Author Archives: Howie Wolke

Yes, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly has made an impressive comeback, and backpacking in Yellowstone means an encounter is more likely than at any time in decades. Nonetheless, the population is far from secure. Here’s why. First, some high nutrition food sources have declined or are vulnerable to decline. For example, cutthroat trout in Yellowstone […]

After the Park Service closed the now infamous Yellowstone garbage dumps (where bears fed as a public spectacle) during the early ’70’s, the Yellowstone grizzly population plummeted. That’s because the agency failed to heed the warnings of bear researchers John and Frank Craighead to wean the bears off the garbage gradually. Instead, the “cold turkey” […]

Big Wild Adventures has been organizing and leading multi-day guided Yellowstone backpacking treks since 1979! Needless to say, viewing wildlife in its natural wilderness habitat is one of the primary attractions for most of our clients. And when you mention Yellowstone wildlife, most folks immediately think of the grizzly bear. That’s because of the great […]

In the previous blog I discussed in general terms some of the campfire protocols for our guided Yellowstone Backpacking trips. On our Wyoming backpacking trips or our New Mexico or Montana backpacking adventures in national forest Wilderness areas, the government rules are a bit looser, but we at Big Wild Adventures are still firmly committed […]

Most of our clients really love the warm glow of a wilderness campfire while backpacking in Yellowstone. It’s a great way to begin the day on a chilly mountain morning, and the evening campfire is a great ritual for after dinner relaxation. Of course, Big Wild Adventures runs guided wilderness hiking tours in many areas […]

Our guided Wyoming backpacking trips all have one thing in common: high country. That’s because next to Colorado, Wyoming is the second highest state above sea level. But Wyoming includes much bigger chunks of unbroken wild country than does its neighbor to the south, Colorado. And Wyoming’s high mountain country is as big and wild […]

Our home state of Montana is not just “Big Sky Country”, but it is also big wilderness country. That’s because there are three distinct regions or “wilderness ecosystems” in Montana that are dominated by numerous large proximate chunks of wild country that’s mostly protected Wilderness. Ironically, though, each of these mountainous wild regions is along […]

The wild and colorful Canyon Country of southern Utah is a true highlight of the American West! We ran two guided Utah hiking treks in 2015: the Escalante Canyons in the spring, and Canyonlands National Park this recent October. We had a small group in the Escalante and two groups in Canyonlands because the first […]

We at Big Wild are extremely lucky to have had the privilege of guiding for 37 years in the incomparable Yellowstone backcountry. Each of our guided Yellowstone hiking trips is unique, because each different area of this magical diverse park is a unique landscape, with it’s own particular moods, scenery, biota, weather and geology. So […]

Walk into most any store in the United States and chances are you’ll encounter a helpful salesperson. That can be a good thing, but when looking to purchase gear and clothing for a Yellowstone backpacking trip, it can also be dangerous. After all, the goal of salespeople is to sell things to people.