Visiting Yellowstone National Park in the Fall

We have one more month to drive the Beartooth Highway (weather permitting), and if you haven't already added this to your bucket list, I highly recommend it. The 68-mile drive between Red Lodge and Cooke City takes you 10,947 feet above sea level. It is an engineering feat, and a jaw-dropping drive through one of the most rugged and wild areas in the lower 48. You'll travel through diverse ecosystems, starting with lodgepole pine forests, to an alpine tundra covered in wildflowers, lakes and snow that lingers into the summer.

It's a stunning way to enter Yellowstone National Park (YNP), which is a timely topic. Visiting Yellowstone National Park in the fall is one of our favorite times of year. Montana's Yellowstone Country is home to three of the five entrances to YNP — the North Entrance in Gardiner, the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City and Silver Gate, and the West Entrance in West Yellowstone.



Traveling to any of the YNP entrances, you'll find yourself on a scenic drive you won't soon forget. And each gateway town has a charm of its own where you'll find cozy accommodations, a variety of restaurants, and a lovely quiet that comes with the slowing of the season.

Autumn is a prime time for wildlife watching. The bison rut (mating season) begins in August, and the elk in September. It's not uncommon to witness the bulls sparring with one another over the females. Listen for the high-pitched elk bugling to one another. (As always, keep your distance, at least 25 yards for bison and elk, 100 yards for wolves and bears.)

Bears are busy foraging before hibernating and can be found in roadside meadows, and with the shorter days, it's not such an early morning or late evening if you are trying to spot wolves. The Lamar Valley in the northeast part of the park and the Hayden Valley, west of the Yellowstone River between Canyon Village and Lake Village, are good areas to explore, so bring binoculars if you have a pair.



Brown trout are abundant, and they spawn in the fall. With the cooler weather, they become more active. (Be sure to look out for their spawning beds.) The raptor migration begins in Hayden Valley, where at least 17 species of raptors use the area as a migration corridor.

The road between the North and Northeast Entrances stays open year-round, but the rest of the roads are scheduled to close Oct. 31. Depending on the year, there is often a short window before the cold weather slips in, during which fall biking inside the park is fabulous. Without the traffic, the vastness is pronounced.

Enjoy the season!