Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: October 23rd to October 29th, 2025

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This Week in Yellowstone: October 23rd to October 29th, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where more snow
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is expected to fall this weekend This is that
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Scott guy you know in love with a brand new episode
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of this week in Yellowstone What's up everybody
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this week in Yellowstone National Park From October
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23rd to October 29th, 2025, I'm going to be giving
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you a very brief guide to reading the water temperature
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of the thermal areas, share the story of how
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Dunraven Pass got its name, and tell you to hike
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on a closed road. I'll also give you the complete
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weather forecast snowpack update, the wildlife
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report, the news, and everything else you need
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to have an incredible time this week in Yellowstone.
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Standard disclaimer, I mention park locations
0:52
very casually, so if you're unfamiliar, just
0:55
do a quick search or reach out to me to help.
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Also, I'm probably going to miss a few details
1:01
here and there. I may misspeak. I do the best
1:04
I can. Just letting everybody know that. Finally,
1:07
this podcast is a passion project. If you enjoy
1:10
listening to it, I'd love a review or a quick
1:13
email. If you want to support my work even more,
1:16
you can check out my guidebooks on hiking and
1:17
wildlife watching, or you can join me directly
1:20
with a guided Yellowstone hiking tour. And I
1:23
also operate in the winter, so I do snowshoeing
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tours. It's super rad. November, if you're coming
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to the park. Book a tour with me. I'm going to
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talk about that next week But like November is
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my favorite time to come out and hike if you
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want details on my books or anything else visit
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Outdoor -society .com or you can reach out to
1:41
me directly This week's Yellowstone news, so
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there's no real news right now from inside the
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park and with that I'm going to Share something
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that is news adjacent. So please be skeptical
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of inflammatory headlines about Yellowstone Nearly
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every week when I look through the news about
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Yellowstone National Park, I find a reputable
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online newspaper writing about something that
2:06
is widely overblown. Almost daily, I also find
2:10
a clickbait article about the park, the animals
2:13
of the park, or how people are behaving in the
2:15
park. These clickbait articles are often outdated
2:18
or just wholly inaccurate. For me, it's easy
2:21
to separate the actual news from the articles
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that are lying for engagement. Now, That's easy
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for me because I'm in the park all the time and
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I know what's going on. I talk to Rangers, I
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talk to other guides, I talk to friends that
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are in the park. We kind of know what's going
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on. But for some of you out there who are not
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as fortunate to be so close to the park and so
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connected, being able to figure out what's going
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on can be very difficult, especially with those
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reputable newspapers that are writing half truths.
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So I wish I had an easy answer for those asking
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how to separate the truth from hyperbole. But
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I don't. All I can do is ask you to go into reading
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articles with a level of skepticism, especially
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if they're only focusing on negative behavior.
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And even more, especially if they use the word
3:09
to run anywhere in their article. If you could
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get a paper copy of it, I'd say ball it up, throw
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it in the trash. That's not a word that should
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be used in actual news articles. So if that's
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in there, not important. I also want to guide
3:25
you to go to official press releases from Yellowstone.
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You can go directly to Yellowstone National Parks
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website and they have official press releases
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of important news events. The USGS also has that.
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Or one of the places that I really trust is National
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Parks Traveler. Go there, search National Parks
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Traveler online. You'll find a lot of news. It's
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a good spot for pretty balanced news. if those
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places aren't covering that news story, it probably
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isn't actual news or it's not being written to
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generate anything but kind of an outrage and
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traffic for that website. Obviously, they're
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outliers. New York Times did an article that
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didn't get picked up anywhere else, but it was
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a really good one on the bison hunt that goes
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on outside of the park every year. But if you
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start with the things that I just said, that's
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a good place just to kind of be more grounded
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and be able to you know, sift through the trash.
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The only other news I want to mention this week
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is that with the not great weather that you're
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going to hear when I mention the weather forecast
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that's upcoming, there have been a lot of car
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accidents. Drive very safely. If you don't know
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how to drive in the snow and ice, don't. I know
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you're here, but don't risk it. There's minimal
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staffing, response times are bad, and entire
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roads have been closed for hours due to traffic
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accidents this last week or the last two weeks.
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It's going to happen again. The weather won't
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be good this weekend, especially on Sunday. You'll
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hear that later. So know that and don't take
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any unnecessary risks. Please just be smart,
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be safe. If you know how to drive in the snow,
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know that the snow that's falling right now is
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going to be very wet snow, not the dry snow we're
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used to in the middle of the winter. So be ready
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for that. My experience of the week. Go into
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the park's interior. I know I mentioned it last
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week, but this is your final full week to be
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able to enjoy the park's interior while driving
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your own vehicle until spring of next year. The
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interior roads close for the season after October
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31st, giving you only a few more opportunities
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to enjoy the geyser basins, the lake, the canyon,
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and Hayden Valley on your own. Now what makes
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this experience the one you need this week is
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that it's a nearly empty park. With less than
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great weather in the forecast, there's gonna
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be some rain, there's potential for some decent
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snowfall, and there's gonna be some cold weather,
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the roads, parking areas, and trails in the park
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will not be crowded at all. Places like the Geyser
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Basins, Grand Prismatic Boardwalk and Overlook,
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Fountain Paintpots, and even an Old Faithful
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eruption will be laughably empty, giving you
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a chance to enjoy these places with a rare dose
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of silence and serenity at places that are normally
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packed in the middle of the day. You can go to
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Artist Paintpots and hike this short trail up
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the hill. Wander Old Faithful and go see Daisy
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Geyser in absolute solitude. Walk the Grand Canyon
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of the Yellowstone like I recommended last week.
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and where you're going to hear only the falls
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and the wind. Make a trip over the Continental
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Divide before the road closes for good a few
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times from Old Faithful and walk at West Thumb.
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The entire park, except for a few areas that
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will be closed due to snow or construction, is
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waiting for you this coming week with only a
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handful of people around. While we're at it,
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I also highly suggest going to Sylvan Pass and
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back, especially if the road is open. Well, only
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if the road is open, but especially when you
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can get over the pass and back very safely. I've
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been mentioning it in the wildlife report for
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the last few weeks, but that's because this stretch
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of road has been pretty great for grizzly sightings
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as well as sightings for a few bighorn sheep
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rams that are getting ready for the upcoming
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rut. It's also incredibly scenic and it even
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gives you some beach access points to enjoy the
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lake. I cover this road extensively on the 515
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to 521 episode. That's May 15th to May 21st this
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year. So just go back and give that one a listen
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if you want a lot more information. And I know
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this is reminiscent of last week's topic of just
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being in the park, but I can't stress visiting
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enough for those of you near Yellowstone right
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now. If you have a trip planned already and you'll
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be in the park, well done. If you live close
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or are passing nearby, cancel your plans and
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go to the park. if the weather is good on those
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days that you can. I am going to be doing that
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this week and then again this weekend. And so
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should you. Honestly, if you are thinking, oh,
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go next week or go the next week, roads might
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not be open the following weekend. So go now
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or not. Actually, the roads won't be open the
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following weekend. So go now. Otherwise, you're
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going to have to wait until April and May of
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2026 to see the sights and smell those smells
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of the interior again. My tip of the week. I
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mentioned it off the top, but here is a very
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brief guide to reading the temperature of the
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waters of the thermal areas based on color. So
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when you stand at one of Yellowstone's steaming
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multicolor hot springs, say like Grand Prismatic
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or Pallet Hot Spring, you're not just seeing
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the kaleidoscope of color, you're actually looking
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at a natural thermometer that tells you something
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incredible about the relationship between heat,
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water, and life on Earth. In Yellowstone's hydrothermal
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basin, color isn't just random, it's a direct
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clue to the water's temperature and the tiny
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organisms that thrive there. So each year as
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a guide we get these really cool books They are
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hundreds upon hundreds of pages They talk about
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a lot of different things everything you'd ever
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want to know you can actually buy a copy of these
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at Yellowstone forever They are the let me pull
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this up I am stalling for time because I wasn't
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going to talk about what the name of this is
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called So now you get to know all right. They're
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the Yellowstone resources and issues handbook
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Pick that up if you love the park. So, there's
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a very easy way to kind of tell the temperature
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of thermal features in the park, and that's what
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I'm gonna talk about this week. So, the easiest
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way to know how hot a temperature is in the park
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of the water is just to look at the color. Sounds
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simple, right? And it kind of is. And the way
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to do this is by looking at thermophiles. Thermophiles
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are heat -loving microbes that form dense mats
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at specific temperature ranges. In the center
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of most hot springs, the water is often above
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189 -190 degrees, and it's far too hot for life
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to survive. That's why these areas appear clear
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or deep blue. The color comes not from living
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things, but from the way light scatters through
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pure mineral -rich water. and the water flows
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outward and cools, new types of microbes take
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hold, each adapted to the slightly different
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conditions and each contributing a different
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pigment of color, right? The result is a series
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of colorful rings that can help scientists and
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curious visitors estimate temperature zones with
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a quick glance. Obviously, again, this is not
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like the most detailed scientific thing. Don't...
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Quote me on formal papers. I am just giving you
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a very brief way to know the water temperature,
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right? So if it's blue Temperatures usually about
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a hundred ninety eight hundred ninety nine degrees
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or hotter if you start getting white Then that's
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gonna be about a hundred and sixty three degrees
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and that's cyanobacteria at a hundred and forty
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four degrees you start getting like a yellow
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or orangish color and that's just a type of fungi
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like me right haha couldn't resist that sorry
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about 140 degrees there's algae type of algae
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i mean again very basic right 133 degrees that
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algae is going to be greenish by the way that
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133 degrees a little more brownish green you
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know that's 133 and that's protozoa and then
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the darker it gets you're going to have mosses
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and crustaceans and insects around 122 degrees.
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And then when it just looks like regular water,
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right, it's about 80 degrees trout and things
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like that can live in it. Now, that is directly
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from the book that I mentioned earlier on this
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chapter that says thermophiles. Now, according
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to a study published in Applied Optics, the colors
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observed from shallow water features arise primarily
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from the spectral properties of the microbial
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matte. which is related to the water temperature
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like I've been saying. Hottest areas again that
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are usually above 176 degrees appear blue or
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turquoise because there are few if any microbes
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to alter the light. Slightly cooler water around
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158 often glows yellow or green home to hardy
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cyanobacteria that can tolerate intense heat.
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As temperatures drop into the 120 to 140 Fahrenheit
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range orange and rust brown hues emerge and that's
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microbial communities that produce pigments to
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protect against sunlight and thermal stress.
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Even the pale white edges you sometimes see are
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telling. They're usually the result of mineral
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deposits or bacteria living in hot oxygen -poor
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environments. So when you're visiting Yellowstone's
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geyser basins you can kind of take what I'm saying
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just as a quick guide. Blue probably around 200
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degrees, whitish Light very light blue 163 ish
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degrees yellow orange 144 Once you drop down
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to green it's gonna be about 140 once you start
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hitting Browns it's gonna drop down to 133 to
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120s and then it's just gonna go from there so
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you can start looking at that and Then when you
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start walking you're going to have a different
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appreciation appreciation for the thermal areas
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Now, it's important to remember that everything
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I'm saying is accurate to some degree, but it's
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not a precise gauge. The depth, the mineral content,
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sunlight, all affect what you'll see. Even human
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activity has altered some of the springs. So
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Morning Glory Pool, one of Yellowstone's most
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photographed features, was once a deep sapphire
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blue. Over the years, visitors threw trash, coins,
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and rocks into it, and that changed its color
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a bit. That drop in temperature allowed microbial
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mats to spread, turning the edges yellow, green,
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and orange. So when you understand the link between
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color and heat, it allows you to deepen your
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appreciation for the park. And that's why I wanted
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to talk about it right now. Like, now you can
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go back and look at pictures that you took over
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the summer and be like, oh, okay, that's what
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that temperature was. And you can look at pictures
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and know the temperature without having to look
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it up. And that's pretty cool. So in Yellowstone,
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beauty and danger coexist just beneath your feet,
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right? This is what we know about being in this
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area. The blues tell you where it's hottest,
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the oranges and browns reveal where life begins
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to take hold, and the green marks that fragile
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balance between the two. Every color you see
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in these steaming pools is a temperature reading,
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a survival story, and a reminder that this is
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a living laboratory that's still evolving one
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shade at a time. Again, that was very brief.
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Not extremely scientific. I just wanted to give
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an overall guide. If you're interested in that
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more, definitely check out that book that I'm
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talking about. The Yellowstone Resources and
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Issues Handbook. You can get that from Yellowstone
14:57
forever. Great resource, and it will have tons
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of pages of information that it's very hard to
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summarize in a very quick podcast episode, as
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you'll learn soon. My random Yellowstone fact
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of the week. How Dunraven Pass got its name.
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If you've ever driven the winding high elevation
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stretch of road between Tower and Canyon, you've
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crossed Dunraven Pass. Yay! One of Yellowstone's
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most spectacular drives. What most visitors don't
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realize though is that this dramatic mountain
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pass has a name tied to a curious Irish nobleman
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who explored Yellowstone nearly 150 years ago.
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The story starts with Wyndham Thomas Wyndham
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Quinn. Alright, now this name threw me. I laughed
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when I... wrote it down, and I won't explain
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it to you. So Wyndham Thomas, Wyndham Quinn.
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The first Wyndham, W -I -N -D -H -A -M, and the
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second Wyndham is W -Y -N -D -H -A -M. Just,
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you know, it's an interesting name. Alright,
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let us side over. So this guy was better known
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as the Fourth Earl of Dunraven. He was an Irish
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aristocrat, journalist, and adventurer, exactly
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the kind of 19th century character who couldn't
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resist a wild and unknown frontier. In the summer
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of 1874, just a couple years after Yellowstone
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became the world's first national park, Dunraven
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was on his way west and decided to make the trek
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to Yellowstone. Guided by a small expedition
16:26
team, he explored the geyser basins, climbed
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through rugged canyons, and rode across meadows
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filled with wildlife. He was so taken by what
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he saw that in 1876 he published a book about
16:38
his journey called The Great Divide, Travels
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in Upper Yellowstone in the summer of 1874. His
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descriptions, both vivid and poetic, captured
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the strange, untamed magic of Yellowstone in
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a way that few others had at the time. Historian
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Aubrey Haynes in The Yellowstone Story, A History
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of a First National Park, called Dunraven's work,
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one of the earliest and best accounts of Yellowstone
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by a foreign visitor. For many readers in Europe,
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it was the first time they'd heard about geysers
17:05
like Old Faithful, or seen descriptions of landscapes
17:08
that sounded almost mythical. When the USGS started
17:11
mapping Yellowstone more thoroughly in the late
17:14
1800s, geologist Arnold Haig, who I've talked
17:17
about before, he's responsible for naming many
17:19
of the park's landmarks and getting rid of the
17:21
word hell in a lot of the ones, decided to honor
17:25
Dunraven's contributions by naming him one of
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the park's most impressive mountain passes. And
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so they named that after him, the name Stuck,
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and Dunraven Pass has appeared on maps ever since.
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Today, Dunraven Pass climbs to about, you know,
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8 ,800 feet and serves as a link between tower
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and canyon. It's a favorite drive. It just reopened.
17:45
It'll probably be open until Saturday night.
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So if you're headed in the park this week, it
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will probably stay open and then it's probably
17:53
going to be closed for the year after that. So
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on a clear day when you're up there, you can
17:57
see everything. You can see down the Tetons,
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you can see wildlife all over. It is a gorgeous
18:03
drive. So I'm mentioning this briefly because
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it's just one of those fun things to know. So
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when you're, you know, coasting up or down that
18:11
winding stretch of road in the park, just picture
18:13
like an Irish Earl on horseback with a curly
18:16
mustache in the 1870s, gazing out a landscape
18:19
that was still being written about by the world.
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It wasn't well known, right? It had been known
18:26
for thousands of years, but it wasn't written
18:29
about and wasn't talked about beyond the local
18:32
communities that had lived there. So his words
18:35
helped spark that early fascination with Yellowstone
18:37
far beyond the US, and his name, Dunraven, still
18:40
lives on every time travelers crest the mountain
18:43
pass. So now you know why it's called Dunraven.
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Alright, I've talked about it a bit off and on,
18:49
but here is the weather for the coming week.
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Lamar Valley. Thursday through Sunday will be
18:54
mostly sunny and warm with highs in the 50s and
18:56
lows in the 30s. Saturday evening will see clouds
19:00
and rain start to arrive and then Sunday and
19:01
Monday are going to be much colder with highs
19:04
in the 30s and lows in the 20s or upper teens
19:06
and the forecast is calling for two inches of
19:09
snow a day on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday is going
19:12
to see a high of 35 and a low around 18 with
19:15
a 24 percent chance of rain or snow. and Wednesday
19:20
will see a high of around 48 and a low of 26
19:22
with an 8 % chance of rain or snow. Probably
19:25
rain if it falls at all. In Gardiner, Thursday
19:28
through Sunday will be pretty good. Thursday
19:31
through Saturday will be pretty good. Highs will
19:33
be in the 60s and lows in the 30s. It'll be partly
19:35
cloudy until Saturday night when rain moves in
19:38
and then Sunday will have a high of 40 and a
19:40
low of 27 with a 68 % chance of rain or snow.
19:44
Monday we'll see a high of 38 and a low of 22
19:46
with a 40 % chance of rain or snow and Tuesday
19:49
will be 39 and get down to 22 with an 11 % chance
19:53
of precipitation and then Wednesday we'll see
19:55
a high of 50 and a low of 30 with just a 9 %
19:58
chance of rain. West Yellowstone. Thursday, Friday,
20:01
and Saturday will have highs in the 50s and lows
20:03
in the 20s, and like everywhere else in the park,
20:06
expect clouds and rain on Saturday evening to
20:08
start showing up. Sunday is going to see a high
20:10
of around 34 and a low of 22, with 3 inches of
20:13
snow in the forecast. Monday will be 33 and 18,
20:16
with 2 inches of snow expected. Tuesday will
20:19
be 35 and 16, but only a 12 % chance of precipitation,
20:23
and Wednesday will be warmer, with a high of
20:25
45 and a low of 23. Cody, Wyoming. I'm no longer
20:30
covering Cody after and after this week. I'm
20:32
not even gonna mention it again until the spring
20:35
and the roads open There's just not enough people
20:37
coming through the gate right now If you're in
20:39
Cody you live there, you know the weather forecast
20:41
and if you're traveling into Cody You know just
20:45
ask you'll you'll know. I expect the paths to
20:48
be closed Sunday probably Cook City Thursday
20:53
and Friday are gonna be great with highs in the
20:55
50s and lows in the 20s Saturday will have the
20:58
arrival of clouds and rain or snow in the evening
21:01
with a high of 48 and a low of 30. Then Sunday
21:03
and Monday should be snowy with each day seeing
21:06
two inches of snow and highs around 30, lows
21:09
in the 20s or upper teens. Tuesday will be partly
21:11
sunny with a high of 31 and a low of 18 and a
21:15
23 % chance of rain or snow. Wednesday should
21:17
be good with a high in the mid 40s and a low
21:20
in the mid 20s. The snowpack update. As of October
21:24
21st, the snowpack is already looking decent
21:27
in the mountains in and around Yellowstone. Inside
21:29
the park, snowpack levels are around 130 % of
21:32
normal for this time of year. Last year on that
21:35
same day, we were at 23 % of normal. So, we're
21:38
way ahead snowpack. Doesn't mean it's gonna last,
21:41
but it's just nice to see right now. Road conditions.
21:45
Most major roads and a few side roads are open
21:47
right now in and around Yellowstone Beartooth
21:50
Highway obviously closed Dunraven Pass is open
21:53
as of October 22nd at noon This will more than
21:57
likely change this coming weekend. Probably Saturday
21:59
afternoon or evening. We will see it just closed
22:02
For precautionary purposes. I would also expect,
22:05
you know, Craig Pass to close that East entrance
22:07
road to close There's gonna be some areas closing
22:10
if this snow does happen. So with that You know,
22:15
I mentioned it before, with limited staff to
22:18
clear the roads and to respond to accidents,
22:20
if it starts snowing, just don't go into the
22:22
park. You know, be smart, be safe. If you want
22:25
up -to -date information on road conditions,
22:28
you can call 307 -344 -2117 for recorded information,
22:33
or you can sign up to receive Yellowstone Road
22:35
Alerts on your cell phone by texting the number
22:38
82190 to the number 888777. Camping information.
22:46
There's only one campground open in the park
22:48
right now, and that's the Mammoth Campground,
22:50
which is open year -round. If you're camping
22:52
this week, have fun. The Wildlife Report. So
22:58
right now, Wildlife Watching is in this hit and
23:00
miss period. Obviously, if you're coming Sunday,
23:03
Monday... It's going to be a little harder, especially
23:05
with lots of roads potentially being closed.
23:08
Right now, the thing to try and see for most
23:10
people, grizzly bears. We're getting to the tail
23:13
end of being able to see them easier. There have
23:15
been some out in Lamar. There have been a couple
23:17
out in Hayden. There have been a couple out at
23:19
the east entrance, like I've been saying for
23:21
a while, and also Tom Miner Basin. Just had some
23:25
friends go up there. They saw three grizzlies
23:27
pretty close to the road without really trying
23:29
too hard. They've been out there for a while.
23:32
Definitely go check them out. Wolves have been
23:35
a little harder last week Mid to late week the
23:40
wolves really put on a show in Hayden Valley
23:42
to the point that The traffic out there was a
23:45
little ridiculous If you are going to be watching
23:48
for wolves and they are around please pull off
23:50
the road fully Please use only designated pullouts
23:54
and one thing that I notice more this time of
23:57
the year is that people will start chasing the
24:01
wolves. Chasing may not be the right word, but
24:03
it's not the wrong word. They go pull out to
24:05
pull out to pull out when the wolves move. understand
24:09
the urge to do that especially for those photographers
24:12
out there that want that once -in -a -lifetime
24:14
picture but that is in my opinion borderline
24:17
harassment and habituation of animals so please
24:20
understand your impact on the those wildlife
24:23
movements if you can stay in one spot enjoy them
24:29
as they walk by and then enjoy them as they leave
24:31
you don't need to chase them Allow other people
24:34
to have the experience and also just let wildlife
24:37
be wild right Lamar Valley wolves spotting has
24:41
been limited as of late the pups are all Growing
24:46
grown and so they're in them. They're on the
24:49
move. They're getting ready for winter They are
24:51
now like learning to hunt they're learning how
24:53
to be part of the pack. They are active and not
24:55
in the same area They're not just hanging out
24:57
slew Creek Lamar. I've heard reports of some
25:00
by hell roaring out by blacktail And, you know,
25:05
you're just going to have to put in the legwork.
25:07
I wish I had more good destinations of where
25:10
you could see wolves right now, but this is one
25:13
of the harder times. Pretty soon it's going to
25:14
be, you know, only the northern range road open,
25:17
so I can tell you where to go pretty easily then.
25:20
But right now, put in the work. You'll see that
25:23
bighorn sheep are just starting to congregate
25:27
a little more. So check them out out of the north
25:31
entrance. Also, there'll be some out of the east
25:34
entrance as well. And when I say out of the north
25:37
entrance, I mean out of the north entrance. Leave
25:39
the park and drive toward Yellowstone Hot Springs.
25:44
And you should see some there. I've also heard
25:47
reports of a lot of mountain goats out toward
25:49
the northeast entrance, especially even on some
25:52
of the peaks by Lamar. So give that a look. Also,
25:56
a few moose have been spotted out that way. and
25:59
more foxes and coyotes and things like that.
26:02
So it's still good. I if I had my three spots
26:07
that I recommend, I would drive out from Roosevelt's
26:14
intersection all the way to Soda Butte and back
26:17
or out to Baronette and back. I would go out
26:20
the east entrance to Sylvan Pass and back. And
26:22
then I drive through Hayden. If you could do
26:24
all that in a day or two. Chances are you're
26:27
going to see some really cool wildlife. If you
26:30
like what you hear on this podcast consider picking
26:33
up one of my guidebooks. I have a wildlife watching
26:35
guidebook that has way more information. I've
26:37
broken it down by section and will tell you kind
26:40
of what you'll see in each section and typically
26:42
when you'll see it. So that's pretty good especially
26:46
to help people who don't know the park too well.
26:49
Also My hiking guide book, you know, obviously
26:52
with some snow, it's going to make it a little
26:54
higher. Makes a good gift. If you want to order
26:56
those, you can get them directly from me. They're
26:58
both ebook format and paperback. If you get it
27:01
directly from me, you're supporting me and not
27:03
Amazon. So, you know, if you do need to buy it
27:06
through Amazon, they ship a lot faster and it'll
27:08
get there faster. But. You know, if you want
27:11
to support me, you can grab your copy of an ebook
27:13
or a paperback book at Outdoor -Society .com.
27:17
Those of you who ordered recently, your books
27:19
have been processed and are on their way. Trail
27:24
alerts and updates. So Turbid Lake remains closed.
27:28
Yellowstone River Overlook Trail requires you
27:30
to park further east than normal. And Mount Washburn
27:33
is closed and Avalanche Peak is super snowy.
27:36
I say Mount Washburn is closed. It could hike
27:39
it, don't, don't at all. It's gonna be a lot
27:43
of snow, a lot of post -holing. It's just not
27:45
smart. If you want a snow hike and there's a
27:48
little bit of snow out, do Bunsen Peak, that'll
27:50
be good. My Trek of the Week. Hike Firehole Lake
27:54
Drive. So Firehole Lake Drive is one of Yellowstone's
27:58
hidden treasures. I think I can... say that,
28:00
especially since the road's not open. It's a
28:03
scenic and surprisingly peaceful detour packed
28:05
with some of the park's fascinating geothermal
28:07
features that not everybody gets to see. It's
28:10
tucked within the lower geyser basin, and this
28:13
now closed road winds through a landscape of
28:16
steaming vents, colorful hot springs, and lively
28:18
geysers. It's located just off the Grand Loop
28:20
Road, and about 6 .8 miles north of Old Faithful
28:24
and 9 .3 miles south of Madison Junction, making
28:27
it easy and rewarding stop whether you're driving
28:29
north or south through the park. Now, I do want
28:32
to be clear about something here. Firehole Lake
28:34
Drive is not currently drivable, and that's why
28:37
it makes a perfect hike for this time of the
28:39
year. You'll still be on a paved path that's
28:42
super easy to follow, and you get to go to well
28:44
-signed post backcountry thermal areas not seen
28:46
by the masses this year. To best hike this I
28:49
suggest parking at the Fountain Paint Pot boardwalk
28:52
area and then walk the main road 1 .1 miles to
28:56
the southern end of Firehole Lake Drive. That
28:59
way you're following the road the way that you're
29:01
supposed to drive it. This allows you to also
29:03
end your hike close to your car because if you
29:06
walked it the other way then you'd have to walk
29:08
a mile on the road which just isn't fun. And
29:13
the sooner you can get out of the way the better.
29:15
By walking on the road, it also means that your
29:18
total day of hiking is going to be a little over
29:20
four miles. So be ready for that. But it's also
29:22
pretty flat, really easy to follow. The hike
29:25
on the closed road begins quietly, but quickly
29:28
immerses you in Yellowstone's volcanic heart.
29:30
One of the first features is Firehole Spring,
29:33
a brilliant blue pool that bubbles and steams.
29:36
And it's really cool. And then you'll know why
29:38
it's blue, right? You'll know the temperature.
29:40
Not far beyond said Surprise Pool, which is another
29:43
striking spring known for its deep blue water.
29:46
Back in the early days of park visitation, visitors
29:49
would toss sand into the pool to trigger surprise
29:52
boiling. Thankfully, that practice is not observed
29:55
and do not do this. Don't even think about it.
29:58
I just wanted to mention it because that's how
30:00
it got its name, right? A little farther along,
30:03
the landscape opens to one of the area's true
30:05
showstoppers, the Great Fountain Geyser. When
30:08
it erupts, this massive geyser can send water
30:11
shooting 100 to 150 feet into the air, sometimes
30:14
reaching over 200 feet. The spectacle can last
30:17
close to an hour. Now, I know you're probably
30:21
excited about that. The eruptions of this are
30:24
predictable, but like you have a four or six
30:27
hour window. So unless you're very lucky, don't
30:31
anticipate seeing this erupt at all. Just enjoy
30:33
it and know that if you do see it erupt, like...
30:36
Well done. Go buy a lottery ticket. Just down
30:40
the road is White Dome Geyser, and that's a smaller
30:43
but much more frequent performer. Its impressive
30:45
white cone is hard to miss, and its eruptions
30:48
reaching up to 30 feet occur roughly every 20
30:51
to 30 minutes. Sometimes there's just a break
30:53
for about an hour, but I like to go there, have
30:56
lunch, hang out, watch it erupt once or twice,
30:58
and then leave. It's definitely worth waiting
31:01
around. Your walk from White Dome Geyser continues
31:04
past steaming runoff channels, smaller, unpredictable
31:07
geysers, and sulfur -streaked hillsides until
31:10
you reach Firehole Lake itself. That's the largest
31:13
thermal feature along this route. So, and obviously
31:16
that's how it got its name, right? It's fed by
31:19
vents that keep its waters around 158 degrees,
31:22
so the lake's edges shimmer with mineral deposits
31:24
and vivid mats of heat -loving microorganisms
31:26
called thermophiles. Across from the lake lies
31:30
Black Warrior Lake and Steady Geyser which lives
31:33
up to his name by spouting continuously. The
31:35
minerals from the water tint the surrounding
31:37
rock dark brown and black giving the area this
31:40
really cool look. At the end of the boardwalk
31:43
along Black Warrior Lake are the hot cascades.
31:47
This is a small waterfall and I use the term
31:49
waterfall loosely as the water Cascades slightly
31:55
downhill. It's not it's not a waterfall, but
31:57
it's considered one I don't know if somebody
32:00
can tell me how waterfalls get their names Instead
32:03
of cascades. I would really like to know I could
32:06
probably look that up But you know, it's fun
32:08
to engage engage with all of you interact with
32:10
you So once you're at black warrior lake and
32:14
hot lake below You know, just enjoy the walk
32:18
around firehole lake. The steam will just be
32:21
intense if the wind is blowing in the right direction,
32:24
so enjoy that. Also, like all the thermal areas,
32:27
this one demands respect. Stay on the pavement
32:30
and the boardwalks at all times, and do not step
32:33
off the path. If you are going to do this hike
32:36
with kids, keep them close, as even ground that
32:38
looks solid can be dangerously thin with boiling
32:41
water just beneath. If you take your time and
32:45
enjoy the overlooks and let yourself linger,
32:47
you're going to find out that walking Firehole
32:49
Lake Drive captures yellows and essence in this
32:52
miniature dose. You get dynamic, unpredictable,
32:57
colorful, and endlessly fascinating features.
33:00
Whether it's a quiet hiss of steam as you're
33:02
walking by, the thunder of a geyser eruption,
33:05
or the surreal hues of a boiling lake, this walk
33:08
delivers a full spectrum of the park's geothermal
33:11
magic. all without the crowds I highly suggest
33:15
obviously I'm telling you to do this but I highly
33:18
suggest doing this right now it's the last time
33:21
you'll be able to it's been closed to cars it's
33:24
such a cool area and the drive when it's closed
33:27
is sad that it's closed but if you can walk it
33:29
like you can right now do it it is going to give
33:33
you just one more reason why visiting Yellowstone
33:37
and doing something not necessarily super commonplace
33:41
or a bucket list item opens the park up so much
33:44
more. So next week's episode I'm going to return
33:48
with all the information you need to have a good
33:50
week in the park including wildlife, weather,
33:52
and trail updates and everything you need to
33:54
know about the upcoming road closures. I thank
33:57
you all for listening. I appreciate everybody
33:59
that reaches out. You all make this very worthwhile.
34:03
I've enjoyed it so far. I'm sad that visitation
34:06
is down, but I hope you're all listening. I hope
34:09
you're all living vicariously through the experiences
34:12
I'm sharing, and I hope you get to visit the
34:15
park soon. Until then, happy trails. This week
34:29
in Yellowstone is brought to you by the Outdoor
34:31
Society because that's my company and that's
34:34
where this is hosted There are no sponsors. This
34:37
is a labor of love. So thank you all for listening
34:40
copyright 2025, baby