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This week in Yellowstone National Park, from September 18th through September 24th, 2025, I will tell you about the park’s trash problem, briefly talk about the bear attack, tell you that time is running out for driving on a scenic road, and share some other fun and interesting things. I will also give you the complete weather forecast, wildlife report, the news, and everything else you need to have an incredible time, “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 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—I’m not paid or sponsored. If you enjoy 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, visit outdoor-society.com or reach out directly!
THIS WEEK’S YELLOWSTONE NEWS
Bear Attack
A 29-year-old man was seriously injured, but not fatally, on the Turbid Lake Trail in Yellowstone after what park officials say was likely a surprise encounter with a bear. The trail is in the Pelican Valley Bear Management Area, about 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead. He used bear spray but still suffered injuries to his chest and left arm. It’s not yet confirmed whether the attacking bear was a grizzly, though wildlife staff believe it probably was based on the location. The Turbid Lake Trail is now closed until further notice. The National Park Service says there will be no action taken against the bear, since the encounter was defensive. This is the only bear-injury incident in Yellowstone for 2025, and the first bear-human incident in over four years.
Hold Onto Your Hats!
You probably saw this already, but there are headlines all over the place about how Yellowstone staff removed over 300 hats from the thermal areas this year. Well, there is more to the story, as Cowboy State Daily talked about in their article titled: “More Than 13,000 Pieces Of Garbage Removed From Yellowstone Thermal Areas”, from September 13, 2025
I’ll summarize it quickly: Yellowstone’s hydrothermal areas are getting a serious cleanup. This year, more than 13,000 pieces of trash have been removed, including everything from pizza boxes and hats to even a Birkenstock sandal. That includes over 300 hats alone, with some items blown in by the wind and others left by visitors. The geological team covering these hot springs and geysers has been walking over 1,300 miles of boardwalks and trails and driving 11,000+ miles to reach all the mess.
These features aren’t just pretty, they’re fragile. Trash disrupts how they function, especially in places like Morning Glory Pool, which lost some of its original vibrant color because debris blocked the underground flow and changed the temperature. If you’re visiting Yellowstone, pack out what you pack in, keep a tight grip on your hat, and help protect what makes the park so magical.
New East Entrance Webcam!
With absolutely zero fanfare, the Yellowstone National Park Webcam webpage has a new camera. For the first time (I think, as I don’t recall this being an active camera before), you can now see both directions at the East Entrance Gate. Previously, webcams in the park were at Old Faithful, Mount Washburn, Mammoth, the West Entrance, and the North Entrance. There is also occasionally a webcam looking at the lake that sometimes is linked on the main park website, but that is becoming harder to find.
Why should you care about this webcam? You probably shouldn’t, unless you enjoy looking at both directions from the east entrance, like I do. I check the webcams often, usually to monitor the lines at the entrance gates. The new webcam at the east entrance will help me tell you what times that gate is busy.
EXPERIENCE OF THE WEEK
Last Few Weeks For the Beartooth Highway
In case you didn’t hear, it snowed in the higher elevations around Yellowstone National Park this week, or as my partner puts it, the mountains just put on a little bit of clothes after a summer of nakedness While this round of snow isn’t going to stick around for months on end, the September snow shower is a great reminder that time is running out on a lot of cool experiences in and around Yellowstone. That is why, this week, I am strongly suggesting you plan your trip over the Beartooth Highway before it closes for the year.
I have talked about the Beartooth Highway a few times this year. Check out the July 31st to August 6th episode, or the June 5th to June 11th episode for a lot more information.
Briefly, the Beartooth Highway is a drive that captures the wild beauty of the Greater Yellowstone Region. Winding up and over nearly 11,000ft above sea-level, surrounded by alpine lakes, tundra-like plateaus, and jagged mountain peaks, this stretch of U.S. Highway 212 is often called “the most beautiful drive in America.” And if you’ve been meaning to check it off your list this year, here’s your reminder: time is running out.
Each year, the Montana and Wyoming Departments of Transportation do their best to keep the highway open through September. Sometimes, if the weather is kind, you’ll still be able to drive it into early October. But closures can happen suddenly, with little notice, when snow and ice make the road unsafe. The exact date of when the highway closes changes from year to year, but the reality is that once fall starts to settle in, every day is borrowed time.
Driving the Beartooth in late September has its own kind of magic. The crowds of summer have thinned, so you’ll often have overlooks and trailheads mostly to yourself. The air is crisp, the sky seems sharper and bluer, and patches of golden aspen brighten the valleys far below. If you’re lucky, you might even spot mountain goats picking their way across the rocky cliffs or marmots, or pikas squeaking from the talus slopes. For photographers, the low sun and shifting weather create dramatic light that makes the already jaw-dropping scenery even more memorable.
But the same things that make it beautiful also make it unpredictable. The weather changes fast up there. You can start in sunshine in Red Lodge or Cooke City and drive straight into a snow squall at the summit. Temperatures drop quickly at 10,000 feet, so even if it’s 60 degrees down in the valleys, it could be just above freezing up top. Bring layers, check the forecast before you go, and don’t be surprised if you need a jacket, hat, and gloves.
One of the best things about driving it this late in the season is the sense of urgency; it feels fleeting, like you’re getting in on a secret before the long winter sets in. By mid-October, deep snow usually buries the highway, and it won’t open again until around Memorial Day weekend next year. That’s about seven months where this high-altitude wonderland is completely out of reach by car.
So, if you are visiting Yellowstone this week or soon, and the Beartooth has been on your list, or if you’ve been saying “maybe next weekend” all summer, this is the time. Grab a friend, pack a thermos of coffee or cocoa, and hit the road before the snow gates close.
How to Check Conditions Before You Go
Because closures can happen fast, it’s smart to check conditions before heading out. Both Montana and Wyoming maintain updated reports on the Beartooth Highway.
You can find current road status and alerts on:
- Montana Department of Transportation (MDT): https://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/
- Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT): https://www.wyoroad.info/
Both sites provide real-time updates, so you’ll know if the road is open, closed, or under temporary restrictions. A quick check before you hit the gas can save you from a long detour, or worse, getting caught in dangerous conditions.
The window is closing fast. Please don’t wait too long; the mountains are already whispering that winter is on its way, and once the snow sticks, the Beartooth Highway goes quiet to the masses until next year.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Sunset At Old Faithful
This week, I could keep saying to go watch the elk rut around Madison or in Mammoth, but I wanted to change up the pace a bit. This week, I am hoping you will take the time to enjoy a sunset at Old Faithful.
Years ago, I witnessed a death in Yellowstone and was extremely shaken up about it, as one should be. For a few days, I wandered the park, numb and in a daze. I’d go to Canyon, but could still hear the screams. I would go watch for wolves, but each time I closed my eyes, I saw the blood. I was unsure if I could ever enjoy the park again. On a whim, I went to Old Faithful one late September afternoon and sat on one of the mostly empty boardwalk benches. The sun was setting, a few clouds rolled in, and the majestic geyser erupted with hot water as the clouds above erupted with hues of pink. It was then, and then alone, that I started to let the events I witnessed go and started focusing on the moment in the park.
While you probably will never go through terrible things in the park, I still strongly encourage you to head to Old Faithful for a sunset eruption. The moment, especially with a crispness in the air and an earlier sunset, brings perspective on a whole lot of things. Life is hectic, the world is a stressful and worrisome place, but a sunset at Old Faithful is a moment in the here and now. It is an experience that hopefully calms a racing mind, gives one a last breathtaking moment to a great trip in the park, or is one more memory with a loved one. Maybe it is just one more thing to check off your list. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you carve out a chunk of time in your evening and make a sunset eruption happen.
Sunset this week is around 730 pm and last light is a little before 8 pm, so if you are in the Old Faithful area and an eruption is scheduled between 645 pm and 8 pm, please stay. If you don’t enjoy it, I don’t want to hear about it. You still have to see the geyser erupt and have an evening at Old Faithful. There are a lot of people who wish they could have that experience.
RANDOM YELLOWSTONE FACT OF THE WEEK
A Brief History of Gardiner, Montana
Gardiner, Montana, has long been a gathering place, not just for trappers, settlers, and tourists, but for Indigenous peoples who lived, traveled, and hunted in this valley for thousands of years before Yellowstone became a national park. The area at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Gardiner Rivers was part of the traditional homelands of the Crow, Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfeet, and other tribes. To them, these valleys and mountains weren’t just beautiful backdrops; they were full of resources, stories, and spiritual meaning. The Yellowstone River was a lifeline, and nearby passes served as important travel corridors. Even today, tribal nations maintain strong cultural and spiritual ties to the Gardiner Basin and Yellowstone.
The first waves of outsiders to pass through came in the early 1800s. Fur trappers, men like Johnson Gardner, who worked the region in the 1830s, moved into this rich valley, and the place became known as Gardner’s Hole. Later, mountain men and explorers like Jim Bridger followed, and soon the region was firmly on Euro-American maps. But it’s important to remember that these newcomers were stepping into a landscape already full of deep Indigenous history.
By the 1870s, the town that would become Gardiner started to take shape. Entrepreneurs like James McCartney and H.R. Horr set up bathhouses and simple lodging near the hot springs just inside the park boundary, trying to cash in on the growing curiosity about Yellowstone’s wonders. When a post office was established in 1880, Gardiner officially had its start. Life here, though, was about as wild west as it gets. Saloons and gambling halls thrived, and for years, the town didn’t even have a jail. When one was finally built, it burned down in 1898.
Gardiner’s fortunes changed dramatically with the arrival of the railroad. In 1883, the Northern Pacific Railway extended its line to nearby Cinnabar, and in 1903, the tracks reached directly into Gardiner. Suddenly, trainloads of tourists were spilling out onto its streets, eager to start their Yellowstone adventure. Architect Robert Reamer, who designed the Old Faithful Inn, also designed Gardiner’s depot. Though passenger trains stopped running here in 1948, the railroad helped put Gardiner firmly on the map as Yellowstone’s northern gateway.
That same year, 1903, brought another defining moment: the construction of the Roosevelt Arch. President Theodore Roosevelt, visiting the park on a hunting trip, laid the cornerstone in a public ceremony. Its inscription, “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People,” captured the vision of the national parks, and gave Gardiner one of the most photographed landmarks in the region.
Over the years, Gardiner has seen its share of ups and downs. Fires destroyed buildings, businesses shifted, and the community had to continually adapt to the changing waves of tourism. But some traditions stuck. Parks’ Fly Shop, opened in 1953 by Merton Parks, remains a family-owned fixture and speaks to the town’s long-standing connection with fishing and the Yellowstone River.
Today, Gardiner is home to about 800 year-round residents, making it small in size but huge in importance. It’s the only Yellowstone gateway open to vehicles year-round, thanks to the relatively mild winters of the northern range. Its location, right on the park boundary, means that restaurants, motels, and shops sit shoulder to shoulder with Yellowstone’s wildlife and landscapes. Elk wander down Main Street, and from a café window, you might spot pronghorn or even a bear just beyond town.
What makes Gardiner so special is that its history is layered. Indigenous peoples laid the foundation with centuries of use and cultural ties. Trappers and settlers added their chapter with fur trading and frontier survival. Entrepreneurs and railroad companies turned it into a tourism hub, and generations of locals have worked to balance that booming visitation with community life.
Gardiner has always been about connection, to the rivers that converge here, to the park that draws millions, and to the people who’ve called this valley home across countless generations. It remains not just a gateway into Yellowstone, but a living community with a story as rich and complex as the park it neighbors.
ROADS CONDITIONS
All major roads and most side roads are open right now in and around Yellowstone National Park. This includes Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway.
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.
CAMPING INFO
Every campground in the park that is going to open this year is open, except for Indian Creek. Throughout the park, there are numerous sites available this coming week.
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 nothing when they are sold on Amazon. Grab your copy now at outdoor-society.com!
TRAIL ALERTS AND UPDATES
Currently, as of the time of this recording, all trails that are supposed to be open in the park are open, aside from the Turbid Lake Trail. All the information on trail conditions can be found on the Backcountry Conditions Page of Yellowstone National Park.
TREK OF THE WEEK
Mystic Falls and A Distant View of Old Faithful
If you’re looking for a hike in Yellowstone that combines waterfalls, forest, and one of the best “secret” views of Old Faithful, the Mystic Falls Trail is tough to beat. It’s a moderate 4ish-mile round-trip hike with around 600 feet of elevation gain that starts just north of Old Faithful, near Biscuit Basin.
Normally, you’d kick things off from the Biscuit Basin boardwalk, but that area is currently closed because of damage from last summer’s hydrothermal explosion at Black Diamond Pool. The boardwalk and the parking lot are closed. That means you’ll need to keep an eye on park updates and start the trail from a nearby pullout or alternate access point. Currently, the route is to look for the Upper Geyser Basin-Biscuit Basin Trail just south of the Biscuit Basin parking area.
Once you’re on the path, the hike eases you in. The trail begins with a gentle walk through lodgepole pine forest, following alongside the Little Firehole River. Wildlife is always a possibility, songbirds flit between the trees, squirrels chatter overhead, and, because this is Yellowstone, there’s always a chance of spotting larger animals like bison, elk, or even a bear.
A little over a mile in, you’ll hear Mystic Falls before you see it. The waterfall drops about 70 feet from the Madison Plateau into a rocky canyon, and the spray and roar are a welcome reward after the forest walk. Most hikers stop here, and honestly, it’s already a beautiful destination, cool mist in the air, the river tumbling below, and cliffs framing the scene.
But if you’ve got the energy, the trail gets even better. Just past the falls, a spur trail climbs steeply up a set of switchbacks to a ridge. This section isn’t long, but it’ll get your heart pumping. As you climb, the trees open up, and soon you’re standing on a high overlook with a panoramic view of the Upper Geyser Basin. On a clear day, you can actually see Old Faithful erupting in the distance, along with other geysers sending steam plumes skyward. It’s one of those Yellowstone moments that feels almost unreal. You’re far from the crowds, perched above the basin, watching the world’s most famous geyser do its thing way off in the distance.
From there, you can either loop back down to Mystic Falls or continue along a longer route that swings back toward Biscuit Basin and the junction with the trail you took to get here. The whole hike offers a mix of scenery, creekside paths, forest shade, burned hillsides still in recovery, and wide-open overlooks. With just a couple of hours and a little extra effort on the climb, you get a waterfall, a unique view of Old Faithful, and a real taste of Yellowstone’s backcountry without straying too far from the road.
Because of the Biscuit Basin closure, conditions are a little different right now than in previous years, but the trail is still very much worth doing if it’s accessible. Pack water, carry bear spray, and have it quickly accessible. Give yourself time for the overlook climb, and most of all, slow down at the falls and the ridge to soak it all in. Mystic Falls isn’t the longest or hardest hike in the park, but it’s one of those rare ones where those looking for it can find something memorable.
NEXT WEEK
In next week’s 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, happy trails!
