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Did you know most of Yellowstone is free of artificial light? On clear nights, stars fill the skies over the park, and the Milky Way is visible overhead from April through October each year. Sometimes, the aurora borealis makes an appearance too! To preserve nighttime wilderness and the daily light-dark cycles necessary for maintaining human health and wildlife activity, we have replaced light fixtures in developed areas of the park with low wattage, energy efficient, fully shielded fixtures that direct light downward. If you plan to stargaze and explore the park at night, be sure to bring flashlights, some friends, and bear spray!

And finally, our favorite photo from 2023: It’s not common to see aurora this far south, and especially not overhead. But this spring, we had a few solar storms that lit up the sky over the entire park, including over Canary Spring in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

The least traveled entrance in the park. You drive on a gravel road to get here. There are lots of waterfalls in the surrounding area. You have great views of the Grand Teton. Where are we?

Fall is a bear’s busy season. Called hyperphagia, they eat up to 20,000 calories a day! You’d have to eat about 90 candy bars to reach 20,000. Bears will search far and wide for food. Give them space and never leave coolers, garbage, pet food, etc... where a bear could get it.

This week, 53 people from 24 different countries took the Oath of Allegiance beneath the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner, Montana. Congratulations to our newest United States citizens!

"The whole surface of the earth is made beautiful by the vegetation that clothes it." - Herma Baggley 📷 Fringed gentian on the south end of Yellowstone Lake

A few lucky wildlife watchers in Yellowstone might glimpse a more secretive rut than the spectacle elk put on. Watch for a pair of dark shapes ghosting through the woods or a lone bull striding through a meadow in search of a mate. Glimpses of moose are always to be treasured.

Fall is in the air and so are the raptors! Yellowstone lies in the migration corridor traveled by many birds of prey. Use binoculars to scan the sky around Hayden Valley, Dunraven Pass, and Swan Lake Flats to witness these birds in action. Can you identify these fall migrators?

Recently, the timing of natural events, like leaves changing color, has reversed. In spring, things begin at lower elevations and work their way upward. The opposite happens in the fall. Right now, head upwards if you’re a fan of fall. Stick to the valleys if you savor summer!

This backcountry lake sits at 7,700 ft elevation. There are three primary trailheads you can use to hike here and each route is about 12-13 miles long. There's a ranger patrol cabin near the lake. Where are we?

The least traveled entrance in the park. You drive on a gravel road to get here. There are lots of waterfalls in the surrounding area. You have great views of the Grand Teton. Where are we?

This week, 53 people from 24 different countries took the Oath of Allegiance beneath the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner, Montana. Congratulations to our newest United States citizens!

This backcountry lake sits at 7,700 ft elevation. There are three primary trailheads you can use to hike here and each route is about 12-13 miles long. There's a ranger patrol cabin near the lake. Where are we?

Fall is a bear’s busy season. Called hyperphagia, they eat up to 20,000 calories a day! You’d have to eat about 90 candy bars to reach 20,000. Bears will search far and wide for food. Give them space and never leave coolers, garbage, pet food, etc... where a bear could get it.

Did you know most of Yellowstone is free of artificial light? On clear nights, stars fill the skies over the park, and the Milky Way is visible overhead from April through October each year. Sometimes, the aurora borealis makes an appearance too! To preserve nighttime wilderness and the daily light-dark cycles necessary for maintaining human health and wildlife activity, we have replaced light fixtures in developed areas of the park with low wattage, energy efficient, fully shielded fixtures that direct light downward. If you plan to stargaze and explore the park at night, be sure to bring flashlights, some friends, and bear spray!

Have you ever heard this sound while visiting the park? If you have, you witnessed the bugle of a bull elk during their rut or mating season!

A few lucky wildlife watchers in Yellowstone might glimpse a more secretive rut than the spectacle elk put on. Watch for a pair of dark shapes ghosting through the woods or a lone bull striding through a meadow in search of a mate. Glimpses of moose are always to be treasured.

And finally, our favorite photo from 2023: It’s not common to see aurora this far south, and especially not overhead. But this spring, we had a few solar storms that lit up the sky over the entire park, including over Canary Spring in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

Fall is in the air and so are the raptors! Yellowstone lies in the migration corridor traveled by many birds of prey. Use binoculars to scan the sky around Hayden Valley, Dunraven Pass, and Swan Lake Flats to witness these birds in action. Can you identify these fall migrators?