32
Here you'll see the forested canyon walls, as
36:34
well as all the way down to the Yellowstone River
36:36
below. From this point on, you'll be descending
36:40
down to the Yellowstone River 1 ,200 feet below
36:43
you. At the 4 mile mark, 700 feet away from the
36:47
aft room engine overlook at 3 .3 miles, one of
36:50
the hidden gems of this hike emerges, an area
36:52
with small bubbling pools, fumaroles, and other
36:55
unique thermal features scattered throughout.
36:57
There's a well -worn footpath that should be
37:00
visible to maneuver through this area. Do not
37:03
deviate from this, as the ground may not be reliable
37:06
or firm. Don't let this scare you away though,
37:08
this area is a great spot to look around and
37:11
enjoy, especially knowing that not many visitors
37:13
will ever see this. The next mile of the trail
37:16
continues to descend down to the river, passing
37:19
through a forest, past a backcountry campsite
37:21
spur trail, and then onto the rocky shore of
37:24
the river. If you've brought a fishing pole and
37:26
have your permit, enjoy your time here. If you
37:29
want to dip in the water, it's going to be very
37:31
cold and it's pretty fast moving. And if you
37:34
came empty handed, just sit back and enjoy the
37:36
view. The trek out is the tough part of this
37:38
hike, so really take your time down by the river.
37:41
Enjoy it. Soak it all in. The trail will climb
37:45
out of the canyon for the next two miles with
37:47
a gain of about 1 ,300 feet. You know, that same
37:50
thing you dropped down. It's gonna more than
37:53
likely feel way more steep than that and you're
37:55
probably gonna be tired, but that's gonna be
37:58
fine. You're gonna be okay. Take your time. then
38:01
you're going to get back up top and the remaining
38:04
few miles are going to feel much easier and should
38:06
pass quickly with canyon views emerging once
38:09
again for those last 1 .3 miles and those last
38:12
1 .3 miles there's a few like boot paths to the
38:15
canyon room itself that uh didn't mention on
38:17
the way out take your time there really enjoy
38:20
those this is a beautiful hike seven mile hole
38:23
canyon area i love it i think you will too that's
38:27
it for this week In next week's episode, I'll
38:29
return with all the information you need to have
38:31
a good week in the park, including the wildlife,
38:34
weather, and trail updates. Until then, pick
38:37
up a guidebook of mine, tell your friends, tell
38:39
your family about this podcast. Thank you so
38:41
much for listening, and happy trails. This week
38:56
in Yellowstone is brought to you by the Outdoor
38:58
Society. That's my company. It's just me. I do
39:01
this. It's a labor of love. If you like it, tell
39:03
your friends, rate and review it. Shoot me a
39:06
message. Otherwise, keep listening, and I hope
39:08
to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright 2026, baby.