From Yellowstone National Park where summer is
officially starting this week This is that Scott
guy you know in love with a brand new episode
of this week in Yellowstone What's up everybody
this week in Yellowstone National Park from June
18th to June 24th 2026 I'll tell you why now
is the time to hit up a very specific lake in
the northern range, give some tips on how to
avoid the summer crowds, and share some history
of an expedition before the park was the park.
I'll also give you the complete weather forecast,
a cool trail to hike, the snowpack update, the
wildlife report, and everything else you need
to have an incredible time this week in Yellowstone.
My standard disclaimer, I may miss a few details
here and there, so please feel free to reach
out if you have any questions. I also mention
park locations very casually, so if you're unfamiliar
with a place that I'm saying, again, reach out
to me or search online. If you have specific
questions that you need answered, reach out to
me, area code 406 -589 -1873. Feel free to text
that. If you call, I will not answer. I usually
don't answer that phone just because it's always
spam calls. You know, how we all get spam calls
for no reason now. Isn't that great? But yeah,
if you send me a text, I'll get back to it as
soon as I can. Can't guarantee the same day,
but as soon as I get to it, I will respond back.
Also, if you sent me a message and I haven't
got back to you and it's been a over a week.
Remind me shoot me another message. I probably
said I'm gonna respond to that and then promptly
forgot So reach out to me. I will do my best
to always answer that forgetting to respond also
applies to emails So if you've emailed me and
I haven't got back to you sincere apologies I
just get overwhelmed and then forget before I
jump into the episode one last thing this podcast
is a passion project of mine I'm not paid. I'm
not sponsored I do this week in and week out
because I want people to have the best possible
trip and so I share all this information If you
enjoy what you hear, I'd love a review or a quick
email or a text or recommend this podcast to
others. You know, go on social media, tell people
you enjoy this podcast and why that really helps
grow listenership, which then helps more people
have an amazing time in the park. If you want
to support me more, you can check out my hiking
and wildlife watching guidebooks. Those can be
found at outdoor -society .com or shoot me a
text and I'll send you the link for those guidebooks.
I'm pretty booked up tour wise through the summer
until August, but if you're visiting in August,
especially like after the second week, reach
out. Maybe I'll be able to help you out. Otherwise,
reach out to me. I'll happily recommend some
hikes or places to go. Until then, let's jump
directly into this week's episode. This week's
Yellowstone news. So there's a few stories. Nothing
really major is going on right now, but there
are a couple things I'm going to talk about briefly.
First is that the summer solstice is going to
happen on the 21st, longest day of the year.
So if you want to enjoy the entire day out, definitely
recommend it. Usually I do that. I get up early,
I get to the park at sunrise and then I leave
at sunset, try and spend all of the daylight
of the first day of summer in the park. It's
a wonderful magical experience. Definitely recommend
doing that. Next week I'm going to talk a little
bit probably about sunset times because it's
dark late here compared to a lot of places. So
talk about that later but enjoy the first day
of summer. Next thing to talk about mosquitoes
are starting to come out. And while you may be
from someplace that experiences mosquitoes and
you say, I'll be fine, just know that depending
on where you're at, mosquitoes are going to be
very aggressive here. I know some people that
have sprayed themselves with bug spray, put on
a sun shirt to protect their arms, and still
received dozens of mosquito bites through their
sun shirts and stuff like that during this time
of the year. Bug spray works a bit. Clothing
works as well, so do your best. Try not to get
bit too much. I don't have any good tips for
that, so best of luck to you all. The next thing
that I want to talk about briefly for the news
is I've been seeing more videos of people feeding
wildlife. Not bears, not anything like that,
but people are feeding marmots, they're feeding
birds, they're feeding squirrels, things like
that. Do not feed any animal in the park that
includes the begging ravens that includes the
chipmunks and squirrels This is a wild place
and the more you feed things The more likely
it is that they're going to get habituated And
start following people around and get really
aggressive to get food i've told the story on
the podcast before But people at the top of bunsen
peak have fed the little chipmunks up there every
time they're up there They get little snacks
and stuff from the people right? so those chipmunks
have jumped in my backpack when I've set it down
for two seconds. I was eating lunch up there
once and one jumped into the hood of my sweatshirt
that I was wearing and got stuck in there and
I had to rip off my shirt and like run around
while my shirt was moving around on the ground
when there's a chipmunk caught in a comical scene.
But just don't feed the animals. And if you see
other people doing it, tell them not to. It just
makes the park more wild and better if we don't
feed them human food. Finally, the last little
bit of news isn't really news, but last week
I asked a question of, what do you do when you
encounter bison on the trail? This week I'm briefly
answering that. For those of you who messaged
me, sent me emails, sent me texts about this,
greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for
participating and answering. Most of you were
completely right in what to do. And the answer
is, move around them as best you can. If they're
blocking the trail early on, then turn around,
don't take that trail. So here's what you do.
If you pull up into a parking lot as a trailhead
and you see there's a bunch of bison there, don't
bother hiking that trail. They may be there all
day and there may not be a way around them. If
you're hiking and you encounter a bison herd,
you have two options. The first is, are you on
your way out? Can you turn around and just go
back to the car? Great, do that. If that's not
an option, then you have to make your way around
them. Now, park rules dictate 25 yards from bison.
When there is a herd or even lone bison out in
the prairie near a trail, I like to make that
like 50 yards. That is 25 yards on foot while
hiking is definitely not a good feeling. We had
just had a tour last week where there are bison
very close and moving toward us. And the people
I was hiking with can probably attest to the
fact that it was not a calming experience to
try and get around them. but you need to try
and get around them as best you can. 50 yards
is a great kind of gauge. That is half of a football
field. One thing to do is always watch their
tails. If their tails are down, you're fine.
If their tails are up, that's not a good sign.
This last week, the tail went up on one of them
and it pawed at the ground. That is a sign of
aggression and you need to move far, far away
from that bison. When you're making your way
around a bison herd, you need to make sure that
there's not more hidden in the prairies or the
trees around you. This is something where you're
gonna constantly have to be looking around, and
you're gonna need to make sure that you can get
clear around them. In a lot of places you're
gonna be hiking, there may be a swamp on one
side or a cliff on the other side. If that's
the case, you may have to backtrack, but the
key to encountering a bison and having it go
well while hiking... is to give it plenty of
space and make your way clear around it. If there
is a big herd you may walk miles. You also may
be able to find a place far away from them and
you know sit on the top of a rock and watch them
slowly meander by. That's another thing but the
key to it is no matter what you're doing if there's
a bison herd or a lone bison moving toward you
move far away from it or them and make sure that
they have plenty of room to pass. Do not approach
them and do not assume that because they're walking
toward you it's going to be okay. Go clear off
the trail if you need to, as long as you can,
and just be smart and safe. Remember that these
are dangerous creatures that can run 30 to 35
miles an hour and supposedly have a vertical
of six feet. I've seen them have a two or three
foot vertical, not necessarily a six foot, but
I keep hearing this so, you know, who knows?
But, again. Easiest thing to do when you encounter
bison on the trail give them a wide wide room
50 yards instead of the 25 Make sure that you're
watching their tail and Always always always
have a route to move out of their way The last
thing you want to do is have a few pass you on
either side and then you get surrounded by a
herd pay attention don't let that happen and
I will probably go more into detail on this but
I just want to give a quick answer real quick
this week this in a couple of weeks I'll probably
give you a much more detailed tip of the week
for how to deal with these encounters but number
one thing give them room my experience of the
week watching cutthroat trout spawn at trout
lake When most people think about wildlife watching
in Yellowstone, they usually envision watching
wolves and lamar, grizzly bears roaming the hillsides,
or bison, you know, everywhere. Right now, one
of the park's most fascinating wildlife events
is happening, and it's happening underwater.
And that's when the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
gather at Trout Lake to spawn, creating one of
the easiest and most rewarding wildlife viewing
opportunities in the park. If you've never heard
of a Cutthroat Trout, you're not alone. Yellowstone
cutthroat trout are a native fish species found
throughout much of the Yellowstone River drainage.
They're named for their bright red, orange, or
pink slash marks found beneath their lower jaws,
which looks somewhat like a cut across the throat.
During most of the year they have a silvery appearance
with dark spots scattered across their bodies,
but during spawning season they become much more
colorful with vivid gold, orange, and red tones
that make them stand out in the clear water.
Now I could go on and on about how important
cutthroat trout are for the Greater Yellowstone
ecosystem and a bunch of cool facts about them,
but right now this isn't the highlight fish.
This is about telling you to go to something
cool. And so right now one of the best places
in the park to watch the cutthroat trout spawning
is in Trout Lake along the Northeast Inchins
Road just near Pebble Creek past Lamar Valley.
While this trail is growing in popularity, not
a lot of people know that this is a cool spot
to see this, so that's why I'm telling it to
you. This is a very short trail, but it is short
and steep and climbs about 150 feet right away
and three tenths of a mile before reaching the
lake. This climb, like I said, is steep, but
if you were to go up and hike all the way around
the lake, too, and then come back, it's less
than a mile and a half total in distance. So
once you go up the steep hill, you're kind of
good to go and can really enjoy something cool.
Now the timing of the spawn varies slightly from
year to year, depending on snowpack, runoff,
water temperatures, all of that. but generally
it's mid -June through early July is that best
window. That's why I'm recommending it now. I
always feel like it's around a Father's Day weekend,
so that's why it's on the calendar this week.
Once the spawning actually starts to happen,
the action at Trout Lake becomes surprisingly
easy to see. While you may see the fish swimming
in every corner of the lake, your best bet is
to get to the Outlets kind of on that north side
if you walk around the lake There's a little
bridge that goes across it not the bridge on
the south side near the road but clear on the
other side Here that little creek is where the
fish will be going up. Do not follow the little
boot path That's there. There's signs. I'll tell
you not to listen to those signs. However If
you watch from that area, you're gonna see tons
of fish making their way up. You're gonna see
otters probably swimming in the lake hunting
them. You're gonna see osprey and eagles in the
trees waiting to fish for them. It's a good scene
and it's awesome to see. I generally like to
get here a little after the early morning, so
go through Lamar and Slough Creek, do that early
morning wildlife watch, and then park and then
head up. That's what I like to do and that way
you're gonna see most of the fish most of the
otters everything like that again timing of this
is gonna be very dependent on Factors that we
can't control I talked to somebody the other
day and they said they saw some fish up there
But not that many so it could be picking up pretty
soon. That's what again why I'm recommending
it now Hopefully you have good luck when you
go and do this. Just remember hike up the trail
walk around the lake and go to the far side and
just sit and watch and enjoy the splendor of
nature. Plus, that Trout Lake Trail, absolutely
gorgeous, surrounded by towering mountains. If
you bring a spotting scope or binoculars, you
might be able to see some bighorn sheep in the
distance as well, or mountain goats too. So it's
a good place. Bring an early lunch, late breakfast,
hang out there, pick up all your crumbs, don't
leave any food, blah, blah, blah. You know the
rules. But enjoy watching the trout. My tip of
the week. Avoiding lines and wait times. So summer's
starting and as you know summer in Yellowstone
is one of the busiest times of the year. When
you come you're going to see so much. There's
wildlife all over the place. There's wildflowers
that are starting to bloom. Waterfalls are thundering
and nearly every corner of the park is alive
right now. Yellowstone does receive the vast
majority of its annual visitation between June
and August, so June, July, and August, with millions
of visitors arriving during those three months
alone. That popularity means that some of the
park's most famous destinations can be crowded
especially in the middle of the day. Fortunately,
visiting Yellowstone in the summer does not mean
spending your entire vacation in traffic jams
or crowded boardwalks. With a little planning
and willingness to adjust your schedule, it's
entirely possible to enjoy a quieter side of
the park while still experiencing its most famous
attractions. I probably say this every week,
but one of the easiest ways to avoid crowds in
the park is to embrace Yellowstone's early mornings
and late evenings. While many visitors are still
eating breakfast or waiting for coffee shops
to open or their kids to get up or whatever,
the park is pretty empty and it feels remarkably
peaceful. Wildlife is also most often active
during these cooler hours around sunrise, making
early mornings a great time for wildlife watching
and just to go to the park in general, right?
The National Park Service routinely recommends
early morning and evening for wildlife viewing,
and those same hours also happen to be some of
the quietest times to visit popular destinations.
One thing that I like to do is go wildlife watching
in the morning, have a leisurely daytime, and
then in the evening go to the popular spots like
Grand Prismatic, the Grand Canyon, the Yellowstone,
Old Faithful, any of those places where you know
there's going to be a lot of people during the
summer days. One thing I love doing is knowing
that at five, or six o 'clock, most people are
gonna be leaving the park planning for dinner.
If you bring your own food with you, then you
can stay in the park easily at those times and
go to all these places. The evening, legitimately,
I love the evening. Plus, you get to catch a
cool sunset if you stay there late enough. Like,
going to Grand Prismatic at sunset, one of my
favorite things. Going to the Grand Canyon at
sunset, one of my favorite things, right? This
is the time to go. The middle of the day is when
Yellowstone's busiest areas typically see their
largest crowds. Rather than fighting for parking
at a major attraction during peak hours, consider
using that time differently. Find a picnic area,
enjoy a leisurely lunch, take a short hike, or
visit one of the park's lesser -known destinations.
Yellowstone contains about a thousand miles of
trails, dozens of picnic areas, and all sorts
of places that aren't on the must -see list that
are still world -class and spectacular. Another
helpful strategy is simply slowing down. Many
visitors feel pressure to see everything in a
single trip, which often turns Yellowstone into
a checklist rather than experience. And if you
listen to the podcast for a while, you know that
turning the park into just a series of checklists
is not something that is really feasible or as
enjoyable. It's a good kind of template, but
don't make it a checklist. Instead, know that
the reality is that Yellowstone is Nearly 3 ,500
square miles in size. No one sees it all in a
few days. So slow down. If you don't see everything,
you're not gonna see everything. It's okay, but
you're gonna see things that you want to see,
and that's what's important. See things that
you enjoy. Some of the most memorable Yellowstone
experiences happen when you stop rushing. Instead
of spending 30 seconds at an overlook before
moving to the next attraction, Spend a little
time watching the changing colors in the Grand
Canyon Yellowstone, or go to all of the pullouts
in the region, not just the main ones. Or if
you're watching wildlife, stay there for a while
and just watch them really move, not just grab
a quick picture and move on. Watch a bison herd
for 10 -15 minutes and see how they interact.
It's a wonderful way to really get to know the
soul of the park and know that Yellowstone rewards
patience. The longer you stay in one place, the
more likely you are to notice details that others
are going to miss. Also know that if you're staying
in West Yellowstone, it's going to be crowded
there. There is not much you can do. The lines
in West Yellowstone have been building at 7 to
7 .30 a .m. in the last week. I've been checking
webcams every single day. Most things you'll
read will say, get there before 9 and you'll
be fine. The other day, 7 .05 a .m., the traffic
camera showed a backup all the way into West
Yellowstone from the gate. That's probably going
to continue this next week especially. So know
that that's just what it's going to be and you
might have to get up before sunrise. There are
sacrifices to be made. Waking up early and having
an amazing experience in the dawn is one of those
that isn't really a sacrifice once you're up.
One other way to avoid getting frustrated with
crowds is to bring your own food. I've talked
about it before but the food in the park everybody's
going to go to and You're going to be standing
in line You're gonna be crowded places during
popular times to get food If you bring your own
food You can go to any of the picnic areas in
the park and have an amazing time in nature Eating
food without having to fight for parking or stand
in line for 10 15 20 minutes for food That is
may or may not be good to you. So bring your
own food do that and it will be much better.
Finally, the thing to do to really avoid the
crowds is go beyond the places that everyone
else is visiting. Yellowstone's famous attractions
deserve the reputation, don't get me wrong on
that, but they represent only a small portion
of the park. Scenic pullout, short trails, historic
sites, waterfalls, wildlife viewing areas, and
lesser -known thermal features are scattered
throughout Yellowstone. Many receive only a fraction
of the visitors that have seen at the park's
marquee destinations even in the middle of the
day. Summer crowds are simply part of visiting
one of the world's most loved national parks.
The good news is that Yellowstone is large enough
to accommodate both the famous attractions and
the quiet moments. By starting early, slowing
down, staying flexible with food, and occasionally
stepping away from the busiest boardwalks, you
can experience the Yellowstone that keeps people
returning year after year without the crowds
and potential for frustration. My random Yellowstone
fact of the week, the 1870 Washburn -Langford
-Done expedition. If you've stood at Old Faithful,
looked in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,
or hiked Mount Washburn, you've experienced the
legacy of one of the most important journeys
in Yellowstone history. Two years before Yellowstone
became the world's first national park in 1872,
a small group of people set out to determine
whether the remarkable stories coming from the
Yellowstone region were actually true. Their
journey, known as the 1870 Washburn Langford
Doane Expedition, helped convince the nation
that Yellowstone was a place worthy of protection.
The expedition began in August 1870 when a group
of civilians from Montana territory joined a
military escort led by Gustavus Doane. The civilian
members included Surveyor General Henry D. Washburn,
businessman and future Yellowstone advocate Nathaniel
P. Langford, attorney Cornelius Hedges, and several
other prominent Montanans as well as some not
prominent Montanans who didn't have a lot of
outdoor experience, but I'll talk about that
in a second. Their mission was to explore, map,
and document the Yellowstone region. Earlier
expeditions had reported extraordinary geysers,
waterfalls, canyons, and hot springs, but many
people in the eastern United States dismissed
those accounts as exaggeration. This was officially
a trustable source, so this expedition sought
to provide actual proof. Starting near present
-day Bozeman, the party traveled south into what
is now Yellowstone National Park. During several
weeks in the field, they visited many places
familiar to visitors today, including Tower Fall,
the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone
Lake, and the geyser basins along the Firehole
River. Their journals described a landscape unlike
anything most Americans had ever imagined. One
of the expedition's most significant moments
occurred on September 18th, 1870, when the group
observed a geyser erupting with remarkable regularity.
After watching it erupt repeatedly, they named
it Old Faithful. More than 150 years later, it
remains one of the world's most famous geysers
and Yellowstone's most iconic attraction. The
expedition also left a lasting mark on Yellowstone's
map. Place names like Mount Washburn, Mount Everts,
and many others were named after people on this,
allowing their legacy to continue. One of the
most dramatic episodes of this expedition involved
Truman Everts, who I talked about as not necessarily
not necessarily being the most qualified for
this adventure. He became separated from the
group and survived alone in the wilderness for
37 days before being rescued. He published his
account and that attracted national attention
and increased public fascination with Yellowstone's
remote and rugged landscape. I've talked about
that on previous episodes. I'll talk about it
again. Truman Everett's. Let's just look him
up. Perhaps the expedition's greatest contribution
came after it ended. Nathaniel Langford Cornelius
Hedges, and others returned home determined to
share what they had seen. Through articles, lectures,
and public advocacy, they introduced Yellowstone
to a wider audience and helped inspire the 1871
Hayden survey. The scientific findings, photographs,
and artwork produced by that survey played a
critical role in persuading Congress to establish
Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Now the expedition
did not discover Yellowstone. Indigenous people
had lived in it, traveled through, and known
this landscape for thousands of years. What the
expedition accomplished was introducing Yellowstone's
wonders to a broader American audience at a pivotal
moment in the nation's history. More than 150
years later, the expedition's influence remains
visible throughout Yellowstone. Every eruption
of Old Faithful, every hike up Mount Washburn,
and every visit to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
reflects the legacy of a journey that helped
ensure this extraordinary landscape would be
preserved for future generations. As always,
this is the best forecast for the week at the
time of recording. I'm recording this at 1 .03
p .m. on Wednesday, June 17th. The forecast can
always change numerous times in a week, but this
should be within the ballpark of what you'll
experience when visiting the park. Weather for
Lamar Valley. On Thursday, 72 and 38. Friday,
76 and 48. Saturday 64 and 41 with an 85 percent
chance about a third of an inch of rain thunderstorms
as well Sunday 67 and 40 with about a 50 percent
chance of a tenth of an inch of rain and some
thunderstorms Monday rain in the morning then
clearing up or getting better highest 69 low
38 Tuesday 75 and 42 Wednesday 73 and 41 24 percent
chance of rain Gardner, Montana Thursday high
74 low 41 Friday 78 and 49 Saturday 67 and 42
with an 83 % chance of a quarter inch of rain
with some thunderstorms Sunday 70 and 41 with
a 34 % chance of some light rain Monday 70 and
40 23 % chance of rain Tuesday 76 and 44 and
Wednesday 75 and 44 with a 24 % chance of rain
West Yellowstone Thursday 73 and 38 Friday 78
and 46 Saturday 65 and 39 with an 82 percent
about a quarter inch of rain and thunderstorms
Sunday 69 and 38 24 percent chance of rain Monday
72 and 37 Tuesday 76 and 41 and Wednesday 75
and 40 24 percent chance of rain Cody Wyoming
Thursday 76 and 48 Friday 78 and 54 Saturday
73 and 54 63 percent chance about 0 .15 inches
of rain Sunday 72 and 50 37 percent chance about
the same amount of rain thunderstorms both Saturday
and Sunday Monday 69 and 48 Tuesday 76 and 53
and Wednesday 76 and 52 And finally for the weather
Cook City, Montana Thursday 67 and 37 Friday
70 and 48 Saturday 60 and 40 with an 80 % chance
about a third of an inch of rain and thunderstorms
Sunday 62 and 39 with a 50 % chance of about
a quarter inch of rain Monday 62 and 36 with
a 50 % chance of light rain and then Tuesday
68 and 41 12 % chance of rain Wednesday, 67 and
41, 35 % chance of light rain. Road conditions.
There's no main park roads that are closed right
now, and it's unlikely that anything will be
closed unless temperatures really change with
this weather forecast. It's just gonna be wet.
Beartooth Highway could close, so keep an eye
on that. If you want up -to -date information
on road conditions, you can call 307 -344 -2117
for recorded information, or you can sign up
to receive Yellowstone Road Alerts on your cell
phone by texting the number 82190 to the number
888777. Camping information? Pretty much everything's
open. Reservations are probably going to be required,
especially this is the start of summer, so...
If you don't have reservations, you might be
able to show up. Go to recreation .gov to see
what's open. Otherwise, enjoy camping in the
park. The wildlife watching update. So right
now, wildlife watching is fantastic. There's
animals all over the place. I was out in Lamar
last weekend, saw bears, knew that the wolves
were around, saw badgers running around, bighorn
sheep with babies were spotted around Round Prairie.
People talked about seeing moose out by Cook
City. bighorn sheep babies are out by calcite
springs and the bermuda triangle is still popping
off that is floating island lake tower fall out
to Slough Creek and that whole area. Lots of
bears out there. Great times. Out the east entrance,
grizzlies are putting on a show. There's a grizzly
that's been eating some newborn elk. That's been
entertaining people for a while, and it's been
right along the lake shore. Beautiful pictures.
Again, just make sure you are following the rangers
that are there and listening to their advice.
That east entrance road right now, especially
Fishing Bridge to Sylvan Pass and back, very
good bear activity. Some bison, some bighorn
sheep as well. I would check that out if you're
looking for things. Hayden Valley, slowly picking
up. Heard some reports of people seeing wolves
out in Hayden the other day, but it's just not
that consistent. And then the bison herds in
Hayden, they move back and forth between Hayden
and the Geyser Basin. So there have been bison
moving back and forth between there, traveling
on the roads north and south, and then, you know,
just snarling traffic and... creating a fun time
because bison jams are pretty rad. Other than
that, one thing people have been asking me a
lot about are where to see elk. If you go online
and search elk in Yellowstone, where can I see
it? Most blogs you're gonna see are gonna say
if you go to Mammoth, they're always there. That
is not true. No animals are always in the same
area. Right now, most of the elk are moving to
higher elevations or moving into the woods, things
like that. There is a huge herd of elk north
of the park. If you leave the park and drive
Old Yellowstone Road south and then also go into
Paradise Valley, like Southern Paradise Valley,
up to Point of Rocks fishing access and back,
more than likely you're going to see a bunch
of elk. They may not be next to the road. They
may be next to the road. Who knows? I was driving
down the other day and a bunch of elk just crossed
in front of me on Highway 89, so I just had to
stop and let them pass. Back into the park. Like
I said, wildlife is really good right now. The
cooler weather is really going to help maintain
this great wildlife watching. But know that on
hotter days, it's going to be harder to see them,
especially middle of the day. Now is where that
advice early morning, late afternoon, early evening,
that's really going to pay off for you your best
bet. You may see things in the middle of the
day, but you may not. If you really want to give
your best chance, head out to Lamar, head out
to the East entrance early morning, late evening,
and you're going to have a great time. So trail
alerts and updates the backcountry conditions
page is updated yet again. They've been updating
it really well They are doing a good job telling
you what's closed. I can't keep up with how quickly
they're closing and opening things I recommend
going out to Imperial Geyser the other day to
somebody and then it was closed So go to that
backcountry conditions page. I have a link in
the show notes for you just click on right from
your podcast player and that way you can see
what's open. It's the easiest way to check the
status of any trail you want to hike. As I say
every week during this section, carry bear spray,
have it readily accessible and not in a backpack,
and know how to use it whether you're hiking
a serious trail or walking a boardwalk. Bears
are on boardwalks and you need to be safe. Bear
spray is a great way to keep people safe. Oh,
one quick thing about bear spray is if you're
driving around the park and you have bear spray
with you, one thing I strongly recommend doing,
getting a large gallon Ziploc bag and putting
your bear spray in that Ziploc bag. Chances are
nothing's going to happen to your bear spray,
but every so often they leak, every so often
they go off. If you have it in a ziplock bag
and it leaks or goes off, it's not going to cause
tons of damage to the inside of your car or your
nose. So always have your bear spray when you're
not using it or hiking. In a ziplock bag, it's
really the safest way to do it and that way you're
not going to have any accidents. Alright, my
truck of the week. Mount Washburn from the canyon
side. If there's one hike that perfectly combines
Yellowstone's mountain scenery, wildlife viewing
opportunities, and sweeping panoramic views,
it's Mount Washburn. At 10 ,219 feet, this peak
stands near the center of the park and offers
some of the most expansive vistas available from
any day hike in Yellowstone. On a clear day,
you can see mountains and park features in all
directions, making the summit one of the finest
viewpoints in the park. One thing I do want to
say, a lot of people say this is the tallest
mountain in the park, it's not, that's Eagle
Peak, but we'll talk about Eagle Peak later.
But now we're talking about Mount Washburn. Most
hikers reach the summit from the Dunraven Pass
trailhead right now that's located about four
and a half miles north of Canyon. This route
is approximately seven miles around trip and
is considered strenuous for many. However, the
grade remains fairly consistent throughout the
climb, so there's no super steep parts. The trail
follows an old road that works its way up the
ridge lines, allowing the scenery to unfold almost
immediately. One of the things that makes Mt.
Washburn so enjoyable is that the views begin
long before you reach the summit. After leaving
the trailhead, the path climbs gradually through
subalpine terrain before emerging into open slopes
covered with wildflowers during midsummer. The
wildflowers are starting to pop out right now,
but we're not quite there. Late June is really
good too. There's going to be snow lingering,
and like I said, there's the first of the wildflowers
with a colorful bloom that is just against the
grain. It's perfect. and looking back when you're
climbing you can often see the forests of the
Yellowstone Plateau stretching toward Canyon
with distant mountain ranges rising along the
horizon. Wildlife is another reason many visitors
consider this one of Yellowstone's classic hikes.
Bighorn sheep are frequently seen on the upper
slopes, sometimes really close to the trail,
don't get close to them. Spotting one isn't guaranteed,
of course, but Mount Washburn is one of those
reliable places to see them. There's marmots,
there's ground squirrels, there's raptors, and
other common animals that frequent the area.
There's also bears there, which I'm going to
talk about in a minute. So after you're hiking
and you gain elevation, the trail then spends
most of its time above treeline, which creates
the feeling of walking through Yellowstone's
alpine world. The open terrain provides remarkable
views, but also means hikers are exposed to the
weather. The wind can whip through there really
well, afternoon thunderstorms can quickly develop,
and lightning is a serious concern on the mountain.
Starting early in the day is your best strategy,
allowing you time to enjoy the cooler temperatures
and increase your chances of reaching the summit
before storms develop. The summit itself is a
destination worth savoring. Sitting atop the
mountain is one of Yellowstone's historic fire
lookouts. one of only a few remaining lookout
stations in the park. The lookout remains staffed
during much of the fire season, and interpretive
exhibits inside the shelter help visitors understand
both Yellowstone's fire history and the surrounding
landscape. From the summit, the views are endless.
Yellowstone Lake glimmers in the distance, Absaroka
Range dominates eastern skyline, and much of
northern Yellowstone stretches out below. Mount
Washburn is also fascinating from a geological
perspective. The mountain is actually the remnant
of an ancient volcano that formed roughly 50
million years ago as a part of the Absaroka volcanic
field. Later, volcanic activity associated with
Yellowstone caldera dramatically altered the
landscape, leaving only part of the original
volcano visible today. Standing on the summit,
you're literally standing on one of Yellowstone's
oldest volcanic features while looking out across
one of its youngest. Although this hike is popular,
back to bears, it's still very wild. As with
most of the park, black and grizzly bears regularly
use the Mount Washburn area. Yellowstone National
Park recommends hiking in groups of three or
more people carrying bear spray, making noise,
and staying alert. The bears here are prevalent.
I probably see bear sign every time I'm on this.
I haven't seen too many bears while hiking. Probably
every 10 times I do this, I do this mountain
a lot, but... Know that there's bears there,
and they love to be there, and the park will
occasionally close the trail for that. So, if
it's closed because of bear activity, listen
to that sign. That being said, if it is open,
definitely go. If you're a visitor looking for
a hike that delivers a bit of everything, Mount
Washburn is hard to beat. It offers that alpine
scenery that you can't find very easily in the
park, wild flowers, wildlife, geology, history,
and some of the best views in all of Yellowstone,
right on a single trail. Whether you've never
hiked Mount Washburn or you've hiked it a dozen
times, do it again. It's wonderful. One of my
favorite hikes. I mean, they're all my favorite
hikes. If you listen long enough, you realize
I say that every week. But Mount Washburn is
truly special, wonderful, and I think you'll
enjoy it. Now, one thing before I end this episode
and get to the finale here. There is some lingering
snow and spots on this trail. Bring some trekking
poles and you should be fine. Just know that
you will be walking through snow in some places.
It's not going to be super bad. There's been
a lot of people that hiked up there. The snow
is beaten down pretty well, but in the midday
sun, that remaining snow is going to be very
slushy and just having something else to help
you balance a little bit when you're sliding
around will be great. So bring some poles, expect
some snow, enjoy the views and know it's probably
going to be windy up top, but you can sit inside.
Next week. In the next episode, I'm gonna return
with all the information you need to have a good
week in the park, including the wildlife, weather,
and trail updates. Until then, book a tour with
me, pick up a guidebook of mine, tell somebody
about this podcast, and happy trails. This week
in Yellowstone is brought to you by the Outdoor
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to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright 2026, baby.