Yellowstone Gate (https://www.yellowstonegate.com/tag/trending/)
An annual survey of summer bison numbers in Yellowstone National Park shows the overall population at roughly the same level as last year. The estimate based on a series of aerial surveys puts the park's total bison population about approximately 4,900. Park managers are proposing reducing the total herd by approximately 900. Continue Reading →
The Grand Teton often dominates photos of Jackson’s skyline. But Sheep Mountain, more commonly known as the Sleeping Indian because of the naturally-carved headdress, distinct nose and belly the mountain forms, is Jackson’s second most recognizable peak. There you can fully take in the grandeur of the Tetons across the valley. You’ll likely have the views all to yourself because Grand Teton National Park draws most visitors in the area. Those who hike the Sleeping Indian are usually locals that know the area well. Continue Reading →
Plains dwellers are familiar with the view of pronghorn antelope streaking across sagebrush flats and low grassy hills—camouflaged blurs racing on rawboned limbs at speeds upwards of 60 mph. Yet there's another view of this marvelous critter: fording swift rivers and scrambling up dusty mountain trails. That's the view of some rare souls who have tracked a pronghorn migration between Grand Teton Park and the Green River Basin. Continue Reading →
Old Faithful is the most popular destination in Yellowstone National Park, but it's also one of the park's most fragile natural wonders, and one still not fully understood by researchers and managers charged with protecting the iconic geyser and other nearby thermal features. A newly released report written by a panel of scientists advises caution in how the Old Faithful area is developed and managed, and recommends additional research meant to better grasp the complex forces driving the Upper Geyser Basin hydrothermal system. Continue Reading →
Grizzly bears are formidable predators, and even accomplished hunters like gray wolves will steer clear of them in normal circumstances. But wolves sometimes cooperate in large numbers, so it's possible that a few of them could cause trouble for a single bear. By Jason Ryan's count, 11 wolves are more than enough. That's how many wolves he saw Monday during a hike at Jackson Lake, when a grizzly bear wandered onto the scene. Continue Reading →
I loved arriving and simply finding my tent already set up - it's one reason my husband and I shifted from tent camping to a pop-up camper years ago. The tents provided for this trip were large enough to stand up in, and were furnished with a rug, a cot with a comfy sleeping pad and sleeping bag as well as a night stand with a lantern. I slept very well both nights. And at the end of the trip, they took care of the packing up as well. Continue Reading →
Bicyclist Michael McCann was one of nearly 700 pedalers who spent the last week traversing soaring peaks and broad valleys in a new touring event aimed at showcasing the amazing wildlife, scenery and communities of the greater Yellowstone area. "Every day starts with a lament and ends in an epiphany," McCann joked Friday while relaxing in Cody, Wyo. after a 50-mile ride through the scenic South Fork Valley. Continue Reading →
An annual bison population survey released by Yellowstone National Park shows an estimated jump in nearly 9 percent over last year. Based on a series of aerial surveys, researchers estimate that 4,600 bison live in Yellowstone. There are approximately 3,200 bison in the northern herd and 1,400 in the central herd this summer. Continue Reading →
Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team will be trapping grizzly bears as part of ongoing research in Yellowstone National Park from August 28 through October 31. Team members will bait and trap bears at several remote sites in the park. Once trapped, the bears are anesthetized to allow biologists to fit them with radio tracking collars and to collect biological samples for study, according to a statement released Friday by the park's public affairs office. Continue Reading →
The long slog toward resolving more than a decade of legal conflicts over snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park took another procedural step forward Wednesday, as the National Park Service issued a formal record of decision that marks the end of the planning process that will govern over-snow travel in the park. "I think we have a fighting chance," Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said Thursday of the plan's prospects for avoiding or withstanding courtroom entanglements. Continue Reading →