Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: April 2nd to April 8th, 2026
Transcript
- 0:00From Yellowstone National Park where both black
- 0:03bears and grizzly bears have been spotted over
- 0:05the last couple of days This is that Scott guy
- 0:07you know in love with a brand new episode of
- 0:10this week in Yellowstone What's up everybody,
- 0:23this week in Yellowstone National Park from April
- 0:252nd to April 8th, 2026, I try to convince you
- 0:29to find dead things, tell you about an app to
- 0:32download that will make your park experience
- 0:34even better, tell you about Cook City, and highlight
- 0:38a unique seasonal walk on a closed road. I'll
- 0:41also give you the complete weather forecast,
- 0:43the snowpack update, the wildlife report, and
- 0:46everything else you need to have an incredible
- 0:48time, this week in Yellowstone. Standard disclaimer,
- 0:52I'm going to miss a few details here and there,
- 0:55so if there's something you want to know more
- 0:56about, reach out to me. I also mention park locations
- 1:00very casually, so if you're unfamiliar with a
- 1:03place I'm mentioning, a quick search online can
- 1:05help, or again, just contact me. Please know
- 1:08that this report only covers the drivable areas
- 1:11of the park. Finally in this intro, this podcast
- 1:14is a passion project of mine. I do not get paid,
- 1:17I have no sponsors, so if you enjoy it, I'd love
- 1:20a review or a quick email. If you want to support
- 1:22my work further, you can check out my hiking
- 1:24and wildlife watching guidebooks, or join me
- 1:27for a guided hiking tour in Yellowstone's backcountry.
- 1:30For more information, visit outdoor -society
- 1:33.com or contact me directly. Seriously though,
- 1:37if you're coming to the park, you want to book
- 1:38a trail tour with me. This week's Yellowstone
- 1:41news. So there's not really any news going on
- 1:44in the park right now. There's... been some snow
- 1:47that's fallen. That's exciting. There's bears
- 1:49out. I'm going to talk about that in the wildlife
- 1:51report. So I'm just going to skip on to the next
- 1:54section because no news is good news. So let's
- 1:58get to the experience of the week. My experience
- 2:02of the week is wildlife watching at carcasses
- 2:05and kill sites. So if you're in Yellowstone National
- 2:08Park right now, one of the most compelling wildlife
- 2:11experiences that's going on and will continue
- 2:13to go on, it has all winter and it's going to
- 2:16go through the summer, but I'm talking about
- 2:18it now because it's really a good time for it,
- 2:21and that is an experience that's centered around
- 2:25carcasses. This is when wolves, newly emerged
- 2:28bears, scavenger birds, coyotes, All of these
- 2:33converge, creating some of the most dynamic wildlife
- 2:36viewing of the year. Wolves are often the starting
- 2:39point for excitement on carcasses. That's what
- 2:42everybody loves. A single kill can hold a pack's
- 2:46attention for days, giving wildlife watchers
- 2:49plenty of opportunities to see some really cool
- 2:51behavior. According to the National Park Service
- 2:54in Yellowstone's Wolf Project, wolves can consume
- 2:57large quantities of animals all at once, sometimes
- 3:00up to 15 % of their body weight in a single feeding
- 3:03before returning repeatedly to a carcass. That
- 3:07repeated use makes these sites reliable places
- 3:10to observe their behavior over time. Bears are
- 3:14also entering the picture in a major way. Early
- 3:16April lines up closely with emergency grizzly
- 3:19bears from their dens, especially adult males,
- 3:22often referred to as boars. These larger males
- 3:25are typically among the first bears to come out
- 3:27of their dens. After months without eating, they're
- 3:30in significant caloric deficit. Research, cited
- 3:34by the National Park Service, shows that grizzly
- 3:37bears can lose 10 to 30 percent of their body
- 3:40weight during their time in the dens, and that
- 3:43depends on their age, the sex, and the conditions
- 3:45of how they were before. For a large boar, that
- 3:48can easily mean around 100 pounds are lost over
- 3:52the winter. Because of that, carcasses become
- 3:55one of the most important early season food sources.
- 3:59They provide high calorie nutrition without the
- 4:02energy of hunting. It's common for grizzlies
- 4:05to take over a carcass from wolves, and studies
- 4:08have shown that bears frequently dominate these
- 4:10encounters, displacing wolves and controlling
- 4:13access to the food source. Watching this interaction
- 4:16unfold is one of the more intense wildlife experiences
- 4:19available in Yellowstone right now. Above the
- 4:23ground level action, scavenger birds are constant.
- 4:26Ravens are usually first, and same with magpies,
- 4:29often arriving quickly and staying in groups
- 4:32around the carcass. Bald eagles and golden eagles
- 4:35follow, and then it's just a free -for -all.
- 4:38These birds depend heavily on carcasses in the
- 4:40early spring, especially before insect and plant
- 4:43food sources become widely available. Ravens,
- 4:47in particular, are closely linked to wolf activity
- 4:50because they rely on wolves to open carcasses
- 4:52they cannot access on their own. Now, if you're
- 4:55trying to locate one of these sites, there's
- 4:58a few things you can do. Obviously, you can go
- 5:01to where all the cars are, right? That's the
- 5:03easiest. But if you're there early and you see
- 5:05circling birds like clusters of ravens and trees,
- 5:09you hear a lot of birds when you're at a pullout,
- 5:11or, you know, you hear wolf howls nearby, that's
- 5:14a good indicator. If you do see a carcass and
- 5:17you're watching one, know that there is an important
- 5:20management component. When carcasses are too
- 5:23close to roads, Yellowstone staff may actually
- 5:25move them short distances away. This is not uncommon.
- 5:29something that I tell people they don't really
- 5:32believe me but sometimes there's carcasses in
- 5:34the winter and they will get drug out further
- 5:37so animals can eat them or they'll get taken
- 5:39to animal carcass sites which I'll talk about
- 5:42later this year if I remember or you can just
- 5:44reach out to me and I'll talk your ear off about
- 5:46it it's great fun by helping move these carcasses
- 5:50and everything The park reduces the risk of dangerous
- 5:54wildlife jams and prevents bears and wolves from
- 5:56becoming too accustomed to feeding near people.
- 5:59Especially if they're crossing the road a lot,
- 6:01you're going to see a lot of closures. You're
- 6:02going to see some park management out there controlling
- 6:05the situation. So the reason I'm mentioning this
- 6:08is because right now carcasses are where much
- 6:11of the best wildlife watching action is. Wolves
- 6:14are feeding on them. There's grizzlies that are
- 6:16coming down for them that are just gorging themselves.
- 6:19There's birds working every opportunity around
- 6:21those animals. So if you come across a carcass,
- 6:25pull out and pull out. Enjoy it. Take your time
- 6:28watching it and just remember to keep your distance.
- 6:31The park requires, as you know, at least 100
- 6:34yards from bears and wolves. And please know
- 6:37that this is super important, not just for your
- 6:39safety, but these carcasses are high energy competitive
- 6:43situations and animals will defend what they've
- 6:46found. Because of this limit your noise and movement
- 6:49as best you can don't go from pull out to pull
- 6:52out chasing them You know as they move give them
- 6:55a break and do your part to help them stay as
- 6:58calm as possible and as natural as you can be
- 7:01So that way you can enjoy it and the animals
- 7:04aren't being stressed and that way everything
- 7:07is getting what they need without us interfering
- 7:09More than we obviously interfere by being there
- 7:12my tip of the week get the Merlin app That's
- 7:17the Merlin app, nothing to do with wizards based
- 7:20on birds. So if you're headed into Yellowstone
- 7:22National Park, there's one simple thing you can
- 7:25do ahead of time that can completely change how
- 7:27you experience Yellowstone. That is download
- 7:30the Merlin Bird ID app. At first, it might sound
- 7:34like something meant only for serious birders.
- 7:38Or people interested in being considered serious
- 7:41birders. And it's not. Merlin is built for anyone
- 7:44and everyone, whether you've never identified
- 7:47a bird in your life, or you already know a few
- 7:50birds. It's easy to use, and more importantly,
- 7:53it helps you notice things you'd otherwise miss.
- 7:55Having the Merlin app in the park will help transform
- 7:58quiet moments of sitting by rivers or at pullouts
- 8:00into a fuller experience, bringing the park to
- 8:03life even more. The feature most people end up
- 8:06loving is Sound ID. You just open the app, hit
- 8:10record, and it starts listening to the world
- 8:12around you. As birds call, the app identifies
- 8:15them in real time. In a place like Yellowstone,
- 8:18where there's constant background sounds in the
- 8:20forest, along rivers, and across open valleys,
- 8:23this can completely shift your experience. What
- 8:26used to feel like general bird noise suddenly
- 8:29becomes specific and recognizable. Now, just
- 8:33to be clear, I'm not getting paid to tell you
- 8:35to use this app. I love this app. I use it in
- 8:38my yard. I use it when I go to the river. I use
- 8:41it all the time. I went hiking last weekend in
- 8:43the park and I just had it on trying to figure
- 8:45out what birds were around me. I love this app
- 8:47and I think you will too. So the app is developed
- 8:50by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which is one
- 8:53of the leading bird research organizations out
- 8:55there. Merlin pulls from a huge database of recordings
- 8:59and observations, including data from eBird.
- 9:02So it's not just guessing, it's built on real
- 9:04science and continues to improve over time. When
- 9:07I first got this app, it was fine. Now it's pretty
- 9:10amazing. If you're visiting in April, the Merlin
- 9:15app becomes even more useful. Yellowstone is
- 9:18really starting to chirp with bird activity this
- 9:20time of year. You might hear osprey returning,
- 9:22sandhill cranes, western meadowlarks, bluebirds,
- 9:25bald eagles, songbirds, who knows? Merlin doesn't
- 9:30just tell you what you're hearing, it helps you
- 9:32start to understand patterns. There's birds now
- 9:35that I didn't know what they were, but I hear
- 9:37them because I've looked them up so much and
- 9:39I've like recorded and seen when it pops up and
- 9:41tells me that now I just know what it is. I don't
- 9:43need to look at the app. And that's a really
- 9:45fun thing to do. I mean, yes, it means that,
- 9:48you know, I'm a birder, but I grew up a birder.
- 9:51I don't know if anybody else did, but I'm going
- 9:52to go off on a slight tangent here. When I was
- 9:56a kid, I lived up by the sketch of flats of Washington
- 9:59State. and up there in the winter there's tons
- 10:02of snow geese, there's snowy owls, there's all
- 10:05sorts of birds that come through. And so every
- 10:08weekend my parents would load my sister and I
- 10:11up in the car and we would drive around looking
- 10:13through binoculars at fields hoping to see a
- 10:16snowy owl. I have looked at so many white buckets,
- 10:21bags, any other white lumpy shaped thing in a
- 10:26field around Bellingham Washington. I have probably
- 10:29seen every bucket in Whatcom County at this point,
- 10:32or I did when I was little, you know, but that's
- 10:36where I got started birding and I hated it. Honestly,
- 10:40it was not fun, but having that core experience
- 10:43has made the park more enjoyable for me now.
- 10:46And if you have kids or you're just wanting to
- 10:49bird, the Merlin app is definitely something
- 10:52that you are going to love and it's going to
- 10:55make everything so much more fun. One thing that
- 10:59makes Merlin especially useful in Yellowstone
- 11:01is that it works offline. And you can just hit
- 11:05that record button and it tells you everything.
- 11:08So when you're hiking, if you're at a pullout,
- 11:11you can just listen to the birds and figure out
- 11:13what you hear. And that's really fun. It also
- 11:16helps you slow down. It's really easy when you're
- 11:19in Yellowstone to focus on these big experiences.
- 11:22Going to these must -see places, or seeing the
- 11:25bears, seeing the wolves, you know, making sure
- 11:27you see the bison, all of these things. But with
- 11:31birding, you start paying attention to things
- 11:34you might have ignored before. A quick stop becomes
- 11:37something you linger at. A quiet morning turns
- 11:40into something more engaging, and it's just done
- 11:42by listening. The National Park Service regularly
- 11:45encourages visitors to look beyond the big animals
- 11:48and connect with the park on a broader level.
- 11:51The Merlin app helps with this goal of the park.
- 11:54Birds are a huge part of Yellowstone's ecosystem
- 11:57and they're everywhere once you start noticing
- 11:59them. It's a small step to download this before
- 12:02your trip, but it can make a huge difference.
- 12:05Once you start using Merlin, Yellowstone feels
- 12:07more detailed, more interactive, and a lot more
- 12:11alive. Chances are, You're going to start using
- 12:14it all the time and then you're going to become
- 12:16a birder which will either improve your life
- 12:18greatly or make you a bird nerd searching for
- 12:22lifers. Both of which are wins in my book. My
- 12:27random Yellowstone fact of the week. The history
- 12:30of Cook City. So the story of Cook City begins
- 12:34long before the mining claims and cabins appeared
- 12:36in the Absaroka Mountains. Indigenous people,
- 12:39including the Crow and Shoshone, moved through
- 12:41this high country for generations, following
- 12:44seasonal game and navigating routes that connected
- 12:46valleys and plateaus across what is now Montana
- 12:49and Wyoming. The region's harsh winters and rugged
- 12:52terrain limited permanent settlement, but it
- 12:56remained an important travel corridor. Everything
- 13:00changed in the late 1860s when prospectors pushed
- 13:03deeper into the mountains during the broader
- 13:05Montana Gold Rush. Now, theoretically, it changed
- 13:10when the Trappers came out, but if I start talking
- 13:13about Trapper history, we're going to be here
- 13:16forever, so I just jumped right to the Gold Rush.
- 13:20Reports of mineral deposits drew attention to
- 13:22the area northeast of what would soon become
- 13:24Yellowstone National Park, setting the stage
- 13:27for Cook City's founding. By the early 1870s,
- 13:31small mining camps had formed in the area. The
- 13:34town was named after Jay Cook, a financier tied
- 13:38to the Northern Pacific Railroad interests, and
- 13:40it reflected early hopes that industry and infrastructure
- 13:43would follow mineral discovery. People such as
- 13:47Nathaniel P. Langford helped publicize both Yellowstone
- 13:50and the surrounding mineral potential, encouraging
- 13:53further investment and exploration. Gold and
- 13:56silver deposits were present, but extracting
- 13:59them proved difficult. According to historical
- 14:02accounts and mining records, the short summer
- 14:05season and heavy snowfall limited how long miners
- 14:08could work each year. Supplies had to be hauled
- 14:11over long distances and isolation made sustained
- 14:14development challenging. While some mines produced
- 14:17modest yields, the area never reached the productivity
- 14:20seen in other Montana mining districts. Still,
- 14:24optimism remained high. By the late 1870s, Cook
- 14:28City had developed into a frontier settlement
- 14:30that was very rough. There were cabins, saloons,
- 14:34and a small but determined population. Remember
- 14:38how I mentioned railroads? Well, Cook City's
- 14:40future hinged on transportation. In the late
- 14:4319th century, serious efforts were made to extend
- 14:46rail lines into the region. Investors believed
- 14:49that connecting Cook City to national markets
- 14:51would unlock its mining potential and transform
- 14:54it into a major hub. However, multiple factors
- 14:58intervened. Financial setbacks, including the
- 15:01collapse of the railroad financing tied to Jay
- 15:03Cook, stalled the progress. At the same time,
- 15:07the establishment and protection of Yellowstone
- 15:09created political resistance to rail development
- 15:12through the park. National Park Service says
- 15:15that early debates about access and preservation
- 15:17played a role in limiting infrastructure expansion
- 15:20in and around Yellowstone. Without a railroad,
- 15:25Cook City remained isolated. This moment marked
- 15:27a turning point. Instead of becoming a booming
- 15:30industrial center, the town settled into a quieter,
- 15:33more uncertain future. Mining continued in the
- 15:36early 20th century, but success remained inconsistent.
- 15:40Harsh winters, limited access, and fluctuating
- 15:43mineral prices led to repeated cycles of activity
- 15:46and decline. Some operations persisted, producing
- 15:49gold and silver on a smaller scale, but large
- 15:52-scale development, as we know, never materialized.
- 15:56During this period Cook City started taking on
- 15:59a new role. It became a stopping point for travelers
- 16:02heading toward Yellowstone's remote northeast
- 16:04corner. Its location kept it relevant, even as
- 16:08mining declined. Small businesses, supply operations,
- 16:12and seasonal activity helped sustain the community
- 16:14through difficult decades. A major transformation
- 16:18came with the construction of the Beartooth Highway
- 16:20in the 1930s. Built in part by the Civilian Conservation
- 16:24Corps, the highway connected Cook City to Red
- 16:27Lodge and opened a dramatic high elevation route
- 16:30across the Beartooth Plateau. The impact was
- 16:33immediate and lasting. What had once been an
- 16:36isolated mining town became a gateway for travelers.
- 16:39The highway, now recognized by the US Forest
- 16:41Service as an all -American road, brought visitors
- 16:45drawn by alpine scenery, wildlife, and access
- 16:48to Yellowstone's northeast entrance. Tourism
- 16:51gradually replaced mining as the town's economic
- 16:54foundation. Lodges, services, and seasonal businesses
- 16:57begin to shape Cook City's future. While there
- 17:00is some pushback by some Cook City locals against
- 17:03tourists, that's pretty much the only game in
- 17:06town. So it's a fun argument, but it's not really
- 17:10steeped in any sort of reality. Tourism is the
- 17:14lifeblood of Cook City. Whether it's winter snowmobiling,
- 17:18hunting, or summer visitation, that's why that
- 17:22town exists today. Today isolation is what makes
- 17:26the town so great. In the winter, the only way
- 17:30to get to Cook City is to drive through the park.
- 17:33In the summer, you can reach Cook City by the
- 17:36Beartooth Highway or Chief Joseph Memorial Highway,
- 17:38but in the winter, you got to drive through the
- 17:41park. It's cut off. If they want to, if people
- 17:43in Cook City want to go to a grocery store that
- 17:46isn't the small grocery store in Gardner, they
- 17:49have to drive through the park, which is about
- 17:51an hour and a half to two hours, then another
- 17:54hour to get to Livingston. It's a very remote
- 17:57place. Livingston is also where the hospital
- 17:59is. Today, Cook City is very small. It has a
- 18:02year -round population of fewer than 100 residents.
- 18:06It serves as a gateway to one of Yellowstone's
- 18:08most wildlife -rich regions, the Lamar Valley,
- 18:11and basically that whole northeastern corridor.
- 18:14While remnants of its mining past still exist
- 18:17in historic structures and abandoned claims,
- 18:19the town's economy is now built on tourism and
- 18:21outdoor recreation. Cook City never became the
- 18:24industrial center that early investors had imagined.
- 18:27Instead, it evolved into something more enduring.
- 18:31Its history is one of ambition, setbacks, and
- 18:34adaptation shaped by geography, climate, and
- 18:37its close relationship with Yellowstone. For
- 18:39visitors, that history is still visible in landscape,
- 18:42in the buildings, in the really cool museum you
- 18:45need to check out in town, and in the quiet resilience
- 18:48of the community itself. The weather for the
- 18:50coming week. So as always this is the best forecast
- 18:54for the week at the time of recording Forecast
- 18:57is gonna change a little bit, but this should
- 18:59be within the ballpark of what you'll experience
- 19:01when visiting the park We're gonna start with
- 19:03Lamar Valley Lamar Valley on Thursday is gonna
- 19:06have a high of 39 a low of 24 with about 2 inches
- 19:10of snow Friday high of 40 low of 21 51 percent
- 19:15chance about a quarter inch of snow mostly in
- 19:17the morning Saturday, 49 and 22 partly cloudy.
- 19:22Sunday, 54 and 27 partly cloudy. Monday, 56 and
- 19:2730 partly cloudy. Tuesday, 56 and 32 with some
- 19:31rain or snow developing in the evening. And Wednesday,
- 19:3449 and 24 with about a half inch of snow expected,
- 19:39maybe an inch, 54 % chance of that. The weather
- 19:42for Gardner, Montana. On Thursday, high of 43,
- 19:46low of 29, 73 % chance of 1 inch of snow. On
- 19:50Friday, high of 46, low of 25, 40 % chance about
- 19:54a quarter inch of snow. On Saturday, high of
- 19:5755, low of 28. Don't expect any precipitation
- 20:00then. Sunday, high of 59, low of 32. 6 % chance
- 20:05of precipitation. Monday, 61 and 34. Tuesday,
- 20:1062 and 36 with some rain developing in the evening,
- 20:13afternoon time. And then Wednesday, high of 53,
- 20:17low of 28. 57 % chance of about a half inch of
- 20:21snow. And that brings us to Cook City, Montana.
- 20:25On Thursday, high at 36, low of 22, 72 % chance
- 20:29of 2 inches of snow. On Friday, high at 36, low
- 20:33of 20, 53 % chance about a half inch of snow.
- 20:37Saturday, 46 and 21. Sunday, 50 and 28. Monday,
- 20:4352 and 30. Tuesday 52 and 31 with again that
- 20:47rain developing late morning early afternoon
- 20:50out here Maybe about a quarter inch of snow We
- 20:53just don't know right now and then Wednesday
- 20:55high of 46 low of 23 62 percent chance of one
- 21:00inch of snow the snowpack update As of April
- 21:041st, the snowpack is around 83 % of normal for
- 21:07this time of year for the whole park. The eastern
- 21:09and northern ranges of the park are 95 % of normal,
- 21:12so that's great, but the western and southern
- 21:14sides are about 68 % of normal. Last year on
- 21:18this date, we were averaging around 100 % of
- 21:20our normal level, so we're not in great shape,
- 21:23but it could be worse. Thankfully, that northern
- 21:27range is doing great. road conditions. The only
- 21:32road open right now is the road between Gardner,
- 21:34Montana and Cook City, Montana. So please be
- 21:37aware that it's probably going to be okay this
- 21:40week, but Thursday, Friday might be a little
- 21:45sketchy. So just a heads up there. If you want
- 21:48updated information on the road conditions, there's
- 21:51two ways to do it. You can call 307 -344 -2117
- 21:55for recorded information, or you can sign up
- 21:58to receive Yellowstone Road Alerts on your mobile
- 22:01phone by texting the number 82190 to the number
- 22:05888 -777. Camping Information There is only one
- 22:11campground open in the park right now and that
- 22:13is the Mammoth Campground which is open year
- 22:15round. Other than that there's some camping that's
- 22:19available outside of the park especially north
- 22:21of the park between Livingston and Gardner. If
- 22:24you need some spots there let me know but if
- 22:27you want to camp in the park go to Mammoth there's
- 22:30room. The wildlife watching update so wildlife
- 22:34watching has been pretty good aside from the
- 22:36lack of visibility the last day or so But once
- 22:39this next storm clears out, it's gonna be pretty
- 22:41good again. So if you're headed to the park,
- 22:43it should be awesome This week people have been
- 22:47seeing wolves bears Obviously bison, pronghorn,
- 22:51bald eagles, golden eagles, coyotes, even some
- 22:54foxes and a couple moose. Pronghorn are out.
- 22:57I've heard of people seeing badgers. It's just
- 22:59a good time. Right now, if you're looking for
- 23:04wolves, as I mentioned off the top here, carcass
- 23:08watching is kind of the thing to do. And that's
- 23:12going to continue this week. So do that. There's
- 23:15going to be carcasses. Currently, there's one
- 23:17out by hell roaring. that's gonna get picked
- 23:19clean but there might be a bear that lingers
- 23:22and comes out for that so go to some viewpoints
- 23:26scan around there bear wise there's some grizzlies
- 23:29out near Junction Butte and then there's some
- 23:34black bears that have been seen so just drive
- 23:37back and forth it's it's kind of hit and miss
- 23:39especially with the weather being so like bad
- 23:42and good and bad and good it really is a you're
- 23:45gonna see what you're gonna see but everything
- 23:47is out and your potential is huge so my guess
- 23:51based on the weather is friday afternoon late
- 23:55morning early afternoon is going to be great
- 23:58saturday is going to pick up sunday is going
- 24:00to pick up monday is going to be good and then
- 24:02there might be a little bit of urgency on tuesday
- 24:05and then when the weather changes on wednesday
- 24:08might not be as good of wildlife watching other
- 24:11than that though it's great go Scan bring binoculars
- 24:15and you should see some really awesome things
- 24:18trail alerts and updates There's no official
- 24:22trailer. It's this week. Those are gonna be resuming
- 24:24in a couple of weeks Maybe so hang in there,
- 24:27but just know that right now bear sightings are
- 24:29more common. I've seen more bear tracks They
- 24:31keep popping up Carry bear spray know how to
- 24:35use it. Don't put it in your backpack. Never
- 24:38put it in the bottom of your backpack I saw somebody
- 24:40hiking and I asked them this last week Hey, do
- 24:43you have your bear spray and they're like, oh,
- 24:45yeah I have it on my backpack and I had to ask
- 24:47them like well How long is it gonna take you
- 24:50to get it? Because a bear is not going to wait
- 24:52and then that look of realization hitting their
- 24:56face is priceless. I love it. But I also like
- 24:59making sure that people are safe. So always have
- 25:02your bear spray on you very quickly accessible.
- 25:06We're talking within one second. If you can't
- 25:08get your bear spray within one second, your bear
- 25:11spray is too far away. All right, enough about
- 25:14bear spray. I'm going to talk about that later
- 25:15in the year. But right now, let's talk about
- 25:18the Trek of the Week. My truck of the week this
- 25:21week is the road up to calcite and tower Which
- 25:25will be mostly snow free at the time of writing
- 25:28this all out. It was snow free, but At the time
- 25:31of recording it is dumping snow and so it's not
- 25:34going to be completely snow free But you shouldn't
- 25:37need any snow shoes or anything like that So
- 25:40walking the road from Roosevelt Junction to tower
- 25:43fall in the early spring is great The pavements
- 25:47usually clear but the route is still closed to
- 25:50cars, so it's one of those experiences that almost
- 25:52feels like you're breaking the rules. It's about
- 25:552 .65 miles each way, and without traffic, it
- 25:58turns into a quiet, easy walk through one of
- 26:01the more geologically interesting and panoramic
- 26:04view stretches of Yellowstone's northern range.
- 26:07Right from the start, the biggest difference
- 26:09you're gonna see this time of the year if you've
- 26:12been there in the summer is the lack of noise.
- 26:14As soon as you leave the junction, all unnatural
- 26:17noise fades away. In a month, this road is going
- 26:20to be busy, with people rushing back and forth,
- 26:22looking at the falls, and hoping to catch a sighting
- 26:25of bears. Right now though, it's just you, the
- 26:28sound of the wind, and the growing roar of the
- 26:31Yellowstone River far below. As you make your
- 26:34way toward Tower, the views start to open up,
- 26:36but the real standout along this route is the
- 26:39geology. Not far into the walk, you'll pass sections
- 26:43of columnar basalt cliffs where ancient lava
- 26:45flows cooled and cracked into vertical hexagonal
- 26:48columns. These formations are a result of slow
- 26:51cooling volcanic rock and they give the stretch
- 26:54of the road a completely different feel compared
- 26:56with other parts of the park. It's the kind of
- 26:59feature most people drive past without really
- 27:01noticing or glancing at and saying that's cool,
- 27:04but when you're walking You're surrounded in
- 27:07it and you're going to stop and take it in because
- 27:09it's really hard not to. About halfway along
- 27:13the road as you're going up, you're going to
- 27:15reach one of the highlights of the entire route,
- 27:17Cal Side Springs. This is one of my favorite
- 27:20viewpoints in the park and one I go to dozens
- 27:22of times a year. At Calcite, you get a take in
- 27:25stunning views of the Yellowstone River as it
- 27:27cuts through dark volcanic rock, and it's going
- 27:30to be moving very fast, especially this time
- 27:32of the year because snow melt is starting to
- 27:34build. There's informative displays that tell
- 27:37you the geological history, as well as pointing
- 27:40out layers of ash from previous volcanic events.
- 27:44At Calcite Springs, the view looking west is
- 27:47stunning. It shows off a bend in the river at
- 27:49Bumpus Butte where steam rises from the springs
- 27:51along the bank. That's why it's called Calcite
- 27:54Springs. After enjoying Calcite, which you should
- 27:57walk the whole thing like there's a boardwalk
- 28:00little thing to walk, do it. It's great. The
- 28:03walk to Tower continues with more open views
- 28:05as you get closer to the waterfall. Sweeping
- 28:08views emerge and with no cars or people around,
- 28:11there's no rush to move on. Stop and scan the
- 28:15cliffs across the way for wildlife as it's often
- 28:18seen here, especially like bighorn sheep. Arriving
- 28:22at Tower Fall without crowds is a completely
- 28:25different experience as well. The falls drop
- 28:27132 feet over jagged volcanic rocks surrounded
- 28:31by those sharp spires that have been shaped by
- 28:33erosion over thousands of years. Normally Tower
- 28:37is a quick stop with people coming and going,
- 28:40but this time of year you can actually stand
- 28:42there and take it in. The walk to tower itself
- 28:45isn't difficult, but it's still early spring.
- 28:48You might run into patches of ice or snow or
- 28:51water running across the road. Just be prepared
- 28:54for changing conditions, even on these paved
- 28:56routes, and you'll be fine. Also, I mentioned
- 29:00bear spray leading into this. Always have bear
- 29:03spray. This area increases with bear activity
- 29:06every single week, and by mid -May, it's going
- 29:09to have numerous bear sightings every single
- 29:11day. This is part of the Bermuda Triangle. I'm
- 29:15going to be talking about that in a couple of
- 29:17weeks. This is a very bear heavy area. If you
- 29:21want to see bears during your visit in May, this
- 29:24is where you go. But what really makes this stretch
- 29:27special right now is the timing. The weather
- 29:30won't be great this week, but the truck will
- 29:33be. It always is. For a short period each year,
- 29:36the road shifts from a busy connector to something
- 29:39quiet and immersive. This is an easy walk, giving
- 29:42you access to geology, amazing views, and a version
- 29:46of Yellowstone that most people never slow down
- 29:49enough to see. Plus, you may even see bison,
- 29:53bighorn sheep, and maybe a bear. When hiking
- 29:56this, please park near the pit toilets at Roosevelt
- 29:59and walk up the road. Alright, that's it for
- 30:02this week. In the next episode next week, I'm
- 30:05going to return with all the information you
- 30:07need to have a good week in the park. That includes
- 30:09the wildlife, weather, and trail updates. Until
- 30:12then, book a tour with me, pick up a guidebook
- 30:15of mine, and happy trails. This week in Yellowstone
- 30:30is brought to you by the Outdoor Society. That's
- 30:32my company. It's just me. I do this. It's a labor
- 30:35of love. If you like it, tell your friends, rate
- 30:38and review it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise,
- 30:41keep listening and I hope to see you in Yellowstone.
- 30:44Copyright 2026, baby.