From Yellowstone National Park where the bison
are indeed super aggressive as I'm sure you've
seen 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 July 16th to July 22nd, 2026.
I'll talk to you about the bison incident, tell
you about one of the best scenic drives in the
country, share an awesome and free resource full
of park information, and talk about that green
streak in the Yellowstone River at the falls.
I'll also give you the complete weather forecast,
a cool trail to hike, the wildlife report, and
everything else you need to have an incredible
time this week in Yellowstone. Standard disclaimer,
I may miss a few details here and there, and
also I talk about places very casually, so if
you're unfamiliar with a place I'm talking about,
a quick search can help, or you can contact me
directly and ask, what were you talking about
when you said blank? You can contact me via text
at 406 -589 -1873. Also, please know that this
podcast is a passion project of mine. I'm not
paid. I'm not sponsored for it. So if you enjoy
it, I'd love a review or a quick email. If you
want to support my work more, you can check out
my hiking and wildlife watching guidebooks, or
join me for a guided hiking tour in Yellowstone's
backcountry. For more information on all of that,
visit outdoor -society .com or contact me via
text 406 -589 -1873. This week's Yellowstone
news. So a few things before we get to the bison
incident. The first is we just had some record
heat out in the park If you're in the park and
you thought wow, it's hot out it was it was some
record heat all around the region But we made
it it's still gonna be pretty warm this coming
week as I'll talk about the weather But it's
not gonna be anything like it was or at least
it's gonna be about 10 degrees cooler So that'll
be good with this heat dried things out a bit
so the bugs are out mosquitoes are hit and miss
in places but the thing i've been encountering
in the backcountry are flies lots of different
types of biting flies and off doesn't appear
to work for them so good luck it's short -lived
it'll be a couple weeks and then they'll die
down but right now the bugs are out so do what
you can One other thing of news is there is a
kitchen fire at the Cowboys Lodge and Grill in
Gardner That is the place right next to kind
of the river. It's on the right side. They put
in a lot of work The kitchen is burnt. Everything
like that is gone. The restaurant will not be
open for the rest of this year and From what
I'm reading it may be a while for Cowboys to
be open at all if it opens under the current
management. We are still waiting to see how bad
the damage is to the inside of that building,
and so I will keep you updated, but there is
now one less place to eat in Gardener, so if
you are there, know that it's gonna be harder
to find a meal. All right, the bison incident
I've been debating what to do what to say I almost
did a standalone episode on this I still might
but I think the dust has settled no pun intended
there about what happened and Who is at fault
blah blah blah So I'm not gonna weigh in on that
too much if you haven't heard about the bison
incident that happened There was a man who got
tossed by a bison. That is the long and short
of it. It was filmed it was There were pictures
being passed around now and it was at a campground,
which is a unique thing. The man did not get
too close to the bison. The bison ran at him
from estimates of 40 to 75 yards away. Park regulations
say to stay 25 yards from bison at all times.
Those who have watched the video will blame the
guy for stopping and taking a picture. No one's
blaming the person that was filming the entire
thing who is about the same distance away as
the guy who got tossed I just want to throw that
out there. I'm not saying anybody's at fault
here, but People are gonna take pictures of wildlife
in the campgrounds out of the campgrounds any
place in the park to Go after somebody online
for stopping to take a picture and saying that
they deserve to have that happen is very insensitive.
It is a kind of plague that's going through the
internet and society of blaming people and celebrating
victory over people getting injured. It's not
a good look for anybody. So if you're somebody
listening to podcasts and you laugh about someone's
injuries, especially this guy, this podcast may
not be for you. I don't like to say that. I think
everybody deserves to have a good time in the
park. But at the end of the day, accidents happen.
And that's what this was. This was Maybe an avoidable
accident, but also it wasn't. No one did anything
wrong. The bison did what the bison is supposed
to do, right? The bison's all amped up on, you
know, testosterone and it's like ready to go
mate and it's just angry and everything is a
threat and sure enough, somebody was a threat
so it ran after him. The person was far enough
away and as we saw in the video, bison are fast.
The main takeaway from this video, for me, that
I hope everyone sees, is that bison can indeed
run 30 to 35 miles an hour. That is a closing
speed that you cannot keep up with. If you watch
that video, the man ran away, he did what he
thought he needed to do, was kind of stay in
the trees, and that bison found him. If a bison
wants to get you, if an animal wants to get you,
that's what's going to happen. You have to be
alert, you have to be aware, and you have to
have an exit strategy. Also, you have to know
that things happen. Some things are beyond anyone's
control. Now maybe this man would have been able
to get away if he wasn't concerned about his
grandson. Maybe there's, you know, maybe the
truck that drove by set the bison off a little
more. Maybe this, maybe that. At the end of the
day, it doesn't matter. What happened is a guy
was at a campground and a bison charged from
very far away and he got tossed and got very
injured. What we need to remember here is that
wildlife in Yellowstone is wild. Every time you
do anything, you take a risk. When you get into
your car, there's a risk that you could get into
a fatal accident. If you fly a plane, there could
be something wrong with the plane. If you go
outside and there's a thunderstorm nearby, you
can get struck by lightning, right? You could
eat lettuce and you could get explosive diarrhea
right now, right? These are things that are happening
that aren't necessarily any of your faults if
it happens to you. Same thing with the park.
If you're smart, if you follow rules, 99 .99999
% of the time, you're going to be perfectly fine.
Hopefully, if you aren't perfectly fine, it's
not filmed and then put everywhere so everyone
can laugh at your plight like that's really not
cool. But I just want everybody to know with
this bison incident, this Don't think was avoidable.
I don't think there was anything if the park
would have moved that bison somewhere else great
they would have had to close down the entire
campground and They would have had to move everybody.
They would have had to do a bunch of things because
of one bison and Previously, I think I talked
about this on earlier a week things like this
don't happen that much That's why this is news
if every bison that was a little irate ran after
somebody there would be a lot more injuries in
the park There's between four and six and a half
thousand bison in the park and we have five million
visitors. Let's say that a third of those bison,
let's say 1200 of those bison are male bison
in their rut breeding era and are angry. If even
ten of those were charging people consistently,
this would be a serious problem and we would
have to change how the park operates. Incidents
like this are extremely rare, especially when
people are following the rules to a T and just
happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong
time. I hope when we see things like this we
can use it as a discussion about what it's like
to be around wild animals and what it's like
to be around animals during their mating season
when they're unpredictable. Most of the time
bison don't act like that when they do act like
that We need to be even more vigilant about really
maintaining distance keeping things between us
and doing the best we can but at the end of the
day Mistakes are gonna happen accidents are gonna
happen aggressive bison are gonna happen things
happen, right so Know this is a weird rant. I
wanted to talk about it I didn't write anything
out because I've been talking about this non
-stop If you really want to talk to me about
it Shoot me a text set up a call happy to talk
but at the end of the day with all of this I
said this a few times No one did anything wrong
the bison acted like a bison the person acted
like a person following park rules this was just
a freak accident nothing's going to happen to
the bison and hopefully this guy recovers well
from his injuries and everyone can move on until
then if you're visiting the park the rut is going
on I will say that the same day that this happened
I ran into a tour group that allowed their tours
or the people in their tours to walk within 15
feet of a bull bison that minutes earlier had
been grunting and charging around and When I
told the other tour guide that hey the bison
rut's going on He corrected me and said no the
bison rut doesn't start until August Please when
you're booking a tour guide Just ask them some
simple questions of things that you've heard
here and see what they say There's a lot of people
that are tour guides that do know do not know
what's going on in the park correctly and will
tell you inaccurate information and do things
that are not following park rules i'm not going
to call this tour group out on here but i reported
them to the park and the park said we will talk
to them so if you see a tour group doing something
that they shouldn't be doing report them all
right sorry i didn't write anything out there
i really should have but as i think you can tell
how i feel about this whole bison incident so
I'm gonna move on, I hope everyone else can too,
and we can let this guy heal and let the bison
be a bison. My experience of the week. Go drive
the Beartooth Highway. I say this a lot. I love
the Beartooth Highway, it is an incredibly scenic
road, and I'm gonna say it again before this
year's over, but go drive the Beartooth Highway.
Especially this week. This week, this legendary
mountain road starts to hit what I consider one
of the most spectacular moments of the year.
The towering snow banks that made headlines when
the road first opened are mostly gone, and replaced
with them are the alpine wildflowers that are
just bursting into bloom. Wildlife is taking
full advantage of the short mountain summer,
there's baby mountain goats running around, people
are seeing bears, there's marmots, there's pikas,
there's everything. end up from almost every
overlook and pull out, the view is just open
and inviting. This time of the year is one of
those rare times of the year where nearly everything
comes together. Structuring roughly 68 miles
between Red Lodge and Cook City, the Beartooth
Highway climbs to an astonishing 10 ,947 feet
at Beartooth Pass. If you stop at Beartooth Pass
at the parking area, you can scramble up a rock
and hit 11 ,000 feet, so that's kind of a cool
thing to do. If you're driving this road, know
that it takes about two hours just to drive it,
but it's going to take longer than that because
you should stop. This is a road that deserves
to be experienced, not simply driven. Plan to
spend at least four to six hours here, and don't
be surprised if you end up staying longer, because
nearly every mile offers another reason to pull
over. There's hiking trails, there's beautiful
vistas, there's all sorts of things. The climb
is unforgettable, so I'm going to talk about
driving it from Red Lodge to Cook City. Last
time I talked about Cook City Red Lodge, just
trying to mix things up. So if you're listening
to this, just flip it if you're driving from
Cook City up. So leaving Red Lodge, You'll wind
through this forest before climbing up a series
of dramatic switchbacks that really just lift
you straight into the sky. With every sharp turn,
the view becomes more expansive. Soon you're
looking across rugged mountain ranges, deep valleys
carved by glaciers, and rocky peaks that still
are holding snow despite how hot it was recently.
One of the first places you'll want to stop as
you're climbing up is Rock Creek Vista Point.
This overlook provides sweeping views down Rock
Creek Canyon. It gives you your first real appreciation
for just how much elevation you've gained. When
you're driving this it seems to be like, man,
we've climbed. But when you get up there, you
really know how much you've climbed. Once you're
past that Vista Point, you then just kind of
meander on the top of these ridges. And it's
absolutely beautiful and gets more beautiful
as you get close to the ski area. Around the
ski area. You're gonna have great views like
right before the ski area You're gonna have some
great views looking back at these lakes and we
get to the ski area There's gonna be mountain
goats there and you're just gonna get even more
impressed by what you can take in It is truly
stunning. Well, if you've driven the million
dollar highway, you may think like oh, this is
a really pretty road These are not comparable,
they're completely different. I like the million
dollar highway and I like this. I like the Beartooth
Plateau because you don't even get cities on
this road. You are just climbing and then you're
in this uninterrupted above 10 ,000 foot terrain
that's truly incredible. As you keep going along
and you go past the ski area and then you start
dropping or then you get to the actual pass and
then you drop down. There's going to be some
lakes you can stop at. There's some waterfalls.
It is just perfect. But my favorite stretch is
that top of the Beartooth Plateau and it's fully
awakened after spending much of the year buried
beneath snow. The alpine growing season here
lasts only a few weeks so the wildflowers waste
no time. Entire hillsides just erupt in wildflowers.
Marmots are running around. Every color is out
there. You have whites and pinks and purples
and reds and yellows, and it's just fantastic.
Everything that lives here is a flower that thrives
in these harsh conditions at the highest of elevations.
And some of the best displays are found, like
I said, around that Beartooth Pass, Island Lake,
and that broad Alpine Tundra. It's... honestly
last year I drove it and I was like okay I think
you know I've done this enough I'll just drive
it quickly and I spent so many hours just taking
pictures of marmots running through wildflowers
you know holding little flowers up to their faces
and eating them and then you round another corner
and there's a couple other animals right you
get a little pika darting in and out of rocks
and then you see baby mountain goats frolicking
about and it's just Perfect. The balance between
just natural beauty and wildlife is so rewarding
here. The mountain goats are just all around
the Beartooth Pass area, the yellow -bellied
marmots are whistling, the pikas are darting,
like I said, and then when you get to lower elevations...
This is where you're going to start seeing elk,
mule deer, moose, black bears, and grizzly bears.
There's also birds all over the place. There's
even a little lookout tower you can get to down
a side road near Beartooth Lake. Beartooth Lake
is absolutely gorgeous. I stop there all the
time. This is a road that if you take the time
and just stop and say, well, what's here? Go
to all these little parking areas, drive to the
lakes you can get to. and you're going to find
a place that you want to come back to year after
year after year. Along the same thing that I'm
talking about, one of the greatest joys of the
Beartooth Highway is that some of its best moments
are completely unplanned. You can have this checklist
of what you want to see, and I talk about this
in the park and it's the same here, but you might
round a corner and you're going to find that
a mountain lake is glowing just a little differently
than the other lake was just because the sun's
hitting it different. You might stop and take
pictures of wildflowers and see those marmots
playing. You may watch a storm drift off in the
distance and watch lightning strike far away
mountains, right? There's so much to see here
and so many different experiences that every
stop could become the stop of a lifetime. I always
encourage visitors to slow down and embrace these
unexpected moments. Rather than treating the
Beartooth Highway as simply the road to Yellowstone
or the road from Yellowstone, it's not just a
quick detour. This is a destination in its own
right. Pull over whenever it's safe, wander a
short distance from the pavement, breathe the
cool mountain air, and take time to appreciate
one of the largest high elevation plateaus in
the United States. There are few places where
you can so easily experience an alpine landscape
that feels more like the Rockies of Canada than
the Lower 48. And even if you're in the Rockies
of Canada, it doesn't feel like the Beartooth
Highway. I do have one final piece of advice
that's really simple. Start early if you're going
to do the Beartooth Highway. Morning light. really
helps just paint the mountains with warm color.
The temperature is also going to be lower. Wildlife
is going to be more active and the overlooks
are often more quiet than they will be later
in the day. Right now you're going to have a
lot of motorcycles going through so there's going
to be a lot of road noise as well. The earlier
you go in the morning the less you're going to
have that. Also, afternoon thunderstorms are
very common out here, so an early start increases
your chances of a clear day instead of only seeing
a third of it before you get run off with a thunderstorm.
Please know that even on warm summer days, temperatures
on the Beartooth Pass can be 20 to 30 degrees
cooler than in Cook City or Red Lodge, and so
make sure you bring a jacket and expect some
wind. Early season on the Beartooth Highway has
something special to offer for everyone, but
this time of the year is really perfect. I think
if you drive it right now, and then you drive
it the next week, too, or you just drive it as
soon as you can, you're going to love it. This
is my favorite time to drive the Beartooth Highway.
That's why I'm recommending it this week. My
tip of the week. Get an ebook copy of the Yellowstone
Resources and Issues Handbook. Doesn't that sound
exciting? So if you're the kind of person who
likes to know the story behind the places you
visit, there's a Yellowstone resource that you
need to download before your trip. That is the
Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook. The
title sounds dry, like it's going to be a really
boring government manual, and it's easy to think
that, but don't let that fool you. This is one
of the most informative and surprisingly engaging
guides to Yellowstone ever produced. Even better,
It's available as a free ebook from Yellowstone
National Park, making it easy to keep on your
phone, tablet, or e -reader while you're traveling
through the park. The Yellowstone Resources and
Issues Handbook explains why Yellowstone is unlike
anywhere else in the world. It answers the questions
that naturally come to mind as you drive through
the park. Why do geysers erupt? Why are the hot
springs so colorful? How do the Grand Canyon
and Yellowstone form? Why are the wolves, bears,
and bison managed the way they are? What makes
Yellowstone one of the most important ecosystems
on the planet? What was Mission 66? By answering
these questions, the handbook transforms a sightseeing
trip into an opportunity to better understand
the remarkable landscape around you. Published
and regularly updated by Yellowstone National
Park, the handbook reflects the latest science,
wildlife research, historical information, and
park management practices. While it was originally
developed as a reference for park employees,
educators, researchers, and anyone seeking reliable
information about Yellowstone, it has become
a favorite among photographers, hikers, wildlife
watchers, tour guides, and repeat visitors who
want to go beyond the basics. The information
in this is written in a way that's easy to understand,
even when explaining topics like volcanology,
geothermal activity, ecology, and wildlife management.
One of the handbook's greatest strengths is the
incredible variety of subjects that it covers.
The geology chapters explain how Yellowstone's
volcanic past created the world's largest concentration
of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles,
and it helps you understand why every thermal
basin has its own unique personality. The wildlife
sections introduce not only the park's iconic
animals such as wolves, grizzly bears, black
bears, bison, elk, cutthroat, trout, but also
explain how they interact with one of the world's
last largely intact temperate ecosystems. It
also tells you like how many animals there are.
How many bighorn sheep are there? This will tell
you. It's great. Readers gain an insight into
predator -prey relationships, seasonal migrations,
ongoing wildlife research, fisheries management,
and the many conservation challenges the park
biologists continue to study today. History receives
just as much attention. The handbook traces Yellowstone's
story from thousands of years of indigenous connections
to the land through the famous Washburn expedition,
the establishment of the world's first national
park in 1872, the years when the U .S. Army protected
Yellowstone, and then eventually the creation
of National Park Service. Reading these chapters
before visiting places like Mammoth, Fort Yellowstone,
Old Faithful, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
gives these landmarks an entirely new level of
meaning. Instead of simply admiring the beautiful
scenery, you begin to understand the people,
events, and discoveries that shaped the park
into what it is today. I strongly recommend that
anyone planning the Yellowstone trip download
this handbook before arriving. It completely
changes the way you experience the park. A hillside
of lodgepole pines becomes a living reminder
of the 1988 fires. A herd of bison grazing in
Hayden Valley becomes part of a much larger ecological
story. The colorful walls of the Grand Canyon
of the Yellowstone suddenly make sense once you
understand how volcanic rock, hydrothermal alteration,
and thousands of years of erosion work together
to create one of the park's most iconic landscapes.
Even waiting for Old Faithful becomes more interesting
when you understand the underground plumbing
system that powers its eruptions. One of the
best features of the Yellowstone Resources and
Issues Handbook is that you don't have to read
it cover to cover. Although it contains hundreds
of pages of information, it's organized so readers
can jump directly to the topics that interest
them most. You can spend a few minutes reading
about wolves before heading to Lamar Valley,
brush up on geothermal features before exploring
the Upper Geyser Basin, or learn about Yellowstone's
history while relaxing at your campsite after
a day of hiking. It works equally well as a trip
planning resource, an evening read after a day
in the park, or a reference whenever curiosity
strikes. Yellowstone is one of those places that
becomes more fascinating the more you learn about
it, and the Yellowstone Resources and Issues
Handbook helps reveal some of those deeper stories,
turning every overlook, trail, wildlife sighting,
and thermal basin into part of a much larger
picture. Since the ebook is free and regularly
updated, you can get one every year and carry
it with you. and know that your Yellowstone adventure
is going to be even more rewarding with all of
this information. I'll be sharing a link to download
the ebook in the show notes. You can also pick
up printed copies from Yellowstone Forever Stores
in visitor centers outside or inside the park.
Just, you know, find one of these Yellowstone
Forever Stores and ask about the resources and
issues handbook and they should be able to hook
you up. But for now, download the ebook, flip
through it online, and enjoy way too much information.
My random Yellowstone fact of the week. That
green part in the river at the lower falls of
the Yellowstone. Millions of people visit Yellowstone
National Park's lower falls every year, admiring
the 308 -foot waterfall as it crashes into the
colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Most
visitors are focused on the sheer power of the
falls or the canyon's vibrant walls, but those
who look closely often notice something unusual.
Near the center of the waterfall, a narrow ribbon
of emerald green water flows over the brink before
disappearing in the churning white water below.
At first glance, it seems almost out of place.
Many people assume the green streak must be caused
by algae, minerals, or even Yellowstone's famous
geothermal features. The real explanation is
much simpler, and it's a great example of how
water behaves as it moves over the edge of the
falls. The green streak is actually the Yellowstone
River's natural color. A notch in the lip of
the lower falls creates a deeper channel where
the water remains relatively smooth as it flows
over the brink. Because the water in the channel
contains far fewer air bubbles than the surrounding
rapids, it stays clear enough for this deep green
color to remain visible. That green color is
a result of the way water interacts with sunlight.
Pure water absorbs the longer red wavelengths
of visible light much more readily than blue
and green wavelengths. As sunlight penetrates
deeper water, more of that red light is absorbed.
while blue and green light continues to be scattered
back toward our eyes. In rivers like the Yellowstone,
the combination of water depth, reflected light,
and small amounts of naturally occurring suspended
particles often shifts to color from blue toward
a rich emerald green. The rest of the waterfall
tells a different story. As the river rushes
over the uneven rock, it becomes filled with
millions of tiny air bubbles. Those bubbles scatter
light in every direction giving the falls their
brilliant white appearance. The deeper notch
avoids much of that turbulence, allowing visitors
to see the river's true color for just a brief
moment before it too becomes a frothy torrent.
The colorful canyon surrounding the falls makes
the streak stand out even more. The Grand Canyon
of the Yellowstone was carved over thousands
of years as the river cut through volcanic rhyolite
that has been weakened by hot water and acidic
gases circulating underground. Iron compounds
within the altered rock oxidized over time creating
the striking shades of yellow, orange, pink,
and red that have made the canyon one of Yellowstone's
most photographed landscapes. Against these warm
colors and the bright white waterfall, the emerald
green ribbon becomes surprisingly easy to spot
when you know where to look. Several overlooks
provide excellent Views of this, artist point
obviously, lookout point on the north rim, red
rock point, the brink of the lower falls even
brings visitors to the edge where you can see
that smooth green water flowing right before
it just takes over and falls straight down. This
green streak is a reminder that Yellowstone's
most interesting features are not always the
biggest or loudest. It's simply a small section
of river that behaves differently because of
the shape of the bedrock beneath it. Yet, This
subtle difference has created one of the park's
more intriguing natural curiosities, one that
continues to spark questions from observant visitors
every day. The next time you find yourself looking
out over the lower falls, take an extra moment
before moving on to the next overlook. Watch
the center of the river as it slides over the
brink. For an instant, before the water explodes
into white spray, Yellowstone River reveals its
true emerald color, creating one of the park's
most understated but memorable sights. The weather
for the coming week. As always the following
forecast is the best forecast I can give you
at the week at the time of recording. I'm recording
on Wednesday July 15th at 4 p .m. This forecast
can change numerous times in a week, but this
should be within the ballpark of what you'll
experience when visiting Yellowstone. So let's
start with Lamar Valley. In Lamar on Thursday
the high will be 82, the low will be 51, there's
a 60 % chance of thunderstorms and about a tenth
of an inch of rain. on friday a high of 80 a
low of 51 about a 70 chance of thunderstorms
and a quarter inch of rain on saturday 82 and
50 53 chance of rain maybe a tenth of an inch
on sunday 85 and 49 19 chance of rain monday
83 and 51 21 chance of rain Tuesday 75 and 50
a 71 percent chance of thunderstorms and a quarter
inch of rain and then Wednesday 77 and 51 quarter
inch or 24 percent chance of precipitation Gardner,
Montana on Thursday high of 87 low of 55 42 percent
chance of thunderstorms with about two tenths
of an inch of rain on Friday 86 and 55 51 percent
chance of a tenth an inch of rain and thunderstorms
on Saturday 87 and 53 55 percent chance of rain
about a tenth of an inch of rain there on Sunday
89 and 53 15 percent chance of rain Monday 87
and 55 16 percent chance of rain Tuesday 81 and
54, 53 % chance of about 0 .15 inches of rain,
and Wednesday 83 and 54 with a 24 % chance of
precipitation. West Yellowstone. Thursday, 85
and 49, 41 % chance of some rain, maybe a tenth
of an inch. Thunderstorms overnight into Friday.
Friday high 83, low 48, 60 % chance about a tenth
of an inch of rain and thunderstorms. Saturday
84 and 47, 38 % chance of rain, two hundredths
of an inch currently, so light rain. Sunday 86
and 47 15 percent chance of precipitation Monday
85 and 51 11 percent chance Tuesday 78 49 a 60
percent chance of a quarter -inch of rain with
thunderstorms and Wednesday 79 and 49 with a
24 percent chance of rain Cody Wyoming Thursday
84 and 64 44 percent chance of thunderstorms
Friday 86 and 65 31 % chance of thunderstorms
and rain Saturday 87 and 64 40 % chance of rain
Sunday 92 and 65 21 % chance of rain Monday 86
and 64 18 % chance of rain Tuesday 79 and 63
50 % chance about a fifth of an inch of rain
and thunderstorms and then Wednesday is going
to be 83 and 63 with a 24 % chance of rain and
finally for the weather cook city montana thursday
highest 78 low of 53 80 chance of thunderstorms
with nearly a third of an inch of rain friday
thunderstorms 76 53 70 chance of those thunderstorms
a third of an inch of rain saturday is also going
to be thunderstorms 64 chance with about a tenth
of an inch of rain 78 and 51 Sunday, 81 and 51,
15 % chance of rain. Monday, 78 and 52, 20 %
chance of rain. Tuesday, 72 and 51, 75 % chance
of thunderstorms and a quarter inch of rain.
Wednesday, 74 and 51, 37 % chance of a tenth
of an inch of rain with thunderstorms. The road
conditions of the park. So there's no main park
roads that are closed right now. All the side
roads should be open. If it rains heavily, I'd
expect Blacktail Plateau Drive to close. That's
with heavy rain. But other than that, you should
be good to go wherever you want. Thunderstorms
will limit where you will want to drive maybe,
but roads should be open. Please know that there
are a few spots of construction, but only with
minimal delays here and there. And while unlikely,
I do want to say that Roads can close at any
time due to inclement weather. If you want to
stay up to date, call 307 -344 -2117 for recorded
information, or you can sign up to receive Yellowstone
Road Alerts on your mobile phone by texting the
number 82190 to the number 888777. Camping information.
Every campground that's going to open this year
is open right now, so enjoy that if you're camping
also. Just know there's wildlife in the campgrounds.
There always has been, there always will be.
The Wildlife Report. So wildlife watching is
really good for it being summer. You know, I
know last week I talked about how sometimes summer
drops off a bit because it's just harder to see
things during the day. That is still true. Thunderstorms
are going to really limit the visibility during
the days when you're in the park. So be aware
of that. But right now the mornings are great.
Lots of grizzly bears are being spotted out in
Lamar. Bison are just making their way between
Little America and Round Prairie and back and
forth. Sometimes snarling traffic, sometimes
they're pretty far from the road in Lamar Valley.
Baby pronghorn are out, adult pronghorn are also
out and about. A lot more in Little America than
Lamar, at least my luck. Wolves in that northern
range area are a little harder to see in the
Slough Creek Lamar Valley area right now as of
last week, but That can change in a heartbeat.
I could wake up tomorrow and then hear that the
wolves are very easily seen in Little America,
Slough Creek, or Lamar. Right now, the most dependable
wolf sightings are happening just beyond the
Blacktail Ponds area, right at the Forces of
Nature trail and then looking south. There's
a pack out there that everybody likes to watch
that has some pups. They're multiple miles away.
You're not going to get like the most amazing
sighting, but you're going to be able to see
wolves. So that's really cool. Also, if you head
down toward Hayden Valley, that's where you're
going to see another large bison herd for the
rut. You're also going to see some bears off
in the distance. There's a wolf pack out there
that has been spotted off and on, but not consistently.
Elk are pretty common around Gardner right now,
not so much around Mammoth. There are a few that
are hanging outside Mammoth, but most of them
are outside the park at the moment. bighorn sheep
are also out by devil slide near gardener or
if you want to see them a little closer in the
park you can go out the east entrance up by washburn
or through that kind of um yellowstone river
picnic area as you get to little america from
the new bridge across the yellowstone There's
some baby osprey that have hatched and are young
in the nests all around the park. The birds are
really good. Wildlife watching is good in the
mornings. I've seen some coyotes. I've seen some
badgers. I've heard of some foxes. People have
seen moose still out, especially the northeast
entrance road. So animals are out there. You
just have to wake up early. Not much is being
seen in the heat of the day. Now some of these
colder temperatures are gonna make the afternoon
evening better during the heat of the day You
know when we were in the 90s in the park that
wasn't the best wildlife watching but the bison
were still active and This is the time where
you really go for the bison rut everything else
kind of becomes a bonus and benefit Now if you
are going for the bison rut few things to know
obviously stay away stay in your cars at all
times when you can, if you're driving through
it, especially at pullouts, things like that.
Know that they can run fast, but also know that
right now they're going to get spooked by a lot
of loud noises and with lots of motorcycles going
through and revving their engines, sometimes
on purpose, the Bison are going to be a lot more
skittish and potentially running. So just be
aware of that. Always be very close to your car
if you get out of your car and by very close,
I mean right next to the door so you can hop
in. otherwise be smart be safe follow rules and
if you need more wildlife tips just reach out
to me happy to help you out trail alerts and
updates there's not really a lot closed right
now so go to the backcountry conditions page
link is in the show notes and you can kind of
see what's open and what's not as always carry
bear spray have it readily accessible and not
in a backpack and know how to use it but also
Really reconsider doing a hike in a heavy bison
area. If you are wanting to hike in Lamar Valley
right now, don't. Go find a different trail where
bison are not at. Unless you are extremely skilled
in reading bison behavior and you know the terrain
well and you know some escape routes and things
like that, this is not the time to mess around
and hike in an area where there's lots of bison.
Do not hike in an area with lots of bison right
now. Find a different trail. If you need a different
trail, reach out to me. Happy to help. I mentioned
this because I took a tour out last week and
there's a whole herd of bison that ran by and
luckily I knew the area and I knew where we could
stand. But this is not a time or a place to mess
around with aggressive bison. There are hundreds
of them, if not thousands in certain areas, and
you don't want to be there because you will get
surrounded by them if you're not paying attention.
Hike where there's no bison, carry bear spray,
enjoy the upper mountains, go walk by some rivers
away from the things, and maybe if you're looking
for a good hike, you can check out the one I'm
talking about for my Trek of the Week. My Trek
of the Week. If you're looking for a great summit
hike over the next couple weeks, Observation
Peak is one I definitely recommend. That's why
I'm talking about it. One of the reasons I like
hiking at this time of the year is because there
are typically fewer bison along the trail than
many of Yellowstone's other hikes. That's especially
nice right now because the bison rut is underway
and as I've talked about this whole episode bulls
can become much more aggressive as they compete
for the cows and they're just kind of jerks right
now and why put yourself in a dangerous situation?
Hiking in areas with a ton of bison right now
is definitely not recommended and you should
not do it. I don't do it. You shouldn't do it
either. Instead look elsewhere for adventures.
Observation Peak is one of those adventures that
rewards you with peaceful meadows, colorful wildflowers,
and an amazing summit view that very few people
know about in Yellowstone National Park. Everybody
knows that there's a lookout tower on Mount Washburn,
or they know like Mount Washburn and then they
get there and there's a lookout tower. This is
also a lookout tower mountain. It's not an open
lookout tower, but it's still a mountain you
can climb to that has a lookout tower at the
top, and it's really cool. The hike begins at
Cascade Lake Trailhead along the Norris Canyon
Road just a few miles west of Canyon. The first
two and a half miles follow the Cascade Lake
Trail through a broad mountain meadow. This is
one of those trails where there's no reason to
rush. Slow down, enjoy the scenery, and keep
an eye out for wildlife. big elk that you know
are growing their antlers and it's really cool
to see them because they're still a little velvety
but mostly clean now so check that out. The meadows
will have lots of wildflowers splashed out with
colors all over the place and you know you might
see a few bison here and there but I doubt it
you know most of the bison are really congregating
in the other areas if there is a bison out here
it's probably an old male that has been quote
-unquote put out to pasture, and he's kind of
beyond the years of anger and mating. So just
know that you might see some bison here, but
you'll probably see some other wildlife. Elk
are common, and I've also seen black bears and
grizzly bears along this trail. So obviously
carry bear spray, make plenty of noise, just
like you do with any other hike in Yellowstone.
As you get to Cascade Lake, consider stopping
here if the mosquitoes aren't bad. On calm mornings,
the lake reflects the landscape perfectly and
it's hard not to just sit down for a few minutes
and simply enjoy the quiet. Even during Yellowstone's
busiest season, which we're in right now, this
spot often feels surprisingly peaceful and this
lake is way more popular than going up to the
top of the observation peak. So once you leave
the lake behind, The hike starts to earn its
reputation. The trail begins to climb steadily
through a forest of lodgepole pine before gradually
opening up into higher country. As you gain elevation
the views become bigger with every switchback
and it's hard not to stop every so often just
to look back where you've come from and you know
catch your breath. During July and August the
mountainside continues to put on this absolutely
beautiful show of wildflowers and there's marmots
running around and picas are racing around and
it's just great. You'll keep hiking, you'll keep
climbing, and then the final climb helps build
your anticipation as you gain elevation and weave
through the trees. And then you kind of peek
out and you see the observation peak fire lookout.
While the lookout itself is no longer open to
visitors, it's a fun reminder of the days when
fire spotters spent entire summers watching Yellowstone's
forest from this incredible perch. When you reach
the summit, you... all of a sudden understand
that you're standing 9 ,406 feet above sea level
and a couple thousand feet above where you just
hiked from. Observation Peak delivers one of
the most impressive panoramic views in this region
of the park. You get mountains in the distance,
you have little lakes way off in the distance
below you too, and it is fantastic. On exceptionally
clear days, you can probably even see the Tetons,
and so keep an eye out for those. You're also
going to see where the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
cuts through the forest, and on cool mornings
you can see some steam rising from distant geyser
basins. Don't be surprised if the winds up here
are just brutal though. Observation Peak has
a reputation for being ridiculously breezy, even
on a nice summer afternoon. So throwing a jacket
or something into your pack is well worth it.
While the wind will be blasting you, try to stay
up here a little longer. It's a really nice view.
It's not super dynamic. It's not like Avalanche
Peak or Bunsen or Washburn, but you're on the
top of a mountain and you just get to sit there
and really look out and take in the landscape.
If there's one thing I've learned about all the
hikes I've done in the park, it's that every
time I get a chance to get to the summit of a
mountain and look around, I gain a deeper understanding
for how the landscape works together. Climbing
mountains taking in these bigger views helps
you see the size and scale of the park in a way
that you never get. Observation Peak is about
11 miles round trip with only 1 ,400 feet of
elevation gain. So while it's not the easiest
hike in Yellowstone, it's a pretty easy mountain
summit. It's one that I find myself returning
to almost every year because the combination
of quiet meadows, decent wildlife sightings,
a peaceful little lake, colorful wildflowers,
and a summit that puts me up high in Yellowstone
is really cool to do as often as you possibly
can. If you're looking for a trail that offers
pretty good solitude while helping you avoid
some of the larger concentrations of rutting
bison, go to Observation Peak right now. I truly
love this hike, I think you will too, It's not,
like I said, the most dynamic place, but it's
also very remote and for being so close to Canyon,
it's not a popular hike. Last time I did it,
over the 11 miles, I saw three people. One of
them was a ranger. So know that, go out there,
enjoy the hike, and if you need more hikes, I
do have a hiking guidebook for the region that
covers both the park and outside of the park
where there's even more amazing trails, so consider
picking that up. Otherwise, that's it for this
week. In next week's episode, I'll return with
all the information you need to have a good week
in the park. That includes the wildlife, weather,
and trail updates. Until then, pick up a guidebook
of mine, share this podcast with a friend, family
member, enemy, it doesn't matter, share this
podcast with whoever you can, and have an amazing
time visiting Yellowstone. Happy Trails! Abrupt
ending! This week in Yellowstone is brought to
you by The Outdoor Society. That's my company.
It's just me, I do this, it's a labor of love.
If you like it, tell your friends, rate and review
it. Shoot me a message. Otherwise, keep listening
and I hope to see you in Yellowstone. Copyright
2026, baby! I know, a hidden thing, if you've...
If you remember CDs, not everybody does, but
if you remember CDs, sometimes there are hidden
tracks at the very end. That's kind of what this
is. If anybody is still listening and you'd like
to hear more in -depth thoughts about the bison
attack and bison incidents in general, I will
happily do a standalone episode for that. I just
didn't want to muddle this one because I want
to do regular episodes. So if people aren't interested
in that, then... I don't want to waste too much
time, but I will do a standalone episode about
this bison attack and historical bison attacks
in the park if anyone is interested. If I get
enough people being like, yes, do it, I will
record that in the next week or two. If I don't
get anybody interested in that, that's fine too.
I just want you to know that that is an option,
but I didn't want to make this episode just mainly
about that bison incident. Also, there's there
is some grizzly bear news about hunting grizzlies
in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. I will talk about
that next week as well. But until then, enjoy
this bonus track. I'm not going to play any music.
I'm just going to slowly fade out.