Imagine this, implores actor Kevin Costner, “The president of the United States shows up at a campaign event and then vanishes into the wilderness.”
It happened in 1903, when President Teddy Roosevelt and legendary conservationist John Muir slipped into the Yosemite backcountry.
Costner weaves this and the other historical threads connecting Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park into his new three-part documentary series “Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner.” The first episode debuts Saturday, Feb. 8, on the Fox Nation streaming platform and it follows up Costner’s 2022 documentary "Yellowstone: One-Fifty."
Lauren Petterson, president of FOX Nation, expressed her enthusiasm for the project in a press statement, saying, “Kevin Costner has a unique ability to capture the American experience and captivate an audience through his extraordinary storytelling.”
Teddy and John in the Yosemite
Today, if a U.S. president disappeared into the Yosemite backcountry, it might trigger a national panic, Costner said in the first episode of the show. But at the time, it was an intentional move by Roosevelt to really get to know the place.
“Those who knew Teddy Roosevelt knew it was best to not send anyone after them,” explains Costner, bringing a casual, conversational style to the storytelling. “Roosevelt was a different kind of guy. And so was his guide.”
It was May when Roosevelt and Muir embarked on their three-day camping trip, accompanied by two park rangers and an U.S. Army packer.
They slept beneath giant sequoias, endured a snowstorm and marveled at all the natural wonders worth protecting.
Roosevelt later described the experience as "bully," as the trip and Muir’s influence would help convince Roosevelt to expand federal protection of Yosemite and create a park system that better protected Yellowstone.
“With the development of Yellowstone, this historic moment of the national park system, the foundation of how they were to be protected was not in place,” said Costner in press materials provided by Fox News Media.
“Muir understood so clearly, if he could just get Teddy there — into this spot on El Capitan and see what he saw. That knowing who Teddy was would change the trajectory of the national park system,” said Costner.
Stunning Cinematography
Like Costner’s first “Yellowstone: One-Fifty,” which celebrated the park’s 150th birthday, “Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner” was produced by Warm Springs Productions.
The Montana-based production company is best known for the long-running History Channel series “Mountain Men” and it specializes in nature cinematography and historical storytelling.
The cameras follow Costner into Yosemite, where he retraces the pivotal Roosevelt-Muir camping trip.
“They didn’t have a bunch of guys with cameras following them around,” Costner says to camera while adventuring through Yosemite. Based on the recollections of the Yosemite ranger who was there, Costner tries to pinpoint the spot where Roosevelt and Muir camped
That’s where Costner pitches his own tent.
“He said they made camp just past the falls,” continues Costner, as the scene cuts between Costner in the campsite and scenic cinematography showing what Roosevelt and Muir saw on their trip.
The ranger who was there said the campsite was, “Somewhere not far off the banks of the Merced. I’d say, ‘Yeah, I think we’re somewhere in the ballpark.”
In press materials promoting “Yellowstone to Yosemite,” Costner stated, “Once in a while, you come across a story that has that truly special mix of elements; it’s stranger than fiction and happens against all odds. It results in something that legitimately changes the world for the good and, most importantly, it all really happened.”
“Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner” is part of FOX Nation’s year-long "America 250" campaign, commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
