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This Week in Yellowstone: July 10th to July 16th, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where summer heat
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is making everyone crave huckleberry ice cream
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at Old Faithful. This is that Scott guy you know
0:07
and love with another episode of This Week in
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Yellowstone. What's up everybody? This week in
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Yellowstone National Park from July 10th through
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July 16th, I share the June visitation statistics,
0:29
let you know of a mountain to summit for all
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those hikers out there, give you a quick history
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of a side road between West Yellowstone and Old
0:36
Faithful, and let you know of a lesser known
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stunning view at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
0:42
I'll also give you the complete weather forecast,
0:45
wildlife report, and everything else you need
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to have an incredible time this week in Yellowstone.
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Standard disclaimer here I might miss a few details
0:53
so feel free to reach out with any questions
0:55
you may have. I also mentioned park locations
0:58
casually so if you're unfamiliar a quick search
1:00
can help. Also This podcast is a passion project.
1:05
I'm not paid or sponsored. So if you enjoy it,
1:08
reach out, let me know. Or if you'd like to support
1:10
me more, you can check out my guidebooks on hiking
1:13
and wildlife watching or join me for a guided
1:16
Yellowstone hiking tour. And you can get information
1:18
on the books and the hiking tours at outdoor
1:20
society dot com. So this week's Yellowstone news,
1:26
June visitation. Yellowstone National Park welcomed
1:29
928, 250 ,000 recreation visits in June of 2025,
1:35
marking a slight 1 % increase from June of 2024,
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which saw over 914 ,000 visitors. That's obviously
1:45
quite a lot. This June's total was just under
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the record from June 2021, which was 938 ,845.
1:56
And while June visitation remains steady, overall
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2025 numbers are still trending upwards. By the
2:03
end of June, Yellowstone had hosted 1 .69 million
2:07
recreation visitors, which is a 4 % increase
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from the same time period in 2024 and a 6 % rise
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from the record visitation year of 2021. So despite
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recent growth, 2021 still holds the record for
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Yellowstone National Parks visitation for the
2:25
year with more than 4 .8 million visits. It's
2:28
going to be very interesting to see if 2025 can
2:31
stay ahead of 2021's numbers. In other news,
2:35
the bison rut. I mentioned this in great detail
2:38
in last week's episode. The bison rut is upon
2:40
us and will be picking up in the coming days
2:42
and weeks in Hayden and Lamar valleys. So when
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traveling through these regions, expect traffic
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delays that are going to be quite substantial
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and be aware that backups and bison on the roads
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are going to be very common. Bison bulls are
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also going to be super aggressive during this
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time, so be alert at all times when hiking and
3:01
even in your car. Also, it should go without
3:04
saying but never approach a bison during the
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rut or not during the rut just don't get near
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one All right. That's all the news. There's nothing
3:12
really going on Which is good, right is as I
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think the saying goes no news is good news and
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this doesn't even be ignoring news There's just
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not a lot going on. So my experience of the week
3:24
go beyond artist point Artist Point is one of
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the most breathtaking viewpoints in Yellowstone
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National Park, offering a dramatic overlook of
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the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. From this
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spot on the South Rim Drive, you'll get a spectacular
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view of the 308 foot lower falls as it thunders
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into the deep canyon below. The cliffs around
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the river are painted in vibrant hues of yellow,
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red, and orange, and they create a stunning natural
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canvas that draws visitors year -round. The short,
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paved path to the overlook is easy and accessible,
3:57
making it a great stop for all ages and abilities.
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While many will take this trip, the one I just
4:04
described, there is an added little trek that
4:07
gives more adventurous hikers an even more impressive
4:10
view of the canyon. So once you've enjoyed seeing
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the falls from Artist Point, walk the Point Sublime
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Clear Lake Ribbon Trail and head downriver on
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the Canyon Rim. Your journey won't be long, but
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it's going to be extremely memorable and stunning.
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Your goal is to hike the trail to the Ribbon
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Lake Artist Point Connector Trail, which is just
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three quarters of a mile from Artist Point. While
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short, the trail will gain 200 feet in elevation
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on loose dirt one way, so be aware that it's
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not a flat, easy trail like that paved path at
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Artist Point. Now you may be wondering why I'm
4:48
telling you to hike this. The answer is simple.
4:51
an unrivaled, raw, open view of the canyon. While
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you won't see the waterfall from the trail, you
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will see an unobstructed view of the canyon and
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the river. There are no guardrails here. There
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are no safety precautions or signs either. It's
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just you, the trail, and the edge of the canyon.
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Sure, you have good views elsewhere on the more
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established canyonderm trail, and there's easy
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-to -reach spots all around, but this section
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feels more natural. It feels like the park before
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it was the park. Now I'm recommending this knowing
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that some will say me sharing this spot is slightly
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irresponsible, as this area does have a much
5:33
higher risk of an accident of people trying to
5:36
take unique pictures or something. But I'm trusting
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that the listeners of this podcast understand
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the risks associated with standing on loose rocks
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and dirt near the rim of a canyon. Do not take
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any risks that will lead to a slide or a fall
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as it will probably lead to your death. Stay
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on the trail, enjoy the views, and be smart and
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definitely do this trail if you want to. Like
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I said, be smart, be safe. My tip of the week.
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How to find parking at the popular spots. If
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you're visiting the park this week, chances are
6:12
you're going to encounter crowds and parking
6:14
issues at the popular area. Because of this,
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I will briefly give a few tips on how to avoid
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them, and I know I've talked about this in previous
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episodes, but I feel the need to repeat myself
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with this as this is extremely relevant for those
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visiting the park this week. Earlier this week,
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I started a tour of the popular trailhead of
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Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic. At 7 a .m. The
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parking area was so empty that I could have parked
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on the pavement right by the trailhead and not
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in the overflow parking lot Because Sun rises
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currently around 6 a .m It was already very light
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out and dozens of bluebirds were flying around
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and sitting in the trees There were only a handful
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of people there By noon when we returned from
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the tour out to Imperial Falls and beyond the
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parking lot was packed There are people parking
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on the road a mile from the trailhead to hike
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to Ferry Falls or to the Grand Prismatic Overlook.
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As I stood by my car after the tour, changing
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shoes and having a snack, traffic stacked up
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as people waited for me to leave from my spot.
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This scene plays out at every single popular
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spot in Yellowstone, especially during the summer.
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But only during the day. In the early morning
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and evening hours, the park's crowds thin out
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and calm once again returns. That is why I'm
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repeating myself and will continue to repeat
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myself. If you can, avoid the well -known bucket
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list sites in Yellowstone from 9am until 4 or
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5pm. If you really want to avoid what some call
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Yellowstone's controlled chaos, wake up super
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early or go to places when everyone else is thinking
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about dinner. Trust me. This works, and it's
8:03
worth it. Pack a lunch, be prepared to do those
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things in the early morning or late evening,
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and you are going to have a much more calm, much
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more secluded area. It's not going to be empty,
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but it's gonna not be super crowded either. My
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random Yellowstone Fact of the Week. The history
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of the Firehole Canyon Drive. Between Madison
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Junction and Old Faithful, there's a side road
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that has been captivating drivers and visitors
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for nearly a century. Known for stunning river
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views, eroded lava rocks, and a few waterfalls
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and cascades, Firehole Canyon Drive is a road
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you need to check out when you're in this corner
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of the park. Now before I jump into it, please
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note that trailers, buses, and RVs of any size
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are not permitted on Firehole Canyon Drive. Also,
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it's important to know that while Most of the
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route descriptions you're going to find online
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say that Firehole Canyon has a swimming area.
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The area is closed this year and might be closed
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for a long time. Some people say that it's closed
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because there's an osprey nest right by the swimming
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area. But even before the osprey nest was built
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by those birds, the park wasn't always too thrilled
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about having to monitor and maintain the swimming
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hole. I personally will not be surprised if the
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swimming area never reopens, as it was a bit
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of a nightmare for park staff. So, Firehole Canyon
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Drive. The road is short, just 2 .2 miles in
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length, but it packs some very good views in
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its short length. Places like Rhinoceros Rock,
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the lower and middle Firehole Cascades, and Firehole
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Falls will dazzle. while that osprey nest I mentioned
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earlier will give you potential for some cool
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glimpses into the region's airborne wildlife.
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While I could wax poetic about the highlights
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of the road, I want to share the history of this
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route as it's quite unique. In 1909, the U .S.
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Army Corps of Engineers set out on a task to
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build a road through this canyon. A year later,
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they abandoned the mission as the instability
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of the walls and rocks made their efforts seem
10:09
pointless. For a decade and a half, The route
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was used sparingly until the National Park Service
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decided in 1925 and 1926 to fix up the road and
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use it as the main road for those heading into
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the park. It opened up to traffic in 1928, but
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as soon as it opened, it was plagued by rock
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falls and all sorts of other things that required
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constant maintenance by park staff. However,
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they kept using it. In 1959, everything changed.
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On August 17, 1959, at 11 .37 p .m., a magnitude
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7 .2 earthquake rocked the region, causing serious
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destruction. The earthquake caused a huge landslide,
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it resulted in over 28 fatalities, and had the
10:59
equivalent of causing $119 million of damage.
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It was $11 million in 1959, that's $119 million
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today. The slide also blocked the flow of the
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Madison River, resulting in the creation of Quake
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Lake. It also did a lot more, but I'm going to
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talk about that in August when we celebrate that
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anniversary. So on Firehole Canyon Drive, the
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earthquake caused significant damage, resulting
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in the road being closed and a reroute, the current
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main road that you drive between Madison and
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Old Faithful, to be opened in 1960. Once the
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canyon road was cleaned up, It was reopened as
11:36
a single lane side road that you can drive today.
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So next time you're driving that, just know like
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this used to be the main road and it was not
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fun to fix up. And they decided only only after
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a seven point two earthquake to be like, yeah,
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we could maybe build a better road. The weather
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for the coming week, Lamar Valley. This week
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the weather in Lamar looks pretty good through
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the weekend. Expect highs in the 70s and low
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80s and lows in the upper 30s and 40s. There
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is a 15 % chance of rain on Thursday and a 25
12:12
% chance on Friday. The weather shifts on Monday
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and highs will be in the 70s and lows in the
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40s with a 43 % chance of thunderstorms and rain
12:21
expected. Tuesday is going to be cooler as well,
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about the same as Monday. Wednesday, things look
12:28
to calm down a little with highs in the 70s,
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lows in the 40s, and a 25 % chance of rain. Gardener.
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Things are pretty calm in Gardener this coming
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week. Expect highs in the 70s and 80s through
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the weekend with lows in the 40s. On Monday,
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there's a chance of thunderstorms and rain. Then
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things relax on Tuesday and Wednesday with only
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a 20 % chance of rain. In West Yellowstone, West
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Yellowstone is going to be pretty consistent
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the next seven days. Expect highs in the 80s,
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lows in the 40s, with an increased chance of
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thunderstorms on Monday through Wednesday. In
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Cody, expect highs in the 80s or low 90s on Thursday
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and a low in the 50s. Then Friday will be much
13:09
cooler with a forecasted high of just under 70
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and a low of 50. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday
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will have highs around 90, then Tuesday will
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be cooler. Expect highs in the 60s or 70s for
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Tuesday and Wednesday, with a decent chance of
13:21
rain or thunderstorms. Road Conditions All major
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roads and side roads are open right now in and
13:29
around Yellowstone National Park. This includes
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Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway. If you
13:35
want up -to -date information on the roadways,
13:37
you can call 307... 344 -2117 for recorded information,
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or you can get text alerts on your phone by texting
13:45
the number 82190 to the number 888 -777. Camping
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information. Every campground in the park that
13:58
is going to open this year is open. Pretty much
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all of them are full and have no opportunities
14:03
to get a campsite if you don't already have a
14:05
reservation. Wildlife watching right now is a
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little bit of a thing of luck. It's warm, and
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when it's warm, wildlife is not as active. As
14:18
always, I'm telling you to go mainly to two or
14:20
three places. Those two or three places, Lamar
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Valley, Hayden Valley, and out towards the northeast
14:26
entrance. If you go out toward Hayden Valley,
14:31
you're gonna see the bison. You may see some
14:33
grizzly bears in the distance, and you might
14:36
potentially see wolves, but they're becoming
14:38
less and less frequently spotted out there. If
14:41
you go to Lamar, you're going to see bison, obviously.
14:44
You're going to see wolves around Slough Creek
14:47
and Lamar, and you might see some bears off in
14:50
the distance. If you want to see black bears,
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drive from Mammoth to Tower and then Tower to
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Canyon. maybe Canyon to Hayden and back and if
15:01
you do that early morning late evening there
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will be some bears probably there I have a decent
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luck seeing at least one black bear a day now
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if you want better grizzly sightings or bighorn
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sheep sightings you can either go to calcite
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Springs by tower and look across the canyon through
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with binoculars and maybe see some bighorn sheep
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or you can go up toward the east entrance and
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there might be some there People have also been
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seeing some mountain goats a baronet peak out
15:30
toward the northeast entrance. There's been a
15:33
few moose sightings here and there around floating
15:36
Island Lake and then Out towards the northeast
15:40
entrance as well. There's been some decent grizzly
15:42
sightings. So you could head out there if you
15:44
really want to see it otherwise Drive around
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see what you see But know that if you're only
15:50
driving around looking for wildlife, basically
15:53
after 10am and before 4pm, you're probably not
15:57
going to have a ton of luck seeing some of those
16:00
more hard to see creatures. You'll see bison,
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you'll see pronghorn, you'll see elk, things
16:05
like that. But wolves and bears are a lot harder
16:07
to see during the heat of the day. So know that,
16:10
drive around, put in the time, and if you do
16:13
it well and go to those places I suggested, you
16:15
should have pretty good luck. So if you love
16:18
what you hear on this podcast and want more information
16:20
on wildlife watching or hiking You can pick up
16:23
a copy of my wildlife watching guidebook or my
16:25
hiking guidebook to the Greater Yellowstone region
16:27
By heading over to my website outdoor -society
16:31
.com You could also buy them through Amazon,
16:33
but you're just giving billionaires money. So,
16:35
you know, don't do that How about small companies?
16:38
Other than that both my books come in ebook or
16:42
paperback format and ebooks I immediately send
16:46
out the minute I see the email I may be out of
16:50
service so I do them all manually if you've ordered
16:53
things and you're like oh that took a little
16:55
bit it's because I do them all manually so thank
16:58
you for ordering and if you like it uh pick up
17:01
a book all right trail alerts and updates currently
17:06
as of the time of this recording all trails that
17:09
are supposed to be open in the park this year
17:11
are open Trails and bear management areas are
17:14
starting to open up and as far as I could tell,
17:18
everything is pretty good to go if you're interested
17:21
in it. But if you need to double check information
17:24
on some more remote hikes, go to the backcountry
17:27
conditions page of Yellowstone National Park
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and you can get all the information you need
17:31
or you can talk to rangers when you're there.
17:34
My truck of the week, Avalanche Peak. Avalanche
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Peak is one of Yellowstone National Park's most
17:41
rewarding high country hikes, especially those
17:44
looking for a short but steep adventure with
17:47
incredible summit views. Located near the east
17:50
entrance, this out and back trail is about 4
17:52
.2 miles round trip, but don't let that mileage
17:55
fool you. This trail climbs over 2 ,000 feet
18:00
in two miles. It's steep, it's a serious workout
18:03
right from the beginning, and if you're not used
18:06
to going to elevation, it's pretty hard. So the
18:10
trail starts near the easy to miss Eleanor Lake
18:12
out of that east entrance side and within a few
18:15
steps you're ascending through dense lodgepole
18:18
pine forests and early on the path might be a
18:22
little shaded and cool especially in the morning
18:23
but it doesn't last long. Trees thin out and
18:27
they give way to kind of this grassy alpine meadow
18:30
area scattered with wildflowers, lingering snow
18:33
patches hidden, marmots, you know, all of the
18:37
great high -alpine things you want, and it is
18:39
a beautiful distraction from the steady climb.
18:42
As you gain elevation, the views begin to open
18:44
up even more, with glimpses of Yellowstone Lake
18:47
and the vast Absaroka Mountains in the distance.
18:50
Above the treeline, the hike transitions into
18:53
a wide open wind -swept alpine slope and the
18:56
terrain becomes a little more challenging. The
18:58
final push to the summit involves a stretch of
19:01
loose rocky scree and talus, and that's a mix
19:03
of gravel and broken chunks of rock that shift
19:06
underfoot. This section requires careful footing
19:09
and patience, especially on the way down. While
19:12
it's not a technical climb at all, trekking poles
19:15
can be very helpful here for stability. The trail
19:18
also becomes more exposed the higher up you get,
19:21
with some steep drop -offs along certain portions
19:23
of the ridge. It's not a knife -edge trail, but
19:27
those with a fear of heights may feel uneasy
19:29
in places. Wind is also almost guaranteed near
19:32
the summit, so be prepared for strong gusts and
19:35
with that comes cooler temperatures. The summit
19:39
of Avalanche Peak sits around 10 ,568 feet above
19:43
sea level, and from here you're rewarded with
19:46
jaw -dropping panoramic views that include the
19:48
Absaroka, Yellowstone Lakes, Sylvan Pass, and
19:51
even glimpses all the way out to the Tetons on
19:53
a clear day. It's one of those summits where
19:56
you're going to go up there and it's going to
19:58
be hard, and then You won't want to leave even
20:01
though the wind may be whipping or the flies
20:03
may be bad because it's so beautiful up there.
20:05
Every direction is stunning and make sure you
20:08
don't just look in one. Take some time and spend
20:11
minutes, tens of minutes looking in every direction.
20:16
So this hike is best done mid to late summer
20:18
as snow can linger on the upper slopes well into
20:21
July. Bring plenty of water, layers for wind
20:24
and cold, and be prepared for afternoon thunderstorms,
20:27
which are very common here at higher elevations.
20:30
And as always in Yellowstone, stay bear aware.
20:33
Avalanche Peak is prime grizzly country, so bring
20:36
bear spray and hike in groups if possible. You'll
20:39
see people going up there without bear spray,
20:41
and I don't say this lightly, but that's kind
20:43
of idiocy. When the bears are up there, they
20:47
are feasting and they are pretty ornery. So bring
20:51
bear spray, make lots of noise. You'll be fine.
20:53
But don't go unprepared. Finally, if you're up
20:58
for a short, steep and unforgettable alpine adventure,
21:00
you know, Avalanche Peak delivers. Just be ready
21:03
to earn those sweeping summit views with some
21:05
serious effort and some loose rock under your
21:08
shoes and maybe some dirt and smaller rocks in
21:10
your shoes. All right. Next week. In next week's
21:16
episode, I return with all the information you
21:18
need to have a good week in the park, including
21:20
wildlife, weather, and trail updates. Until then,
21:24
this was a short episode, and I don't know how
21:26
that happened, but happy trails and I'll talk
21:29
to you all next week! This week in Yellowstone
21:41
is brought to you by the Outdoor Society because
21:43
that's my company and that's where this is hosted
21:46
There are no sponsors. This is a labor of love.
21:49
So thank you all for listening copyright 2025,
21:53
baby