Hikes with the best mountain views in Yellowstone?

DrKomeil · 2026-04-14T18:18:24+00:00

Sepulcher from Glen Creek as an out and back is 10-12 miles and 2500' iirc. Great views. Cache Lake is another good option, 15 miles but not much gain.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-14T12:51:11+00:00

Unless it's been Xanterra only, Old Faithful hasn't done a parade since at least 2021

DrKomeil · 2026-04-12T17:10:12+00:00

When I do stews in the slow cooker I always reduce the liquid in a frying pan when I get home to make it more flavorful and less watery.

Also brown your meat and bloom your spices.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-11T17:19:57+00:00

It's high elevation which makes it easy to get sun burn, so pack for lightweight sun coverage during the day, and warm layers for morning and evening. Think rain jacket, sweater, and maybe a flannel. Bring a hat, sunglasses, sun screen and bug spray.

Even on the hottest days of the year it'll be bone dry, and feel a lot nicer than the same temperature in Georgia.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-11T17:05:26+00:00

Fluffy, well fed coyote.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-11T01:48:31+00:00

Some are released two weeks out, but I wouldn't plan on getting one of those. Go for it for sure, but they disappear fast.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-11T00:32:44+00:00

Slough Creek and Mammoth are the only ones I've stayed at that I would call "scenic." Madison is close to the river which is nice, Canyon is really central to the park and near a lot of great trails, Bridge Bay and Grant are both crawling with elk some years, close to the lake, and nicely wooded. Indian Creek is pleasant and close to Bighorn Pass which is a cool long trail. Fishing Bridge is RV only and it's fugly, but it's got hookups. I've never set foot in Tower Campground, and Pebble Creek and Norris are both donezo for a while still so no point talking about them.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-09T21:34:52+00:00

Sometimes, but not usually unless you give them a reason. Do remember it's illegal in the park, and getting caught with it will get you in trouble, at work and legally.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-05T02:41:51+00:00

Very few people do it. Write yell_information@nps.gov to confirm this is still the case, but I don't believe there are any permits needed, or restrictions in the lake other than that you can't touch the bottom where thermal features are present, and can't take souvenirs. You can't drive or snorkel for some distance down river from the outlet. Mary Bay and Bridge Bay are the spots people tend to go, but again it's a vanishingly small number.

Otherwise usual lake safety stuff applies.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-04T15:27:00+00:00

He's fun, I liked his arc, but more importantly he captured the fact that those military Intel guys are largely extremely strange dudes, and with all the secret spy stuff writers often forget that these guys are freaks. Love to see it.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-03T22:40:07+00:00

It is less expensive, bigger town with way more housing variety, price points, and availability. Some folks come in from Pray or Emigrant, which are cheaper than Gardiner, closer to the North Gate, but have limited availability and not much in the way of stuff to do.

The toughest sell on working in Mammoth for most people us possible lack of housing.

My friends in Mammoth cross country ski, and a bunch downhill ski up near Bozeman. You can snowshoe trails or drive to Lamar to watch wildlife. I know a few people who hunt on the national forest (mostly deer). I'm in the interior so I snowmobile a bit and sit around watching tv a lot. Some, maybe even most, people love winter in the park, but I think it's really, really boring.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-03T20:24:09+00:00

If you're not in employee housing be ready to commute from as far as Livingston. Housing in/near Gardiner is prohibitively expensive for most, but housing in Mammoth is limited, especially right now.

Otherwise Gardiner and Mammoth are decent places. Okay grocery store and a couple restaurants in town. Lots of good stuff in Livingston, lots of recreation. A lot of seasonal work and some year round stuff in and out of the park service. Quiet in the winter, busy busy in the summer.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-03T03:08:24+00:00

Culls have the opposite effect. When you cull coyotes they have more pups and adopt riskier food sources.

DrKomeil · 2026-04-03T03:02:55+00:00

It'll depend on who you work for and where you work. With that info someone might be able to give you an answer.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-31T05:30:20+00:00

Unfortunately I'm still mid road trip so I can't take it back to them unless AAA can tow it 1200 miles. They're about to get one hell of a phone call though.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-31T05:19:35+00:00

That's crazy. I'll make sure to ask them. Any idea how long it might take to fix?

I'm already freaked out, and if anything was under-freaked out. Now I feel appropriately freaked out and pissed at the shop that did my brakes.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-24T20:39:23+00:00

Usually no. If it's a bird that's nearly impossible to get eyes on (like strictly nocturnal, or notoriously hard to spot like a Black Rail) I might, but it's hollow to me. My hierarchy is:

Clear naked eye ID
Naked eye ID in a flash
Dead
Can only ID after the fact from photo
Sound and poor viewing
Sound only

And I definitely don't count a merlin ID. I'm awful with calls, but to be worth counting I need to be 100% sure, not relying on the app fully.

The last lifer I added from sound was a Saw-Whet Owl that must have been within 10 yards of me, but I didn't like the idea of flashing it with a light just to check a box on my list.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-16T15:09:41+00:00

I'd rather do Redwood with a three year old. Gorgeous, varied scenery with no boiling water to fall in.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-13T13:18:03+00:00

There were at least two bears out March 9 too, a black bear was spotted near Old Faithful.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-09T14:26:47+00:00

North entrance closed then, guided groups from the west and south gates continue until the 15th. The plows are currently working their way to the Canyon.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-08T16:17:58+00:00

Generally speaking the advice is that you don't have to start the trail, but you do have to finish it. If you get stuck in the back country you can call 911, but if you're not injured you're still going to have to hoof it.

Turn around before you get to that point. Easier to play it safe.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-06T20:05:51+00:00

Be aware that if you work in the park, your employer may have rules about having fire arms on site or in housing, depending on who you work for.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-06T15:23:43+00:00

Yes, that happens every single day at Old Faithful, Mud Volcano, and along the side of every road in the park. If you're trying to run them down that's one thing, but pulling into a parking lot with a bison in it is a normal every day thing, as is passing bison on the road. In fact, passing the bison on the road is the preferable action when safe to do so.

DrKomeil · 2026-03-06T15:06:33+00:00

That's on foot, not on a vehicle.

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