by 
This week in Yellowstone National Park, from May 7th to May 13th, 2026, I will tell you about a ducking good time by Hayden Valley, share some tips on how to stay safe around bison, let you know of a cool hike to see a hidden waterfall, and share some bear information. I will also give you the complete weather forecast, a cool trail to hike, the snowpack update, the wildlife report, and everything else you need to have an incredible time, “This Week in Yellowstone.”
LISTEN TO THIS AS A PODCAST
The text below is my notes for the podcast. They may be incomplete.
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 may miss a few details, so please feel free to reach out with any questions. I also mention park locations casually. If you’re unfamiliar, a quick search can help. This report only covers drivable areas of the park.
Also, this podcast is a passion project. If you enjoy it, I’d love a review or a quick email! To support my work, check out my hiking and wildlife-watching guidebooks, or join me for a guided hiking tour in Yellowstone’s backcountry. For more information, visit outdoor-society.com or contact me directly. Seriously though, come book a trail tour with me.
EXPERIENCE OF THE WEEK
A Ducking Good Time South of Hayden
If you’re in Yellowstone National Park and want to see something most people completely overlook, it helps to slow down around the rushing water. Places like LeHardy Rapids don’t look dramatic at first glance, just a stretch of churning river along the Yellowstone, but they’re one of the best spots in the park to stumble across one of its most unique birds: the Harlequin Duck. Now, I know birding isn’t for everyone, but this is a short-lived experience and one that, if you are in the park right now, is pretty cool to see.
Once you notice them, they’re hard to forget. The males are especially striking, with deep blue-gray bodies, chestnut sides, and crisp white markings on the face and neck that almost look painted on. Females are more understated, mostly brown with a small white patch near the eye, but they still stand out if you take a moment to scan the water. The tricky part is actually spotting them in the first place. They tend to blend into the movement of the river, disappearing against the foam, rocks, and shadows of the current.
What really makes these ducks memorable is how they live. Harlequin Ducks are one of the only waterfowl in North America that specialize in fast-moving water, choosing turbulent rivers and rapids over calm lakes or ponds. They spend their time diving into the current to feed on aquatic insects and other small invertebrates clinging to rocks below the surface. Watching them in action is half the experience. They paddle upstream against a surprisingly strong current, then vanish underwater and pop back up somewhere else entirely, completely at ease in water that looks far too rough for a duck.
That’s exactly why LeHardy Rapids is such a reliable place to look. The rapids stretch across the Yellowstone River just north of Yellowstone Lake, and a short boardwalk makes it easy to walk right up to the edge of the action. In spring and early summer, this area becomes especially lively. Harlequin Ducks often gather here during breeding season, and at the same time, Yellowstone cutthroat trout are pushing upstream through the rapids to spawn, sometimes leaping out of the water in bursts of energy. The whole scene feels active and alive, even if you’re just standing still watching.
If you want the best chance of seeing the ducks, timing helps. Early morning tends to be better, with softer light and more wildlife movement. You’ll also want to bring binoculars, since these birds are surprisingly easy to miss even when they’re right in front of you, tucked into pockets of calmer water between the waves.
One of the coolest things about seeing a Harlequin Duck here is realizing how unusual it is. Most of them spend the majority of the year along rocky ocean coastlines, riding surf and waves along the Pacific. Yellowstone is one of the few inland places where they come to breed in fast mountain streams, which makes spotting one in the middle of the park feel a little like discovering a secret. It’s the kind of experience that’s easy to miss if you’re just passing through, but once you know to look, it adds a whole new layer to the landscape.
Sure, some of you may think it is just ducks, but this experience is one that helps show that Yellowstone isn’t just all about the large animals; there is a smaller ecosystem at work that is pretty to see and exciting to watch.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Staying Safe Around Bison
Spending time around bison in Yellowstone National Park is one of those experiences that feels iconic right away. They’re everywhere, massive, calm-looking, and often closer than you expect. That last part is where things tend to go wrong. Now that the park is nearly 100% open, we are days away from the first bison versus human encounter of the year. I would love to think it won’t happen this year, but it pretty much always happens, so I figured I would give some tips on how to stay safe around them.
Bison are responsible for more visitor injuries in Yellowstone than any other animal, and it usually comes down to one simple issue: people underestimate them. A bull bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and run anywhere from 35 to 45 miles per hour, roughly three times faster than the average human. They don’t look fast, and they don’t look aggressive most of the time, which is exactly why people get too close.
The numbers back that up. Yellowstone sees bison-related injuries every year, with incidents reported in 2023, 2024, and already in 2025. Looking at longer-term data, about 80 percent of people who were injured had actively approached a bison beforehand, and nearly half of those injuries happened while someone was trying to take a photo. Even more telling, research shows that people who were charged were, on average, just 11 feet away. That’s not a safe distance; that’s well inside the animal’s personal space.
The park’s rule is clear: stay at least 25 yards away at all times. That buffer exists for a reason. What often happens is something called “social context.” You see other people standing close to a bison, and it creates a false sense that it must be safe. It isn’t. Bison don’t care what other people are doing. They care about how close you are.
Reading their behavior helps, too, and one of the easiest signals to watch is the tail. A relaxed bison usually has its tail hanging down. When that tail starts to lift, stiffen, or flick quickly, it’s a sign the animal is getting irritated. It’s not subtle once you know what to look for. You might also see them paw the ground, snort, or turn directly toward you. Those are all clear warnings that you need to back away, slowly and calmly.
Staying safe around bison while hiking in Yellowstone National Park comes down to a mix of awareness, distance, and knowing how to react before things escalate. The key is remembering that when you’re hiking, you’re no longer protected by a vehicle. You’re sharing the same space as the animal.
The most important rule, as I said before, is straight from the National Park Service: keep your distance. You need to stay at least 25 yards (75 feet) away from bison at all times. That applies on trails, in meadows, and even if the animal approaches you. If a bison gets closer, you are expected to move away to reestablish that distance.
Positioning matters more than people realize when hiking. Trails in Yellowstone often run through prime bison habitat, especially in places like Hayden Valley or Lamar Valley. Bison use those same trails and meadows, and sometimes they’ll be right on the path. Avoid getting boxed in. Give yourself an exit route, and never put yourself between a bison and where it wants to go. If a herd is blocking the path, you must go clear around them. Sometimes, this requires a detour of a mile, sometimes less.
Reading behavior is just as important as distance. Bison don’t always charge without warning. The National Park Service notes several clear signs of agitation: head bobbing, pawing at the ground, snorting, bellowing, and, importantly, raising or flicking their tail. When you see those behaviors, the situation is already escalating. That’s your cue to back away immediately, not stand your ground.
If a bison charges, the advice is simple but not always intuitive: move away quickly. Put distance between you and the animal, and if possible, get behind something solid like trees. Unlike bear encounters, you do not stand your ground with a bison. You create space as fast as you safely can.
It’s also important to understand how fast things can change. Bison can run around 35 mph and even jump obstacles, despite their size. That means what feels like a comfortable distance can disappear in seconds if you’re not paying attention.
Group behavior can help keep you safer. While this is often discussed more with bears, the same idea applies. Hiking with others increases awareness and makes it easier to spot wildlife sooner. Staying alert, scanning ahead on the trail, and avoiding distractions like headphones can give you extra time to react.
One final thing that often gets overlooked is mindset. Many bison incidents happen because people treat them like slow-moving, predictable animals. In reality, they are wild, defensive, and highly sensitive to personal space. If your presence causes a bison to change its behavior at all, you’re already too close.
In brief, remember to keep your distance, watch for warning signs like tail movement and agitation, avoid passing or crowding them on trails, and always give yourself room to back away. Do that, and hiking in Yellowstone around bison becomes not just safe, but one of the most memorable parts of being in the park.
So what about roadside encounters? In places like Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley, “bison jams” are part of the experience. When traffic stops, it’s tempting to get out for a closer look. Don’t get out. Stay in your car. The 25-yard rule does not apply if you are in a vehicle. However, know that every year, bison damage cars, but usually during their mating season in July and August.
The easiest way to not be charged, tossed, and gored by a bison is simple: Keep your distance from them at all times.
RANDOM YELLOWSTONE FACT OF THE WEEK
How Many Bears Are In The Park
When most people think about bears in Yellowstone National Park, they picture a grizzly wandering through a wide-open valley with a crowd of people watching from the roadside. That absolutely happens, but it’s only part of the story. Yellowstone is home to both grizzly bears and black bears, and once you start looking at their populations and behavior, you get a much clearer picture of what your chances actually are of seeing one.
Let’s start with grizzlies, since they tend to get most of the attention. According to the National Park Service, there are roughly 150 to 200 grizzly bears that use Yellowstone itself as part of their home range. Those are the bears most visitors are seeing in places like Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley, especially in spring and early summer when they’re active in open areas.
However, Yellowstone is just the core of something much bigger. Across the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which stretches well beyond the park into Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, the grizzly population is estimated at around 1,000 bears. That’s a huge conservation success when you consider there were only about 130 to 140 grizzlies in the region in the 1970s. Today, they occupy more than 20,000 square miles of habitat, and many of them regularly move in and out of the park.
That movement is important because it means a bear you see in Yellowstone might spend part of its year outside the park, and vice versa. The park isn’t an isolated space. It’s the heart of a much larger, connected ecosystem.
Black bears are a little different. The National Park Service doesn’t give a precise population number for black bears in the park, largely because they were not a species nearly wiped out, so their population statistics are not as important. Estimates of black bears in Yellowstone National Park are anywhere between 150 and 500.
While grizzlies often feed in open meadows and valleys, black bears tend to stick to the trees. They’re excellent climbers, generally more cautious around people, and far less likely to be standing out in the open where everyone can spot them. This is obviously a generalization, as you may very well see a black bear in an open field.
So what are your chances of actually seeing a bear?
They’re good, but not guaranteed. Bear sightings in Yellowstone depend heavily on timing, location, and a bit of luck. The National Park Service notes that spring and early summer are some of the best times to see bears, as they come out of their dens and spend more time feeding in visible areas. Early mornings and evenings are especially productive.
If you’re spending time in places like Lamar or Hayden Valley during those hours, your odds go up quite a bit. It’s not unusual, especially in May and June, to hear about daily sightings. Still, there are plenty of days when bears just don’t show up where people are looking. Yellowstone doesn’t run on a schedule, and neither do its animals.
Another thing to keep in mind is how much ground bears cover. Grizzlies can have home ranges of hundreds of square miles, which means they’re constantly moving. One day they’re visible from the road, the next day they’re miles away in terrain you’ll never see.
All of that adds up to an experience that’s a little unpredictable, but that’s part of what makes it special. Seeing a bear in Yellowstone isn’t just about checking a box. It’s about being in the right place, paying attention, and sometimes just being patient enough to wait it out.
Yellowstone holds only a portion of its bear population within park boundaries, but it remains one of the best places in the lower 48 to see both species in the wild. Grizzlies may get most of the spotlight, and for good reason, but black bears are just as much a part of the landscape, even if they keep a lower profile. And when you do see one, whether it’s a distant grizzly moving through a valley or a quick glimpse of a black bear slipping into the trees, it tends to be one of those moments that sticks with you long after the trip is over.
WEATHER FOR THE COMING WEEK
I am too lazy to type it all out, so you’ll have to listen to the podcast to get the weather forecast, or just contact me.
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/
SNOWPACK UPDATE
As of May 6th, the snowpack is around 78% of normal for this time of year. The eastern and northern ranges of the park are 89% of normal, while the western and southern sides are 66% of normal. Last year on this date, we were averaging around 88% of our normal level.
ROADS CONDITIONS
The road between West Yellowstone and Old Faithful, all the way up to Mammoth and out to Canyon, is open. The road from Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana, is also open, as it is open all year long. Please be aware that this road can close at any time due to inclement weather.
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.
WILDLIFE WATCHING UPDATE
You have to listen to the podcast to get this information. Sorry.
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 heard on this podcast 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 next to nothing when they are sold on Amazon. Grab your copy now at outdoor-society.com!
TRAIL ALERTS AND UPDATES
The backcountry Conditions Page is updated! I have a link to it in the show notes.
The area around Fairy Falls, Imperial Geyser, Queen’s Laundry, and all of that is closed until further notice. Carry bear spray. Have it readily accessible and not in a backpack. Know how to use it.
TREK OF THE WEEK
Lost Lake and Lost Creek Falls View
I had a few other hikes I wanted to recommend right now, but they still have some snow on them, so they will be highlighted later. Instead, I will recommend a classic trek in the northern range, one that will have you wandering along a lake, taking in a hidden waterfall view, and maybe even encountering bison, bears, and elk.
The trail to Lost Lake and the upper viewpoint of Lost Creek Falls are often overlooked, much like many other trails I feature in my guidebook. While the Petrified Tree area remains a popular destination, and Lost Lake is getting a bit more popular, few individuals venture beyond the well-trodden paved paths and skip trails like this.
Those who do make their way beyond the caged, petrified tree have an opportunity to expand their adventure and step off the beaten track to experience the tranquility of Lost Lake, along with the breathtaking view of the fast-flowing Lost Creek Falls. Again, many will walk from the petrified tree to the lake, but few know that a cool view is found a bit further away.
The trail to the lake is extremely easy to follow, passing through a narrow gap between hills before arriving in an open area that houses the lake. The lake isn’t deep or breathtakingly stunning, but it is quite scenic and is home to wildlife of all shapes and sizes. You may see birds, bison, elk, coyotes, foxes, or even bears around here, so stay alert!
Beyond the lake, the trail crosses a quaint little bridge over the creek, enters a forest, and darts toward the top of the canyon. Keep your expectations of walking atop a wide-open canyon rim low, as the forest keeps it mostly hidden as you traverse around it. After crossing another small bridge over the creek to get to the other side of the canyon, you’ll start to get more glimpses of the canyon beginning to emerge to your left. Keep an eye out for clearings as you near the end of the canyon. From a few spots, you’ll be able to walk short boot paths to the canyon rim and see the majestic Lost Creek Falls. Be cautious of loose rocks on the canyon rim, as the drop will probably kill you. While I say this in all seriousness, if you stay away from the edge, you’ll be perfectly safe.
The trek to the best waterfall viewpoint and back to the car is about four miles round trip with around 400 feet of elevation gain. There are some options to make this a super rad loop, so if you are interested in that, reach out to me directly or consider picking up a copy of my hiking book to the park and surrounding regions. My hiking guidebook, Beyond the Boardwalks: Yellowstone National Park, helps you find your perfect hike in the region. Please consider buying a book directly from me, as I make nothing when they are sold on Amazon.
NEXT WEEK
In the next episode, I’ll return with all of the information you need to have a good week in the park, including wildlife, weather, and trail updates. Until then, book a tour with me, pick up a guidebook of mine, and happy trails!
