Outdoors

Alec Fletcher, one of several locals who honed their skills on the House Rock section of the Gallatin River before becoming a sponsored paddler and waterfall runner.

Why The World’s Best Kayakers Train On The Whitewater Of Montana’s Gallatin River

It’s highwater season on Montana’s Gallatin River, and a growing posse of kayakers are paddling its infamous House Rock section, training for even scarier whitewater. There’s a reason the world’s best kayakers train here.

David MadisonMay 31, 2025

Spirit is the sole cub born to Grizzly 399 in 2023.

Why It Probably Doesn't Make Any Sense To Keep Searching For Grizzly 399's Cub, Spirit

Since Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 399, was killed by a car last fall, there hasn't been a verified sighting of her cub, Spirit. Famed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen, who named the cub, says it would probably take genetic testing to positively identify the bear.

Mark HeinzMay 31, 2025

This young black bear was the first visitor to the Burgess Junction Visitor Center in the Bighorn mountains early Wednesday.

Bear Stops By Burgess Junction Visitor Center, Barely Misses Busload Of Tourists

A young black bear decided to take a stroll right up to the Burgess Junction Visitor Center in the Bighorn mountains early Wednesday. The bear missed a busload of tourists by about 20 minutes.

Mark HeinzMay 31, 2025

One of 10 wolves reintroduced to northern Colorado in December 2023.

Colorado Wolves Caught For Killing Livestock Let Go, Blamed For Killing Cows Again

Colorado’s Copper Creek wolf pack was captured and put in captivity last year for killing livestock. After being released, they’re now blamed for killing cows again.

Mark HeinzMay 30, 2025

Mustangs from the Salt Wells Creek herd are among nearly 3,000 horses in central Wyoming scheduled to be rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management, starting July 15 at the earliest.

BLM Proceeds With Roundup Of Rare Curly-Haired Horses Despite Pending Court Case

Despite a lawsuit challenging the capture of wild mustangs in central Wyoming still pending in federal court, the Bureau of Land Management has decided to proceed with the roundup of nearly 3,000 horses.

Mark HeinzMay 29, 2025

Grizzly bears were unfazed by an earthquake that struck the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone National Park Monday evening. (Courtesy Wild Love Images/Julie Argyle)

Quake In Yellowstone Spooks Humans, But Bears Don’t Care

A wildlife photographer definitely felt an earthquake in the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone on Monday evening but the bears she was filming? Couldn't care less.

Mark HeinzMay 29, 2025

Wyoming’s Miracle Mile Is Prized For Trout, But Not So Much The Kokanee Salmon

The Miracle Mile on the North Platte River in central Wyoming is prized as a trout fishery. Spawning kokanee salmon can also be caught there, although they might taste awful if caught during fall spawning runs.

Mark HeinzMay 28, 2025

Climbing Everest With Gas, Cheating Or The Future? Wyoming Climbers Split

Climbers are split over a British team’s use of xenon gas to climb Mount Everest in just four days. One Wyoming Everest climber says it’s “pathetic” and “straight-up cheating,” while another says it’s a safe innovation that will keep people healthy.

Andrew RossiMay 28, 2025

While some retired and current National Park Service officials claim federal cuts will cause chaos in the parks this summer. Others, including, the person who used to oversee the National Park Service, says it’s hyperbole and the parks will be just fine.

Crisis Or Hyperbole? How National Parks Will Fare This Summer

Some retired and current National Park Service officials claim federal cuts will cause chaos in the parks this summer. Others, including the person who used to oversee the National Park Service, says it’s hyperbole and the parks will be just fine.

Mark HeinzMay 28, 2025

Yellowstone’s Explosive Biscuit Basin Won’t Be Open To The Public This Summer

Because of last year’s spectacular explosion and continuing seismic activity at Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin, park officials are keeping the area closed. Online visitors can check in via webcam, however.

Andrew RossiMay 28, 2025

Organizer Jonas Black and other riders in Hogs for Hope roll into Daniel, Wyoming, on May 26, 2024. The rally had planned to stop at the Green River Bar, but it had been blocked by locals with trucks and horse trailers, left.

Motorcycle Rally Against Wolf Torture Plans Return To Daniel, Wyoming

Hogs for Hope, a motorcycle rally in response to the torture and killing of a wolf in Daniel, plans a return to the western Wyoming town June 14. The event organizer says he won’t stop the rallies until Wyoming reforms its wolf management policy.

Mark HeinzMay 26, 2025

Two Casper high school seniors discovering seven dead bald eagles on a hike sparked national outrage. More than a dozen were found shortly afterward, and the investigation led to charges against Wyoming ranchers bent on keeping predators from their sheep.

How Two Casper Teens Were Responsible For The National Outcry To Protect Eagles

Two Casper high school seniors who discovered numerous dead bald eagles on a hike in 1971 helped fuel a national outcry to protect them. The investigation led to charges against Wyoming ranchers bent on keeping predators from their sheep.

Dale KillingbeckMay 25, 2025

Cheyenne Botanic Gardens buys tulip bulbs by the thousands. They do well in Cheyenne, which has similar climate and geology as their ancestral region in Central Asia and the Mediterranean, where they typically grow on mountain slopes and steppes.

Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Buys Tulips By The Thousands, And They Last For Years

Holland may be famous for its tulips, but they’re all over Cheyenne as well each summer. The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens buys them by the thousands, and they thrive in southeast Wyoming, some lasting for a decade.

Renée JeanMay 25, 2025

Family was paramount to Scott Talbott as he spends time with his grandson, Quincy.

Remembering Scott Talbott: 2nd-Longest Serving Director In Wyoming Game And Fish History

Scott Talbott died in April from pancreatic cancer. As the second-longest serving director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Talbott leaves behind a legacy of conservation and leadership and being the “perfect dad” to his sons.

Jen KocherMay 25, 2025

Yellowstone National Park has never published a "how-to" guide for navigating bison jams on roads throughout the park. So, wildlife photographer Max Waugh published his own to keep traffic moving while respecting bison and their habitat.

Exploring Wyoming: How To Navigate Through Yellowstone's Bison Jams

If you get stuck in one of Yellowstone's bison jams, you might be doomed for a long time. That's why wildlife photographer Max Waugh, who has led tours in Yellowstone for 25 years, published a book on ways to navigate the jams -- which include considering yourself a bison.

Andrew RossiMay 24, 2025

Pronghorn use a wildlife underpass near La Barge, Wyoming.

Group Aims To Raise $500 Million To Get Wildlife Crossing Projects Rolling Again

With federal money for wildlife crossings running dry and on hold, the Wildlife Crossing Fund aims to raise $500 million in private donations. The goal is to get wildlife crossing projects rolling again across Wyoming and other states.

Mark HeinzMay 24, 2025

An owl spreads its wings and feathers to dry off after being rescued from a vualt toilent in a national park.

Poo-Poo Project Saves Wyoming Owls, Other Birds From Horrible Public Toilet Deaths

The Teton Raptor Center's award-winning Poo-Poo Project is saving owls and other birds from horrible deaths by getting trapped inside public vault toilets. The solution the center developed is now being used in all 50 states.

Andrew RossiMay 24, 2025

Grizzly bears in Montana continue to reclaim their territory to the east, pushing into prairie country.

Grizzly Shot, Killed After Charging Mushroom Pickers Near Montana Prairie Town

Two Montana men shot and killed a grizzly that charged them while they were picking mushrooms late Wednesday near the town of Choteau. That’s in prairie country where grizzlies have recently become more common.

Mark HeinzMay 24, 2025

Outdoorsman Olin Machen said he was about a half mile into the Shoshone National Forest near Cody when a female and grizzly and two cubs walked right up to his Jeep, apparently without a care.

Grizzlies Walk Right Up To Cody Man’s Jeep, Show They Don’t Fear Humans

A man headed to look for black bears near Cody said three grizzlies walked right up to his bright lime-green Jeep. He said it’s more evidence that grizzlies don’t fear humans in that area.

Mark HeinzMay 23, 2025

Fred Eshelman of North Carolina owns Iron Bar Holdings LLC, which owns land in Wyoming.

Wyoming Corner-Crossing Case Would Set National Law If Supreme Court Hears It

Wyoming’s noted “corner-crossing” case could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. If it does, it would settle once and for all whether hopping corners between private and public land parcels is legal.

Mark HeinzMay 22, 2025

A pair of snowplows work to clear the Beartooth Highway.

WYDOT Opens Snowy Range, Beartooth Highway Expected To Open Before Weekend

After clearing up to 15 feet of snow in some spots of Wyoming Highway 130, the Snowy Range opened for the season Thursday. The Wyoming Department of Transportation also says the Beartooth Highway and Highway 14A should be open Friday.

Andrew RossiMay 22, 2025

Bryan Englebert, an assistant aquatic manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, holds a giant lake trout from Flaming Gorge Reservoir. There is concern that lake trout are devouring too many of the reservoirs prized kokanee salmon.

Flaming Gorge Lake Trout Still Devouring Kokanee Salmon Despite No Limits, Marina Owner Says

A marina owner at Flaming Gorge told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that lake trout are gobbling too many prized kokanee salmon. He said the catch limits on lake trout aren’t enough and should be commercially netted.