by 
This week in Yellowstone National Park, from March 27th to April 2nd, I talk about a new hydrothermal feature in the park, share some random facts about bison, share a fun, yet challenging trail to snowshoe when visiting Mammoth, and give you all the other updates you need to be prepared for This Week in Yellowstone.
Listen to this as a podcast!
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-yellowstone-national-park/id1789397931
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/41E5WWldz4s7n6NXh2Lahr
RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/this-week-in-yellowstone-national-park/
Disclaimer: I might miss a few details, so feel free to reach out with questions! I also mention park locations casually—if you’re unfamiliar, a quick search can help. This report only covers driveable areas of the park.
Also, this podcast is a passion project—I’m not paid or sponsored. If you’re enjoying it, I’d love a review or a quick email! To support my work, check out my guidebooks on hiking and wildlife watching, or join me for a guided Yellowstone tour. For details, check out the tabs on the top of the page or reach out to me directly!
Ok, on to the news.
THIS WEEK’S YELLOWSTONE NEWS
The only entrance open to Yellowstone National Park is the North Entrance. Technically, the Northeast Entrance is also open, but the road east of Cooke City is closed, so the only way to reach it is to drive through the North Entrance in Gardiner, to Tower Junction, and then through Lamar Valley. This stretch of pavement is currently the only open road in Yellowstone. Other park roads will begin to open again on April 18th. You cannot access the park’s interior, which includes Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, Hayden Valley, or Yellowstone Lake at this time.
Did you hear that a new hydrothermal feature was discovered in Yellowstone? On August 5 last summer, a park scientist spotted a billowing steam column rising through the trees and over a marshy expanse. This newly discovered hydrothermal feature is located in the Roadside Springs thermal area, a region consisting of distinct zones of altered rock and hydrothermal activity.
Shortly after its identification, park geologists conducted a closer examination, measuring a temperature of 77°C (171°F). The surrounding surface was coated with a thin layer of grey siliceous clay, a sign of the feature’s recent formation. The steam plume remained prominent through the fall of 2024, especially visible on crisp mornings. However, as winter approached, the plume gradually diminished. While the feature remains active, the presence of water in the vent has reduced the amount of steam being released. Whether the strong plume will return in the summer of 2025 is yet to be determined.
You can read a better description of this at the Caldera Chronicles, linked in the show notes.
Finally, the first grizzly sighting from the road happened on March 24th. A friend of mine in the park told me that a grizzly was spotted around the Blacktail Ponds area, with numerous cars stopping to see it. While it was quite far away, it is an important reminder that not only are bears active in the park again, but they are near areas where people are. Carry bear spray on every trail adventure, long or short, and know how to use it. I will be posting a standalone “bear safety” episode in April, so keep your ears open for that.
Random History About Yellowstone for the Week
I read a lot about the park. Probably more than anyone else you know. I have guidebooks from every decade and pour over random Yellowstone data for fun. Because of this, I figured I would add a new section to this podcast to share some random information that I have learned.
This week, I want to share some information about the historical bison population of Yellowstone. In the late 1800s, the bison population of Yellowstone was 23. The story of how these remaining bison were saved is a tale for another day.
To assist in the species’ revival, in 1896, the United States government obtained one bull and seven cows from the Lincoln Park Zoo bison herd for Yellowstone.
In 1902, a captive herd of 21 bison was introduced to the park and then moved to the Lamar Valley and managed as livestock until the 1960s, when a policy of natural regulation was adopted by the park.
By 1926, there were 927 bison in Yellowstone, but only 125 of them were wild. The rest were in pens, and for decades, there were what the park called “tame” or “show” herds throughout the park, where visitors could feed them and pose for pictures with them. You won’t see much about this unless you happen to have copies of old guides to Yellowstone, where they give the locations of the tame herds and a few even share pictures of the pens.
Because of the lack of information, I have not yet found an exact year when the show/tame bison areas ended, just numerous references to the return of fully wild bison in the 1960s. However, this seems to be more about management and not about the pens. If I were to guess, I would say the “tame herds” were removed around the same time the park decided to slowly stop feeding bears for visitor entertainment, which would be around the 1930s. I will talk about the bear feedings next week.
More than 100 years after bison from other regions were introduced to the park, the two genetically distinct herds have finally become one. In the past 20 years, Yellowstone’s two bison subpopulations have become one large interbreeding herd, according to the new genetic study published Sept. 13, 2024, in the Journal of Heredity. In case you were wondering, the 2024 pre-calving (before bison calves were born in the spring) population estimate was 4,550 bison.
EXPERIENCE OF THE WEEK
The Animals around Mammoth
With snow still in the mountains and Lamar Valley looking like winter, the experiences I haven’t yet mentioned are few and far between. Ok, that isn’t quite true, as there are so many cool things to do and see in the park it would take me a lifetime to share them all. However, this time of the year I like to recommend some more relaxing and easy-to-achieve experiences, and this week is no exception.
All around Mammoth, wildlife activity is bustling. Around the entrance station, elk, bison, deer, and pronghorn have been congregating, while bighorn sheep have been visible across the way on the cliffs above the Gardner River. Bluebirds have been darting about just north of the Arch, along Old Yellowstone Road, where you may also see all of the aforementioned animals. While you may see these animals elsewhere in the park, it is pretty cool to see so many so close to the town of Gardiner. If you are visiting and the weather isn’t ideal, or if you are just wanting a sunset wildlife adventure close to town, consider driving to Mammoth and back, then driving Old Yellowstone Road to Yellowstone Hot Springs and back. You should see plenty of wildlife without a lot of effort. Obviously, you may not see them at all, but there is a high likelihood that you will this time of the year.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Stopping on the Roads
If you listen to this every week, you’ll probably hear this message a lot. I apologize for repeating myself, but unfortunately, it will forever be something that needs to be mentioned. Since it’s a slow week, I am using my time to once again remind people to not stop on the roads while in Yellowstone National Park.
Please do not stop your vehicle on the road while driving through Yellowstone National Park. Stopping on the road to take pictures of wildlife or scenery can create dangerous traffic hazards. Instead, use the many designated pullouts available throughout the park to safely enjoy the views. Help keep traffic flowing and ensure a safe experience for all visitors!
I bring this up because, over the weekend, I once again saw numerous cars stopped on the road, often with passengers and drivers exiting the car to set up tripods to take pictures of wildlife. Each time I saw this, the drivers were only a few dozen feet away from a pullout. Stopping on the road is not allowed, and park rangers will ticket you for it.
If you do use a pullout, you need to make sure that all four wheels are outside the white line, which I learned is called the fog line. Finally, do not drive off the road to park your car or stop anywhere that is not an official pullout. Just because others may be doing it does not mean it is right or legal. Also, if and when you see guides doing this or are with a guide who does this, report them. They have been warned numerous times by park staff about this.
WEATHER FOR THE COMING WEEK
Lamar Valley: The weather for Lamar starts out glorious and slowly descends into the winter/spring mix one should expect while visiting the park in early spring. We start with highs in the 50s on Thursday, then Friday through Sunday will be partly sunny at times, with highs in the 40s and a chance of snow on Saturday and Sunday. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all have a chance of snow, with lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s or high 30s.
Cooke City: After a 50-degree and partly sunny Thursday, clouds will start rolling in heavier in the evening, bringing with it a chance of rain for the night and early Friday morning. By Saturday, highs will drop to the 30s with lows in the 20s and there is a chance of snow every day. Currently, it is looking like Monday and Tuesday will see the heaviest snow in Cooke City, potentially two inches a day.
Gardiner: After a nearly 60-degree day on Thursday, clouds will become heavier in the evening, and a chance of rain develops for that night and Friday morning. Highs in the 40s will remain for the rest of the week, with a chance of rain on Saturday and then a potential for light snow on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and early Wednesday morning. It should melt out pretty fast if it does fall as snow, though, as highs will be in the 40s.
As always, the forecast is pretty predictable up to three days out, then it’s kind of a guess to an accurate forecast beyond that.
SNOWPACK UPDATE
The snowpack for the park is still in fantastic shape. We are right around 100% of normal and will probably stay in the mid to high 90s throughout the coming week. Pretty soon, the snowpack will start to melt for real, but typically, that doesn’t start happening for a few more weeks, or maybe even a month.
ROADS CONDITIONS
The roads this week, especially Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, all have the potential to be wet and maybe a little slushy. It doesn’t appear that things will be super treacherous, but the roads will definitely not be smooth sailing this week.
For up-to-date information call (307) 344-2117 for recorded information, or sign up to receive Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone by texting “82190” to 888-777. Anticipate possible road closures due to inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions.
CAMPING INFO
Mammoth Hot Springs remains the only open campground in the park and will be the only open campground in the park until May. However, additional camping options are available and will continue to open outside the park. If you need some spots to camp, reach out and I can share a few.
WILDLIFE WATCHING UPDATE
You have to listen to the podcast to get this information.
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-yellowstone-national-park/id1789397931
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/41E5WWldz4s7n6NXh2Lahr
RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/this-week-in-yellowstone-national-park/
PICK UP A GUIDEBOOK
Love what you have read and want more information on wildlife watching? Get a copy of my wildlife-watching guidebook to the region! Available in both ebook and paperback formats, my book will help you spot wildlife like a seasoned local. Please consider buying a book directly from me, as I make nothing when they are sold on Amazon. Grab your copy now at the link above that says “Guides.”
HIKING NEWS AND UPDATES
I am repeating myself from last week. This isn’t really the best time to hike right now, as you’ll be post-holing way too much to have an enjoyable time on the trails. However, it is still decent for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. We are definitely nearing the end of the season, though.
TREK OF THE WEEK
The Beaver Ponds Trail near Mammoth Hot Springs.
This week on the Beaver Ponds Trail, you’ll need snowshoes, and there may be some deep snow in spots. It is definitely not a “family-friendly” adventure right now, but it is a trek that, if you want to challenge yourself a bit but still be close enough to Mammoth to bail if the day is too hard, it is the perfect adventure. Please note that I am only recommending this trail for experienced snowshoers right now. I will update everyone when this trail is snow-free and easy to follow again.
The loop is roughly six miles in length and is best walked clockwise, from the trailhead near Liberty Cap. This direction starts by going uphill immediately for a mile but then it transitions into a gentle adventure with rolling ups and downs the rest of the route. The only real directions you’ll need are found in the first mile, where you will encounter two junctions, one at 0.2 miles and the other at 0.7 miles. Stay to the right along the Beaver Ponds Trail at both junctions.
When I recently hiked this, I was the only person on the trail the entire day, giving me an amazing dose of silence and solitude. I watched a herd of elk walk across a clearing a few hundred yards away, heard woodpeckers in trees above me, and the hoot of an owl in the distance. I also came across coyote and wolf prints in the snow, with some of the tracks going directly across Beaver Ponds. You may even see some bluebirds!
This hike isn’t for everyone, as six miles and a thousand feet of gain can be a big day. However, if you are seeking a unique adventure on a trail that is largely overlooked this time of the year, you can’t go wrong with Beaver Ponds. You’ll start by seeing the terraces and steam at Mammoth Hot Springs and end with a sweeping view of the Mammoth region. There are also some pretty spectacular viewpoints along the way, as well as some cool bones scattered about.
If you have the energy and are in shape enough to do it, I would follow this adventure with a walk around the Upper Terrace Loop in Mammoth. The combo of the two makes for a truly spectacular day in the Mammoth area of the park. If you wanted, you could have lunch in Mammoth in between the two adventures, capping off your day with a sunset stroll atop the terraces.
NEXT WEEK
In next week’s edition, I will talk about biking the roads of Yellowstone, try to convince you to head toward Jardine, above Mammoth, share a hike in Hellroaring, and talk about the history of feeding the bears in Yellowstone.
Until then, happy trails!
