From Yellowstone National Park, where smoke is
in the air, but there isn't a fire anywhere close
to the park, this is that Scott guy you know
and love with a brand new episode of This Week
in Yellowstone. What's up, everybody? This week
in Yellowstone National Park, from July 30th
to August 5th, 2026, I hope to inspire you to
go stargazing, talk about one of the oldest buildings
in Yellowstone, and share some useful resources
to help you see all the geysers when they erupt.
Well, all the geysers that are predictable and
when they erupt. I'll explain that later. I'm
also going to 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. TheOutdoorSociety
at gmail .com. Also, this podcast is a passion
project of mine. If you enjoy it, I'd love a
review or a quick email. Those of you that have
emailed me, Thank you so much. I love getting
those emails every day. It is fantastic. 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 that,
visit outdoor -society .com or contact me directly
406 -589 -1873 or email at theoutdoorsocietyatgmail
.com. This week's Yellowstone news. So there's
actually not a ton of news right now. Which is
a good thing. Sometimes slow news weeks are good,
so hopefully that continues. There are a few
things I do want to talk about briefly. One is
that last week I mentioned that there are some
closures to the Osprey Falls Trail. Those will
be occurring on the last few days of this month,
so check those out before you head out. I'll
talk about that on trail conditions as well.
But the other thing that I mentioned off the
top was that there is some smoke in the air right
now. Those are from fires largely in Washington
and Oregon, maybe Idaho and a little bit of Western
Montana, but there's no major fire right now
near or in the park. However around the park
like up here in Livingston even down through
Paradise Valley I've heard out in West and even
out towards Cody There is some smoke in the air
not as much smoke in the air in the park itself
as outside of the park Largely because that's
a higher elevation So the smoke isn't quite going
that way and it's getting blown around but there
is some smoke in the air If you are sensitive
to smoke, you will probably pick up on it. Otherwise,
it's not that bad at the time of recording. I
am recording this on Tuesday, July 28th, so all
of that can change and it could get very smoky.
The main thing is visibility is a lot less. than
it should be especially in far away distances
so if you notice that just know that's from the
smoke in the air otherwise you can still be out
and be active it's really not that bad unless
you're sensitive to smoke and then you may want
to think twice about doing anything too active
if you need more information about the air quality
things like that reach out to me i will try and
find some links i don't really feel like reading
websites right now and i don't have them pulled
up at the moment but just know that they there
might be some smoke in the air But as of the
time recording, it's really not that bad. So
it should be fine. However, like I said, anything
can change. I do want to mention very quickly
about the people that walked on Grand Prismatic
Spring. They have supposedly not been located.
I talked about this a little bit on my standalone
bison episode. I know it's not related bison,
but it's about trespassing. It's about people
breaking the rules. One thing to do if you see
people breaking rules in the park and you don't
want to confront them, take a picture of the
person. take a picture of their vehicle with
a make in the model and the license plate and
report them. That is the best thing you can do.
The fact that nobody reported these two women
that walked out onto Grand Prismatic, no one
took their picture up close or followed them
to their car is really not great. If you see
something like that, try and document it because
the park will go after these people. There were
people that walked on the spring before previous
years and they got long bans from the park, heavy
fines and federal jail time. So the better you
document and help out the Rangers, the better
it's going to be when you see people breaking
the rules. Finally, the only other bit of news
is that we are in the middle of the rut. It is
definitely active and picking up. I mentioned
this on the standalone podcast, but I'll mention
it here. There was an incident the other day.
Don't worry, it's not it's not a bad incident,
but there is an incident with a bison. and a
car, and the bison popped a car's tires with
its horns. So know that the bison are aggressive.
Obviously we know this. So be smart, be safe,
keep your distance. And if you don't feel comfortable
driving through a herd of bison, then park way
behind them and wait for them to cross the road
or avoid places like Hayden and Lamar Valley
during the middle of the day when there's a lot
of traffic and a lot of bison on the road. My
experience of the week. Stay for stargazing after
sunset. If you spend time outside, you know there's
something magical about watching the sun disappear
behind Yellowstone's mountains. The day's crowds
begin to thin, the air finally cools down, and
the park settles into a quiet that feels completely
different from the busy afternoons. Then, as
the daylight slips away, another show starts
to begin. one by one the first stars to appear,
followed by hundreds more until the entire sky
seems to come alive. If you're visiting Yellowstone
in late July or early August, do yourself a favor
and stay out after sunset. Some of the park's
greatest scenery doesn't reveal itself until
darkness falls. Most Americans rarely experience
a truly dark night anymore. Insert a Batman joke
here. According to Dark Sky International, more
than 80 % of the world's population lives beneath
skies polluted by artificial light, and in the
United States, that figure supposedly exceeds
99%. Even more astonishing, roughly one -third
of humanity can no longer see the Milky Way from
where they live. Sometimes I do research and
it excites me, sometimes I do research and it
depresses me, and this was one of those depressing
times. Generations ago, the night sky was a familiar
companion that helped people navigate, mark the
seasons, and inspired countless stories and scientific
discoveries. Today, for most people, only a handful
of the brightest stars remain visible from home.
Yellowstone offers a chance to reconnect with
that forgotten sky. With pretty much no artificial
light across its two million -ish acres, much
of the park enjoys exceptionally dark conditions.
Once astronomical twilight ends, the Milky Way
stretches overhead like a glowing river of light.
Thousands, millions of stars become visible,
and so many that you just can't even recognize
them anymore. On a clear night, you might see
some satellites drifting overhead, or maybe the
International Space Station, maybe even some
meteors, because we're coming up into another
meteor shower. You're also going to see some
constellations. You're going to see that hazy
band of the Milky Way. And the longer you stay
outside, the more your eyes adapt to the darkness,
you're going to see things that you may never
see again. The timing right now works pretty
decently. Yellowstone for stargazing. Sunset
doesn't arrive until 8 45 or 9 ish leaving plenty
of time for an evening adventure a short walk
you know just in a pullout or simply just finding
a quiet place to sit in your car lights all the
way off and just staring at the sky. Obviously
catching sunset Really cool. You're gonna get
some good colors right now. There's a little
smoke in the air So the Sun might be like bright
red as it sets might get some good storms in
the distance flashing lightning and then darkness
arrives By the time that full darkness arrives
Yellowstone feels amazing The best part about
stargazing in Yellowstone is that you really
don't have to venture too far Once you leave
your gateway town or hotel camping complex. You
only need to travel a few minutes to get into
true darkness Sure, an occasional car might drive
by, but generally, you'll be alone at a pullout
and able to see the stars very well. Just make
sure to stay really close to your car. Animals
are out roaming. There's places you may fall.
Just don't take any risks at night. Stay right
next to your car. Also know how to turn off the
interior lights of your car when you open and
close doors. That's an important lesson to learn.
So maybe spend the day trying to figure out how
to do that. So that way when you're out at night,
you can get in and out of the car without having
a light kind of ruin your night vision. If you're
hoping for the darkest skies possible, it helps
to know when the moon rises. A bright moon can
wash out fainter stars, while moonless evenings
reveal the richest views of the Milky Way. Obviously,
if you don't have a giant orb reflecting sunlight
in your face, you're going to see more stars.
On August 1st, the moon rises about 10 -11 PM.
So that's not great because it's not going to
be fully dark until 930 945 so that window is
very short But you get to see a nearly full moonrise
and that's a really cool thing too So make sure
you do that on August 2nd. The moon rises about
1030 on August 3rd. It's about 1050 on August
4th It's 1113 and on August 5th. The moon rises
about 1142 Those progressively later moon rises
are what you need to pay attention to because
they provide excellent opportunities to experience
the night sky before that moon appears above
the horizon. There's also a full moon like I
said on the 29th, so You've just missed it, but
if you go out, you can see a mostly full moon
rising. And if you go somewhere cool, it's really,
it's really neat. I do it all the time. It's
one of my favorite things to do. I used to offer,
I still do, but they weren't that popular, but
I used to offer moonrise tours that would get
booked up, and we'd go hike in the evening, watch
the moon rise, and hike back out. They're still
offered. I think I have one left for the year
in September, so if you're interested in that,
reach out to me. But otherwise, that will be
a next year thing. So one of my favorite things
about stargazing in Yellowstone is just how quickly
it reminds you how small we are and really helps
put things in perspective. During the day your
focus is on kind of these smaller things, these
geysers, a waterfall, a bear, an elk, some bison,
mountains, rivers. At night your attention shifts
upward to the universe that has been there all
along. That same landscape those same experiences
you spent all day enjoying become part of something
much larger It allows you to have like a meditative
moment out there where you can really enjoy the
infiniteness of the universe Whenever I travel
to a national park doesn't matter where it is
if it is clear. I'm gonna go try and see the
night sky Last year, I went down to Utah and
enjoyed arches and canyon lands under the Milky
Way. That was truly magical seeing those rock
formations just black out where the Milky Way
was and then you have it overhead. Fantastic.
It's also really fun to go out in the park when
there's a little bit of moonlight and then you
like, you know, you go to Old Faithful and you
just watch the geyser erupt under the moonlight
with a little bit some stars overhead. Yes, there's
some artificial light there, but it's still really
cool. If you've never experienced a truly dark
sky, this is one of those places that you really
should do it. You don't necessarily need to stay
out too late, but go out after sunset, let your
eyes adjust, put your phone away for a while,
be in the moment, and chances are you're going
to leave with memories of the stars that are
every bit as powerful as the memories you made
during the day. And again, if you're thinking
I need somewhere really special to see it, yeah,
it would be nice, but you don't need to go somewhere
truly special just to look up. Just drive away
from where the lights are, park your car, turn
off interior lights, and look up and let your
eyes adjust. Wait 15 minutes, and you should
see something really cool. My tip of the week,
geyser eruption predictions. Few things are more
frustrating when visiting the park than just
missing a geyser erupt or waiting around and
saying I'm gonna leave and then you hear you
just missed the geyser erupt. It happens all
the time. You wait for a while, decide it's probably
not going to happen, and continue down a trail,
only to hear people maybe cheering behind you,
or have people that are fast hikers catch up
and say, oh, you just missed it. It's really
hard to deal with. I've done it a few times,
but I've kind of learned a way to not have that
happen. The good news here is that you don't
have to rely on luck for geyser eruptions, at
least not for all of them. Yellowstone offers
eruption predictions for several of its most
famous geysers making it much easier to plan
your day and spend more time watching geysers
erupt instead of waiting around hoping you'll
be in the right place at the right time. Most
people know that Old Faithful is one of those
very predictable geysers and it has eruption
times listed all over the Old Faithful complex
and you can kind of look at signs say oh this
is when it's gonna erupt and time your day around
it. National Park Service also provides predictions
for several other popular geysers, including
Grand, Castle, Daisy, Riverside, and Great Fountain.
These forecasts are created using observations
collected by park rangers and trained naturalists
who monitor eruption intervals and compare them
with a geyser's well -documented behavior. Because
geysers are natural hydrothermal features, the
predictions are estimates rather than guarantees.
But there are... some decently reliable places.
Old Faithful's next eruption, for example, can
usually be predicted within 10 to 15 minutes
by measuring the duration of the previous eruption.
While the other geysers are typically given a
broader prediction window because these eruptions
happen in a much different pattern that varies.
National Park Service continually updates these
predictions throughout the day as new observations
are made. One of the ways you can do this is
by going to the current geyser activity page
on the Yellowstone National Park website. It's
a great jumping off point when you're planning
your trip for a deeper dive on some of the other
geysers in the park, as well as which ones are
predictable. While it appears that this page
hasn't been updated since 2020, the information
is still awesome and it's worth a look, especially
because it helps you kind of understand the timeframes.
If you're already in the park, One of the easiest
places to find the latest predictions for anywhere
that is predictable is in the Old Faithful Visitor
Center. Current eruption times are posted inside,
and the knowledgeable rangers can often answer
questions about what the geysers have been up
to during that day. As you walk through the upper
geyser basin, you'll also notice prediction boards
near several of the major geysers. These signs
are updated regularly, making it easy to decide
whether to wait for an eruption or continue wandering
the boardwalks until it's closer to that time.
You don't really have to even wait until you
arrive at Old Faithful to start planning. You
can go to that website, like I said, it's a good
jumping off point, but also know that the National
Park Service posts current geyser predictions
on the official Yellowstone website as well as
the free National Park Service app. If you plan
to use the app, I recommend downloading the Yellowstone
content before entering the park. Obviously it's
not going to refresh, but again, gives you a
time frame. And if you can find Wi -Fi or you
happen to have service here and there, then it
will update. Just know that cell service is limited
across the park, so you're not going to have
a lot of things on your phone that are going
to help you. That's where that Old Faithful Visitor
Education Center really comes in handy. By taking
a minute to look at the eruption schedule, you
can completely change your Yellowstone experience.
Instead of... not knowing if you should wait
around, not knowing when things are going to
happen, you can get a time frame and try to time
your day around them. Obviously you may miss
things here or there, but this is a way to kind
of do a next level experience with the geyser
base, and especially if you go to Old Faithful
and you're like, okay, I've seen Old Faithful,
now what? There's a lot of cool back country
geysers that... are predictable and by backcountry
they're not that far in the backcountry it's
usually a paved path to get there but they're
predictable and you can see some really cool
eruptions of other things and then maybe get
a favorite geyser that is an old faithful and
then you can share that with other people because
you know if you've listened to this long enough
you know i love daisy geyser it's not everybody's
favorite but i love daisy geyser because it shoots
off kind of sideways and it's it's lesser loved
and sometimes i just have that whole thing to
myself That's one of the predictable ones and
so check that out I wanted to talk about this
briefly because I've seen a lot of people that
say I've seen old faithful I'm not a fan of geysers
and that's like having one version of like a
soda and then saying like I don't like any sodas
you might not like any sodas but you've only
also had one so try a few others out see how
you like it and maybe you'll become fan of some
random geyser and create your own podcast and
talk about it incessantly and know that very
few people love it the way that you do. Speaking
of things that are just you know sometimes only
interesting to me here is my random Yellowstone
fact of the week. The little cabin in Mammoth.
Tucked away at the edge of the historic Fort
Yellowstone also known as Mammoth Hot Springs
you're gonna find one of the most overlooked
buildings in this region. It's the mail carrier's
cabin, and it's small, but it tells the story
of a time when simply delivering the mail into
Yellowstone was a rugged, multi -day journey
through the wilderness. Built around 1895, the
cabin is believed to be the oldest surviving
log structure in Mammoth Hot Springs and the
only log building from the 1800s still standing
in the area. While historians are not entirely
certain who first built the cabin, Yellowstone
says that it was likely built in the mid 1890s
and later became associated with the Yellowstone
Parks Association, one of the park's early concessionaires.
Its rustic log construction contrasts with the
more formal military buildings erected by the
U .S. Army throughout nearby Fort Yellowstone,
making it a unique piece of the area's architectural
history. Now, if you have been in Mammoth, you're
like, oh, I've been to the post office. This
isn't the post office. If you're looking at the
post office, you then will have a building on
the left. The building on the left is the medical
clinic. Then, if you go further left, there's
a little road. And on the other side of that
road, you'll see a small wooden cabin with some
elk antlers up top, and it just kind of looks
like it's tucked away and thrown in a corner
so no one would see it. This cabin played a huge
role in the entire area and the park. During
the late 19th century, before rural mail delivery
existed, contracted mail carriers transported
letters and packages from the railroad depot
in Livingston down to Mammoth and then out toward
Cook City before making the return trip. The
journey took several days over rough roads and
mountain passes, making the cabin a welcome place
to rest or restock on supplies during an era
when Yellowstone was far more isolated than it
is today. Over the years the building also housed
concession employees and later some national
park staff. Now this came up on my research and
that cabin is small. I'm not too sure the accuracy
of it, but I wanted to share that and then I
also wanted to share my skepticism that this
was really used as a place where people truly
stayed. I could be wrong here, but it looks like
it's just a very small cabin that was used as
a building and maybe one person stayed there.
Over the years, the building has gotten new little
additions. Things have changed. One interesting
little fact here is that during the early 2000s,
during the restoration period for this building,
workers made a cool discovery beneath the insulation
installed decades earlier. There are newspapers
that report reported the Wright Brothers historic
1903 flight at Kitty Hawk that had been used
inside the walls. What's fun also about this
building is that there were talks around the
1970s to just destroy this building because,
you know, it didn't look like it was going to
be worth restoring, but it was ultimately preserved
as part of the nationally significant Mammoth
Hot Springs Historic District. The mail carrier's
cabin also makes an excellent starting point
for a walking tour exploring the rich history
of Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth used to be Fort
Yellowstone and was under the operation of the
US Army. And if you walk around you're gonna
see old officers quarters, guard houses, a chapel,
bachelor officers quarters, and the parade ground.
And those all remain remarkably intact from how
they were built. And it's actually one of the
best collections of historic National Park Service
and military architecture anywhere in the country.
Very niche, but it's still one of the best examples
of it. Altogether these buildings and this little
cabin tell the story of how Mammoth changed and
grew and how what was once this little outpost
has now become a major hub and entry place for
visitors to Yellowstone National Park. I could
talk more about the Fort Yellowstone area, and
I might do that over the winter when there's
not as much to talk about, but definitely stop
by there. It's just really interesting to wander
around what used to be part of a military base
in some ways. enjoy that definitely stop by that
little cabin it's an underrated stop there's
that not a lot of pictures of it online which
is weird because it's right in mammoth but it's
just not one of those sites and i just wanted
to bring it up so now you know that there's a
cabin there and you can go and look at it all
right the weather for the coming week as always
this is the best forecast for the week at the
time we're recording i'm recording this early
on tuesday july 28th at about 3 p .m I have a
tour tomorrow and so I'm not gonna be able to
record so You're hearing this after all of this.
So I'm talking about nothing. So I'm recording
this a few days early This is the best forecast
that I can give you on Thursday in Lamar Valley
Thursday 82 and 48 Friday 86 and 50, Saturday
90 and 52, Sunday 85 and 45, Monday 79 and 42,
Tuesday 83 and 45, and Wednesday 86 and 49. The
forecast right now doesn't really call for thunderstorms.
I would expect an afternoon thunderstorm every
day. That's for everywhere here in the park because
this is kind of that season where thunderstorms
happen. If you've been in the park this last
week, you know we've just had some pretty strong
thunderstorms. Let's talk about the weather for
Gardner, Montana this week. On Thursday, high
of 88, low of 52, 24 % chance of rain in the
afternoon. Friday, 91 and 54, 13 % chance of
rain largely in the morning. Saturday, 95 and
55. Sunday, 89 and 48, Monday 82 and 45, Tuesday
87 and 49, and Wednesday 90 and 52. The weather
for West Yellowstone. On Thursday, high of 84,
low of 46, 9 % chance of rain, largely in the
afternoon. Friday 87 and 48 with a 4 % chance
of rain mostly in the morning, Saturday 91 and
49, Sunday 84 and 43, Monday 80 and 40, Tuesday
84 and 43, and Wednesday 87 and 47. If you're
staying in Cody, Wyoming on Thursday, a high
of 90, a low of 60, 20 % chance of thunderstorms.
Friday, 93 and 63, 8 % chance of thunderstorms.
Saturday, 101 and 68. Sunday, 95 and 59. Monday,
79 and 53. Tuesday, 86 and 58. And Wednesday,
91 and 62. And finally, if you're headed up to
the mountains out in Cook City going to the Beartooth
Highway, this is the weather for Cook City. Thursday
78 and 50. Friday 81 and 53 with some rain in
the morning and maybe afternoon. Saturday 86
and 54. Sunday 81 and 45. Monday 74 and 43. Tuesday
78 and 47. Wednesday 81 and 51. Again, I'm recording
this on Tuesday instead of my Wednesday afternoon,
so the weather could shift, but this is a general
kind of outline of what to expect. Also again,
expect thunderstorms every day. If they don't
happen, great. If they do happen, you'll be prepared.
Road conditions. No major park roads are closed
right now, no minor park roads are closed right
now, and all of the side roads are open. If there's
heavy rain during a thunderstorm, they might
close the side road until it dries out. Those
are those gravel roads. Main roads should not
be affected at all. There will be some spots
of construction, but that's also minimal and
shouldn't impact you more than 10 or 15 minutes
here and there. However, things can happen in
the park, so for up -to -date information, you
can call 307 -344 -2117 for recorded information
about the roads, 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 Every campground that's going
to be open this year is open there are some openings
right now people aren't camping as much But if
you are camping know that there might be wildlife
in your campground that is Yellowstone be used
to that I I talked about that a little on my
standalone bison episode I just released a couple
days ago, but if you're camping in the park don't
expect it to be animal free. There will be bison,
there might be elk that walk through, there might
be a bear that walks through. So whenever you're
headed out to go use the bathroom in the middle
of the night or anything, be very alert for wildlife.
Speaking of wildlife, here's the wildlife watching
update. So despite it being summer, wildlife
watching is good. I know a lot of people have
been striking out on seeing bears and wolves
and so I'm going to try and help. Get you at
least a wolf sighting is probably gonna be way
in the distance This is kind of what you will
see a couple of days ago. There were wolves located
near The Pebble Creek area, which was pretty
cool, but they were moving back toward the Lamar
Valley Slough Creek region So I wouldn't expect
to see them there unless they happen to kill
something and go back so your best bet for wildlife
as always is the route between Mammoth Hot Springs
in Cook City and then between Fishing Bridge
and Canyon that is basically Little America Lamar
Valley and the Hell Roaring area as well as Blacktail
Ponds and then Hayden Valley you're gonna have
a lot of bison action down in Hayden and a lot
out in Lamar and Then you're gonna have some
elk spread out here and there There are a couple
cool wildlife sightings that I do want to make
you aware of if you're interested in seeing these.
If you want to see mountain goats, head up to
the Beartooth Highway. The mountain goats are
putting on a great show on the Beartooth Highway.
There's also some moose outside of Cook City.
There's some grizzlies between Pebble Creek and
some of the areas around the Beartooth Highway.
If you go out toward the east entrance, there's
also a couple grizzlies that are still being
spotted out there. Generally, it's a good time.
You're going to see a lot of pronghorn. They're
still having some babies. You're going to see
some elk calves walking around. You're going
to see the bison during the rut. I've talked
about the rut a lot, so I'm not going to go into
detail here. But if you don't know about the
rut, go back and listen to previous episodes,
please. Where you probably aren't going to see
a ton of wildlife will be around the geyser basins
This is just kind of how summer is there might
be some lone bull bison walking around that are
too old to mate or There might be a couple elk
or deer here and there but generally this is
going to be a slower area Around the geyser thermal
areas that doesn't mean you're not going to see
anything Just keep those expectations pretty
low and be surprised if you see much if you do
want really good wildlife watching As I read
the weather forecast you probably heard that
the highs are pretty warm in the park. That means
animals aren't going to be as active during the
day. That doesn't mean they're not going to be
active during the day, it means that they're
not going to be as active during the day. Your
best bet is to get up before sunrise and hit
up one of those regions start driving through
those heavy animal populated regions at Sunrise
maybe an hour or two after sunrise until 10 30
11 Then it's gonna start dropping down a lot
until 3 4 5 6 o 'clock Depending if the storm
rolls through or not if a storm rolls through
You know stay dry. Don't be outside during that
especially if it's heavy rain and hail and lightning
But once it passes by Head back out to those
wildlife areas and see if things start coming
out after the storm once that humidity drops
again and temperature drops This is a great time
to see things and then stay out until sunset
And then like I said it for my experience go
stargazing during the day rest Go walk around
buildings, go on short hikes, do what you want,
but know that wildlife watching is going to be
the very best this coming week and for the next
couple of weeks during the mornings and the evenings.
Again, you might see something else during the
middle of the day, but generally, I'm having
my best luck early mornings. And then I'm usually
not in the park in the evenings because I like
going home. But early mornings for me, I still
see bears out there and I've seen the wolves
out there. So check that out. If you can only
go to one place, go to Lamar. I mean, it's drive
from Mammoth out to Lamar in the morning, take
that blacktail plateau drive, look for bears,
drop down, head up to Tower, fall, and then turn
around, come back, drive out toward Little America,
all the way to Pebble Creek, and then turn around
and come back. You should see things in the morning
there that are great. again you might not it's
just the nature of nature but give it your best
chance if you need any other tips for wildlife
watching you can pick up one of my wildlife watching
guidebooks ebooks are available through my store
as well as paperback books that is outdoor -society
.com and then you can click on the store link
or if you don't want to do that send me a message
on my phone 406 -589 -1873 or an email theoutdoorsociety
at gmail .com and I can send you that link a
few of you have done that and I greatly appreciate
you reaching out trail alerts and updates so
the backcountryconditions page is somewhat updated
they've kind of updated it and then forgotten
about a few things You shouldn't be hitting snow
in any of these backcountry places. If there's
been a heavy storm, some of those creek crossings
may be a little dicey. I know some of the creeks
are running a little more muddy because we've
gotten some heavy rains. If that's the case,
don't try and ford them unless it's just dirty
and shin deep and then you're still fine. But
if it's waist deep, don't ford anything right
now. Please. It's not worth it. Just. Go to a
backcountry place and ask how the conditions
are in person. Usually the ranger there can help
you or you can just talk to a front country ranger
at any of the visitor centers and they can also
help you out. Backcountry conditions page link
will be in the show notes as always. One other
thing, carry bear spray, have it readily accessible,
not in your backpack, and know how to use it.
And also do not go hiking anywhere where the
bison rut is taking is going on right now. That
means the Lamar Valley Trail. That means hiking
through Hayden Valley. Don't do those things
right now unless the bison are very, very, very
far away. They will move, and then you could
get stuck on those trails because it's really
hard to avoid a giant herd of bison, especially
when the bulls are angry. So use your judgment.
Don't hike anything that's going to put you,
your family, your friends in peril. And again,
if you need good hikes, reach out to me. Happy
to help. Speaking of good hikes, My trail of
the week. For many visitors, the Yellowstone
adventure ends the moment they cross the park
boundary. That's really a shame, because some
of the most spectacular hiking in the Greater
Yellowstone ecosystem starts just outside of
the national park boundary. Stretching nearly
one million acres in Montana and Wyoming, Absaroka
Bear Tooth Wilderness, or Bzorka Bear Tooth Wilderness,
I'm gonna call it the AB Wilderness, it's home
to soaring granite peaks, hundreds of alpine
lakes, rushing waterfalls, and some of the finest
trails in wilderness in the country. While the
most beautiful trails in Yellowstone are usually
some of the more popular ones, this area, the
AB Wilderness, sees only a small percentage of
visitors that the park sees. So if you're looking
to trade crowded boardwalks for just this alpine
solitude comparatively, I have a trail for you.
That is Pine Creek Lake, and it should be at
the top of your list. Now Pine Creek Lake is
not going to be empty. It's not going to be you're
the only person there. It's a popular backpacking
destination and it's a popular hiking destination.
I did it a little over a week ago and on the
way up I saw two people and I passed them as
they were coming down and then I had the entire
lake to myself for about an hour and a couple
groups of people started coming up and as I hiked
down the trail I hiked down the trail from the
lake to the popular waterfall and I passed 16
people. From the waterfall back to my car, I
passed 40 people. Pine Creek Falls is one of
the most popular hikes in Paradise Valley, the
region between Livingston and Gardner, Montana.
Very short, about two miles round trip, five,
six hundred feet of elevation gain to a little
waterfall that's really pretty. However, Those
of you that are hikers, that are looking for
something amazing, need to continue beyond that
waterfall and keep going. The hike begins at
the Pine Creek trailhead in Paradise Valley,
which is about 20 miles south of Livingston in
the Gallatin National Forest. Almost immediately,
you're gonna understand why this is one of the
park's most loved trails. The path follows Pine
Creek through a shady forest filled with Douglas
fir and lodgepole pine, while the sound of rushing
water echoes through the canyon. Before long,
you arrive at Pine Creek Falls. Like I said,
it's about 1 .2 miles. It's a beautiful Cascade
Falls that drops more than 100 feet into narrow
gorge. You can get out into the water. It's a
cool, shady place. It's great on a hot day. This
first section, like I said, is one of the busiest
hikes in the region, and for good reason. It's
short, family -friendly, and rewards hikers with
a very impressive waterfall. Most people will
turn around at this falls, like I said, and there's
nothing wrong with that. You want a waterfall
trail? Sure, do this one. However, those willing
to continue will discover why Pine Creek Lake
has become one of the premier alpine destinations
in the AV wilderness. Beyond the falls, the trail
becomes noticeably steeper as it climbs through
thick forest alongside Pine Creek. Several smaller
waterfalls tumble through the canyon, and frequent
openings in the trees reveal increasingly dramatic
views and surrounding cliffs. As the miles pass,
the crowds begin to thin, replaced by a quiet
that makes designated wilderness so special.
The round -trip hike to the lake is approximately
10 miles with about 3 ,400 feet of elevation
gain, making it a strenuous day hike that rewards
persistence and knowing that you're going to
see something unforgettable. After the final
climb, the forest suddenly opens up and Pine
Creek Lake comes into view. Resting at just over
9 ,000 feet in elevation, the lake occupies roughly
31 acres and reaches an impressive depth of about
170 feet. It's remarkably clear and it reflects
the granite walls surrounding the basin so perfectly.
It creates one of the most photogenic alpine
settings in southwestern Montana. Montana Fish
Wildlife and Parks manages the lake as a high
elevation trout fishery stocking Yellowstone
Cutthroat Trout about every three years. If you
packed a fishing rod, Pine Creek Lake offers
an excellent opportunity to cast for those Cutthroat
Trout. Anyone age 12 or older needs a valid Montana
fishing license as well as reviewing the current
fishing regulations before heading out. There
might be other things you need to pick up, but
you need to review that before you go there.
For hikers who still have plenty of energy, the
adventure doesn't have to end at the shoreline.
Experienced off -trail travelers and those up
for a serious adventure can go up to the top
of Black Mountain, which rises way high above
the cirque and you look down at everything. It's
super cool, but you're going to be climbing another
3 ,000 feet or so, and there's no maintained
trail, there's no real route, so you need to
actually know what you're doing. I only want
to mention that because some people love to do
mountains. like to do that and it's great I can
probably give you some information on that if
you're interested in getting up Black Mountain
but again it is not a easy hike this is for experienced
people only to get to the top of Black Mountain
even Pine Creek Lake is not an easy hike this
is not something you can just do just because
you feel like it and you're just happen to be
in an area it is 10 miles 3 ,500 feet of elevation
gain it's steep it doesn't let up It's exposed
in the sun in some places. It gets hot. It's
not the most fun hike for part of the way, unless
you're just a very optimistic person who is used
to kind of these struggle bus hikes that go straight
off a mountainside. But it is extremely beautiful
and is one of the best hikes in the region. It's
also one that I feel comfortable sharing because
everybody knows about it. All the outdoor stair,
all the outdoor stores share it and. It's not
a secret. There are some secret hikes out here
that I have a few maybe in my guidebook. Don't
tell too many people, but there's some cooler
places, but this is one of those just to give
you a taste of what can be found in the AB wilderness.
Whether you stop at the lake, whether you stop
at the falls, you're going to love this. One
of the things I do want to tell you is why I'm
recommending it right now. Right now, the wildflowers
up to Pine Creek Lake are amazing. It is the
best bloom in a couple of years we've had. It's
so good. The fireweed is starting. You're going
to have your paintbrush. You're going to have
all of these other wildflowers that are just
dotting the landscape and making the area incredibly
beautiful. I also want to say that there is an
abundance of wildlife here. There's elk occasionally.
There's deer. There's occasional mountain goats.
I saw a black bear the other day. There's marmots.
There's picas. this is still wilderness expect
to see wildlife you may not also expect to see
a lot of people with off -leash dogs this is
something else that happens but carry bear spray
know how to use it also know that this is wilderness
please practice leave no trace principles to
keep this amazing that means pack in and out
waste toilet paper things like that if you drop
something pick it up any garbage do not leave
banana peels apple cores Orange or anything like
that. Do not leave behind keep it better Also
know that along this route about two and a quarter
miles on the trail. There's a creek crossing
Great, right? You will be going across this creek
on fallen timber that has been Organized that
is a loosely used term into a bridge. It can
be slick. It's not going to be comfortable for
everybody. It's not going to be the most fun
if you have a fear of falling, things like that.
But again, this is a serious hike. This is not
an easy hike, but I want to recommend it because
I have been recommending a lot of really easy
hikes, a lot of family -friendly hikes, but sometimes,
especially when I'm traveling places, I want
to know where those next level adventures are.
This is one of those next level adventures. One
of the best things about Pine Creek Lake is that
it reminds you that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
doesn't end at the national park boundary. The
same mountains, wildlife, forests, and wild character
continue well beyond the entrance stations. If
you've already experienced Yellowstone's famous
geysers and waterfalls and you've spent days
hiking in the park or previous visits hiking
in the park and you want more, this is one of
those trails. Half of my hiking guidebook are
trails like this outside of the park. This is
where I hike for fun for me and that's why I
want to recommend it to you. This is something
that I think you're going to enjoy if you're
a serious hiker and you love wilderness hiking.
So check it out and you might fall in love with
the AB wilderness as much as I have. That is
it for this week. In the next episode, I'm going
to return with all the information you need to
have a good week in the park, including the wildlife,
weather and trail updates. Until then, pick up
a guidebook of mine, send me a message. Thank
you so much for listening. I truly appreciate
all of you and happy trails. Oh, please recommend
this podcast to anybody that is interested in
Yellowstone. Thanks. Abrupt ending. This week
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