Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: April 3rd to April 9th, 2025

Transcript

This Week in Yellowstone: April 3rd to April 9th, 2025 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From the land where I just got done giving three
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straight hiking tours in snow slush and mud in
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three days This is that Scott guy you know and
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love with a new episode of this week in Yellowstone
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What's up everybody, this week in Yellowstone
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National Park, from April 3rd to April 9th, I
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talk about a short scenic drive just north of
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Gardiner, give an update on the road biking status
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of the park, share one of my favorite trails,
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and quickly discuss the history of feeding bears.
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Plus, I will give you all the updates you need
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to be prepared for this week in Yellowstone.
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Standard disclaimer, I might miss a few details,
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so feel free to reach out with questions. I also
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mention park locations very casually, so if you're
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unfamiliar, a quick search can help, and this
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report only covers the drivable areas of the
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park. Also, this podcast is a passion project.
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I'm not paid or sponsored, so if you're enjoying
1:13
it, I'd love a review or a quick email or text
1:16
to just say, hey, good job. If you don't like
1:18
it, that's fine too. If you want to support my
1:21
work beyond listening to this, you can check
1:22
out my guidebooks on hiking and wildlife watching
1:24
in Yellowstone, or join me for a guided Yellowstone
1:27
hiking tour. For details you can visit outdoor
1:30
-society .com or just reach out to me directly.
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This week's Yellowstone news. So there's no real
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news to report this week except the continuation
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of the interior road closures until April 18th.
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So I do want to talk about the biking season
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that is very short -lived but as of today when
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I'm recording this they haven't announced anything
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yet so I'm not going to talk about it until next
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week. So until then we're just going to skip
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over the news because nothing's really happening.
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So the random Yellowstone history tidbit. This
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is going to be about the history of feeding bears
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in Yellowstone National Park. So as we know Yellowstone
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National Park is famous for its stunning landscapes
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geothermal features and wildlife Especially wolves
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and bears this week. We're talking about bears
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It's becoming a forgotten fact, but for years
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people fed bears in the park They turned them
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into roadside attractions. There were little
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documentaries made about it and by documentaries
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I mean Disney movies that weren't really documentaries
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and It seemed entertaining at the time when the
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bear feeding was happening, but eventually it
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became a serious problem which led to strict
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regulations and a shift in park policy. So in
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the early days of Yellowstone, Yellowstone's
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bears quickly figured out that humans meant easy
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meals. Tourists tossed food scraps and hotels
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even set up feeding stations where bears would
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dig through garbage in front of crowds. Before
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that, they would just kind of toss the garbage
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out and the bears would get into it, right? So
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bears just kind of learned and they would teach
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their young and so eventually the bears just
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knew people equal food. Not like they're going
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to eat people, but people create food. So by
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the 1910s and 1920s nightly bear shows hosted
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by park staff became a hit with bears gathering
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at those dump sites that I mentioned and visitors
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could watch and take pictures. Many people even
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fed their bears from the cars that they were
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driving in or just from the campsites. the park
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even has a famous publicity picture showing off
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a quote -unquote lunch counter for bears with
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a ranger there on horseback just sitting and
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staring at the bears behind like near a sign
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there's a couple of bears fighting like it is
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a wild picture during the same time there were
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signs around especially as we got beyond the
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20s and in the 30s 40s 50s and even in the 60s
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of a no -feeding bears. So as bears relied more
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on human food, trouble followed. They lost their
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natural foraging instincts and grew bolder, even
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aggressive. By the 1930s through the 1950s, bear
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-related injuries and attacks increased, and
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at the same time, the unnatural feeding disrupted
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Yellowstone's ecosystem, affecting both bears
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and other wildlife. So by the 1960s, it was clear
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that things had to change. The National Park
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Service launched a strict no -feeding policy,
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shut down the garbage dumps, and improved waste
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management. Rangers worked to educate visitors
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and enforce the new rules to help bears return
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to their natural behaviors. Feeding bears is
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now strictly prohibited. Visitors must store
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food in bear -proof containers, and violators
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face heavy fines. Park staff and also campground
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staff will patrol campgrounds and trails to ensure
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compliance and educate people on bear safety.
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Thanks to these efforts, bear populations have
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adapted back to natural foraging, and while human
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bear encounters still happen, they're far less
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common and actually incredibly rare in the park.
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The history of feeding bears in Yellowstone is
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a lesson of the unattained consequences of that
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human interference that we strive not to have
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in these wild places, and then the power of conservation
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to restore balance. So if you want to watch a
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truly ridiculous movie about how bears used to
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be in Yellowstone, go to Disney Plus and watch
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the movie titled Yellowstone Cubs. They will
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show people near signs saying do not feed bears
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and they're feeding bears and it is just and
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bears will be begging on this side of the road.
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It is just very disturbing and it's one of those
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examples that when people say the park behavior
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has never been worse. It's never been worse in
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the park. I point back to this bear feeding policy
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time and time again. as no the park is much better
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today because we're not feeding wildlife and
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we are creating an actual thriving ecosystem
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in the region without human interference. Alright
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my experience of the week. So any day now the
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park's going to make an announcement about biking
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the roads in Yellowstone. For a brief window
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of time the roads connecting West Yellowstone
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and Mammoth are open to bicyclists. Spring bicycling
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season usually starts in early April, although
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there's currently no set opening date. The route
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between Mammoth and West Yellowstone is 49 miles
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one way, giving bicyclists a unique opportunity
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to experience riding through a mostly empty park.
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I say mostly empty because bicyclists may still
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encounter park employees, contractors, and plows
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driving in the road. So even if you don't ride
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the entire route, To West or to Mammoth and back
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just being able to hop on a bike and enjoy the
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landscape Landscape of the park car free is a
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really cool experience. You can also run this
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I've ran it a few times. I will park at Mammoth
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and run down to She beat her cliffs or something
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like that and then run back on the road It's
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a lot of fun. But also when you're biking and
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running on the road always have bear spray Since
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the season is so short -lived, you have to really
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act fast once they open the roads to bicyclists.
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Interior roads are going to reopen to vehicles
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on the 18th, and so your chances to bike are
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pretty limited if you don't want cars all around
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you. The designated roads open for cycling only
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after snow removal and other preseason operations
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make them accessible. Cyclists should be aware
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that roads may not be plowed on weekends, and
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snowfall can sometimes be heavy. Additionally,
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the 6 mile stretch from the east entrance to
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Sylvan Pass is also a bikeable route during this
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time of the year, but it's not nearly as popular
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or accessible to those not near Cody, Wyoming.
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So if you want to know when this opens... Watch
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my social media or Yellowstone National Parks
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accounts for the official announcement. I anticipate
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it's going to happen this week and who knows
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it could have already happened by the time you
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listen to this. So double check and if you get
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a chance to ride at the roads, do it. It's a
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very cool experience. Alright, my tip of the
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week. As we wait for the roads to the interior
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to open, we're in kind of this weird period here
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in Yellowstone. The snow is melting but slowly,
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the trails are opening up but at a glacial retreating
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pace, wildlife sightings are occurring, and the
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park between Gardner and Cook City is absolutely
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spectacular. But sometimes you may just want
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a different experience. So because of that, this
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week I'm recommending driving above Gardner and
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heading toward Jardine. I say toward Jardine
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because the road to this tiny little hamlet gets
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rougher by the mile. However, that shouldn't
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stop you from driving a few miles up that way
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at least. It's very pretty. From Gardiner heading
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toward the park, the road to Jardine is located
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on the north side of the Yellowstone River. The
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road name is Jardine Road, which is pretty much
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directly across from that Conoco station in Gardiner.
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So follow the road through the small neighborhood
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and beyond the end of the pavement, where it
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will climb a steeply graded road. The views get
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better the higher you climb, and while it may
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be tempting to stop on the road to take a picture
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too, please do not stop on the road. This is
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a road where people live, so use pullouts when
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they exist. Otherwise just enjoy the view as
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you're driving. After a couple of switchbacks
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you'll reach the top of the hill, and as you
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drive up this way keep an eye open for migratory
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birds, hawks, falcons, eagles, deer, elk, and
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the occasional bison. You may also get lucky
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and see a bear out this way, but probably not.
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It's popular enough and people live there and
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there's dogs and everything, so bears aren't
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too common to see, but you never know. I also
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strongly recommend this area as a sunrise or
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sunset spot, especially if the weather's good.
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You can thank me later if the weather has a few
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clouds. It's gonna be amazing. So a few stops
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I recommend once you get up above the switchbacks
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are the Eagle Creek Campground, the Yellowstone
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River trailhead near the campground, and the
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pullout at a cool little pond about a mile beyond
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the campground. Those up for a little hike can
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wander the campground or take a short jaunt on
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the Yellowstone River trail to take in a panoramic
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view before the trail descends to the river.
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Do not hike this trail unless you are prepared
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to hike back up the hill. It is a steep hill
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and there's no shade and if it's sunny and slightly
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warm it's not going to be enjoyable for a lot
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of people. So if you don't want to do any of
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that you can keep driving beyond the pond pullout,
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but as I mentioned at the start of this section
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the road gets less and less smooth. Consider
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turning around at the pond and heading back to
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town, stopping at all the pullouts you skipped
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on the way up. And again you can do this a couple
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times a day and see how the wildlife and the
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views kind of change with the light and the temperature.
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The weather for the coming week. Lamar Valley.
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After a chance of snow on Thursday evening Expect
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a chilly Friday with lows in the single digits
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and highs in the 30s. The weekend will see partly
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sunny skies and highs in the 40s and maybe even
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low 50s with lows in the teens and 20s. Monday
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may also hit 50 degrees with clouds and a potential
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for a little bit of rain or snow on Monday night
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and all of Tuesday. Like I said, could fall as
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rain or snow. We won't know until it happens.
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Then Wednesday will be partly cloudy again with
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highs in the upper 40s. For Cook City, after
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potential for a few inches of snow on Thursday,
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things start to warm up and clear up for the
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weekend. The high on Friday will be only 30 but
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jumps to 40 on Saturday and almost 50 on Sunday
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and Monday. A chance of snow returns for Tuesday
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and then a high in the 40s returns on Wednesday.
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For Gardner, expect precipitation on Thursday
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afternoon and evening with highs around 40 and
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the low dropping to the teens. Friday will see
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a high in the upper 30s and a low near single
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digits Then the glorious Sun and warmth returns
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for the weekend and Monday with highs in the
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50s It may drizzle a little on Tuesday, but then
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partly sunny skies and a high in the 50s greets
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us on Wednesday the snowpack update Snowpack
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for the park is still looking pretty good We're
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in the 90 % of normal range and this last round
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of snow has helped keep it that way But with
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warmer weather and a lack of new snow in the
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forecast this coming week could see the snowpack
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starting its melt off Now this isn't gonna be
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a big melt off as we still have some snow events
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in the future Especially the next month or two,
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you know, it'll snow in April a couple of times
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It'll probably snow in May probably snow in June
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once or twice. So Snowpack's not like dwindling
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and gone for good, but we're at that start, right?
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All right, with the snow pack update, let's talk
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about the roads, the road conditions. The roads
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this week look to be pretty good. There's no
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new snow in the forecast and that means that
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the roads could be bare, but maybe a little wet
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for melting snow and you know, all of that. As
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of now, I don't foresee anything major impacting
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the roads this week, but things can always surprise
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us, so be prepared. If you want up -to -date
13:16
road information, you can call 307 -344 -2117
13:21
for recorded information, or sign up to receive
13:24
Yellowstone Road Alerts on your phone by texting
13:26
82190 to 888 -777. to the number 888 -777. Anticipate
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possible road closures due to inclement weather
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and dangerous driving conditions at any time.
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Pretty soon we're going to have construction
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season, but I'll be updating that when it's relevant.
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The camping information. Mammoth Hot Springs
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remains the only open campground in the park
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and will be the only open campground in the park
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until May. However, additional camping options
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are available outside the park and will continue
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to open as it gets warmer and snow melts. If
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you need some spots outside the park to camp
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at, just reach out and I can share a few. The
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wildlife watching update. So wildlife this week
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has been pretty good Bears are starting to come
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out and be seen a lot more on Monday during my
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tour We saw grizzly off in the distance and then
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we saw a lot of fresh bear tracks where we were
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hiking Then today we also saw today being Wednesday
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when I'm recording this We also saw a bunch of
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bear prints down along one of the creeks. So
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if you're in the northern range Expect to potentially
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see a bear out in the distance That bear that
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is in the den near the petrified tree has also
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been coming out people have been seeing the cubs
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Also bison are on the move like crazy. They are
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all over the place right now Same with pronghorn.
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They are located mainly near the northern entrance
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As well as elk there's a lot of elk out there
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bighorn sheep have been hanging out near mammoth
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like above or below the top of Mount Everts as
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you're kind of driving by Undine Falls, scan
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those hillsides. There's also been a bunch of
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them out near Devil's Slide as you're getting
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toward the Yellowstone Hot Springs outside of
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the park. And then if you're on that same dirt
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road, the old Yellowstone Road between Yellowstone
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Hot Springs and the arch in Gardner. There are
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a ton of bluebirds right now. I saw two different
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flocks of bluebirds, each with 50 to 75 birds
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in them. Also red -tailed hawks are back, I saw
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my first osprey, I've seen tons of eagles, and
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generally wildlife is just out here popping.
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So one thing I do want to mention is there's
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a lot of news currently about how someone just
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saw the first baby bison of the year. It's not
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the first of the year. The first of the year
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was a few months ago. Actually, I think I talked
16:14
about it on here. It's still cool. It means baby
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bison season is happening, but it's definitely
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not the first of the year. So, you know, trying
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to clear up misconceptions of. Timelines here
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accuracy matters. I don't know. Maybe maybe no
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one else cares But other than that wildlife watching
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right now is awesome. If you are going into the
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park once you get toward blacktail ponds there
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are some sad things happening there as Bison
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have been falling through the ice and then getting
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stuck and drowning And while that is very sad,
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that also then means that coyotes, maybe wolves,
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and bears will be eating those for nutrition
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as they continue to emerge. And speaking of wolves,
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they have been out towards Hell Roaring and Slough
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Creek area kind of off and on. And also, as you're
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rising above the blacktail ponds, headed toward
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tower there's those big switchbacks and then
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there's like self -guided nature trail at the
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self -guided nature trail if you look southwest
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from there pretty much every day in march you
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could see wolves way off in the distance there
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but it's still cool again good wildlife time
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and i hope everybody gets to see things A quick
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plug, if you love what you've heard on this podcast
17:32
and want more information on wildlife watching
17:34
or hiking, you can get a copy of my guidebooks
17:37
to the region at outdoor -society .com. They're
17:42
both available in ebook and paperback formats,
17:45
and my book is going to help you get to know
17:47
the region really well, spot wildlife like a
17:49
seasoned local, and you'll get to know my favorite
17:51
trails in the region. If you do want a book,
17:53
please consider buying one directly from me as
17:55
when they're sold on Amazon, a lot of that money
17:58
goes to a billionaire who doesn't need it as
18:01
much as me. So if you want a copy of the book,
18:03
pick it up for me. Happy to send it out. All
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right. Hiking news and updates. I was going to
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tell everybody that we're still not really a
18:12
good hiking season, but the good news is we're
18:13
getting close. If you're hoping to hit a trail
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this week, expect snow on most trails. Snow shoes
18:20
will still be needed in most areas, and those
18:22
that don't need them will be less than ideal
18:24
as you're going to be walking in mud and expect
18:27
some somewhat melty garbage snow. And that mud
18:29
here is very slick. I'll talk about mud season
18:32
a lot more next week. But you can hike some trails
18:35
in the Northern Range, especially those Further
18:38
away like closer to Mammoth and Tower then out
18:42
toward Lamar Valley and Cook City There's still
18:44
quite a bit of snow out there So if you're going
18:47
out there you might still want snow shoes if
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you're back between Tower and Mammoth As long
18:54
as you are not completely on a only north facing
18:58
slope a lot of the snow has melted out today
19:01
Being Wednesday. I did a tour in the hell roaring
19:05
area and I just wore hiking boots There's a lot
19:08
of mud a few patches of snow here and there but
19:11
generally we are right there at hiking season
19:13
So hang in there and as long as you don't mind
19:17
walking in some mud and melting snow, it's decent
19:20
but again If you do want better conditions for
19:24
snowshoeing, head further east toward Cook City.
19:28
My Trek of the Week. Yellowstone National Park's
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Hell Roaring Trail is emerging as a favorite
19:34
trek in the park's northern region, taking active
19:36
visitors beyond the park's boardwalks and into
19:39
more wild and rugged terrain. As you embark on
19:42
the Hell Roaring Trail in Yellowstone, the promise
19:44
of a captivating adventure for nature enthusiasts
19:47
and hikers alike becomes readily apparent. The
19:50
scenic trail unfolds its beauty as you navigate
19:52
through switchbacks offering panoramic views
19:56
of the Yellowstone River before reaching the
19:58
iconic suspension bridge over a narrow canyon.
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The suspension bridge isn't some rickety bridge.
20:04
It's quite wide and sturdy, but does bounce a
20:07
little, so be ready for that. After taking in
20:10
the sights of the bridge, some choose to turn
20:12
around and head back to their cars. Those who
20:14
decide to hike on will soon find themselves in
20:17
an expansive prairie heading towards Hell Roaring
20:19
Creek. At the creek, hikers can go on a choose
20:24
your own adventure experience. You can wander
20:26
along a creek side, you can hike to anywhere
20:29
you really want, you can cross another bridge
20:32
way up the creek, you can forward the creek,
20:35
you'll encounter small bones, antlers throughout,
20:38
you'll see wildlife, and you'll also just have
20:40
those captivating scenes that you expect. when
20:44
you're in the backcountry of Yellowstone. The
20:47
trail is a year -round gem with the changing
20:50
seasons showcasing different perspectives and
20:54
so it really remains enticing throughout the
20:56
year. Now I do want to say that if you are doing
21:01
this trail right now please know that the short
21:05
road down to the trailhead is closed. You'll
21:07
need to park at the pullout to the west of the
21:10
trailhead and then you just can either walk the
21:12
road to the closed dirt road, or you can kind
21:15
of meander through the prairie on a boot path.
21:17
Few important distances, the one -way distance
21:20
to the bridge from the trailhead is 1 .1 miles,
21:24
the one -way distance to the creek is 2 .1 miles,
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and the one -way distance to the confluence of
21:31
the creek and the Yellowstone River is 3 .4 miles.
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That again is from the trailhead, not from the
21:37
pullout that you may have to park at. There's
21:40
more than just the suspension bridge and prairie
21:42
down to the creek in this area, but I don't want
21:44
to talk about this trail forever. I'm going to
21:46
mention it again, but this is legitimately one
21:49
of my favorite trails for a very specific reason.
21:52
There are some really cool birding opportunities.
21:55
There's chances to see wolves and the confluence
21:57
of the Yellowstone River and Hell Roaring Creek
22:01
is absolutely gorgeous. And to top that off with
22:04
a suspension bridge like I don't know, it's hard
22:07
to beat this trail. So if you do want to know
22:10
more about this, reach out to me directly and
22:13
I may share some really cool things. Finally,
22:17
I have something I really need to stress. This
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trail starts out going downhill, requiring you
22:23
to hike up a series of switchbacks on the way
22:25
back to the trailhead. The elevation gain from
22:27
the bridge to the trailhead is roughly 500 feet
22:30
and it's not easy. most people and even a lot
22:34
of people who think it will be easy because they're
22:36
hikers still struggle with it. I take hiking
22:39
tours down this way and people who consider themselves
22:42
to be experienced hikers struggle with this elevation
22:45
gain at times. So just be prepared for this,
22:47
take your time, know coming in that you're gonna
22:50
have to hike up those switchbacks and you'll
22:52
be okay. They're not super long, it's only a
22:55
mile from the bridge back to the trailhead, so
22:58
you'll be okay. Just take your time, bring food,
23:00
bring water. Alright that wraps it up for this
23:04
week. So in next week's episode, I'm not sure
23:07
what I'm gonna talk about I'm recording this
23:09
a little early because I have multiple tours
23:12
on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday So I'm not gonna
23:15
get to record this the same way that I normally
23:18
do on Wednesday and it drops early Thursday And
23:20
I'm gonna be too tired. I'm gonna be a cranky
23:23
guy on Wednesday night So I probably won't do
23:26
any recording then but next week's episode is
23:29
gonna be great Can guarantee that I will have
23:34
some biking news I'll have some bear news and
23:37
I'm gonna share some random facts about another
23:39
animal in the park I'll also be sharing another
23:42
perfect trail to have an adventure on for the
23:44
week and everything else You have come to expect
23:48
from this podcast if there's anything you need
23:50
covered reach out to me until then happy trails
24:04
This week in Yellowstone is brought to you by
24:06
the Outdoor Society because that's my company
24:08
and that's where this is hosted There are no
24:11
sponsors. This is a labor of love. So thank you
24:14
all for listening Copyright 2025, baby