Last Chance at Western Hayden Valley (Until 9/15/25)

As many of you know, the seasonal closure on off-trail travel in Hayden Valley, west of the road, commences 7/15/25. This coming weekend is the last opportunity to access the Grizzly Observation Point or Craighead Lake until 9/15/25, when the closure drops. By then, many of the grizzlies have moved up to higher elevations in search of army cutworm moths and/or whitebark pine nuts.

My plan is to utilize the route we have been using in recent years to avoid the wolf den closure and stay south of the Crater Hills. There was grizzly activity visible in the area above the monad (the meanders of Trout Creek just west of the road) last July, and we observed one on the same ridge immediately west of the monad on 7/5/25. That bodes well for a legitimate chance of seeing grizzly activity from the Grizzly Observation Point (or some other high point we could try if need be). Part of the plan is to err on the side of comfort, meaning we should all bring lightweight camp chairs or some alternative means of achieving comfort on relatively flat ground on top of a ridge that provides 360 degree surveillance of the surrounding countryside. Those who have spotting scopes and lightweight tripods should bring them. Everyone should tote their binoculars along. We just might spend the entire day in one area, meaning there might be plenty of time for casual conversation or ad hoc napping. If we get a decent turnout, we should have enough active eyeballs on the lookout that it will be difficult for any bears to wander about unobserved.

There remains the possibility that we might head for Craighead Lake instead of the Grizzly Observation Point, if some recent development dictates we avoid the first objective.

The weather forecast for that area on Saturday looks enticing as of 7/6/25: "Mostly sunny, with a high near 74." This far in advance, we do not ordinarily get any prediction on wind direction or speed. Yesterday, it was extremely windy in the afternoon in that part of the Park, but that was just ahead of a front that was arriving. The system that is moving in appears to be one of those lengthy, stable high pressure systems we are so accustomed to in July, but I would still come equipped for the possibility of strong wind in the p.m.

Bring all the additional equipage that we always bring (bear spray, sun protection a la hat, sunglasses, & sunscreen, camera, food, and water). Hiking poles are highly recommended, but not everybody is sold on using them. It's a matter of personal choice, but there are a host of reasons why they have become a hot commodity in sporting goods shops in recent years.

We have lots of new Members who have not taken advantage of the opportunity to hike in grizzly country with the safety in numbers that our Meetup provides. This is your chance to do something you might not do by yourself or in the company of one other person. Come join us and make some new friends!

Ballpark