Yellowstone National Park’s Dunraven Pass opens ahead of schedule

The road from Canyon Village to Tower Fall (Dunraven Pass) opened today, May 16, to public motor vehicle traffic.

Originally scheduled to open May 24, road crews were able to complete spring plowing operations ahead of schedule due to mild winter conditions. The Chittenden Road to Mount Washburn will remain closed at this time. All park roads are now open for the season.

The public are asked to:

* Watch for quickly changing weather conditions and possible temporary closures due to late spring storms. Many areas of the park are still experiencing winter conditions, and snow and ice may cover sections of roads and trails.

* Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions and traffic delays due to road improvement projects in Yellowstone: Visit Park Roads. Call (307) 344-2117 for recorded information.

* Receive Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone by texting "82190" to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions).

* Come prepared. Services in the spring are limited. Visit Operating Dates for area-specific season opening dates.

* Bison, elk, bears and other wildlife use roads as travel corridors. Roadside snowbanks prevent them from easily moving off the roads. Do not crowd, harass or push wildlife. Be mindful as wildlife endure this difficult time of the year.

* Stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other wildlife. It is your responsibility to maintain safe distances at all times.



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From Montana to New Mexico, the American Rockies stretch for more than a thousand miles. Within this spectacular mountain range are thousands of miles of hiking trails. With such an overwhelming number of options, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains takes all the guesswork out by focusing on some of the most amazing hikes across this range, and provides you with a handpicked list of options that will allow you to make the most of your trips in the Rockies:

New Book Showcases 75 Hikes across the Rocky Mountains

From Montana to New Mexico, the American Rockies stretch for more than a thousand miles. Within this spectacular mountain range are thousands of miles of hiking trails. With such an overwhelming number of options, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico takes all the guesswork out by focusing on some of the most amazing hikes across this range, and provides you with a handpicked list of options that will allow you to make the most of your trips in the Rockies.

What’s in this trail guide?

* Detailed descriptions for 75 day hikes that lead to tranquil backcountry lakes, roaring waterfalls, deep canyons, alpine meadows and placid glaciers. Many ascend to high mountain passes and summits. All of them will lead you to extraordinary places that offer breathtaking scenery.

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains is now available on Amazon.

Flathead National Forest Campgrounds Prepare to Open for the Summer Season

Camping season is right around the corner on the Flathead National Forest. The Flathead has 31 developed campgrounds that provide a range of services, accommodations, and access. These range from campgrounds with roads, Wi-Fi, and cell phone coverage to more primitive locations with limited services. Of the 31 campgrounds, 13 are under management by a concessionaire through a special use permit. There are currently two concessionaires that provide customer service and high-quality recreation experiences. Flathead Valley Campgrounds operate the Tally Lake, Big Creek, and Devil Creek Campgrounds, along with several sites around the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Big Sky Recreation Company runs the campgrounds at Holland Lake, Swan Lake, and Lindbergh Lake.

The Flathead continues to make improvements to several popular sites using Legacy Restoration Funds made possible by the Great American Outdoors Act, including new water systems at the Tally Lake and Devil Creek Campgrounds. The Devil Creek Campground will have a delayed opening due to construction and is anticipated to open June 1. While Tally Lake Campground is open as usual, construction on the Campground water system has begun with anticipated completion by July. No water will be available to visitors during this improvement work and some sites may be impacted.

Holland Lake Campground will supply portable restrooms for the Bay Loop area in place of flushing restrooms while the wastewater system is inoperable. The RV dump station will be closed this season, but potable water will be available. The areas already serviced by vault toilets will remain open with no change.

This year, Swan Lake, Holland Lake, and Lindbergh Lake campgrounds are opening early and are currently on a first come, first served basis until normal reservations begin on May 17 for Holland Lake and Swan Lake campgrounds. Lindbergh Lake campground remains first come, first served all season.

In addition to designated campgrounds, dispersed camping is allowed throughout the Forest. Dispersed camping is managed on a first come first served basis and can give a one-of-kind camping experience. If you plan on camping away from a designated campsite, please research that area beforehand and follow all posted rules and regulations during your stay. The maximum stay for the most dispersed sites on the forest is 16 days, although some popular sites near water will have shorter stay limits posted.

As you start to plan your adventures, keep in mind that bears are awake and food, garbage, and other scented items attract bears. Help avoid attracting bears while camping and recreating. The food storage order for Flathead National Forest is designed to minimize grizzly bear/human conflicts. Visit the Forest website for more information on recreating safely in bear country: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/flathead/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5347448

For more information about camping, visit our website or contact the associated Ranger Station: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/flathead/recreation/camping-cabins

Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District: (406) 387-3800
Tally Lake Ranger District: (406) 758-5204
Swan Lake Ranger District: (406) 837-7500
Spotted Bear Ranger District: (406) 758-5376

To reserve a campground through Recreation.gov, please visit: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/1016



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Glacier National Park preserves more than a million acres of some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth. With more than 740 miles of trails meandering throughout this vast park, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

Exploring Glacier National Park takes all the guesswork out by focusing on the most amazing hikes, and provides you with handpicked recommendations that will allow you to make the most of your trip to Glacier:

Hot Off The Press!

Brand new, and hot off the press! I'm super excited to announce the release of my new book: Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico

This new trail guide is now available on Amazon!

Weather-permitting, South Entrance in Yellowstone National Park to open Friday, May 10

Weather-permitting, the following roads in Yellowstone National Park will open 8 a.m. Friday, May 10 to public motor vehicle traffic:

* South Entrance to West Thumb
* West Thumb to Old Faithful (Craig Pass)
* West Thumb to Lake Village
* Tower-Roosevelt to Tower Fall

Weather-permitting, the road from Canyon Village to Tower Fall (Dunraven Pass) will open 8 a.m. May 24.

Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions and traffic delays due to road improvement projects in Yellowstone:

* Visit Park Roads.

* Call (307) 344-2117 for recorded information.



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

The "second" Rocky Mountain Club

The “Rocky Mountain Club” was formed in 1875, one year before the iconic Appalachian Mountain Club was established in Boston. Little is known about the original RMC, other than its famous members, which included Frederick Hayden, Albert Bierstadt and Cyrus West Field. One of the charter members of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Charles Fay, speculated that the club didn’t last long because that area of the country was still unsettled, thus, the pioneers who lived there simply didn’t have time for recreational activities.

A second “Rocky Mountain Club” was established in 1896. This organization was founded by William L. Hallett, one of the early mountaineers in the Rocky Mountains. Although it started out as a hiking club, it morphed into a climbing group, and as a result, was renamed the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club several years later. It’s most notable achievement was the first ascent of Grand Teton in Wyoming in 1898. Hallett was expected to lead this ascent, but a work-related issue prevented his participation.

Born in Massachusetts in 1859, William Hallett became a prominent cattle rancher and mining engineer. Shortly after moving to Colorado in 1878 he became one of the first pioneers to reside in the Estes Valley. In 1881 he built a house on Mary's Lake Road, which still stands today, and is now used as a dentist office. Hallett also climbed several peaks in the region, including the first documented ascent of Stones Peak. Another favorite ascent, 12,713-foot Hallett Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, now bears his name.

In Ramble On I discuss the emergence of hiking clubs and the crucial role they played in helping to make hiking a popular pastime across much of the globe.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world:

Agencies announce decision to restore grizzly bears to North Cascades

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have announced a decision to actively restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades of Washington, where the animals once roamed.

Grizzly bears occupied the North Cascades region for thousands of years as a key part of the ecosystem, distributing native plant seeds and keeping other wildlife populations in balance. Populations declined primarily due to direct killing by humans. The last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the U.S. portion of the North Cascades ecosystem was in 1996.

In the Record of Decision released today, agencies have decided to restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem through the translocation of grizzly bears from other ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains or interior British Columbia. The decision is the culmination of an Environmental Impact Statement process that began in 2022.

Agencies will seek to move three to seven grizzly bears per year for a period of five to 10 years to establish an initial population of 25 bears. The U.S. portion of the North Cascades ecosystem is roughly 9,800 square miles in size, larger than the state of New Jersey, and contains some of the most intact wildlands in the contiguous U.S. Roughly 85% of the mountainous region is under federal management.

"We are going to once again see grizzly bears on the landscape, restoring an important thread in the fabric of the North Cascades." said Don Striker, Superintendent of North Cascades National Park Service Complex.

Under the decision, grizzly bears in the North Cascades will be designated as a nonessential experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act. The designation will provide authorities and land managers with additional tools for management that would not otherwise be available under existing Endangered Species Act regulations. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will publish a final 10(j) rule in the Federal Register in coming days.

“The final 10(j) rule is based on extensive community engagement and conversations about how the return of a grizzly bear population in the North Cascades will be actively managed to address concerns about human safety, property and livestock, and grizzly bear recovery.” said Brad Thompson, State Supervisor for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. “It provides an expanded set of management tools in recognition that grizzly bear recovery in the North Cascades is dependent on community tolerance of grizzly bears.”

Public feedback played a key role in the decision. During the fall 2023 public comment period, more than 12,000 comments were received on both the draft Environmental Impact Statement and a proposed 10(j) rule.

There is no set timeline for when translocation of grizzly bears to the ecosystem may begin. The National Park Service will publish updates on the park website and notify partners and the public of implementation plans as they develop.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park