Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: November 6th to November 12, 2025

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This Week in Yellowstone: November 6th to November 12, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where the sound
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of bighorn sheep rams colliding will soon be
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heard. This is that Scott guy you know and love
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with a brand new episode of This Week in Yellowstone.
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What's up, everybody? This week in Yellowstone
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National Park from November 6th through November
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12th, 2025, I'll talk about the bighorn sheep
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rut, let you know about the ground under mammoth,
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share a trail to get to a remote beach on the
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Gardiner River, and so much more. I'll also give
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you the complete weather forecast, snowpack update,
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the wildlife report, the news, and everything
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else you need to have to have an incredible time
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this week in Yellowstone. Standard disclaimer,
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gonna miss a few details here and there, so reach
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out if you have any questions. I also mention
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park locations very casually, so if you're unfamiliar,
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a quick search on your favorite search engine
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can help, or you can reach out to me. Also, please
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know that this report only covers the drivable
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areas of the park. Also, please know that this
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podcast is a passion project. I'm not paid any
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big checks or anything like that. So if you enjoy
1:17
what you hear, give me a quick review or send
1:19
me an email and let me know that you like it.
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If you'd like to further support my work, you
1:24
can check out my guidebooks on hiking and wildlife
1:26
watching, or you can join me for a guided Yellowstone
1:29
hiking tour. For more information on that, just
1:32
visit outdoor society dot com or contact me directly.
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This week's Yellowstone news. Aside from the
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government shutdown, which is still lingering
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on, I paused because I was like, do I want to
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mention it? Yes, I do. Government shutdown still
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lingering on. Luckily, November is the least
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visited month, so we aren't going to have a lot
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of people entering the park. That being said,
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if you do visit the park, be on your best behavior.
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Try and encourage others to do the same and know
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that. We're not fully staffed in the park and
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we haven't been for years. So things are not
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great. But also, you know, we can get through
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this if we all take care of each other and we
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all are conscientious of our behavior and how
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it affects other people and wildlife. So, all
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right. Other news. The price of a bear sighting.
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A new study by researchers at the National Park
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Service and the U .S. Geological Survey estimates
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that each grizzly bear in Yellowstone National
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Park contributes about $46 ,000 annually to the
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park's economy through visitor sightings. That
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figure translates to roughly $8 .7 million per
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year overall from grizzly bear sightings. In
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contrast, black bears are estimated at around
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$15 ,000 and annually per animal amounting to
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about 6 .9 million dollars total in their sightings.
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Now the study uses survey data of visitor travel
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costs and viewing experience to calculate these
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values. Though the authors of this emphasize
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this only reflects use value, actual sightings,
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and not the full intrinsic value of the animals.
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Some wildlife advocates caution against applying
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dollar values to wild creatures calling the approach
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simplistic and reminding us that bears are not
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just worth financial numbers. I only bring this
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up because I found it very interesting. I always
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enjoy hearing the economic impact of park visitation
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and how it is interpreted. I've never heard this
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one before, so one to share it with you. I'll
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be honest the data really doesn't mean much but
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again it's just it's just unique and fun and
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there really is no news going on in the park
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so had this come across my email alert for Yellowstone
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National Park one to share it. That being said
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if you have anything that you want me to share
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story wise reach out to me happy to share about
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it. My experience of the week. So November and
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December are when the bighorn sheep mating season
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occurs around Yellowstone, and if you haven't
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witnessed it and are heading to the park in the
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next week or the next month, you're gonna get
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a chance to see this seasonal ritual. There's
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nothing quite like seeing two bighorn sheep rams
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slam their horned heads against each other at
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full speed. As they turn and twist their heads,
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getting ready for impact, there's this stillness
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that fills the air before there's this deafening
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crack that echoes off of everything around. They
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may repeat the battle a few times or one ram,
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maybe victorious and the loser walks or runs
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away immediately. The winner will then continue,
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hoping to get a chance to mate with the U that
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he has been following around for countless hours.
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So right now, I mentioned off the bat, bighorn
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sheep rut, probably the most I don't know if
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I want to say that one of the many dynamic things
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that you can see in and around Yellowstone National
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Park. Right now this is something that I absolutely
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love and I think you should see it since the
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roads are only open from You know Gardner to
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Cook City and you have to drive down from Livingston
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through Paradise Valley to get to Gardner You're
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going to be passing the best spot to see the
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bighorn sheep rut and that's along old Yellowstone
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Road between Yellowstone Hot Springs and Gardner
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Witnessing the bighorn sheep mating season here
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is one of those events that for many is a once
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in a lifetime thing. Those of us fortunate enough
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to see it all the time should still go down and
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see it again. It's amazing and it always changes
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year to year. You're going to see some of the
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bigger rams coming in and you're going to see
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a couple of the smaller guys that have bulked
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up over the years. It's kind of exciting. So
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watching the bighorn sheep rut continuously gives
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a unique glimpse into the relationships that
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bighorn sheep have with each other. Breeding
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timing and behavior are well documented for the
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region and like I said earlier mating typically
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begins in mid to late November into December.
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Now during mating season you're going to see
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the rams battle that's the main thing. Competition
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ranges from you know, tricky circling and vocal
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displays to full on collisions. Those collisions
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are really probably what everybody wants to see.
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That's when those two big rams clash. Their massive
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curled horns can meet at speeds up to 40 miles
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an hour. And that impact is spectacular and loud.
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These contests sort of set this dominant hierarchy
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and determine which males get to mate. You'll
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also watch. The rams chase ewes up and down hillsides.
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You're going to witness the rams kicking both
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rams and ewes to keep them in line. And you also
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see long chases, rams testing ewes, face -to
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-face posturing, and the occasional headbutt.
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A lot of the rut behavior is very theatrical.
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Rams may parade around. They're going to circle.
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They're going to curl their lips. They're going
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to lock eyes before the bout. And sometimes several
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males will gang up. on a single receptive view
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and just chase her around for way too long. You're
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probably, if you're there long enough, going
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to get a glimpse of Rams and Ews mating. So I
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say this because it's something I see all the
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time and it always shocks me. So be ready to
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see a bighorn cheap penis or two. Now, some are
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going to shirk at that last sentence, but honestly,
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you kind of don't want to miss it. It's I mean,
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It's nature and it's wild and, you know, it's
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not something you get to see. So if you're heading
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to the park this week or even just the area,
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I can't suggest seeking out the bighorn sheep
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sightings enough. From large congregations of
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sheep on hillsides to a few burly looking rams,
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maybe battling it out, this is a great time to
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visit and is one that's sure to provide some
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incredible and potentially graphic memories and
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pictures and video. As I mentioned before, one
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of the most consistent locations over the last
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few years to see bighorn sheep battles and mating
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is located outside of the park near Yellowstone
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Hot Springs off of Highway 89. You're going to
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be driving down this way anyway if you're headed
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to the park. So right now, this is the absolute
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best place to see bighorn sheep. As of November
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1st, a few rams have made their way down from
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the mountaintops to the larger herd of ewes,
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signaling that the rut is afoot. The user already
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congregating in large numbers near the dirt road.
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I spotted 50 of them the other day and that was
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only one group. There's another group farther
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out that I didn't even bother. The three big
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rams were interested, but they were not yet aggressive
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with their action. So they were just kind of
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hanging out sizing each other up, but also just
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eating, you know, but they were close to the
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road to great pictures. And, you know, this is
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something that You don't get to see this mini
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bighorn sheep that often so go I'm also suggesting
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this now because once the action picks up fully
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The relaxed watching of the sheep turns into
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any other wildlife viewing event in and around
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the park You're there's gonna be tour groups
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with fans At the spot there's gonna be dozens
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of photographers spilling out lining the road
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Non -tour photographers are also gonna be battling
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for position along the road And they often stay
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in the area from sunrise to sunset in hopes for
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that perfect shot. Right now, though, the vibe
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is just very relaxed and chill, and it's great.
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I do also want to let you know that while the
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spot is outside of the park, please adhere to
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the appropriate wildlife watching rules and regulations.
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Stay 25 yards from them as best you can. The
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rams will run around a lot chasing you. Do not
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stray too far from your car. I cannot stress
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this enough and always give the sheep plenty
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of space. You are going to see tour groups and
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photographers getting way too close. Let them
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be dumb. The Rams are focused on females and
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females only. They are not concerned with cars,
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they're not concerned with people, and they will
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run right over you without a second thought.
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They are drunk off desire and will move you out
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of the way if you're standing there. They're
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not doing it aggressively, But they're doing
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it because they have their eye on the prize.
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Also, be aware that the rams will battle and
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do not care if your car is nearby. Every year
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I've had rams fighting off in the distance and
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I'm taking pictures from the car and within seconds
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I've had to just quickly drive away when one
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ram attacked another and pushed it within inches
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of my vehicle. Again. Definitely stay in your
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car and keep it on and ready to move so you don't
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suffer some serious damage from aggressive bighorn
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sheep Finally if you do head here to watch the
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sheep Please pull off the road fully or as far
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as you can and be aware of people driving back
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and forth There are residents on this road who
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need to get by and this is a real road This is
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not just a wildlife watching area. So be conscientious
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be polite to the locals and enjoy the bighorn
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sheep rut My tip of the week. So my tip of the
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week was going to be very simple, but I'm doing
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a longer one. My simple one was, if you're visiting
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the park, know that the only road open is from
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Gardner to Cook City. That is the north entrance
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to the northeast entrance. That is the only road
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open in the park. But that's too short of a tip.
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So instead I'm going to talk about something
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that I probably should have mentioned over the
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summer, but there is too much other stuff going
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on, so... Here we go, my tip of the week is watch
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the bison's tail. A bison's tail can tell you
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a lot about what's going on in its mind, and
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understanding those signals is important, especially
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in places like Yellowstone where encounters can
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happen at a close range. When a bison is relaxed,
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its tail typically hangs low and loose while
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it grazes. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West
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notes that a calm bison's tail hangs low and
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relaxed, and that's one of the easiest ways to
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recognize when the animal isn't stressed. But
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a high tail is a very different message. According
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to the same source, if its tail is up in the
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air like a flag, it's on high alert and might
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charge, which is why animal experts warn that
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a raised tail is a sign to back away and give
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the animal space. Now, obviously, this has been
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studied and research backs it up. A behavioral
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study of wood bison, which is a close subspecies,
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found that tail positions correlate strongly
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with activity and social behavior. In that research,
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tail up, or horizontal, was most associated with
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aggression, dominance displays, alert behavior,
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and sexual activity, while relaxed grazing came
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with the tail hanging low or gently wagging.
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The study also found that dominant bulls in aggressive
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encounters displayed tail -up postures more often
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than their rivals, indicating a link between
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tail elevation and assertive or potentially dangerous
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behavior. Wildlife safety educators reinforced
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this interpretation. As one source explains,
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a raised or partially raised tail can be an early
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sign of agitation or potential attack, especially
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paired with other warning behaviors like staring,
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head swinging, snorting, or pawing the ground,
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obviously. Together, these signs suggest the
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animal is deciding how to respond and may escalate
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if approached or pressured. Now everyone emphasizes
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that when a bison locks eyes with you and raises
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its tail, you are inside of its comfort zone
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and need to back off immediately. You're probably
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already too close. When you're outside and encountering
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bison while walking, all of this means one thing.
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If you see a bison's tail, shoot up in the air,
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stiffen horizontally, treat it as a serious warning.
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Even a seemingly gentle tail flick can turn into
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a full flag raise in seconds, and bison are capable
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of charging without any other cues. Conversely,
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a low loose tail that swings naturally usually
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means that the animal is feeding and moving calmly,
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but that doesn't mean it's tame or safe to approach
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at all. National Park Service and Wildlife experts
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consistently stress that tail position is just
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one clue. The tail position is a reliable clue
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though, and as always, the safest choice when
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you're around a bison is to give the animal plenty
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of space. When the tail is raised, give it even
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more space. So in short, think of the tail as
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one of Yellowstone's simplest safety signs. A
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tail that's pointing down, should be pretty peaceful,
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still don't approach it. A raised tail means
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that one of two things could happen. It's going
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to defecate or it's going to charge. And I say
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this on my tours all the time. If that tail goes
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up, move back fast, calm, and without waiting
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to see what happens next. You will, if you hike
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enough in the park, encounter bison on the trail.
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The one thing I always do is I watch their position.
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How are they reacting to me hiking? If they start
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walking toward me, then I need to start walking
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away. If their tail goes up, I need to really
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walk away fast. I always have a route where I
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will try to get away from them if they did decide
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to charge. And, you know, I've been lucky so
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far. Always watch their tails, always watch their
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behavior, and always maintain more than enough
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distance. the hollow ground at Mammoth Hot Springs.
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So Mammoth is obviously renowned for, you know,
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the tiered white and orange travertine terraces,
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the cool sculptures that were formed by hot mineral
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rich water that both carves and builds the landscape.
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Hidden beneath that beauty is a dynamic subsurface
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world of dissolved limestone, migrating vents
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and voids that help contribute to this hollow
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ground in Mammoth. Understanding the hollow ground
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helps explain why parts of Mammoth can feel fragile,
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why boardwalks and fences are essential, and
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why the terraces are always shifting. So the
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story starts with water. Yellowstone is very
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water dependent. Snow and rain seep into the
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surrounding high country, sinks deep, and then
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is heated by Yellowstone's geothermal system.
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As hot water circulates through buried limestone
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and dolostone, it dissolves calcium carbonate
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and carries this bicarbonate -rich fluid toward
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the surface. When that fluid reaches the air,
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carbon dioxide degasses, like kind of opening
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a fizzy drink, the pH rises, and calcium carbonate
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precipitates as travertine, that white chalky
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rock that's all over the terraces. Over thousands
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of years, this process has built Terrace Mountain
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and the broad mammoth formations we see today.
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Obviously, this is a very simplified version
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of this. I'm just trying to share. I'm not a
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scientist. There's a lot of science here that
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is fascinating, but I'm not going to sum it up
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right now. So the deposits that move to the surface
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are very fast by geological standards. Recent
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measurements put travertine growth at mammoth
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at rates on the order of millimeters per day
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in active places, much faster than comparable
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systems elsewhere. Rapid building at the surface
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can therefore hide what's happening below. Groundwater
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paths move, conduits enlarge as limestone dissolves,
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and voids can form where formerly solid rock
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has been removed by chemical action. So what
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does this have to do with hollow ground? So hollow
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is a phrase used historically at Mammoth to refer
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to the subsurface voids, those unstable sediments,
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thermal conduits, and shallow collapse features
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that can underlie otherwise solid -looking terraces
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and grounds, especially near that prayed ground
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and near the older, inactive terraces. So if
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you're at the prayed ground, which is where all
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the buildings are, those historic buildings,
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you will notice some fences. Those fences are
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there because those are where some of the ground
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has fallen in. These localized sinkholes and
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depressions are because some of that ground is
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hollow. Early fort builders noted this problem
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when Fort Yellowstone and hotel foundations were
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planned. Early expeditions slept on the ground
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and when their horses moved, they swore the ground
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beneath them was hollow too and that they could
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hear it. Just recently, my dad was sitting out
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at Mammoth and an elk ran by and he was like,
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wow, you could hear the elk on the ground. It
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sounded hollow and I got to explain all of this
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to him. So, you know, I thought it would be fun
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to share with everybody else. Now, if you look
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around Mammoth too, you're going to see a few
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places where there are caves. Early days, there
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used to be cave tours done by the superintendent
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of the park. By early days, I mean the first
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few years of the park. We no longer go into caves.
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That is not safe and that is nothing you should
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want to do. I just want to mention that because
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when you look around Mammoth, it's easy to overlook
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those fences, but if you know that it's because
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the ground is like falling in there, it's pretty
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cool. If you're there in the winter, you'll notice
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this because it'll actually steam out and that's
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a lot easier. So all of this is because that
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plumbing is moving a bit, right? That's again,
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very simplified. So Mammoth's thermal system
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is fed in part by a corridor of flow that extends
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from that hotter Norris geyser basin area. I've
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mentioned that before. And then underground faults
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and fractured rock network. Channel water toward
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the limestone that supplies dissolved carbonate.
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I know it's it's super exciting It reminds me
20:24
of Billy Madison chloroform more like boroform.
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I think I just dated myself with that reference
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But because of like how that water is moving
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and how it's moving through cracks sometimes
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fractures open bigger and Thermal activity is
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not consistent if something gets clogged up.
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It's gonna go somewhere else, right so The hollow
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ground is why Yellowstone manages visitor access
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carefully at Mammoth. Those boardwalks, overlooks,
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and fence zones keep people off of fragile terraces
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and away from areas where subsurface instability
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or sudden thermal changes could be hazardous.
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It's also why historic buildings in the Mammoth
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area were built with an awareness of the ground
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instability. Those fence sinkholes and caves
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remain visible and they're reminders of how active
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processes can undercut seemingly firm ground.
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Scientists are continually monitoring mammoth's
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thermal outputs and terrace growth and that's
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because changes on the surface often reflect
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changes in the subsurface plumbing. So the hollow
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ground under mammoth is not a defect so much
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as a symptom of this vigorous ongoing geologic
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process. Carbonate rocks are being dissolved,
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mineral change waters are moving and depositing
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traverting, and the ground is adjusting to these
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changes. This dynamic area is what makes Mammoth
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so unique. Terraces that grow die back and regrow,
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sinkholes that tell a tale of removed rock, and
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a landscape where visible beauty records invisible
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chemical and hydrological activity beneath your
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feet. For visitors, the result is a place of
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fragile splendor breathtaking terraces to view
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from safe paths and an underground story that
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keeps geologists and park managers watching closely
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it's just another cool thing that you know you
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go to mammoth and you're like cool mammoth i
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like the terraces and now you know they're always
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changing and why they're never quite the same
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is because those events are changing and that
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everything can collapse i i i find it fascinating
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i hope you did too the weather for the coming
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week lamar valley On Thursday, there's a high
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of 41 and a low of 31, with about a 32 % chance
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of some precipitation. On Friday, high of 38,
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low of 17, 71 % chance of precipitation, that's
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probably going to follow some snow. Saturday,
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partly cloudy, high of 38, low of 17. Sunday
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high of 44 low of 24 only a 5 % chance precipitation
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Monday high of 50 low of 29 5 % chance precipitation
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Tuesday 50 and 28 with a 9 % chance and Wednesday
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51 and 32 with a 13 % chance precipitation Gardner,
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Montana on Thursday high of 48 low of 33 25 %
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chance precipitation Friday High of 43, low of
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21, 54 % chance of precipitation. Might fall
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as snow, shouldn't be that much though. Saturday,
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high of 42, low of 24, only a 5 % chance of precipitation.
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Sunday, 49 and 30 with 4 % chance. Monday, 54
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and 32 with a 4 % chance. Tuesday, 54 and 32
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with an 8 % chance. And Wednesday, 54 and 35
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with an 11 % chance of rain. So, not too bad.
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Then finally, that brings us to Cook City, Montana.
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Cook City on Thursday has a high of 37, a low
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of 29, 68 % chance of snow. Friday, high of 35,
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low of 14. Forecast is currently calling for
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two inches of snow, so be ready for that. Saturday,
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high of 33. Low of 11, 8 % chance of precipitation.
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Sunday, 42 and 26 with a 4 % chance. Monday,
24:16
48 and 28, 5 % chance. Tuesday, 47 and 29 with
24:21
a 9 % chance. Wednesday, 48 and 32 with a 13
24:26
% chance of precipitation. The Snowpack update.
24:30
So as of November 4th, The snowpack in Yellowstone
24:34
and that region is about 84 % of normal for this
24:37
time of year. Maybe remember last week it was
24:40
super high, now it's not. We normally get a lot
24:43
of snow right now, we haven't been getting a
24:45
lot of snow right now. So it's not looking great
24:49
again, but you know, there's an ebb and a flow
24:51
to it. Not super concerned, but now we're back
24:54
down below. Below average last year on this date.
24:58
We were at 55 % of our normal level. So we're
25:01
doing better than last year Road conditions the
25:04
only road open in the park right now is between
25:07
Gardner, Montana and Cook City, Montana That
25:10
is the north entrance to the northeast entrance
25:13
Please be aware that this road can close at any
25:15
time due to inclement weather now to stay up
25:18
to date On road information, you can call 307
25:22
-344 -2117 for recorded information, or you can
25:26
do what most of us locals do and sign up to receive
25:29
Yellowstone text alerts on your cell phone by
25:32
texting the number 82190 to the number 888 -777.
25:39
Camping information. There is only one campground
25:42
open in the park right now, and that's Mammoth
25:44
Campground. And that's open year round. I saw
25:48
there a couple people there earlier this week
25:50
camping and good for them. It looked wonderful
25:53
Honestly, like I know the good for them sounded
25:55
sarcastic, but like it looks pretty nice there
25:58
the wildlife watching update So as I mentioned
26:02
off the top Wildlife watching is pretty good,
26:05
especially with bighorn sheep right now north
26:07
of the park Kind of a yellowstone hot springs
26:10
mentioned that you already know where it is.
26:11
Not gonna repeat that Elsewhere in the park,
26:14
it's hit -and -miss There's been some good coyote
26:17
sightings out in Lamar. I recently drove all
26:20
the way out to Cook City and back and didn't
26:22
see a ton. There were some wolves way out in
26:25
the distance on like the western side of Lamar
26:31
Valley before the canyon. And also I've heard
26:33
reports of people seeing wolves around hell roaring
26:37
and around that tower junction. But generally
26:40
it's just hit and miss right now. I also heard
26:42
there is a grizzly out in Lamar, so that's cool.
26:46
Moose haven't been as active right now, but that's
26:49
not shocking. We don't have a lot of snow, so
26:51
they're not going to drop down. Really, with
26:55
only one section of the road open, it's really
26:57
easy to spot wildlife if you have good luck and
27:01
you put in some miles. If your only goal is wildlife,
27:04
obviously do bighorn sheep and then just drive
27:06
out toward Lamar Valley. You may stop at like
27:11
Upper Hell Roaring Viewpoint and see people looking
27:15
way out there. There's been some wolves out there
27:16
as of late off and on. They also are just moving
27:20
back and forth to Lamar or to Slough Creek area.
27:23
So you're just going to have to kind of look
27:26
for some cars and see if they're looking at things
27:29
too. With visitations so low, again, it's not
27:33
the easiest time to see animals if there aren't
27:35
other people there. So my advice for that is
27:39
to then park somewhere with a good viewpoint.
27:41
That's why the upper hell roaring is so popular,
27:44
is you can just sit there and kind of listen
27:47
and look. If you do both of those things, you
27:50
might see something out in the distance. If it
27:52
doesn't work there, then drive out to kind of
27:55
those first pullouts in proper Lamar Valley and
27:58
look there, right? And listen there. and then
28:01
you should see things. Bison are on the move,
28:03
I do need to mention that. Bison are starting
28:06
to move from the higher ground to the lower ground
28:08
as the temperatures get colder. If they are on
28:11
the road, know that you can pass them, you should
28:14
pass them. I've talked about this before, but
28:18
if there's only a couple bison and they're on
28:20
one side of the road, pass them. Let them have
28:25
their own lane, obviously, but you can pass them
28:28
as long as it's safe. One other wildlife thing
28:30
to mention. Shouldn't need to be mentioned, but
28:33
I do it every so often. Don't feed wildlife.
28:36
That includes birds. That includes the ravens.
28:39
Any of the small birds. Don't feed the coyotes.
28:42
Don't feed the foxes. Don't feed anything, right?
28:45
Let everything be wild. I've heard reports of
28:47
some people feeding a certain coyote that if
28:50
you visit the park, you know has been fed quite
28:52
a bit. Don't do that, please. Just let everything
28:56
be wild. Other than that, if you're headed to
28:58
the park, wildlife watching right now is honestly
29:00
my favorite time. When you do spot something,
29:03
it makes it that much more special and unique.
29:06
So enjoy. Also, if you want to learn about wildlife
29:11
watching and kind of how to better spot and scan,
29:13
I do have a wildlife watching guidebook. to Yellowstone.
29:17
I wrote it to help everybody have the knowledge
29:20
that I have. It's available in both ebook and
29:22
paperback formats and ebooks are just ten dollars
29:25
and I just send it to you as soon as I can. Paperbacks
29:28
take a little longer, but you know, then you
29:30
actually have a book in hand. If you do want
29:32
to buy one of those books, I only ask that you
29:34
get it directly from me as I make next to nothing
29:37
when they're sold on Amazon. If that's your only
29:40
option and you need it immediately, order it
29:42
off Amazon. It's fine. Trail alerts and updates.
29:46
As of November 1st, all interior trails will
29:49
be off -limits unless you hike from the nearest
29:52
closed gate. That is from last week, but I wanted
29:55
to read it again. The only thing right now that
29:58
you need to know is I think the Garnet Hill Loop
30:03
and the road up to Tower Falls not open right
30:07
now due to construction. I would ask the park
30:11
about, you know, a date on how to do that, but
30:13
since There's a government shutdown and park
30:16
staff is not there right now. I'm just saying
30:18
don't hike those two trails. If you did want
30:21
to hike Garnet Hill Loop, you can go from Hell
30:24
Roaring. So that's worthwhile. I actually love
30:28
that loop, but I'll probably talk about that
30:30
later. Instead, I'm going to have my Trek of
30:33
the Week be the Lava Creek Trail to the Gardner
30:37
River. So located just east of Mammoth Hot Springs,
30:41
the Lava Creek Trail is a favorite of mine for
30:42
this time of the year for a lot of reasons. Before
30:45
it gets snowy and harder to traverse, the Lava
30:48
Creek Trail is a perfect hike for those looking
30:50
for cool views, a unique glimpse of a well -known
30:54
waterfall, and a chance to sit along the Gardner
30:56
River far from anyone else. It's also not a popular
31:00
hike at all, thanks to some elevation loss and
31:03
gain, though it gives those seeking true solitude
31:06
exactly that. Right now to do this trail you
31:09
have to start by the Lava Creek trail by Lava
31:12
Creek picnic area. The bridge down by the Mammoth
31:15
campground washed away in 2022 and it was supposed
31:18
to be fixed this year, but it's not. So that's
31:21
okay. It just means that the trail is even less
31:24
visited, especially this time of the year. So
31:26
after parking at the picnic area, you'll want
31:28
to walk across the road then across the bridge
31:31
over Lava Creek. There's going to be a small
31:33
path to your left. Follow that and after you
31:36
climb a tiny hill, You're going to see the trail
31:38
marker and the well maintained trail just easy
31:41
to follow. Follow the trail for a little less
31:45
than a half mile and you'll get to the first
31:47
feature. Take a boot path on the left and you'll
31:50
soon be standing on top of Undine Falls. Usually
31:53
you'll see it from the parking area across the
31:55
canyon, but from on top of it, the view of Undine
31:58
Falls is incredible. It has changed how I feel
32:01
about that waterfall. It's great from the viewpoint
32:04
across the way. It's amazing standing right there.
32:07
Stay on the boot path after taking in the view
32:09
of the falls and just follow the canyon rim and
32:13
you'll start seeing mammoth in the distance and
32:15
lava creek down below you and then you'll meet
32:18
the main trail and that's where you start heading
32:20
down. And honestly the trek down isn't the most
32:23
amazing or scenic thing for about a mile or so.
32:27
You're gonna take in some decent views but it
32:29
isn't until about the two mile mark that things
32:31
start opening up in full grandeur. Along the
32:34
lower hill section, keep an eye out for bones,
32:37
antlers, and skulls. There's a bison carcass
32:39
down there that's well picked over, and it's
32:42
really cool. You're also going to have some pretty
32:44
awesome views of the bridge spanning the Gardiner
32:46
River, giving you a unique view of this architectural
32:49
gem. From here, follow the trail all the way
32:52
down to the Gardiner River, and about three and
32:54
a half miles from the trailhead, you're going
32:56
to find a rocky beach that you can just go hang
32:58
out on. I usually have lunch here, Just relax.
33:02
I watch for birds and other wildlife There's
33:04
some elk that are sometimes down there sometimes
33:06
bison sometimes coyotes a lot of little birds
33:09
like dippers and eagles and stuff so check that
33:12
out and Once you're done You get a hike back
33:17
up the hill you hike down Overall, you're gonna
33:19
gain about a thousand feet in elevation and over
33:22
two miles And that gives you a good workout after
33:25
the leisurely stroll down to the river Now, when
33:27
I do this, my watch reads about 7 miles in total
33:30
distance and with about 1200 feet of total gain
33:34
for the day. So, I love it, I think it's a good
33:37
one, and I think you'll like it too. Alright,
33:40
that's it for this week. In next week's episode,
33:43
I'm going to return with all the information
33:45
you need to have a good week in the park. That
33:47
includes the wildlife update, the weather, trail
33:51
updates, everything like that. Again, sincerely
33:54
thank you all for listening. I know right now
33:57
there's a lot just going on, preparing for holidays,
34:00
all of that. And you decided to listen to a 30
34:04
minute plus podcast of me talking about Yellowstone.
34:07
That means a lot. I hope you enjoy this. Share,
34:11
do everything that other podcasts tell you to
34:13
do, you know, and if there's anything you want
34:16
me to talk about, let me know. Otherwise, happy
34:20
trails. This week in Yellowstone is brought to
34:33
you by the Outdoor Society, because that's my
34:35
company, and that's where this is hosted. There
34:37
are no sponsors. This is a labor of love, so
34:40
thank you all for listening. Copyright 2025,
34:44
baby!