Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: November 13th to November 19th, 2025

Transcript

This Week in Yellowstone: November 13th to November 19th, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where the unseasonably
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warm weather may finally be leaving the region
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and snow may start to fall again This is that
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Scott guy you know and love with a brand new
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episode of this week in Yellowstone What's up
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everybody? This week in Yellowstone National
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Park, from November 13th through November 19th,
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2025, I'll let you know why you should be excited
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about the colder, wetter weather in the forecast,
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share a secret waterfall in Lamar Valley, give
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tips on how to see mountain goats, and even try
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to get you on a hike to a remote suspension bridge
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over the Yellowstone River. It's probably not
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the one you're thinking though. I'll also give
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you the complete weather forecast, the snowpack
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update, the wildlife report, the news, and everything
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else you need to have an incredible time this
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week in Yellowstone. As always, my standard disclaimer,
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I might miss a few details here and there. I
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also mention park locations very casually, so
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if you're unfamiliar with anything I say, a quick
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search on your favorite search engine can help,
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or you can just reach out to me directly. This
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report also only covers the drivable areas of
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the park, which is at Northern Side. Also, this
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podcast is the passion project. I'm not paid
1:22
or sponsored. If you enjoy it, I'd love a review
1:25
or a quick email. And if you want to support
1:27
my work further, you can check out my guidebooks
1:29
on hiking and wildlife watching in Yellowstone,
1:31
or you can join me for a guided Yellowstone hiking
1:34
tour. For more information, you can reach out
1:37
via outdoor -society .com or contact me directly.
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This week's Yellowstone news the government shutdown
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is over. Maybe um I'm recording this on Wednesday,
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November 12th at 2 p .m. Montana Standard Time.
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I know it's Mountain Standard Time. It's more
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fun to say Montana Standard Time And there is
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really no news Theoretically the shutdown should
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be ending later this evening Don't know if it
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will so I'm just assuming it will if it's not
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then the shutdown continues if it's over What
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can you expect that to mean in the park? Not
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a lot. Services will return to some degree, but
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services didn't really close in the park right
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now. The biggest thing that's happening to park
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staff in Yellowstone, loss of wages, working
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without wages, everything like that. Hopefully
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this is all resolved. They get back pay and we
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can move on and hopefully never have another
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shutdown again. Not much else is going to change
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in the park bathrooms are still going to be clean
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roads are going to be maintained Visitor centers
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are going to be open all of those things. So
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if you're headed to the park and the government
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shutdown is over It's going to be the same November
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is the least visited month. There's not a lot
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open So don't expect much to be like open and
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have tons of Rangers everywhere It's kind of
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our lull in the season along those same lines
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There was a news article, I think I referenced
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it a couple weeks ago, about how park behavior
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is awful and how a guide witnessed a bear jam
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in the park and there were no rangers around
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and they said that if there were Rangers around
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the bear jam wouldn't have happened and the reason
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Rangers aren't around is because the government
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shut down and I just I know I mentioned it before
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and I've just keep seeing this news article get
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passed around and I want to mention it again
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Bear jams wolf jams bison jams happen all the
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time in the park a Lot of the time there are
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no Rangers there a few years ago in May There
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is a bear jam up by tower. There were three Grizzlies
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right there I was stuck not moving for an hour
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and a half. No one showed up. The park was fully
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open. The park was staffed. The issue for that
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is the park is chronically understaffed. We're
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constantly underfunded. And those are the things
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we need to be talking about, not just highlighting
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the bad things that happened during the shutdown.
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Yes, that's not a great thing to have happen.
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But it happens even when the park is open and
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there isn't a government shutdown. So we need
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to focus on how can we get more rangers all the
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time with good salaries and everything like that?
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That's the more important conversation. I just
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don't like to constantly see these click baity
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articles spread around and kind of tarnish the
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image. Alright, that is my rant, very quick,
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I actually recorded one that was longer, deleted
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it, and then summarized everything. So that brings
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me to the experience of the week, which is watching
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winter maybe actually start, possibly. After
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a few spurts and teases, just like sitting and
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waiting for an old faithful eruption, it appears
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like winter weather, or at least real fall weather,
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is going to be coming to Yellowstone National
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Park this week. I'll go into the details of the
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weather forecast in the weather section of this
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episode, but the gist is this. Colder, wetter,
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snowier weather is anticipated for this weekend
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and the coming week. Now, this isn't going to
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be some epic storm that dumps feet of snow on
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us. Instead, it's a return to normal, whatever
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that means. As I type up this report, it's 66
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degrees in my town just north of the park. It's
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far too warm and balmy for November. There is
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snow in the mountains? but only a little, and
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people are walking around in shorts and t -shirts
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and constantly commenting about how warm it is.
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There is a chill in there in the evening, but
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it honestly feels like May out here, which is
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not good. It should be frigid. It should be cold.
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It should be snowy. And that is why, looking
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at the forecast, I and many of my fellow locals
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are excited. So if you do find yourself in the
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park this week, you get to hopefully watch the
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final transitional period between warm weather
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and the colder temperatures and snowier days
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we need out here. If you're visiting this week,
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you'll have more clouds, some rain, and maybe
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even some snow falling across the landscape.
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Again, it's not going to be super serious and
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a worrisome winter storm, it's just more seasonally
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appropriate weather. When this time of the year
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rolls around, I like to be in the park as it
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starts to shift. Seeing the darker clouds on
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the western horizon heading toward me as the
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wind picks up and the temperature drops, it's
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about as primal a feeling as one can have. I
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sincerely hope it starts to actually snow in
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the park this week, with flakes falling on the
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handful of cars driving between Cook City and
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Gardner, transforming the landscape. Now, how
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is this the experience of the week? Well, since
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you'll be in the park on less than perfect weather
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days, I want you to know how good it is to have
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this weather. Being in the park for a transition
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between warm days and cold is always memorable.
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The animals may be moving the lower ground and
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could be more active. The mountains will get
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wider with snow and become more dynamic and dramatic.
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If enough snow falls, footprints and pads of
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wildlife will be visible in every corner of the
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park, letting you see how active the landscape
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truly is. You'll have a chance to walk on trails,
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be it long or short. or short, as snowflakes
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potentially come tumbling down, sticking on the
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summer growth of the sage. The cold and wet will
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not only dampen the landscape, but it also dampens
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the sounds of the region, giving you a true sense
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of quiet in the wilds of the park. It may sound
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like I'm saying to make lemonade out of lemons,
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but days like the ones in the forecast this coming
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week are some of my favorites, and they seem
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to end on a chapter then start a new one and
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you know when you're reading a book and you're
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like okay that ends up with a conclusion and
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you turn the page and you're immediately hooked
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on what's next that's what this weather system
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could be doing it gives us hope and excitement
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for what is to come this winter now if you want
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to know exactly what parts of the park I enjoy
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on days like this feel free to reach out to me
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and I can direct you to some cool areas both
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roadside stops and hiking trails long and short
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Again, the experience is just to be in the park
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in November as the weather is changing. It's
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a cool time. Literally, figuratively, you know
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what I mean. My tip of the week. How to see mountain
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goats in Yellowstone in November. So mountain
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goats might look right at home in Yellowstone's
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rugged cliffs, but they actually don't belong
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here. According to the National Park Service,
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these sure -footed climbers are not native to
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the Yellowstone ecosystem. They are introduced
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in the nearby Absaroka and Madison mountain ranges
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in the 40s and 50s, primarily for hunting and
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recreational purposes. Over the decades, a few
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goats wandered into the park, and by the 90s,
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there are numerous breeding populations that
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had taken hold in Yellowstone's northeastern
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and northwestern corners. Surveys from the early
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2000s estimate around 100 to 200 goats living
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within the park, and the discovery of young kids
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confirmed that they were successfully reproducing
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there. While mountain goats are a popular site
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for visitors, biologists are keeping a close
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eye on their impact. The Wildlife Society notes
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that as non -native animals, goats could compete
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with native species like bighorn sheep for alpine
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vegetation and territory, potentially affecting
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the park's delicate ecosystem. Down in the Tetons,
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the mountain goats became such a problem that
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they hired snipers. Out in Olympic National Park,
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the introduced mountain goats became such a problem
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that they killed a bunch, and then they also
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airlifted some from Olympic National Park over
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to the North Cascades. So this is not just an
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isolated Yellowstone incident. While they're
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not native, they're still kind of cool to see.
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So if you're hoping to spot these white -coated
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climbers, there's one place that consistently
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delivers, and that's Baronet Peak. It's located
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near Yellowstone's northeast entrance, and the
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mountain rises above the Lamar Valley Corridor
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and offers some of the best goat viewing opportunities
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in the park. And I know that I say Lamar Valley
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Corridor, that's the easier way to say it. It's
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Soda Butte Creek and above that, but you know,
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I don't want to be too specific here. It's out
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toward Cook City. So from the roadside pullout
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you can scan the cliffs and rock faces with binoculars
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or a spotting scope and look for the goats bright
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white coats that often stand out against that
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dark volcanic rock. Many visitors describe baronet
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as a prime location for viewing these agile animals
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Especially during the quieter months and evening
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hours when the light is softer and the wildlife
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tends to be more active I agree with baronet
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being the absolute best place to see mountain
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goats. I see them all the time up there They're
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not the easiest things to spot because you're
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not right by the cliff. So you have to look But
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you can see them So a lot of guides recommend
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high powered optics to see the goats as they
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are not going to come close to the road here.
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They will be half mile away at the closest, probably
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a mile. So for the best luck, you're going to
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want to kind of just scan and focus your search
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on the only cliffside that you can see, right?
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And I usually start on the right side and I start
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at the top and go down and then move over a little
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bit and then go up. and then over and down and
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over and up and over and down, and you look for
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movement. Patience is key for spotting mountain
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goats here. It can take a while to spot movements
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on the rock. You're going to have to watch for
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flashes of white, slow climbing, or small grooves
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perched near ledges. With a little bit of snow,
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it makes seeing them even harder, so you're going
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to have to double check that every bit of white
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isn't just a snow patch. You can spend hours
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scanning the cliffs before finally spotting mountain
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goats here, but I would say 75 % of the time
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I stop I can see a mountain goat here and Because
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the terrain is so steep. You're gonna be seeing
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them from very far away again I want to emphasize
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this you're not going to be seeing them close
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You're not gonna get a good picture of them,
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but you get to see them way off in the distance
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Just doing their thing where humans are not impacting
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them And seeing mountain goats in Yellowstone
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feels like, you know, discovering one of the
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park's little secrets. Their presence may be
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controversial from an ecological standpoint,
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but there's no denying that the awe and joy one
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gets while seeing a mountain goat jumping around
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or running on a very steep cliffside is pure
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and amazing. If you're traveling through that
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corner, which you should, take some time, stop
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and scan. You never know. If you have some luck,
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some patience, and you work hard, you're going
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to be able to spot one of these mountain goats.
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And that's a cool thing. My random Yellowstone
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fact of the week. The waterfall in Lamar Valley.
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So Lamar Valley is world famous. Even if people
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don't know the name, they know the area, thanks
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largely to the wolf reintroduction that took
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place 30 years ago. Even before that, the valley
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was a thing of beauty and a well -known spot
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to see elk, bears, bison, bighorn sheep, coyotes,
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otters, badgers, and pretty much every type of
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wildlife in Yellowstone. Each year, over a million
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people easily flock to Lamar Valley, often having
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an unforgettable experience watching the animals
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of the park. With dozens of pullouts spread throughout
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the valley, one can pretty much see every nook
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and cranny of the region, helping the valley
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earn the name America's Serengeti. Despite Lamar
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Valley being an incredible and popular place,
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there are still secrets and hidden spots that
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only a handful of people know. This week, I'm
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sharing one of those secret spots. Now before
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I share it, I know that some will say that sharing
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locations like this will ruin them. Firstly,
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thanks for greatly overestimating the reach of
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this podcast. Second, The spot I'm mentioning
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used to be a popular spot for original park visitors,
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and then it fell by the wayside for more grand
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areas. Finally, the spot can be seen with binoculars
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or a spotting scope from a pullout, or it is
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only reached after a long hike off trail through
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the backcountry full of bears, bison, and other
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wildlife. It's not easy to get to, people won't
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get to it, but it's still cool to know that's
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there. Also, if you do want to get to it, I take
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guided tours there. It's awesome. I'll talk about
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that more. So, what place am I talking about?
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The place? Ferry's Fall. Now, I know what you're
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thinking. I know Ferry Falls. It's a popular
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waterfall and hike in the Geyser Basin. And you're
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right. Ferry Falls is a popular waterfall and
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hike near Grand Prismatic. That is Ferry Falls.
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This, in Lamar Valley, is Ferry's Fall. So, Ferry's
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Fall is a waterfall in Lamar Valley that, if
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you know where to look, you might just see it.
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You can also see it on my off -the -beaten -path
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Lamar River hiking tour, which I cannot recommend
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enough. So the following is an excerpt from Yellowstone
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Place Names by Leigh H. Whittleslee. The excerpt
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continues, in 1883, writer Herman Hopp Jr. used
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the name in his guidebook, apparently confident
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the visitors would see the falls using a tourist
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trail which passed just north of the falls along
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the south bank of the Lamar River. Obviously,
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Ferries Fall never captured the hearts of visitors
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to the park. Despite Herman Hobbs Jr.'s best
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efforts, other waterfalls and features took priority
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for those seen in Lamar Valley and elsewhere
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in the park, and the falls eventually became
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forgotten. Today, anyone searching online for
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information on Fairy's Fall will be inundated
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with information on Fairy Falls, but there's
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nothing on this waterfall that you can easily
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find. The only information I could easily find
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on this while searching on Google was from a
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video game called WolfQuest. which is the simulator
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game of the wild wolves of Yellowstone National
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Park. Other than that, it's listed in the book
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I referenced earlier and in a few other locations
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including some very old guidebooks. So where
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exactly is Fairy's Fall? If you stop at a pullout
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south of the Buffalo Ranch in Lamar Valley, you'll
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potentially be able to see it. You'll want to
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look across the valley for a stand of evergreen
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trees, a little set back on the other side of
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the Lamar River. You'll have Cottonwoods on your
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left side of the river, and then to the right
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of them will be the Evergreens. It is in the
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Evergreens, mostly bunched up along the shoreline
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where Ferry's Fall sits. If you look through
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there at the right angle, you can see the waterfall.
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And next time you're in the Marr Valley, just
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stop at that pullout and look across the way.
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Try and locate it, and then if you do, point
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it out to those who are with you. Let them know
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that the falls had once been a beloved enough
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spot to be mentioned in a guidebook in the 1880s.
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But today, no one really knows about it. So if
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you'd like to see the fairies fall, contact me
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and I'll happily hike out there with you. The
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hike I lead to get there is roughly 11 miles
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with 1 ,500 feet of gain and is full of bones,
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antlers, skulls, and experiences you get nowhere
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else in Yellowstone. You'll definitely want to
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take it if you really want to get to know Lamar
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Valley. And I know this is a plug for this hike,
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but I also wanted everybody to know that there's
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a waterfall out there. And knowing that there's
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a waterfall in Lamar should help plant a seed
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that even if you think you know the park well,
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there are still things out there that are waiting
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to be discovered by you. There's information
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online, there's books to read, there's old guidebooks,
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there's all of these resources where you will
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be able to discover Something new and I put discover
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in quotation marks because you're not discovering
18:14
it you're stumbling across it I don't know. I
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don't know the right word for that, but I want
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you to know of these things and I hope that it
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like Increases that desire to know more about
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the park to do more research to see what else
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is out there in Places that you feel you know
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really well because I'll be honest Ferris fall
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was unknown to me a decade ago I'd been to the
18:36
park so many times. I thought I knew everything
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And then I came across this waterfall in a book
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and was like, what is that? And it's awesome
18:44
that this is there because now I wonder what
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else have I just driven by, hiked by, hiked close
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to and not known that it's there. And it builds
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up this anticipation for further adventures in
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the park. So that's why I wanted to share it
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with you all. This week's weather forecast. The
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weather for the coming week in Lamar Valley.
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On Thursday, it's going to be decent. High of
19:10
53, low of 46. 4 % chance of precipitation. Friday,
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expect some rain. High of 46, low of 32. Maybe
19:20
a quarter inch of rain. Saturday looks to be
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okay again. 13 % chance of rain. High of 46,
19:26
low of 28. Then Sunday, things start to change.
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High of 46, low of 34. 60 % chance of rain. Monday...
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High of 40 low of 25 60 % chance of at least
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one inch of snow Tuesday high of 38 low of 20
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expect about a half inch of snow Wednesday 35
19:47
and 22 with at least two inches of snow and Then
19:51
it looks like the snow continues throughout the
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week That brings us to the weather in Gardner,
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Montana After a very warm Thursday of 56 and
20:01
a low of 39 Friday is going to be 49 and 34 46
20:06
% chance of rain or snow Probably rain. I don't
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know why they have snow there when the low is
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34 Saturday high of 49 low of 30 Sunday 48 and
20:16
36 with a 50 % chance of some rain Monday 42
20:20
and 27 47 % chance of a little bit of snow. Tuesday,
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40 and 22, 33 % chance of some snow. And then
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Wednesday, 37, 24, 50 % chance of at least an
20:33
inch of snow. Finally, Cook City, Montana. If
20:38
you know the weather, you know kind of what is
20:40
gonna happen. On Thursday, a high of 49, low
20:43
of 36, pretty sunny. Friday, high of 43, low
20:48
of 32. 86 % chance of rain or snow over a quarter
20:53
inch Saturday clears back up a little bit high
20:56
of 43 low of 27 17 % chance of precipitation
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Sunday high of 44 low of 33 55 % chance of some
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snow Monday high of 38 low of 24 an inch of snow
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Tuesday 35 and 19 with about a 34 percent chance
21:15
of a quarter inch of snow or more. And then Wednesday,
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32 and 21 with a 60 percent chance of over two
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inches of snow, which again, as I said off the
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top of this podcast, it's not a lot, but it's
21:27
good. We need it. We need this precipitation.
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We need it to be cold. And it's about time because
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we're almost to Thanksgiving. And speaking of
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why we need snow, here is the snowpack update.
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Currently, in the eastern central eastern part
21:44
of the park, it's about a 70 % of average snowpack
21:47
right now. And on the western side of the park,
21:50
it is a 53 % of average snowpack. Last year at
21:54
this time, the central and eastern side of the
21:58
park was about 60 % of normal. And the western
22:02
side of the park was about 75 % of normal. So
22:05
we kind of just flopped. But that was not a good
22:07
snow year either. So we need the snow. It's good
22:10
it's happening. Hopefully the forecast is wrong
22:13
and we get a lot more than they say. Road conditions.
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The only road open is the road between Gardner,
22:20
Montana and Cook City, Montana. Please be aware
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that this road can close at any time due to inclement
22:25
weather. For up -to -date information call 307
22:28
-344 -2117 for recorded information or you can
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do what we all do is sign up for text alerts
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on your cell phone by texting the number 82190
22:40
to the number 888 -777. Camping information.
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There's only one campground open in the park
22:48
right now and that's Mammoth Campground which
22:50
is open year round. So enjoy! the wildlife watching
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update. So wildlife watching wolf wise is pretty
23:00
hit and miss right now. There are some packs
23:03
hanging out around the specimen ridge area and
23:08
out around the hell roaring area, but they've
23:13
been like spotted occasionally, but not consistently.
23:16
And so it's been a little frustrating for wolf
23:20
watchers to find them. Early mornings have been
23:23
really good. The glare of the sun when it's been
23:25
sunny out has really limited views. So last time
23:28
I was there I stopped and it was just too bright
23:32
to see that far away. Nothing is super close
23:35
so you're really having to go through spotting
23:37
scopes and you're just picking up that glare.
23:39
Elsewhere in the park though, Mountain Goats
23:41
out by Baronet and also Round Prairie by Pebble
23:44
Creek Campground. I saw some people stopped over
23:47
there. There were some ermine running around
23:49
by that campground as well. Somebody told me
23:52
they had some good pictures so that was cool.
23:55
Bighorn Sheep are out of that north entrance
23:58
out by Yellowstone Hot Springs and Devil Slides.
24:02
If you know where that is, go check them out
24:04
there. Bison are kind of just meandering all
24:06
over. Got caught in a couple more bison jams.
24:09
And the pronghorn are starting to leave the park.
24:13
Coyotes are becoming a little more active, which
24:14
is nice to see. I've been seeing more of them
24:17
out in Lamar. I heard people have been seeing
24:20
some foxes out there too. Haven't had that luck
24:23
yet, but you know, you never know. Really what
24:27
I would recommend doing. this week if you're
24:30
coming, especially with kind of that change of
24:31
the weather, is early mornings and plan around
24:35
the weather. If visibility is low, just kind
24:39
of sit someplace where I've mentioned of looking
24:42
out towards Spessum Ridge, going out to Lamar,
24:44
going out by Hell Roaring, and just waiting until
24:47
there's some clearing and then try and scan.
24:50
And then you should probably be able to see something.
24:52
Other than that, you have one road to drive back
24:54
and forth on if you're really dead set on wildlife
24:56
watching. Early mornings are still the best.
24:59
Evenings are really good, too. There's some elk
25:01
still hanging around. Mammoth and Gardener. So
25:03
you'll get some really good views. There are
25:06
a couple of big elk hanging out where I'm trying
25:09
to think of what that area is called. Blacktail
25:11
Plateau area. They've been hanging out there.
25:14
That road is closed, but they've been coming
25:16
down near the road, just kind of lounging around,
25:19
still resting from their rut, I think. Other
25:22
than that, I wish I had more to say, wildlife
25:24
watching, but this hot weather has kind of made
25:27
everything a little more difficult. This coming
25:30
week should be more consistent, so really go
25:32
to those well -known spots that I've mentioned
25:34
and you should be good. Now if you do want more
25:38
information on wildlife watching I do have a
25:40
guidebook available That is based on my whole
25:43
lifetime of wildlife watching in Yellowstone
25:45
It's available in both ebook and paperback formats
25:48
ebook is just ten bucks and this book I wrote
25:51
it to try and help you spot wildlife like a season
25:53
local it's broken down by section of park and
25:57
Telling you what you probably will see in each
25:58
section if you look so If you like that idea,
26:02
consider buying the book from me on my website
26:04
at outdoor -society .com. You could buy it from
26:06
Amazon, but, you know, billionaires don't need
26:08
more money. Trail alerts and updates. There are
26:12
no official trail alerts this week. That is largely
26:16
due to the government shutdown, but also it's
26:18
the off season. We don't really get trail updates
26:20
on the website anymore. So just know that the
26:23
bears are still out. So always carry bear spray,
26:26
have it readily accessible, and know how to use
26:28
it. Talking about trails leads me to the truck
26:31
of the week. My truck of the week is the Blacktail
26:34
Deer Creek Trail. If you're looking for a Yellowstone
26:37
hike that still feels wild and quiet in November,
26:40
the Blacktail Deer Creek Trail is hard to beat.
26:42
It's also a mouthful to say I just learned. I
26:44
wrote this out, no problem. Blacktail Deer Creek
26:47
Trail. This trail winds through open meadows,
26:50
dips into forested draws, and eventually drops
26:53
down to the Yellowstone River, where a suspension
26:55
bridge gives you one of those wow moments that
26:58
make the effort totally worth it. The round trip
27:01
distance is about 8 miles with roughly 1100 feet
27:04
of elevation change, and all of that gain comes
27:08
on the way out. So know that you're hiking down,
27:10
then hiking up. According to National Park Service,
27:14
it's a solid half -day hike. I would say a half
27:20
day is a good time but you know with that elevation
27:23
gain with some maybe less than ideal footing
27:25
if it's wet you know plan a little longer than
27:27
that. The hike itself isn't too long but it's
27:29
not too short and it gives you a real taste of
27:31
the park's backcountry. The trail starts off
27:34
in Blacktail Plateau following a short hill up
27:38
and then it meanders through some gentle sage
27:41
meadows where you may see elk or bison grazing.
27:44
These meadows stretch out with big sky views
27:46
and crisp air that feels extra sharp as winter
27:48
approaches. In the early morning when it's below
27:51
freezing, the sage out here has a thin layer
27:54
of ice on it and it just adds to the beauty.
27:57
After about a mile or so, the trail begins to
28:00
descend following Blacktail Deer Creek through
28:03
stands of fir and juniper. In the fall, the light
28:06
filtering through the trees has that soft golden
28:08
glow. And with almost no other hikers around
28:11
this time of the year, it's easy to forget about
28:13
everything else except for the day. This is one
28:16
of the reasons why I'm recommending it this week.
28:18
There's a lot going on in the world. It's good
28:19
to escape. Eventually, the trail starts to drop
28:23
a little steeper, and you'll start to hear the
28:25
Yellowstone River before you see it. The deep
28:27
echoing sound gets louder with each step, teasing
28:30
you with a calming soundtrack. When you finally
28:32
break out above the river and step out onto the
28:35
suspension bridge, it's a breathtaking view.
28:38
The river cuts through the black canyon framed
28:40
by rugged slopes and potentially streaks of snow,
28:44
depending how the weather is. And if you're lucky,
28:46
you might spot bighorn sheep on the cliffs here,
28:49
bison roaming, elk strolling, or even a bald
28:51
eagle flying above the water. This part of the
28:54
trail feels worlds away from the road, and in
28:57
November, it's probably going to be just you,
29:00
the wind, and the river. At the suspension bridge,
29:04
you have a few options. You can just hang out
29:06
here for a bit and then hike back, or you can
29:09
add some distance and have a longer adventure.
29:11
This tends to be what I do. I add a little bit
29:14
more miles because, you know, I'm a sucker for
29:18
extending experiences in the wilderness. About
29:22
a half a mile from the bridge is Crevice Lake,
29:25
and then roughly a mile and a half from the bridge
29:27
is a chance to reach Knowles Falls. It's another
29:31
waterfall that I don't know if it really deserves
29:34
the name waterfall. It's a beautiful little cascade
29:38
along the Yellowstone River that pretty much
29:40
nobody else sees. Just know that no matter what
29:44
you choose to do, you still have to hike back.
29:47
And on the way back, it's pretty much all uphill.
29:50
One of the best parts about hiking this trail
29:52
in the late fall is the isolation. Since the
29:55
trek is roughly an eight mile round trip, adventure
29:58
and will have over a thousand feet of elevation
30:00
gain, fewer are going to hike this. And since
30:03
it's isolated, you're not going to, like I said,
30:06
you're not going to see other people, right?
30:08
But you may see signs of some of the more uncommon
30:10
wildlife to see on hikes. I've seen wolf tracks
30:13
out here. I've seen bear tracks, bear scat in
30:16
November. I've seen all sorts of different things
30:20
that make me just thrilled to be out there. And
30:23
while many will assume that bears are gone by
30:25
now, the black bears and grizzlies are still
30:27
around, especially in this region. This is a
30:30
known bear area. So carry bear spray, make noise,
30:35
travel in a group if you can, make noise, make
30:38
a lot of noise, and have that bear spray easily
30:41
accessible, ready to rock. Don't have it in a
30:44
backpack. All right. If you're going to give
30:47
this trail a go, I do want to say start early.
30:51
Days are short and the temperature drops fast
30:53
once the sun dips. It's always better to start
30:55
when it's cold and then be out as it warms up.
30:58
But even so, bring layers, plenty of water, plenty
31:03
of food, and maybe a thermos of something warm
31:05
for a break once you really need it if you get
31:08
too cold. Hiking down to the bridge and back
31:13
and seeing the Yellowstone River in a place very
31:15
few people see, it's just another way to appreciate
31:19
Yellowstone's northern range, which I cannot
31:22
speak highly enough about. It is one of my favorite
31:24
places to hike in the country. I've hiked in
31:26
Olympic, I've hiked in the Cascades, I've hiked
31:28
in Glacier, I've hiked in all these places, and
31:30
all of those are stunning, right? But... The
31:34
Northern Range of Yellowstone has a little of
31:36
everything, and this is a good taste of that,
31:39
especially if you go out to Knowles Falls. So
31:42
this week, the Blacktail Deer Creek Trail is
31:45
going to offer everything that makes hiking in
31:47
Yellowstone special. Solitude, sweeping views,
31:51
wildlife potential, and that quiet sense of awe
31:54
that comes when the crowds are gone and winter
31:56
is just around the corner. This trail is a reminder
31:59
that even after the roads start to close, There's
32:04
still a lot of magic waiting on the trail. Now
32:07
if you want more hikes, I have a hiking guidebook,
32:10
outdoor -society .com, ebook format $10, paperback
32:14
formats available as well. I cannot recommend
32:17
it enough, it is full of my favorite hikes in
32:20
the area, so if you enjoy the hikes I recommend,
32:23
you'll want to pick that up. With that, that
32:26
concludes this week's episode. Next week I'll
32:28
return with all the information you need to have
32:30
a good week in the park, including the wildlife
32:32
update, weather forecast, trail updates, and
32:36
all of the weird facts I decide to bring you.
32:40
Thank you for listening. I can't believe we are
32:42
almost done with this year. I was looking. We
32:44
only have a few more episodes for the year. So
32:46
if there's anything you want me to talk about,
32:48
reach out to me. If you are interested in picking
32:51
up a 2026 calendar from me, those are available
32:55
for sale. Reach out to me. I can give you the
32:57
link. This year's theme is a little bit of Uniqueness,
33:03
I decided to focus on elk antlers, skulls, bones,
33:09
those sorts of things that you see out while
33:11
hiking in Yellowstone's backcountry. That's my
33:13
calendar for the year, so you can pick that up
33:16
just by reaching out to me. Until next week,
33:20
thank you so much for listening. Happy trails!
33:32
This week in Yellowstone is brought to you by
33:35
the Outdoor Society because that's my company
33:37
and that's where this is hosted There are no
33:39
sponsors. This is a labor of love. So thank you
33:42
all for listening copyright 2025, baby