Blog: Park Information

Though snow remains deep in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone's interior, the winter season is coming to an end in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Snow covered roads are starting to be plowed in preparation for the coming summer season. Winter isn’t quite over yet however, here’s what you need to know about exploring Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks this spring, including late winter xc skiing, wildlife watching (don’t forget your bear spray!), road opening dates, and more.

Yellowstone National Park is big, 2.2 million acres to be exact. Set aside by congress as the first National Park in 1872, its fisheries and beauty have remained largely unspoiled. While YNP is known for its abundant wildlife and sprawling geyser basins, it lies at the heart of some of the best trout fishing in North America, offering anglers unmatched opportunity. If you plan on a successful DIY fishing trip in this National Park, it will take some in depth planning. Here we will examine a few areas worth exploring in the park, first in the southern portion, then working our way up to the Northern Range

Do you love fly fishing, but would rather go it alone than hire a guide? There is a certain feeling of personal pride that can be taken from a successful DIY fishing trip. The key, however, to a successful excursion is proper preparation and knowledge of the area. Grand Teton National Park offers anglers numerous opportunities to target trout in pristine rivers and lakes beneath soaring mountains. In these waters, you will find native cutthroat, brown, rainbow and lake trout. Here are some ideas of where to go.

In Part One of our “Secrets to Successful Wildlife Watching in Grand Teton and Yellowstone” blog we outlined Wildlife Watching Through the Seasons. Now let’s look at what you need to have the best experience possible.

“The American Serengeti” - a landscape filled with herds of bellowing bison, sprinting pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep standing atop cliffs, grizzlies and wolves hunting in wildflower filled meadows. Views like these were commonplace during the time of Lewis and Clark, but largely vanished due to market hunting throughout the 1980’s. But not all was lost, and today thanks to over a century of dedicated conservation, the American Serengeti still has a home, Yellowstone. Today, the wild lands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem host the greatest abundance and diversity of wildlife that has been found here in the last 130 years! From the largest remaining herd of wild bison, to hundreds of bird species, massive elk, deer, and pronghorn migrations, wolves, grizzlies and mountain lions, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are a wildlife viewing hotspot. Want to make the most of a trip to see wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem? Read on.