Wyoming · Hiking

Wolf Tracks

Wolf TracksPhoto: bgwashburn — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Jul–Sep
best months

Is Wolf Tracks open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Yellowstone National Park. It doesn't name Wolf Tracks, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: NPS · Yellowstone National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Wolves have abundant prey in the northern range. For example, the carcasses of elk, bison, and other large mammals each become ecosystems of their own. Researchers have identified at least 57 species of beetle associated with these ungulate carcasses on the northern range. Only one of those species eats ungulate meat. The rest prey on other small scavengers, especially the larvae of flies and beetles. Others consume carcass by-products such as microscopic fungal spores. In this very busy neighborhood, thousands of appetites interact until the carcass melts away and everybody moves on. Wolves and the Food Web Accumulated studies show that the loss of wolves from the food web on the northern range in the 1930s led to a loss of willows and other woody plants by allowing excessive grazing by elk. Most researchers agree that reintroduced wolves have caused elk to change their behavior and many studies have shown a correlation between the presence of wolves and increased growth in willows. It is too soon to know for sure if this trophic cascade is actually happening, and how extensive it might be--or if it is just one of many factors at work.

  • Best time to go · Jul–Sep

    Best time to visit Wolf Tracks

    Best months: July–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      31° / 12°

      11 wet · 9 snow

    2. Feb

      34° / 12°

      11 wet · 9 snow

    3. Mar

      42° / 19°

      11 wet · 7 snow

    4. Apr

      50° / 26°

      11 wet · 5 snow

    5. May

      60° / 35°

      13 wet · 2 snow

    6. Jun

      69° / 42°

      13 wet

    7. Jul

      81° / 48°

      10 wet

    8. Aug

      80° / 47°

      9 wet

    9. Sep

      69° / 39°

      9 wet · 1 snow

    10. Oct

      54° / 29°

      9 wet · 3 snow

    11. Nov

      39° / 19°

      10 wet · 7 snow

    12. Dec

      30° / 12°

      12 wet · 10 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yellowstone Park Mammoth, WY, 6.5 mi away at 6,195 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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