Latest / This Week in Yellowstone National Park / This Week in Yellowstone: July 9th to July 15th, 2026

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This Week in Yellowstone: July 9th to July 15th, 2026 · This Week in Yellowstone National Park

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From Yellowstone National Park where summer is
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officially in swing This is that Scott guy you
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know and love with a brand new episode of this
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week in Yellowstone What's up everybody this
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week in Yellowstone National Park from July 9th
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to July 15th 2026 I try to get you excited for
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the bison rut talk about how Yellowstone once
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had a zoo, and hope to inspire you to look at
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the region beyond the park boundaries. I'll also
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give you the complete weather forecast, a cool
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trail to hike, the wildlife report, and everything
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else you need to have an incredible time this
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week in Yellowstone. Standard disclaimer I'm
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gonna miss a few details and I also mentioned
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park locations very casually. If you're unfamiliar
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with anything I'm talking about a quick search
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online can help or you can reach out to me directly
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via text 406 -589 -1873. Also, this podcast is
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a passion project of mine. I'm not paid, I'm
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not sponsored, I do this because I want you to
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have a good time. If you enjoy this podcast,
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I'd love a review or a quick email. If you want
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to support my work more, you can check out my
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hiking and wildlife watching guidebooks, or join
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me for a guided hiking tour in Yellowstone's
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backcountry. I am basically booked out through
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the entire summer, but contact me, we might be
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able to make something happen. For more information
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on all of this you can visit outdoor -society
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.com or contact me directly via text at 406 -589
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-1873 or theoutdoorsocietyatgmail .com This week's
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Yellowstone news. So there's not a lot of major
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news right now. Probably by the time this episode
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drops, we'll have the June visitation statistics
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released. However, they're not out at the time
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of the recording, so I can't talk about that.
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I'm anticipating that that will be a high number.
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Probably. Top five, easily top five most busy
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summers, busy June so far. But there's no other
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news out right now. So I'm going to talk about
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two things that are kind of news, but not really.
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The first, I'm going to elaborate more on the
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weather report, but this is going to be a very
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hot weekend. Highs in the park are going to be
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over 90 degrees in places. Some of you are probably
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from very hot places and look at that temperature
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and say, I'll be fine. You may be fine. However,
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not a lot of people experience 90 degree weather
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above 6 ,000, 7 ,000, or 8 ,000 feet above sea
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level. It will be hotter. You will need to drink
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more water. You'll need to limit daytime activity
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and try to find shade. Try not to do anything
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in the heat of the day so that 1 p .m. to 4 or
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5 p .m. time period, try and do something inside,
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go visit a visitor's center, sit and watch Old
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Faithful, go and get some ice cream, you know,
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do something that's gonna be nice and cool. Looks
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like Friday's gonna be pretty warm, Saturday's
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gonna be really warm, Sunday's also gonna be
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really warm. We are in the throes of summer and
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it's going to be hot, so be prepared for that.
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If you're hiking, layer up. try not to hike in
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the middle of the day. It also means that we
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might get some thunderstorms in the afternoon.
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Again, I'm going to go more into detail about
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what to expect during the weather forecast, but
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it's going to be hot this weekend, so be prepared
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for that. Second news in quotation marks, thing
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that I want to talk about is that the bugs are
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out. Mosquitoes are really coming out right now.
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It rained a lot, got cold, snowed, rained some
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more, and then it's getting warm. Mosquitoes
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are going to be hatching. The bugs and mosquitoes
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have been pretty bad in Grand Prismatic and the
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hike up to the Overlook and out towards Fairy
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Falls and then out in Hell Roaring area they're
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popping off, out in Lamar they're popping up,
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so it's going to get even more buggy for the
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next few weeks. You may be used to mosquitoes.
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Mosquitoes here are very aggressive. I recommend
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a bug spray with DEET. I have some mosquito proof
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clothes and they don't seem to work that well
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and all natural bug spray doesn't seem to work
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that well on these guys either. So maybe they'll
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work better for you. Maybe I'm just like delicious
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to these bugs, especially like the flies and
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mosquitoes. But no, you probably need something
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really aggressive. Also wearing long sleeves
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doesn't necessarily mean they're not going to
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get your arms. Wearing long pants doesn't mean
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they're not going to get through your legs. If
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you have tight clothes on. More than likely they
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will be biting you through that. I've told this
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story before, but I know somebody who is hiking
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in the hell -roaring area at the peak mosquito
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season with a sun shirt on and sprayed off all
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over them, and they still ended up with over
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30 mosquito bites. So know that they're out there.
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Strong bug spray will help. Just know that it
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may not always be enjoyable, depending where
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you're at. As I'm recording this, I have... two
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horse fly bites and three mosquito bites on my
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legs from yesterday's tour I didn't put any bug
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spray on so if that's all I got I'm okay with
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that but it will be getting more aggressive in
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the next few days weeks so be prepared for that
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and my hike of the week is directly in very heavy
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mosquito territory so if you're headed out to
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where I talk about the hike of the week know
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that you're gonna need a lot the experience of
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the week the bison rut I could talk about this
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next week, but I have something else planned
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for that. So I'm going to talk about it this
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week, and it's relevant for the next three to
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four or five weeks. So if you're listening to
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old episodes, getting ready for your trip in
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mid to late July, early August, this still is
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relevant information. So this week marks kind
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of the beginning of one of Yellowstone's most
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exciting wildlife seasons. At least I think so.
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While many love the elk rut in the fall, the
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summer bison rut is so awesome. Over the next
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several weeks, the park's broad valleys will
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become the stage for one of North America's greatest
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wildlife spectacles as the annual bison rut gets
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underway. If you're visiting Yellowstone during
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July, there's a good chance you're going to notice
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the first signs of this awesome event. Mature
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bulls are beginning to leave their bachelor groups
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and join the large cow and calf herds. So if
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you don't know, bison tend to separate after
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breeding season. The males go out on their own
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or little bachelor groups and the females and
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adolescents all hang out together throughout
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the winter. As soon as the bison rut starts to
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begin, those mature bulls just start making their
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way to where everybody else is at. When they're
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making their way there, their deep bellows echo
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across the valley, dust rises from fresh wallows,
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and the first breeding displays begin to unfold.
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As the month progresses, the activity only becomes
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more dramatic, making the bison rut one of the
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park's can't -miss summer experiences. The bison
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rut, or mating season, generally begins in July
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and continues through August, with the most intense
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activity coming from mid to late July into August.
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During this time, Yellowstone's northern and
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central breeding herds gather in impressive numbers.
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Yesterday on July 7th, I'm recording this on
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the 8th, there were easily a thousand bison hanging
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out in Lamar Valley. The whole valley was just
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packed up on the hillsides. There were small
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groups scattered about. There were just animals
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all over. So they are gathering right now and
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it is one of the largest wildlife gatherings
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in the lower 48 states. For much of the year,
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mature bull bison spend their time alone or in
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small bachelor groups. It's a really easy way
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to tell what the gender of a bison is when it's
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not summer. If they're out by themselves or with
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one or two others, they're male. If they're in
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a giant herd, they're female in adolescence.
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As breeding season approaches, like I said before,
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they seek out the large cow and calf herds for
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mating opportunities. Although both males and
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females become sexually mature around two or
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three years of age Most of the successful breeding
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is carried out by dominant bulls between about
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seven and twelve years old Fun fact here bison
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can live up to 20 years old. So that's wild.
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I just want people to know that the bison size
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strength and experience give them a significant
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advantage over those younger competitors your
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competitors were trying like Do something but
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they're just gonna get bullied by the big guys
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One of the first things visitors notice during
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the rut is the sound. Mature bulls produce deep
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rumbling bellows that can carry surprising distances
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across Yellowstone's open valleys. These vocalizations
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advertise their presence to rivals and females
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while warning competitive bulls to keep their
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distance. Visitors will also see bulls pawing
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the ground or flopping down in dusty wallows.
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These wallows help remove loose hair, discourage
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insects, but during the rut... They like the
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males like to urinate in them and then roll around
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in it to get a scent that creates an Impressive
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just musk for those female bison on my tours.
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I often say it's like the axe body spray for
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bison If they aren't urinating in those wallows
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and rolling around they are slamming their body
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down as hard as they can To create an impressive
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visual display of rising dust that signals their
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breeding condition and how big they are Now when
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bulls get together not every confrontation turns
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into a fight But when two evenly match bulls
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refuse to back down the results are unforgettable
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after circling posturing Bellowing, you know
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just trying to intimidate the other one They
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may lower their massive heads and collide with
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good force or just kind of wrestle around and
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turn their heads Sometimes one will blindside
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another one and hit it right in the side. You
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may see bull bison bleeding from the side from
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the impact of those horns. Often these injuries
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get really bad and the bison die. And that's
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why around where these bison mating displays
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are going on, you might see bears, you might
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see wolves and other animals hoping for an easier
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meal. Now, while these confrontations can be
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violent, Most of the time they're not they'll
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size each other up One will kind of just try
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to intimidate the other one and the other one
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will just say okay and walk away But you know
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sometimes they do get violent so be very aware
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of that One of the other fascinating behaviors
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is known as tending after identifying a cow that
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is approaching breeding time a Dominant bull
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remains close to her sometimes fall in her every
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moment for hours or even days While preventing
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rival males from getting too close Once she becomes
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receptive, the pair mates before the bull resumes
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searching for another female. Visitors may also
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notice bulls curling their upper lips after sniffing
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a female from behind. This behavior, called the
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flamin' response, helps them detect chemical
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signals that indicate whether she is ready to
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be bred or not. Now, you may be asking, where
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can I go to see this? The best places to witness
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the rut are Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley. Hayden
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Valley between Canyon and Fishing Bridge is where
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the central breeding herd often resides, and
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then Lamar Valley from Little America out toward
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Soda Butte Cone, that's where that northern breeding
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herd will be hanging out. Both valleys feature
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expansive grasslands where visitors can observe
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the action from designated pullouts, while also
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looking for pronghorn elk, coyotes, wolves, and
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even bears. There are a few things I do want
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to mention right now Lamar Valley if you go to
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Lamar to watch the bison route the bison route
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tends to happen a little further out For some
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reason how the road is in the valley where the
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bison hang out close to the river These all impact
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where the bison are gonna hang out most of the
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time And so you're gonna be able to watch this
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from a pullout looking down at them or far away
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Usually they aren't doing breeding behavior or
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aggressive behavior right next to the road They
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do sometimes, but not as often in Hayden. Hayden
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Valley is going to be where you will have tons
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of park rangers and volunteers dictating traffic,
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trying to make sure people stay in their cars,
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and really just trying to stop the entire scene
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from being true chaos. Because the bison will
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fight each other on the road, they may hit a
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car, they are just going to be aggressive. all
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around and Hayden Valley is really where that
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action snarls traffic because everybody goes
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through there and I have been stopped at the
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canyon junction and the backup was all the way
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by that grizzly overlook in Hayden Valley and
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it took hours to get through there during this
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time. If the bison are near the road, there is
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no fast way through this region. If you don't
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care about this and don't want to see this and
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don't want to have the traffic, do not go through
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Hayden Valley. Drive all the way around to get
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to Canyon and things like that. You will not
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be able to avoid this when the bison are nearby.
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What's interesting... is that the bison don't
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always hang out by the road. Sometimes even in
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the middle of the rut, all the bison will be
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two hills over in Hayden Valley and you won't
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be able to see anything and you'll drive through
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Hayden and see three or four bison and it's truly
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a wild experience because this is where four
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hours later you might drive through and you will
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be stuck in traffic for an hour, hour and a half.
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Now the logic of getting to the spots with lots
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of bison in the early mornings and evenings is
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still Pretty true. Cooler temperatures can sometimes
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make the animals more active. And also that tends
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to be when they mate. I haven't really seen a
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lot of bison mating in the middle of the day.
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So if you're looking for watching that action
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go down, it's usually mornings, evenings. Also,
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if you go during the mornings, evenings, the
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light's going to be better for pictures. But
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most importantly, visitor traffic is usually
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lighter during the middle of the day. As the
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rut intensifies expect more frequent bison jams
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in these areas because the breeding herds are
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just going to move across park roads. Another
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area I forgot to mention that is pretty good
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for this action is going to be down by Mud Volcano.
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Just know that all the way down through Mud Volcano
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is going to be pretty interesting. Now if you
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are driving these delays are just part of the
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Elson experience like I said if traffic stops
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stay in your vehicle unless you're parked safely
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in a designated pullout and the bison are very
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far away. When you're driving be patient and
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allow the animals to move through at their own
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pace. The excitement of the rut also makes this
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one of the most important times to respect wildlife,
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and I know I just mentioned this, but I'm doing
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it again. Yellowstone requires visitors to stay
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at least 25 yards away from bison at all times.
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That doesn't mean in your car, that means on
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foot. During the rut, I recommend my clients
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stay 35 to 50 yards away because these bull bison
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are going to be a lot more hopped up on their
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hormones. They can run 35 miles an hour, they
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can weigh 1 ,500 to 2 ,000 pounds, they pivot
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quickly, they easily outrun people, and right
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now they are very aggressive. They will hit cars.
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They will hit things if they are prompted to
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do so This is not the time to try and get close
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for a picture. This is when things are even more
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dangerous with bison So if you're visiting Yellowstone
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over the next several weeks and make time to
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stop in Hayden or Lamar Valley stay in your cars
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be smart be safe follow park rules and Enjoy
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the annual bison rut. We're just getting started
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and before long The park's largest residents
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are going to be putting on one of the most remarkable
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wildlife shows in North America and you get to
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see it. It is a very special, very unique slice
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of just wildness that we almost lost. If you
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research the history of bison, there were only
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a couple dozen bison one time in the park. And
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as of late last year, there were 5 ,600 bison
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in the park. My tip of the week. A trip to Yellowstone
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should be more than just the park boundary. When
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most people come to Yellowstone they consider
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the trip officially started when they go through
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the entrance gate. Well there's nothing wrong
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with that at all. Some coming to the region hoping
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for something more and you can get more. Some
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come to Yellowstone, they see the wildlife and
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the geysers, and then they feel they need to
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get to the Tetons or glaciers for stunning hikes
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in the wilds of the west and to see true mountains.
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The truth is, there's a magical wonderland resting
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to the north of the park. The Absaroka Bear Tooth
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Wilderness, or Absaroka Bear Tooth Wilderness
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depending how you want to say it, is one of the
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largest designated wilderness areas in the lower
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48 states, managed primarily by the U .S. Forest
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Service and the Custer Gallatin National Forest.
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At nearly a million acres, this wilderness area
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is meant to remain undeveloped without roads,
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motorized vehicles, or permanent structure. This
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definition of wilderness fits the landscape perfectly.
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It is a place where granite peaks, alpine lakes,
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glacial carved basins stretch for miles without
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interruption, and where you can hike all day
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without seeing anything that feels engineered
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or built, and you might hike all day and not
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see a single person. What makes the AB wilderness
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especially important is how closely it connects
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to Yellowstone's northern and northeastern edges.
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Wildlife doesn't recognize park boundaries, and
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neither does weather, water, or terrain. grizzly
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bears, elk, moose, black bears, bighorn sheep,
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wolves, mountain lions, basically everything
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that you love about the animals in Yellowstone
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travel freely between Yellowstone and this wilderness
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area depending on the season and food availability.
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It's easy to think that Yellowstone is just this
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boundary but Yellowstone functions as the core
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of a much larger ecosystem where the surrounding
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public lands are essential for migration, genetic
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diversity, and long -term survival of wildlife
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populations. Now, you may not see any animals
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when you leave the park and go on these hikes
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and go into these regions because it's a wild,
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rugged terrain and there aren't these sweeping
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valleys that are really easy to get to, so it's
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a lot harder to see animals. Most people that
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like going to the AB wilderness, the Absaroka
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Bear Tooth Wilderness, are often doing so. because
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of the terrain and the amazing hikes. My guidebook
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that I wrote to the region, that Beyond the Boardwalks
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guidebook you can find on my website, half of
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that book covers trails outside of the park.
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I love hiking in the park and I love guiding
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in the park and that's why I take people there.
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But if I have a day off and I want to go on a
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hike, I'm hiking in the AB wilderness. One, it's
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close to Livingston where I live and it's really
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easy to get to. But the other is I love climbing
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mountains. I love getting on ridgelines. I love
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just being alone in the wilderness in this rugged,
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amazing terrain. And that's what you get in the
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AB wilderness. The access points to this are
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going to be along the Beartooth Highway, like
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east of Cook City and then north toward Red Lodge.
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or if you go to Paradise Valley between Livingston
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and Gardner and then hike east those are where
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you're going to get a lot of these awesome trails.
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Once you step into the wilderness here the feeling
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of like park visit immediately goes away. Often
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you have to drive a dirt road a couple miles
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to get to trailhead and what's fun is locals
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will think a trailhead in the AB wilderness is
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busy if there are three four or five cars at
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the trailhead. There are a couple popular trails
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out in the AB wilderness. The most popular one
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between Livingston and Gardner is going to be
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Pine Creek Falls. That's a couple miles round
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trip to a beautiful little waterfall. However,
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if you want a longer day you go to Pine Creek
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Lake also a popular hike but much harder It's
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10 miles round trip with about 3 ,500 feet of
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elevation gain tops are out around 9 ,000 feet
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or there's a couple drainages to the north or
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south of there that you can hike and maybe not
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see any other person and Then you can climb to
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10 ,000 foot mountains. You can hike ridgelines.
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You can go to remote alpine lakes. You can get
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out there Near Cook City. There's a trail that
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goes all the way west of Red Lodge called the
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Beaton Path. This is the most popular backpacking
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route probably in the av wilderness, super popular
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and it is about 26 -27 miles about 4 ,000 -5
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,000 feet of elevation gain and along the way
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you pass dozens of stunning alpine lakes get
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up to around 10 ,000 feet and just hike through
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mountains that no one knows exists unless they
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hike there or live here and research it. The
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entire AB wilderness is this way. You can go
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anywhere you want. If you're looking for more
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of a kind of set and organized and more visited
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area, South of Bozeman is the highlight region,
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which is really cool, really great hikes. The
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further out you go, the less people are there.
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But it isn't quite the same as the AB wilderness.
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It's really nice, but it's not quite the same.
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The landscape of the Abie wilderness feels like
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a continuation of Yellowstone's northern range,
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but even more raw and less interrupted. You're
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not going to find boardwalks and railings where
21:18
you go. You're going to have talus slopes, glacier
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lakes, ridge lines that seem to go on forever,
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and mountains that very few people climb. Elevation
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plays a huge role in limiting who gets here.
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Many of the trails climb into alpine environments
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where snow can linger in the summer, where sudden
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weather shifts are not part of the experience,
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and, you know, not everybody wants to hike a
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thousand foot a mile for a few miles, right?
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That's not, people don't really like to climb
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too much on steep trails. However, if that is
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your jam, this is where you go. A lot of people
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will contact me and say, okay, so I want to see
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wildlife and the geyser basins in Yellowstone,
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but then I need to go to the Tetons or I need
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to go to Glacier for stunning hikes. Tetons and
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Glacier have amazing hikes. Go there and hike.
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However, there are some amazing places outside
22:09
of the park. Even in the northern range, there
22:11
are some really cool places in the park boundaries.
22:13
I really want people to know that the park is
22:16
not limited to just a handful of experiences.
22:18
The park is not really Yellowstone is not really
22:22
just the park boundary. Yellowstone is the greater
22:24
Yellowstone ecosystem, which covers all of the
22:26
areas outside of the park, too. This is where
22:29
you are going to have some of the best hiking,
22:32
backcountry camping, anywhere you can go, especially
22:35
in the summer. Yes, it might be a steep trail.
22:38
Yeah, there might be some bugs there. Maybe you're
22:40
going to have to do some route finding. But if
22:42
you're looking for an experience that is in true
22:46
wilderness, of high alpine wilderness that is
22:50
a continuation of the mountainous areas of Yellowstone.
22:54
AB Wilderness is where it's at. If you want hikes
22:57
in there, please pick up my guidebook like I
23:00
said. Half of the hikes in my hiking guidebook
23:02
are trails outside of the park and they're only
23:05
my favorite trails. I didn't write about trails
23:07
that I don't like. I wrote about trails that
23:10
I think you'll love because I absolutely adore
23:12
them. So next time you visit the park or if you're
23:15
visiting the park right now and you're a hiker,
23:16
Either reach out to me and say I want to hike
23:19
that has this Do you know of one or pick up a
23:22
guidebook or visit the National Forest Service
23:25
offices around? Outside the park. There's one
23:28
in Gardner. There's one in Livingston Ask where
23:31
to hike and they will help you out. So enjoy
23:34
the AB wilderness on your next trip to Yellowstone
23:37
My random Yellowstone fact of the week the Lake
23:41
Lodge and Zoo Most visitors who settle into a
23:45
relaxing time near Lake Lodge drift away in thought
23:48
while taking in the tranquil sounds and sights
23:49
of Yellowstone Lake itself. Pelicans drift across
23:52
the surface, Elk or Bison sometimes graze along
23:55
the shoreline, and the Absaroka Range of Wyoming
23:58
rises in soft layers across the horizon. The
24:01
scene here feels timeless, calm, and entirely
24:04
natural. What most people don't realize is that
24:07
just a short distance away sits one of the park's
24:09
most unusual historic sites, an island where
24:12
visitors once paid to see Yellowstone's wildlife
24:15
kept inside fences. On Dot Island, a small wooded
24:19
island just offshore from the Lake Hotel and
24:21
Lake Lodge area, Yellowstone once operated what
24:24
was known as the Island Zoo. From the shore,
24:27
it looks like any other forested island in the
24:29
lake. But for more than a decade, beginning in
24:32
the late 1890s, it was a managed attraction where
24:35
tourists arrived by boat to view captive bison,
24:38
elk, deer, antelope, and even bears. It's one
24:41
of those stories that feels almost impossible
24:43
to reconcile with modern ideas of national parks,
24:46
yet it was a real and popular part of Yellowstone's
24:48
early tourism era. The Island Zoo operated in
24:52
1896 under entrepreneur E .C. Waters, who had
24:55
secured a lease to operate recreational services
24:58
around Yellowstone Lake. At the time, visiting
25:01
Yellowstone was a very different experience.
25:03
Roads were primitive, travel was slow, and wildlife
25:06
settings were never guaranteed. Many visitors
25:09
spent days in the park without seeing large animals
25:11
at close range. Waters recognized that demand
25:13
and created a place where tourists could reliably
25:16
see Yellowstone's famous wildlife in one setting.
25:19
Boats ferried visitors from the lake to Dot Island
25:23
where wooden fences enclosed animals and simple
25:25
exhibits. Historical pictures preserved by the
25:28
Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center show
25:30
bison standing behind heavy railing while visitors
25:33
gathered nearby. For many tourists at the turn
25:35
of the 20th century, almost said 12th century,
25:38
no, 20th century, this was a highlight of the
25:41
trip even though it would feel completely out
25:43
of place today. I wrote this as completely out
25:46
of place today because inside the park this does
25:48
feel completely out of place. However, you go
25:50
out to West Yellowstone, if you've been to West
25:52
Yellowstone, there's a zoo there. You go there
25:56
to see bears, you go there to see wolves. This
25:58
is one of those things that we still have a zoo,
26:01
but now is just right outside the park. That
26:04
is the only comment I'll have on that. From a
26:06
modern perspective inside the park, the island
26:09
zoo reflects a different stage in conservation
26:11
history. Yellowstone had been established in
26:14
1872, but early ideas about wildlife protection
26:17
were still developing. Zoos were widely accepted
26:20
as educational attractions, and viewing animals
26:23
in controlled settings was not unusual. Over
26:26
time, however, obviously attitude shifted as
26:29
visitors increasingly wanted to see wildlife
26:31
in natural conditions rather than behind fences.
26:35
Park officials also began questioning whether
26:37
a commercial zoo belonged inside a national park.
26:40
Good question. By 1907, just 11 years after it
26:43
opened, the island zoo was closed. The animals
26:46
were removed, the enclosure was dismantled, and
26:49
Dot Island was left to return to a wild state.
26:52
That closure marked an early step towards Yellowstone's
26:55
modern philosophy that wildlife should remain
26:57
free -ranging whenever possible. Now, obviously,
27:01
if you've listened to this, if you know Yellowstone
27:02
history, there were still bear feedings at picnics,
27:05
picnic areas during this time. Even much later
27:09
than this, there were bear feedings at dump sites.
27:12
This was the first step of a marathon. So while
27:17
closing a zoo was celebrated, there are some
27:19
other things that were happening. The park did
27:22
kind of change what sort of permitting they allowed.
27:27
private businesses to do. So while it's easy
27:33
to say that it is, you know, a first step, it's
27:37
also a very complicated first step that, you
27:40
know, the foot was hovering for a while before
27:42
it even came down. And then that second step
27:44
took a while. Today Dot Island still sits in
27:48
Yellowstone Lake, but nothing remains of the
27:50
zoo. There's no fences, buildings or docks that
27:52
are visible. A visitor would never know its history
27:55
without already understanding the story. More
27:58
than a century of weather, ice, and regrowth
28:00
has erased nearly all surface traces of the dock
28:04
area. Even so, archaeological work by the National
28:08
Park Service has documented cultural evidence
28:10
on and around the island, including both prehistoric
28:13
Native American use and artifacts, and from early
28:17
tourism around Yellowstone Lake. This island
28:20
had been used for a long time before the park,
28:24
and there are some archaeological sites. There
28:26
are a lot of archaeological sites all around
28:28
the park. Dot Island had a few artifacts that
28:31
were found there, which is really cool. These
28:33
findings show that Dot Island has a much longer
28:36
human history than its brief time as a zoo. So
28:39
it's one thing to look at this island from Lake
28:41
and say, oh cool, there's a zoo there. It's another
28:44
to look at Lake and understand that for maybe
28:46
thousands of years, that island was a special
28:50
place. I could talk a lot more about the Lake
28:52
Lodge history as well but I'm going to just briefly
28:55
talk about this maybe when winter hits and it's
28:57
a little slower I'll talk about that. But Lake
29:00
Lodge was built in the 1920s and it was built
29:02
near the site of William Wallace Wiley's tent
29:05
camp from the 1890s. As tourism grew the rustic
29:09
lodge replaced that old camp while maintaining
29:11
the same lakeside setting. Today visitors see
29:14
something entirely different when they visit
29:16
than when in the late 1890s. Instead of knowing
29:20
that there's fenced animals offshore, you can
29:22
watch wild birds. You can just enjoy the shifting
29:25
light of the lake without knowing there's a zoo
29:27
on that island. And occasionally, you're just
29:29
gonna see wildlife moving freely along the shoreline,
29:33
near the lodge, and drifting back into the absolute
29:36
vastness of nature in Yellowstone. The island
29:40
zoo is gone, but it's a story that's a reminder
29:42
of how much Yellowstone has changed, from displaying
29:45
wildlife to protecting it in its natural state.
29:47
It's also important to know that when people
29:50
talk about park behavior being bad, the worst
29:54
it's ever been when you see social media, all
29:57
of these things, know that we are so much better
29:59
than we were 120 years ago as far as protection
30:03
of park, understanding wildlife behavior, and
30:07
being good stewards of land. We have come a long
30:09
way, and we will continue to come a very long
30:12
way, making sure Yellowstone is a place of enjoyment
30:14
for future generations. and just knowing that
30:18
Yellowstone is a special place. So next time
30:21
you're at the lake, glance out at Dot Island,
30:23
know that there's a zoo there, and then know
30:27
how cool it is that we don't have a zoo in the
30:29
park, that everything is wild. It's pretty awesome.
30:33
All right, the weather for the coming week. As
30:36
always, this is the best forecast for the week
30:38
at the time of the recording. I'm recording this
30:40
on Wednesday, July 8th at 11 15 a .m. This forecast
30:45
can change a couple of times through the week,
30:48
weekend, but it should be within the ballpark
30:49
of what you'll experience when visiting the park.
30:52
We're gonna start with Lamar Valley. On Thursday,
30:56
high of 79, low of 46, 6 % chance of rain. Friday,
31:01
83 and 49. Saturday, 88 and 51 Sunday 91 and
31:07
54 Monday 87 and 53 with a 12 % chance of thunderstorms
31:11
in the late morning early afternoon Tuesday 78
31:15
and 51 with about a 50 % chance of thunderstorms
31:19
Wednesday 77 and 49 with about a 35 % chance
31:22
of thunderstorms the weather for Gardner, Montana
31:26
Thursday, high of 82, low of 48, 12 % chance
31:30
of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Friday, 85
31:33
and 51. Saturday, 91 and 53. Sunday, 94 and 57.
31:39
Monday, 89 and 56. Tuesday, 80 and 53 with a
31:44
40 % chance of thunderstorms. And Wednesday,
31:47
80 and 52 with a 25 % chance of thunderstorms.
31:51
The weather for West Yellowstone, Montana. Thursday
31:54
80 and 45 25 percent chance of thunderstorms
31:58
Friday 83 and 46 Saturday 88 and 49 Sunday 91
32:04
and 52 Monday 87 and 52 Tuesday 79 and 50 with
32:10
a 24 percent chance of some thunderstorms Wednesday
32:13
78 and 48 with a 24 percent chance of thunderstorms
32:18
the weather for Cody, Wyoming Thursday 86 and
32:21
59 small chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon
32:24
Friday 94 and 62 Saturday 101 and 66 Sunday 103
32:32
and 66 Monday 94 and 68 Tuesday 85 and 64 with
32:38
a 13 % chance of afternoon thunderstorms and
32:41
Wednesday 83 and 63 with a 24 % chance of thunderstorms
32:46
and finally for the weather report Cook City,
32:48
Montana, where you may think, oh, Cook City's
32:50
much higher up. It's going to be cool there.
32:53
Nope. Thursday, 75 and 48. Friday, 78 and 51.
32:58
Saturday, 84 and 54. Sunday, 87 and 56, Monday
33:04
83 and 54 with a 12 % chance of rain in the afternoon,
33:08
Tuesday 75 and 52 with a 65 % chance of thunderstorms,
33:13
and Wednesday 73 and 51 with a 40 % chance of
33:17
thunderstorms. Now this is going to be a hot
33:20
weekend, it's going to be warm, no matter where
33:23
you go. As I said off the top, Please understand
33:27
that heat at elevation is going to hit you differently.
33:30
This is not a time to try to flex and say, oh,
33:34
I can handle heat. Be smart, be safe, stay hydrated.
33:38
Don't overexert yourself in the heat of the day.
33:42
Please don't do that. If you have to just hang
33:44
out somewhere during the day, that's what you
33:46
have to do. But don't try and overexert yourself.
33:49
Also, if you're traveling to the park and you
33:51
have a dog, consider not doing much during the
33:55
day because one you can't really leave your dog
33:57
in the car but also even driving around with
34:00
air conditioning it's going to be hot if you
34:03
do little stops here and there it's going to
34:04
be hot just for humans so please be very smart
34:08
and very safe in this heat again I know some
34:11
of you are from hotter places you're not from
34:13
hotter places more than likely at elevation this
34:16
will hit differently and I know I say this all
34:19
the time but Every single tour I go on where
34:23
we talk about the heat people be like, yeah,
34:25
it is much hotter than I expected You said it,
34:28
but I just didn't think it would be that hot.
34:29
So please take this seriously Maybe you'll enjoy
34:32
it. Maybe it won't feel that hot great, but not
34:35
everyone's going to be able to handle it So again,
34:38
be smart be safe. Stay hydrated Don't overexert
34:41
yourself in the heat of the day and do things
34:43
in the morning and the evenings It gets light
34:46
around 6 and it doesn't get dark until around
34:48
10 So you have plenty of time in cooler weather
34:51
to do the good things that you want to do in
34:53
the park without being in the heat. Road conditions.
34:58
No park roads are closed right now. There are
35:00
some spots of construction here and there. Delays
35:03
aren't that bad. Just make sure you follow the
35:05
speed limit signs. You stop when the red light
35:08
is red at that Gardner River bridge construction.
35:13
Was there yesterday morning six in the morning?
35:16
I was the second car and there were three or
35:19
four cars behind me and the car in the very back
35:22
Decided that it would try and pass all of us
35:24
at a red light Montana plates local plates somebody
35:28
just wanting to avoid the traffic and then they
35:31
realized that we were all stopped for a reason
35:34
Just know that construction is going to happen.
35:36
There's nothing you can do to get around it enjoy
35:38
it wave at the construction workers who are going
35:41
to be out there working in the heat and Know
35:43
that all the work they are doing is continually
35:46
making the park a better place Camping information
35:50
every campground in the park that is going to
35:52
open this year is open So you may need some reservations
35:56
to camp especially right now But there are some
35:59
sites that are still popping open people are
36:01
canceling not everything booked up fully So,
36:05
you know, if you're just headed out here on a
36:07
whim, you might get lucky. Also, if you're headed
36:09
out here on a whim and you don't know where to
36:10
camp, there are a lot of National Forest Campgrounds
36:13
all around outside the park. If you need any
36:17
of those, a quick search online can help you.
36:20
You may have to reserve some, you may not. It
36:22
just depends on what the campground is. The wildlife
36:25
watching update I think I mentioned this last
36:28
week But wildlife sightings are gonna get a lot
36:30
harder this coming week now that we're in summer
36:32
and the heat is here Heat of the day not gonna
36:36
have a lot of action if you are only in the park
36:39
after 10 a .m. Until 4 p .m. Best of luck you
36:43
might see something But your chances of seeing
36:46
things much lower than if you get into the park
36:49
very early in the morning or later in the afternoon
36:52
If you've listened to the podcast a lot, you
36:54
know I've had some points of contention with
36:56
some people who say, oh, the only time to see
36:58
wildlife is before 8 a .m. or after 7 p .m. It's
37:02
not true most of the year. Right now though,
37:06
those early morning, late evening warnings about
37:09
when is best to see, not warnings, but tips and
37:13
help about when to see wildlife, this is the
37:15
time to really listen to that. did not see anything
37:20
really leaving the park yesterday in the middle
37:22
of the day. However, I saw a lot in the morning.
37:25
So right now for wolves, the best place to see
37:28
wolves in the last week has been at after the
37:32
S curves by the nature trail and before the black
37:36
tail plateau road in the northern range just
37:40
outside of mammoth. People will be looking back
37:42
and the rescue creek wolves have been there they
37:44
have a couple pups and that's really good. Lamar
37:47
Valley has also been pretty good for some wolves.
37:50
The last few days it's just kind of been sporadic
37:52
where they've been seen. Sometimes it's out by
37:55
Soda Butte Cone, other times it's way out by
37:58
the confluence or even out by Little American
38:01
Slew Creek. Yesterday gave a tour to this great
38:06
group of three people. Fantastic day. We had
38:09
a great time hiking. almost private to me trail
38:13
or a path that I know of and we were hiking around
38:17
above Lamar Valley ish area and While everybody
38:23
else had brief sightings of wolves yesterday
38:25
down from Lamar Valley from the road Didn't know
38:27
about it at all. We just hiked the trail We were
38:29
gonna hike and we ended up hiking up over this
38:32
ridge and looking at this clearing and watched
38:36
a About five or six wolves out in the distance
38:40
quarter mile, half mile away, laying down, frolicking,
38:45
harassing a bison, harassing some pronghorn,
38:47
just generally doing their thing. No one else
38:50
was there, no one else knew they were there,
38:53
and it was just a beautiful, wonderful moment,
38:55
and I'm very lucky to have people book tours
38:58
with me where we get to go do this. It was a
39:00
truly fantastic day, and I just wanted to mention
39:03
that because while you may not see wolves from
39:07
these areas, where everybody else is looking,
39:10
you might get lucky and go on a hike and come
39:12
across something. So know that that's there down
39:16
in Hayden Valley. getting back to where wolves
39:18
are and aren't. They haven't been seen down in
39:21
Hayden Valley too much, so maybe they'll pop
39:23
back out. But just kind of hit and miss right
39:26
now. Bear wise, bears are still in the northern
39:29
range, not as prevalent as they were a couple
39:31
of weeks ago. You still might see a couple of
39:33
black bears or grizzlies way off on a hillside,
39:36
maybe one closer as you get out toward Cook City
39:37
or up to Beartooth. Down in Hayden a couple bears
39:42
down there also south of Norris well in that
39:45
whole Norris area a little bit north of Norris
39:47
and then all the way south down to Madison you
39:50
might see a couple of grizzlies or black bears
39:52
down there But generally everything is kind of
39:55
in the woods. Everything's kind of cool right
39:57
now Bighorn sheep with babies are still being
39:59
seen from calcite Springs pronghorn with babies
40:02
are all over the northern range in Little America
40:04
and out in Lamar even saw a few closer to Blacktail
40:09
ponds. I heard Yesterday that somebody saw a
40:13
black bear out by black tail ponds There's also
40:15
some sandhill crane still out lots of hawks lots
40:18
of osprey eagles It's it's a good time. Just
40:21
know that heat of the day. You're not gonna see
40:23
much obviously I talked about the bison where
40:25
you're gonna see them but generally head out
40:28
very early in the morning and You might have
40:31
really good luck. So good luck. If you need more
40:34
wildlife tips reach out to me. Happy to help
40:36
or pick up my Wildlife Watching Guidebook. It's
40:38
a great guide and I'm still proud of it even
40:42
though it's a few years old. Speaking of guidebooks,
40:45
if you order a guidebook from me, an ebook, know
40:48
that I process all of those orders by hand. There
40:51
probably is an automated system that is easier.
40:53
I have not found it. So when you order it, you
40:57
will get a receipt via email that says, I will
41:00
ship that to you within 24 hours of your order.
41:03
Generally, I ship them within an hour. But sometimes
41:07
it takes me a little longer, especially if I'm
41:08
out guiding and in service. I appreciate all
41:10
your understanding for this. 99 .999 % of you
41:13
have been very nice about this. Over the weekend,
41:16
there was somebody that wasn't nice about this.
41:18
So I just wanted to remind people, like, this
41:19
is the policy. It says so in the receipt. And
41:22
I do my best. If there's ever a complaint or
41:24
anything, just let me know. Very happy to work
41:26
with you. Trail alerts and updates. The backcountry
41:31
conditions page on the park website is updated.
41:34
I will always have a link to it in the show notes
41:36
during the summer, and this is the easiest way
41:38
to check the status of the trail you want to
41:39
hike. It is updated, it is great, and there are
41:43
a few closures here and there, but nothing that
41:45
really should impact your visit. Do you want
41:47
to say carry bear spray, have it readily accessible
41:51
and not in your backpack, and know how to use
41:53
it? My Trek of the Week. So when I talked about
41:56
the bugs, I talked about recommending a hike
41:59
that is in a buggy area. That is the Beckler
42:02
Falls Trail. Beckler Falls is one of those Yellowstone
42:06
hikes that feels like a secret. You were just
42:08
lucky enough to hear about it. It's not a secret.
42:10
It's well publicized. There's a road that leads
42:13
basically right to the trailhead. Actually, it
42:15
does lead to the trailhead. Don't know why I
42:17
said basically. And the only thing that makes
42:20
it difficult is that it's tucked into the park's
42:23
far southwest corner, only accessible from outside
42:27
the park in Idaho. The trail to the falls is
42:30
short. It's quiet, surprisingly lush compared
42:33
with the sagebrushed and thermal landscapes most
42:35
visitors associate with Yellowstone, and instead
42:38
of boardwalk crowds or geyser traffic jams, you
42:41
get this green corridor of river bends, shaded
42:43
forests, and constant water sound as the Beckler
42:46
River gathers strength on its way downstream.
42:49
This area is the waterfall corner of the park.
42:52
It is truly wonderful. I can't recommend going
42:55
here enough. However, I do want to say that if
42:57
you decide to do the Beckler region of the park,
43:00
that's going to be your day. If you're staying
43:02
in Idaho Falls, if you're staying out in Island
43:05
Park or from West Yellowstone, much easier to
43:07
get to. If you're staying in Cook City or Gardner
43:09
and want to go down there, it will be very, very
43:13
long to get there and back. It's worth it. Wholeheartedly
43:17
say it's worth it, but this is a destination
43:20
that might be for your second third or fourth
43:22
trip to the park and maybe not your first trip.
43:27
So reaching Beckler Falls is part of what makes
43:28
it so different from the rest of the park. The
43:31
trailhead is located at Cave Falls on the southern
43:34
boundary of Yellowstone, accessed via Cave Falls
43:36
Road from Ashton, Idaho. This is a long, unpaved
43:40
approach that passes through National Forest
43:42
Land before reaching the park boundary, and it's
43:45
not a quick detour from the main roads. Most
43:48
visitors drive in from the south entrance region
43:50
or from Island Park, then continue west toward
43:52
the Ashton area before turning on the gravel
43:54
road that leads to Cave Falls. The final approach
43:58
to this overlooked region is remote, slow -going,
44:01
and best suited for vehicles prepared for dirt
44:03
road conditions. From the Cave Falls parking
44:06
area, which is super rad anyway, Cave Falls is
44:08
so great. I've camped out there a few times and
44:12
absolutely love it. The hike to Beckler Falls
44:14
is straightforward. Round trip distance is about
44:17
two and a half to three miles with pretty much
44:19
no elevation gain, and the trail traces the Beckler
44:22
River upstream. The walk begins near impressive
44:26
Cave Falls itself, where the Falls River pours
44:28
over a wide rock shelf in a curtain -like drop.
44:31
It's not a super tall waterfall, but it's very
44:34
wide. From there, the path follows the river
44:36
corridor through a mix of forests and riverbanks,
44:39
staying close enough that the sound of water
44:41
rarely fades. Early in the hike, you pass the
44:44
confluence where Falls River meets the Beckler
44:46
River, which is the wide braided junction where
44:48
the water spreads out in multiple channels before
44:50
tightening into the main river again. The final
44:54
approach to Beckler Falls feels less like a dramatic
44:57
reveal and more like a gradual build. The river
45:00
grows louder, the channel narrows slightly, and
45:03
then the falls appear as a broad, low cascade
45:05
rather than a tall drop. Beckler Falls itself
45:08
is only about 15 feet high, but it's powerful,
45:12
wide, and energetic. More of a rushing shoot
45:14
than a vertical plunge. It's not the tallest
45:17
or the most famous waterfall in Yellowstone,
45:19
but it fits the character of this region perfectly.
45:22
This is the waterfall corner, after all. This
45:24
is a landscape defined less by single iconic
45:27
features and more by continuous water movement
45:30
and layered scenery. Mid -July is when this area
45:35
is I think best. It's really green. It's really
45:38
nice. Yes, you're going to have mosquitoes, a
45:40
lot of them, maybe too many, but it's great.
45:45
Snow Mountain Spring runoff are generally over
45:47
by now, which makes any sort of You know bogginess
45:52
along the way much easier to handle water levels
45:55
are still strong vegetation is at its peak there's
45:58
wildflowers out there and This is a place that
46:02
I absolutely love and it deserves the moniker
46:05
cascade corner that Yellowstone refers to it
46:08
It's the wettest place in the park gets a lot
46:10
of rainfall Meadows are thick wildflowers are
46:13
just huge and there's actually like forest with
46:15
understory. That's dense and green Again, it's
46:19
going to be the height of mosquito season. I
46:20
have to reiterate this. This is going to be potentially
46:25
a lot of mosquitoes. If it's windy, that's a
46:28
great day to be there. Backcountry reports right
46:31
now and trail accounts consistently warn that
46:33
biting insects can be quite intense in early
46:36
and mid summer, especially in low and wet areas
46:38
near the river, which is most of that area. Wildlife
46:42
wise, this is not a bison heavy landscape like
46:44
Hayden and Lamar. Instead, you're more likely
46:46
to see deer, elk, moose, and bears. Also some
46:51
really good bird life along the area. There's
46:53
also some beavers out there, so that's pretty
46:54
cool. You're gonna have solitude here. This is,
46:58
like I said, largely overlooked. I have been
47:00
there numerous times, and I'm always shocked
47:03
when I see another car there. What stands out
47:07
most on this hike in this region is that it's
47:10
so much different than the rest of Yellowstone.
47:12
Even though it's a short hike, this setting feels
47:15
deeply backcountry. The trail is shaded. It's
47:20
really easy to follow. It's beautiful. You're
47:23
going to just have a blast out here. For many
47:26
visitors, Beckler Falls is less about the waterfall
47:28
and more about this atmosphere. It's about getting
47:31
there. It's about this journey and it's about
47:32
going to a place in the park that no one sees.
47:35
People often ask, where can I go in Yellowstone
47:37
that no one else goes to? I want to have Yellowstone
47:40
to myself. Well, you're not going to have the
47:41
thermal area and you're not going to have the
47:44
wildlife that you're going to get in the main
47:45
part of the park. This is a place in Yellowstone
47:49
where it feels wilder, quieter, and more remote
47:52
than anywhere else accessible by trailhead and
47:55
road. The reward is not just the falls, but the
47:58
sense that you've stepped into a different version
47:59
of Yellowstone entirely. One defined by water,
48:03
solitude, and deep green forests instead of the
48:06
crowds and geothermals that everyone loves. That's
48:10
it for this week in next week's episode I'll
48:12
return with all the information you need to have
48:14
a great week in the park including wildlife,
48:17
weather, and trail updates. Until then, pick
48:20
up a guidebook of mine, recommend this to friends,
48:23
anybody you know that loves the park, and thank
48:25
you so much for listening. Until next week, happy
48:28
trails! Abrupt ending! This week in Yellowstone
48:42
is brought to you by The Outdoor Society. That's
48:44
my company. It's just me. I do this. It's a labor
48:47
of love. If you like it, tell your friends. Rate
48:50
and review it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise,
48:53
keep listening, and I hope to see you in Yellowstone.
48:56
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