Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: April 16th to April 22nd, 2026

Transcript

This Week in Yellowstone: April 16th to April 22nd, 2026 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where starting
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Friday you'll be able to drive to Old Faithful
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and Canyon from Mammoth and West Yellowstone.
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This is that Scott guy you know and love with
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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 April 16th to April 22nd,
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2026, I'll tell you where to go and how to get
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there regarding the park's interior, let you
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know what to expect when you are visiting the
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park's interior. I'm also going to share the
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history of an old hotel in the geyser basin and
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recommend a scenic trek that I know you're going
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to love. I'm also going to give you the complete
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weather forecast, the snowpack update, the wildlife
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report, and everything else you need to have
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an incredible time this week in Yellowstone.
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Standard disclaimer, I'm going to miss a few
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details here and there, I'm trying to make this
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short and concise, so if there's something you
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need clarification on, reach out to me, happy
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to answer those questions. I also mention park
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locations very casually, so if you're unfamiliar
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with some place I'm talking about, a quick search
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online can help, or again, just reach out to
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me. Also know that this report only covers the
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drivable areas of the park. Finally, in this
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long rambling intro, this podcast is a passion
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project of mine. I'm not paid. I'm not sponsored.
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I do this because I want you to have a good time
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in the park. If you enjoy this, I'd love a review
1:36
or a quick email. If you want to support my work,
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you can check out my hiking and wildlife watching
1:41
guidebooks, or you can join me for a guided hiking
1:43
tour in Yellowstone's backcountry. Day hikes
1:46
are what I do. I know the backcountry very well,
1:49
and I think you're going to love it. The more
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you see of Yellowstone, the more you're going
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to love Yellowstone. For more information on
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all of that visit outdoor -society .com or again
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contact me directly. This week's Yellowstone
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news, really not a lot. I mean there's a cool
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year in review on the USGS Caldera report. Check
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that out, Caldera Chronicles, sorry about that.
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I'll provide a link in the show notes if I remember.
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It's really nice to see it kind of just recaps
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everything that happened in the park. the main
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news this week is obviously the interior roads
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opening from west yellowstone you're going to
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be able to drive up to mammoth out to old faithful
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and out to Canyon and then from Mammoth you're
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gonna drive to West Yellowstone Go through Norris.
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You're gonna get out to Canyon. You can go to
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Old Faithful So interior park roads are starting
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to open up. So that's the biggest news. There's
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also some construction news I'm going to talk
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about in the road conditions part of this But
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it's nothing you need to be too concerned about
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there will just be some delays here and there
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the other day I was in the park and at the junction
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at Roosevelt Junction there there's quite a bit
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of construction going on so there's a little
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bit of a delay but generally like it's not that
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bad they're also going to start that construction
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on the Gardner River Bridge but again going to
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talk about that slightly more in detail but other
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than that main news this week roads are opening
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which leads me to my experience of the week going
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into the interior what a shock right the roads
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are open and i'm telling you to go in uh roads
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are going to start to open up April 17th at 8
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a .m. That's when everything changes in Yellowstone
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National Park for the season. Roads are open
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from both West Yellowstone and Gardner, reconnecting
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the park through Madison Junction, North Geyser
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Basin, and Mammoth Hot Springs. For the first
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time since early November, you can once again
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drive into the park's interior with your own
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car. And that's going to link geothermal basins,
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waterfalls, prime wildlife habitat in a single
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day. National Park Service says that these spring
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openings are entirely dependent on weather and
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snowpack, both of which still play a major role
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well into April when we get to the weather report.
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Yeah, we're gonna get some snow, very quickly.
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Coming in from West Yellowstone, the drive starts
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quietly along the Madison River. It's a gorgeous
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drive, if you've never done it. I highly recommend
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doing it. Sunrise, sunset, those are the best
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times to get through there. Steam rises in the
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distance, wildlife's moving through the open
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valleys in the early morning light. The stretch
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toward Madison Junction is easily one of the
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most scenic drives in the park. Spoiler alert,
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nearly every stretch of road is one of the most
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scenic drives in the park. There's elk, there's
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bison. there's coyotes you might even see a bear
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out there and it's not unusual spot bald eagles
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ducks sandhill cranes maybe some bluebirds things
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like that it's the kind of place that encourages
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you to slow down right away just make sure if
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you are slowing down if there's bison and stuff
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don't stop in the road pull off to a pullout
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this is the time of the year where i'm going
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to talk about this way too much but always use
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the pullouts don't just stop in the road the
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longer you stop in the road the worse you're
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just making traffic for everybody. Talk about
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that much later in the year though. So for Madison,
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if you head south, it takes you straight into
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Yellowstone's geothermal core. The park contains
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more than 10 ,000 hydrothermal features, including
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roughly half of the world's geysers. As you move
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through the lower, midway, and upper geyser basins,
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steam rises through lingering snow, creating
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a striking contrast. Now the snow, I wrote this
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a while ago, the snow isn't probably going to
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be there so it's it's been a year but if there
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is snow it's kind of cool the nice thing is the
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ground is still pretty saturated in certain places
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so the mud pot should be really good right now
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all of those things and I'll talk about those
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more in the coming weeks by the time you reach
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old faithful the experience feels entirely different
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from the summer there's fewer people there's
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colder air and a quieter atmosphere that makes
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it feel far more personal There will be people
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coming into the park. You're not going to be
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alone there, but it's going to feel very alone,
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especially if you're there sunrise or sunset.
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If you head north from Madison toward Mammoth,
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that offers a completely different landscape.
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The road follows a given river through the forest
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before opening in small geothermal areas. One
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of the best stops is Gibbon Falls. I love stopping
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there. That's when the spring runoff is going
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to make that waterfall look great. It's an 80
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foot cascade waterfall and 80 feet may not sound
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like a lot, but it's wide and it's huge and it's
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great. Farther along, Norris stands out as one
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of the most dynamic places in the park. Norris
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is constantly changing and is home to Steamboat
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Geyser, the tallest active geyser in the world.
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Even in April, Know that the boardwalk still
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may be icy in the morning, even though like this
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winter wasn't that much. There's also going to
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be a lot of steam early in the morning, later
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in the evening. If it's not a warm day, expect
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steam anywhere that there is a small thermal
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area, which makes you appreciate just how active
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of a geothermal region Yellowstone is to drive
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in the spring and see all of these areas of steam
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rising up. As you approach Mammoth, the train
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opens up and the focus shifts to wildlife and
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the mountains. The hills around Mammoth and nearby
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Swan Lake Flats are some of the best places to
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watch for elk, bison, and even bears emerging
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in the early spring. I've had some of my best
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bear experiences in Swan Lake Flats, so maybe
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it'll happen this year, maybe it won't. And again,
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with fewer visitors than in the summer, it's
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super easy to find a pullout, and you can just
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stop and take it all in. There are a few underrated
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moments that define a spring visit. Obviously
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the small pullouts along the given river are
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fantastic. Walking near sheep eater cliffs is
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a personal favorite of mine. Not just to the
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little picnic area, but walk downstream and there's
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this box canyon. I love that. I highly recommend
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it this time of the year. Always have bear spray.
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Also, Walking Firehole Canyon Drive before it
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opens to vehicles? Super underrated, Jim. Might
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talk about that in a hiking section later in
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the year, but maybe not, so I'm just going to
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recommend it now. Another highlight that is accessible
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with these road openings is the Grand Canyon
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of the Yellowstone. In April, the canyon feels
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completely different. Snow may be lingering along
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the rim or down in the canyon itself. And while
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some trails like Red Rock Point or the brink
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of the lower falls will still be closed, key
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viewpoints begin to open. The waterfalls, especially
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the lower falls, grow stronger every day with
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snowmelt, and it creates a powerful and constantly
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changing scene. Also, the lighting there? Midday?
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Eh, it's fine. Okay, even in the worst light,
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it's amazing. I shouldn't say it's just fine.
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But like, early morning light, sunset light in
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the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Absolutely
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wonderful. Now what makes this time of the year
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so compelling is this balance. You have access
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to Yellowstone's most iconic features, but without
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the intensity of the summer crowds or fully open
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amenities. The lack of infrastructure keeps visitation
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lower, creating a quieter, more personal experience
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of places that are soon going to be packed. At
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the same time, conditions still could feel like
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late winter. Snow may line the road in places,
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temperatures might stay cool, and steam is visible,
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like I said, everywhere in the thermal laces.
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It's so cool to see. The weather this time of
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the year can change quickly, and snow is still
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common. National Park always wants you to know
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that spring storms can lead to temporary closures
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even after the roads open. The roads opening
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on April 17th aren't just about access. It's
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about timing. It's about the experience. It's
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about stepping into Yellowstone right as it opens.
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And when wildlife is active, landscapes are shifting
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and the park is still holding onto that little
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bit of quiet. From West Yellowstone to Mammoth
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out to Canyon, this is the moment where everything
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starts to come back to life just before the main
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rush of the summer season begins. My tip of the
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week. Don't expect real spring weather or many
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open amenities right now. If you've been paying
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attention to the weather across most of the western
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United States, you're probably aware of how much
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of the region is in drought and how dismal the
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snowpack is throughout western states. While
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it is true that areas in and around the park
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are starting to green up a little, we're still
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a ways off from a feeling like spring for visitors
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who come out here from elsewhere in the country.
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Where you live there may be cherry blossoms and
10:30
wildflowers blooming But it isn't gonna be like
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that here in Yellowstone for another month or
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two Yellowstone will still feel like winter for
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many of you for another month or so even in June
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even in early July I've seen people that are
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cold, but that's you know, that's because they
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come from someplace very warm and very humid
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It's just important that when you're visiting
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Yellowstone, especially right now prepare for
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cooler weather Morning temperatures can be in
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the 30s and 20s, maybe even the teens, depending
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on where you are. Highs may hit the 60s, but
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could also hover in the 30s or 40s. We just won't
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know what to expect from day in and day out,
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so expect a little of everything when you visit.
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Prepare for cold weather, and if it's warm, great.
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Just layer well and know that the mornings and
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evenings are going to be the coolest. I know
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it sounds simple and self -explanatory, but trust
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me when I say that every single year, visitors
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to the park are shocked at the weather in April
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and May. So amenity -wise, do not expect much
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right now. While the roads are opening up, it's
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important to understand that Yellowstone is not
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fully up and running yet. This is still very
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much the shoulder season, and a lot of the infrastructure
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that visitors rely on simply isn't open. Lodges,
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campgrounds, restaurants, and general stores
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don't really begin opening until May. with some
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not coming online until June. Even in popular
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areas like Old Faithful and Mammoth, services
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can be limited or inconsistent. Fuel is another
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thing to think about. While most interior gas
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stations inside the park should be open, it's
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still a good idea to fill up before entering
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from places like West Yellowstone or Gardiner,
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just because it's better to have a full tank
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of gas when you start out than having to worry
12:13
about finding gas. Plus, gas is a little cheaper
12:16
outside the park than inside the park. So one
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other amenity thing that catches a lot of people
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off guard is the lack of open bathrooms. Many
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restrooms across the park are still closed or
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only just beginning to open for the season, especially
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in these less trafficked areas. That means you
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really need to plan ahead. And if there's an
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open bathroom, use it because you don't know
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when the next one may be open. When there is
12:39
an updated map or I have updated information
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of which restrooms are open I'll let you know
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on here as best I can but for now I am going
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to provide a link in my show notes that has a
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List of opening dates for the entire park, which
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should help you plan ahead for some things Just
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know that this doesn't include restrooms But
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I'm gonna work on that as fast as I can and get
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that up online or something This list that I'm
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giving can feel a little bare bones and hard
13:08
to read, but it's gonna be much better than anything
13:12
else. Just know that if you're visiting this
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week, it's not summer yet, but the trade -off
13:16
is there's fewer crowds and a chance to experience
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Yellowstone in a quieter, more self -reliant
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way. So be prepared, be self -reliant, and it's
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gonna be awesome. My random Yellowstone fact
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of the week. The Fountain Hotel. Long before
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modern lodges and packed parking lots, one of
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the most impressive places to stay in Yellowstone
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National Park sat right in the middle of the
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geyser basin. The Fountain Hotel wasn't just
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a place to sleep. It was an experience, and for
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a time, it was one of the most important stops
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in the entire park. Built in 1891 by Yellowstone
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Park Association, the hotel marked a major shift
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in how people visited Yellowstone. Up to that
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point, Travel through the park was rugged and
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slow, mostly by stagecoach. The Fountain Hotel
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changed that by offering something unexpected
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in such a remote place. Comfort. It was a large
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three -story structure that could accommodate
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about 350 guests, and it reportedly cost about
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$100 ,000 in the time to build. A significant
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investment. Sitting near what is now the Lower
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Geyser Basin, not far from today's Fountain Paintpots,
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the hotel was surrounded by geothermal features
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and wide open views of the Firehole River area.
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Getting there was part of the adventure. Visitors
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would spend long days traveling by stagecoach
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before arriving at the hotel, often dusty and
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exhausted. Then suddenly, They were stepping
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into a place with electric lights, steam heat,
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and even hot water piped in using nearby geothermal
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features, something that felt remarkably modern
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for the late 1800s. Evenings were a big part
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of the experience too. Guests would dress up
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for dinner, socialize, and sometimes attend dances,
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bringing a level of refinement that more than
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likely felt very out of place in such a wild
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setting. The location made it even more special.
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Before the construction of the famous Old Faithful
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Inn in 1904, the Fountain Hotel was considered
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one of the best places to stay on the west side
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of the park. From here, visitors could easily
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explore geysers, hot springs, and mudpots all
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within a short distance. It served as a hub for
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exploring what we now call the Lower Geyser Basin.
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Some aspects of the experience though wouldn't
15:29
fly today. One of the most popular nightly activities
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was bear feeding. Staff would dump scraps behind
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the hotel, attracting bears while guests watched
15:37
from nearby. At the time, this was seen as entertainment,
15:41
not a safety issue. So it's a reminder of how
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different wildlife management used to be, and
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when people say, the park has never been worse
15:49
than it is today, no, they used to feed bears
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for fun. It was way worse. Despite the popularity
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of the Fountain Hotel, the spotlight didn't last
15:58
very long. The opening of Old Faithful in 1904
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shifted attention to the Upper Geyser Basin,
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and improvements in road systems made travel
16:07
throughout the park more efficient. But the real
16:09
turning point came in 1915, when automobiles
16:12
were allowed into Yellowstone. That one change
16:15
reshaped everything. What used to take days by
16:18
stagecoach to go around the park could suddenly
16:21
be done in hours. Overnight stops became less
16:24
necessary, and places like the Fountain Hotel,
16:26
which depended on that slower pace of travel,
16:29
quickly lost their importance. By 1916, the hotel
16:33
had closed. For about a decade, the building
16:36
sat unused, slowly fading into landscape. There
16:40
were discussions about salvaging materials, and
16:42
eventually in 1927, the structure was torn down
16:46
entirely. Today, there's very little left. Just
16:49
subtle traces on the landscape for those who
16:52
know where to look. You can actually see the
16:55
piping where they used to run the water from
16:57
the geyser basin to the hotel. The story of the
17:00
Fountain Hotel is really a snapshot of a different
17:02
era in Yellowstone. It reflects a time when visiting
17:05
the park was slower, more deliberate, and centered
17:08
as much on the journey as the destination. It
17:11
also shows how quickly things can change. In
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just a few decades, one of the park's most important
17:16
and luxurious hotels went from being a centerpiece
17:19
of the Yellowstone experience to disappearing
17:21
almost entirely. When you find yourself in the
17:24
lower geyser basin today, it's really hard to
17:27
picture a grand hotel rising above the steam
17:29
and open meadows, but for a brief time in Yellowstone's
17:32
history, that's exactly what stood there. Well,
17:35
it would be nice to kind of say, oh, if it was
17:36
still there, that'd be amazing. I personally
17:39
am happy that the park is rewilding and we've
17:42
gotten rid of a lot of those things so we can
17:44
see the landscape for what the landscape truly
17:47
is but it also would be pretty cool to stay in
17:50
that hotel so next time you drive through there
17:53
look for the little bits of piping you may be
17:56
able to see and just know hey there used to be
17:58
a hotel here the weather for the coming week
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as always this is the best forecast for the week
18:04
at the time of the recording Thursday Friday
18:07
Saturday Sunday should be pretty spot -on from
18:10
there who really knows this is a good just ballpark
18:12
So let's start with Lamar Valley on Thursday
18:16
a high of 32 and a low of 16 with about one inch
18:19
of snow in Lamar Friday cloudy high of 32 low
18:24
of 12 Saturday high of 44 low of 18 Sunday high
18:29
of 55 low of 28 Monday, high of 60, low of 35.
18:34
Tuesday, high of 62, low of 34. And then Wednesday,
18:38
high of 48, low of 30, and there is a chance
18:41
of snow. So that is Lamar Valley. In Gardner,
18:45
Montana, Thursday will have a high of 34, a low
18:48
of 18, with about two inches of snow. Friday
18:51
should be pretty decent, partly cloudy. High
18:54
of 37, low of 17. Saturday, high of 49, low of
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25 and sunny. Sunday, high of 59, low of 33.
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Monday, high of 65, low of 39. Tuesday, 67 and
19:08
39 with some rain in the evening. And Wednesday,
19:10
high of 53, low of 34 with about a quarter of
19:14
an inch of rain expected. Welcome back West Yellowstone
19:18
to the weather report. Thursday, high of 30,
19:22
low of 11. 78 % chance of 2 inches of snow Friday
19:26
high of 33 low of 11 Saturday high of 44 low
19:30
of 17 Sunday high of 55 low of 28 Monday high
19:35
of 61 low of 35 Tuesday high of 62 low of 33
19:40
with some rain in the late afternoon early evening
19:42
Maybe a quarter inch and then Wednesday high
19:45
of 46 low of 29 could see an inch of snow could
19:49
see quarter half inch of rain Finally Cook City
19:53
So Thursday high of 31 low of 12 about 2 inches
19:58
of snow Friday 28 and 11 with a 35 % chance of
20:02
some snow maybe about a half inch Saturday high
20:05
of 41 low of 17 Sunday high of 51 low of 31 Monday
20:10
high of 56 low of 36 Tuesday, high of 59, low
20:15
of 33, with a 50 % chance of some rain developing
20:18
in the afternoon and evening. Shouldn't be too
20:20
much on Tuesday. But then Wednesday, high of
20:23
47, low of 28, 60 % chance of at least an inch
20:27
of snow. The snowpack update. As of April 16th,
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the snowpack is around 75 % and normal for this
20:34
time of year. The eastern and northern ranges
20:37
of the park are about 84 % of normal. The western
20:40
and southern sides are 64 % of normal. So that's
20:43
the worst area of snowpack. Last year on this
20:46
date, we were averaging around 97 % of our normal
20:48
level. I think this incoming snow will keep us
20:52
steady. I don't expect these numbers to rise.
20:56
Road conditions. So I have written down, I forgot
21:00
to update this, but the roads that are open starting
21:03
on Friday. will be from the north entrance all
21:08
the way down to old faithful the west entrance
21:10
down to old faithful from norris geyser basin
21:13
out to canyon and of course the entire northern
21:15
range from mammoth to cook city now last i heard
21:21
the plug beyond cook city still closed don't
21:23
expect that to open anytime soon but if it does
21:26
you'll find out by doing the following you can
21:28
sign up for road alerts on your cell phone by
21:31
texting the number 82190 to 888 -777 or you can
21:38
call 307 -344 -2117 for recorded information.
21:43
Again, roads are starting to open up. You can
21:46
go all the way down to Old Faithful as far as
21:48
the south goes, and the only entrances you can
21:50
drive into from outside the park are West Yellowstone
21:54
and Gardner. Yes, you can enter the park from
21:58
Cook City, but you have to drive through the
21:59
park to get to Cook City to come back out. So
22:02
that entrance is Open but it's not staffed or
22:05
anything because there's no other way in so We
22:09
will update this as much as we can. Oh, yeah,
22:11
the other road conditions I knew I was rambling
22:12
because I forgot something there will be construction
22:15
here and there There's gonna be construction
22:18
at the Gardiner River Bridge starting this week
22:20
more than likely and at Roosevelt Junction There's
22:24
gonna be construction delays there, too There
22:26
could be other construction delays here and there,
22:28
but I doubt it if I hear of anything I'll update
22:31
you next week, but no of those two in the northern
22:33
range for sure Camping information so while things
22:38
are opening They're still not a lot of camping
22:41
options. The only campground that's open in the
22:43
park right now is the Mammoth campground and
22:45
that's open year -round. Any other campsite isn't
22:48
going to be opening up for a couple more weeks
22:50
so I'm not going to address that until later
22:51
on. The wildlife watching update so this is gonna
22:55
be very northern range centric as nobody's really
22:58
gone into the interior yet So I don't have any
23:00
reports and I haven't been down there either.
23:02
I'm going in Friday So I'll have things for next
23:05
week, but this week I can tell you what's going
23:07
on in the northern range and maybe give you a
23:09
few tips of where to go in the interior to see
23:12
things but generally like that interior trip
23:15
this weekend, it's going to kind of be dumb luck.
23:18
If you are headed to the park this weekend and
23:20
want to reach out to me like Saturday morning,
23:22
feel free and I'll tell you what I saw. But other
23:24
than that, again, northern range centric. So
23:28
I was in the park the other day and I saw my
23:30
first red dogs, baby bison of the year. There
23:34
are a couple around. There's going to be more
23:36
and more every week. So you're going to probably
23:39
see them. Keep an eye out. It's not super easy
23:42
to see them, but they will be more prevalent.
23:46
Right now for bears and wolves, there are some
23:48
grizzlies out in Lamar, there is a couple black
23:51
bears in Lamar Canyon and out in Lamar Proper
23:54
as well. I saw a black bear way off in the distance
23:57
my first bear sighting of the year, so that was
23:59
great. There's tons of pronghorn, there's tons
24:02
of bison moving around, lots of elk as well.
24:06
Saw a ton of elk around mammoth and then a lot
24:09
obviously out the north entrance I didn't see
24:11
any bighorn sheep out the north entrance, but
24:14
I also wasn't looking too hard. It was pretty
24:15
early in the morning So generally if you're going
24:19
in as soon as you get to Gardner, you're gonna
24:22
start seeing lots of wildlife You're gonna see
24:24
a lot of wildlife from mammoth up to blacktail
24:27
plateau You're gonna see some bison out there.
24:30
Then you could see some bears. You may see a
24:32
moose you If you drive out, you might see wolves.
24:35
If you see people that are stopped, stop and
24:37
look. People are really looking and they're seeing
24:40
really cool things. So don't just blow by. This
24:43
always happens. I was watching a black bear.
24:46
I was the only one at a pullout watching it and
24:48
multiple cars drove by and looked. They didn't
24:51
see what I was looking at. So they kept driving.
24:54
Now, maybe they'd seen a bear earlier, but I
24:56
doubt it. So if you see somebody stopping and
24:58
they're trying to get your attention, stop, because
25:00
they're trying to get your attention for a reason.
25:02
I know it goes against, like, common thinking
25:05
of somebody's waving you down on the side of
25:07
a road, stop and see what they're doing, but
25:09
in Yellowstone, that's one of the few places
25:11
where 99 .99999999 % of the time, everything's
25:16
gonna go very, very well. So... do that. If you're
25:20
driving in the interior, Swan Lake Flats could
25:22
be pretty good. Check out the ponds and see if
25:25
there's any swans because they like to hang out
25:27
there. There's also going to be a lot of migratory
25:29
birds. As you get down toward the geyser area,
25:32
there'll be some bison, there'll be some coyotes,
25:34
some sandhill cranes, and maybe some bears. Again,
25:37
I wish I could tell you more of what you're going
25:38
to see down there, but until we get eyes in the
25:42
interior of the park, it's all a guessing game.
25:45
Don't expect a lot. Between Norris and Canyon
25:50
really ever that's not a great spot for wildlife
25:52
watching Especially as soon as you get past like
25:55
the Virginia Cascades Turnoff, which is closed,
25:58
but don't expect a lot there until you get to
26:01
Canyon again I don't know what the snowpack look
26:03
looks like in Canyon so there could be very active
26:07
wildlife out there or it could be too snow -covered
26:09
for much of anything, but And I will tell you
26:12
next week, other than that, Northern Range Wildlife
26:14
Watching, very good. Wolves have been sighted.
26:16
Grizzlies have been sighted. It's awesome. It's
26:19
a great time. And Baby Bison are out. All right,
26:22
changing gears real quick. I've been told that
26:24
I'm terrible at hyping up my own products and
26:26
businesses and tours and books and all of that.
26:29
So. If you like what you hear on this podcast
26:32
know that I have guidebooks that have all of
26:33
this information and more in it that are very
26:36
useful to have. There's a hiking guidebook for
26:38
the region and a wildlife watching guidebook
26:41
that I wrote out of out of love because I want
26:45
other people to have the knowledge that's in
26:46
my head and I wrote those before I had the podcast
26:49
so everything I felt like saying is in those
26:51
books. Also if you are coming to the park and
26:55
you want to see the park in a way that very few
26:57
do Come on a hiking tour with me. I know the
27:00
driving tours. You're gonna see all the wildlife
27:02
They kind of don't promise you but they promise
27:05
you that they're gonna like get you wolves and
27:07
see bears but there is something about Being
27:10
out in wild and seeing what you're seeing and
27:13
having the day that you're gonna have Just enjoying
27:15
the landscape away from the roads away from the
27:18
boardwalks away from all other people and just
27:21
being out in Yellowstone That is what I do I
27:25
love the backcountry of Yellowstone, and I want
27:27
more people to see it because Yellowstone really
27:30
isn't known as a hiking destination, and as a
27:34
person who has hiked all over the West, I am
27:37
not tired of hiking in Yellowstone and the greater
27:39
Yellowstone ecosystem. I probably never will
27:41
be tired of it because there is so much to see
27:44
and do. I want to share that passion with you,
27:46
so if you're coming to the park, consider picking
27:49
up a guidebook or book a tour. I would love to
27:52
show you around. Trail alerts and updates. There
27:56
are still no official trail alerts. We're waiting
27:59
for the park to open up more and full staffing
28:01
to occur, and then we'll get better park updates.
28:04
If you're gonna go hiking, expect mud here and
28:07
there, especially where snow has been lingering.
28:12
Also, know that wildlife is out there. Be ready
28:14
for wildlife on every single trail, even the
28:17
boardwalks. Even the trail I'm gonna recommend
28:20
just second the Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic
28:22
Overlook. This time of the year is when grizzlies
28:25
are on that trail. People are like, I never see
28:28
anything there. A few years ago, a grizzly murdered
28:31
an elk on the bridge that you walk across to
28:34
get on the old road to get to the Grand Prismatic
28:36
Overlook in April. So know that this happens.
28:41
Be prepared. Have bear spray. Have it readily
28:44
accessible. Know how to use it. Never keep it
28:47
buried in your backpack. Always have it on your
28:49
person. I will have better trail alerts soon.
28:52
So that leads me to my truck of the week, Ferry
28:56
Falls and Grand Prismatic Overlook. So with the
28:58
roads opening this week, there should be no surprise
29:00
that I'm recommending a trail on the park's interior.
29:03
While the hikes in the Northern Range are awesome
29:05
right now, there's a path for you to wander that
29:08
perfectly encapsulates the gorgeousness of the
29:10
geyser basins. That trail is of course the Grand
29:13
Prismatic Overlook and Ferry Falls Trail. In
29:16
previous years, this area would be closed still,
29:19
despite the roads being open, due to it being
29:21
in a bare management area. A year or two ago,
29:24
the park shifted the bear management area away
29:26
from here, and now the area is hikeable. Before
29:29
I jump into the trail review, please know that
29:31
I'm writing and recording this before the roads
29:33
open. There is a very, very, very small chance
29:36
that the Grand Prismatic Overlook trail will
29:37
be closed. But based on the snowpack this year,
29:40
and the fact that I saw an interior season employee
29:43
posting pictures from the overlook a few days
29:45
ago, I'm operating under the assumption that
29:48
it's going to be open. Begin by crossing the
29:51
Firehole River Bridge and following the historic
29:53
Fountain Freight Road, once known as National
29:56
Park Avenue, tracing the southern edge of Midway
29:59
Geyser Basin. Almost immediately, look to your
30:02
right for one of Yellowstone's crown jewels,
30:04
Grand Prismatic Spring. Now this enormous hot
30:07
spring spans more than 370 feet across and plunges
30:11
to a depth of 120 feet, making it the largest
30:14
in the US and the second largest worldwide. It's
30:17
vivid colors from a deep blue center fading outwards
30:20
into fiery orange, red, and lush green steamed
30:22
from heat -loving bacteria that thrive in temperatures
30:26
as high as 167 degrees Fahrenheit. Early park
30:30
visitors described its brilliance as so dazzling
30:32
that the eye cannot endure it. Now while you're
30:36
walking you're gonna see that steam but you're
30:39
not really gonna see Grand Prismatic itself.
30:43
Even if you walk the boardwalk, you're not going
30:45
to get a full view of it. The boardwalk is gorgeous,
30:49
but it's not the overlook, and you really need
30:52
to go to the overlook to understand how amazing
30:55
Grand Prismatic is. To reach the overlook it's
30:58
pretty simple you walk that old road there's
31:01
some signs and a hill on the left side to go
31:03
up walk up that hill and you're going to be at
31:06
the overlook the hill is a little steep and those
31:08
not used to the elevation in the park or hiking
31:11
may struggle a bit just keep going however i
31:15
do have one little bit or one little tip it's
31:18
going to be tempting to kind of sneak a peek
31:20
off to your right as you're climbing that hill
31:22
don't do it Avoid looking at Grand Prismatic
31:26
until you're all the way at the top into that
31:30
overlook area and then you get to see the whole
31:32
thing for the first time from the overlook that
31:34
was designed by the park for like maximum awesomeness.
31:38
Do that. The view from the overlook is worth
31:41
it alone. Like, if you only go up to the overlooking
31:44
back, that is fantastic and great. and honestly,
31:49
like, it's one of my favorite viewpoints. Another
31:51
thing I do recommend doing, I know I'm just kind
31:53
of ranting here, is the average visitor, I sat
31:56
up here for an hour once and timed people, the
31:59
average visitor spends about 35 seconds at the
32:02
Grand Prismatic Overlook, turns around and leaves.
32:05
Spend longer than that. I can't stress this enough.
32:09
It's not enough time to walk up to some place,
32:13
look at it for a couple seconds, then turn around
32:15
and leave. Really stay there and appreciate it.
32:17
look around do you see any animals and trees
32:19
do you see you know any birds flying how is the
32:22
steam how are the clouds take some time and appreciate
32:25
it because you never know when you're going to
32:27
get back so once you're done hike down the other
32:31
side of the trail and get back on the road and
32:33
continue away from where you parked at about
32:36
one mile from where you parked or from the trailhead
32:38
the trail veers left from the old road and slips
32:42
into a forest that tells a dramatic story of
32:44
renewal For the next mile or so, you're going
32:47
to be walking through the old burn scar from
32:50
the 1988 fire that burned a huge amount of the
32:53
park. Today, you can hardly tell that something
32:56
happened there aside from the uniformity of the
32:58
trees, but keep an eye out for the rustles of
33:01
animals here. You're going to maybe see... I've
33:04
seen a moose here. It's crazy. I know people
33:07
have seen bears. So keep an eye out and just
33:10
enjoy this section. It's going to be in the woods
33:11
and it's great. You're gonna reach the waterfall
33:15
about a mile and a half from where you turned
33:19
onto this trail, and that is Fairy Falls. Water
33:23
from Fairy Creek cascades nearly 200 feet off
33:26
the Madison Plateau into a serene pool below.
33:30
Named during the 1871 Hayden survey for its graceful
33:33
descent, Fairy Falls is a picture -perfect display
33:36
of nature's delicate yet powerful force. Just
33:40
a half mile from Ferry Falls is a place that
33:42
few people go to comparatively when looking at
33:45
the overlook or even Ferry Falls, and this is
33:48
the Imperial Geyser Basin. To reach the Imperial
33:51
Geyser Basin, follow a sometimes swampy, sometimes
33:54
muddy trail away from the falls and creek. It
33:57
leads to Imperial Geyser. In the 1920s, Imperial
34:01
Geyser had 80 -foot eruptions that came from
34:05
a hundred foot crater that captivated visitors
34:07
and even inspired a naming contest. Although
34:10
Imperial Geyser now simmers quietly, its bubbling
34:13
overflow still commands attention. The short
34:16
walk along the runoff channel leads you to Spray
34:19
Geyser, which is a smaller yet consistently active
34:22
wonder that shoots up to six feet in the air
34:24
through multiple vents. For those feeling adventurous,
34:28
wander around it there's also some like mud pots
34:31
that are bubbling it's great and for even more
34:33
adventure consider hiking up the steep trail
34:36
that ascends from the base of imperial geyser
34:38
basin and then you have this like bird's eye
34:41
view of imperial out to fairy falls and all around
34:45
it's a little slick as far as like loose dirt
34:48
and rock but it's really worth it now this hike
34:52
offers a front -row seat to Yellowstone's dynamic
34:55
contrast from boiling colorful springs and steaming
34:59
overlooks to fire -forged forests reborn with
35:01
life and waterfalls and mud pots and water just
35:05
spraying out of the ground and scenic views.
35:08
Every twist and turn here reveals another chapter
35:11
in this ever -changing natural masterpiece that
35:13
we know as Yellowstone. The total distance to
35:16
Imperial and back is about seven miles and roughly
35:19
400 feet of elevation gain. That's it for this
35:23
week in the next episode next week I'll return
35:25
with all the information you need to have a good
35:28
week in the park that includes the wildlife weather
35:30
and trail updates Until then book a tour with
35:33
me pick up a guidebook of mine and happy trails
35:37
Abrupt ending This week in Yellowstone is brought
35:50
to you by the Outdoor Society, that's my company.
35:53
It's just me, I do this, it's a labor of love.
35:55
If you like it, tell your friends, rate and review
35:58
it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening
36:01
and I hope to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright
36:04
2026, baby!