We will be visiting YNP the first week in June and have planned on camping for the first 3 nights at Bridge Bay campground. I%26#39;ve now recently read some posts on here saying that it can still be very cold that time of year and there may even still be snow on the ground? I was curious to see what people%26#39;s recommendations about camping would be this time of year. Also, I am terrified of bears and read a post recently that early June is a big time for bears? Should I be worried about camping? Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated! (I%26#39;m not kidding...I am fully convinced we will be attacked by a bear..aaaahhhh)
Camping in June plus Bears?!?
Any night in Yellowstone can be pretty cool. I%26#39;ve camped in early June at Bridge Bay and have seen snow on the ground there. I%26#39;ve also camped in mid-August and had temperatures below freezing.
June is big for the bears because the winter snow is finally melted/melting and they have just come out of hibernation. The sows will have their cubs with them and they will be at lower elevation yet because there will still be too much snow in the higher elevations so your chances of seeing a bear would be better then than later in the year, but your chance of seeing a bear in the campground is pretty slim. People are not the favorite food and they don%26#39;t go around looking for people to eat. Attacks usually occur when they are surprised on a trail and then it is usually just a defense reaction. I%26#39;ve never worried about a bear attacking me in a tent.
Camping in June plus Bears?!?
Will it be cold, probably. Could there be snow, yes. I know some who have camped in Yellowstone in June and left early because it was so cold. But I have also known others who have toughed it out. How tolerant are you of the cold?
As for the bears, yes there is a lot more activity in June since, like another stated, they have come out of hibernation and are looking for food. They usually will not atttack and chances are if they do, they feel threatened or you are to close to her babies. They are very protective over their cubs.
I don%26#39;t mean to scare you but you are more likely to run into a bear while hiking than in a campground (this does not mean that you will).
Consider the cold when you make your decision, don%26#39;t worry about the bears.
I%26#39;ve tent-camped at Bridge Bay on a yearly basis for many, many years. The earliest I%26#39;ve tent camped there is mid June. I%26#39;ve had snow, rain, and very nice,warm days. Nights are always cool but with good sleeping bags,underpads, warm clothes and extra blankets we%26#39;ve never been cold.
As far as bears- I%26#39;ve had black bears come through Bridge Bay while camping there (many years ago) and last year there was a mama grizzly and her babies near by. The rangers are very diligent about protecting the safety of the bears AND the safety tourists. It is their top priority. They do not want the bears to get used to people and eventually have to be relocated or sadly euthanized so they work hard on keeping them away from campgrounds. Last June they had some of the top loops at Bridge Bay closed off and the trail to Natural Bridge closed off due to bear activity.
When you enter the park you will get a brochure outlining precautions to take for all wild animals. You%26#39;ll also get more precautions when you register for your camping spot. FOLLOW THEM! Do not put food in your tent and make sure all food and cooking supplies are either stored in your vehicle or in one of the metal bear boxes throughout the campground. I usually clean up and contain all food related items in my car within a 1/2 hour after eating.
Usually wherever there is a bear along the road, there are rangers directing traffic and watching out for the welfare of everyone. I%26#39;ve been lucky enough to be the first person to come upon black bears but have never seen a grizzly without a huge ';bear jam'; along with rangers.
You%26#39;ll have a great time. My grandson and I are going to try to do a day trip next weekend if the weather is nice here and then a camping trip sometime the 2nd week of June. I%26#39;m looking forward to both trips.
Deb
We%26#39;re planning a trip for mid-late June and will be camping at Madison. I%26#39;m very excited as it%26#39;s been years since were there in YNP last. It would be a highlight of the trip to be able to see a bear. The last time we were there, we worried more about the bison coming through the campground than bears.
We too are expecting it to be cold, especially at night and first thing in the morning and will be packing accordingly. It%26#39;s all part of the camping experience as far as we%26#39;re concerned.
Thank you so much to everyone for their input! We will plan on packing some extra items to be sure we are ready for all weather conditions, and I%26#39;ll try to loosen up about the bear situation (although I%26#39;m not sure this is completely possible haha)
Can%26#39;t wait for our trip! 3 weeks and counting!
We camped in Yellowstone last year on the first week of June. As long as you have a good sleeping bag, I would be more concerned about rain than cold. It rained a little on us which made for some difficult (but manageable) cooking/grilling conditions. Got cold at night but not that bad. Stayed at Mammoth campground most nights which I think is lower elevation (thus a little warmer). We did see a large black bear chasing down some elk only a hundred yards from our tent as we were setting up. That was a little nerve racking. But we heard later that he got his elk and was near-by enjoying his feast, and to just steer clear of that area. But other than that we only saw a couple other bears in the park over the whole week.
hami0152, if you don%26#39;t mind ';grisly'; humor, I%26#39;d change your screen name before you go tent camping. :)
Hami - First, do not worry about the bears. Just practice common sense things like NOT having any kind of food in your tent. Don%26#39;t cook sardines or fish with the clothes you plan to sleep in either, lol. I have been tent camping in Yellowstone for years and have never had a problem while enacting these precautions.
Secondly. I recommend a GOOD sleeping bag for April, May, 1st half of June, late August, September, October and November. For that you might have to spend a bit of cash, but it will last you a long time. I would not go any higher than a 20 degree down bag to ensure your comfort. There are nice synthetics out there, but most do not have accurate temp ratings. For example, if you buy a 20 degree synthetic bag for $100, chances are it%26#39;s really a 40 degree bag in terms of comfort and you wont find out until your trip, which is not FUN (trust me, I know). Splurge on a 20 degree down bag. REI has them for around $150. Dick%26#39;s sporting goods has nice down bags by Marmot for $130. Another key thing is do NOT use a bow up sleeping pad under 40 degrees, which can happen at night in June. Use a closed cell type of mat (foam roll up kind, $5-10 at any store). If you do not have a sleeping mat, you will be colder because your back side compresses the down, causing it to lose it%26#39;s loft. A sleeping mat is essential. You could use blankets as well if you don%26#39;t want to buy a roll up mat.
I wouldn%26#39;t worry about bears at Bridge Bay at all. It%26#39;s a huge campground:
parkcamper.com/Yellowstone-National-Park/Yel…
....as you can see on that interactive campground map for Yellowstone.
Some other tips - make sure you have a pair of long underwear($10), a knit warm hat, gloves, a warm jacket, two heavy pairs of socks and layers. It may be beautiful in the day, but it can get COLD in the mountains at night and first thing in the morn.
Also, do yourself a favor and pick up a couple of the headlamp style flashlights for the trip. They let you free up your hands for camp chores like cooking! Very handy. You can also easily read in your tent at night.
Sounds like an awesome trip.
Wolverine...thanks so much for the great advice! I will definitely add your recommended items to our packing/things to buy list. Also, thanks for the advice about the sleeping bags...we are headed out this week to find some good ones.
Thanks to everyone for the great tips. Our vacation is finally coming together after great advice on these forums. We can%26#39;t wait!
I have camped many times in Yellowstone in early June. Had everything from days of sunshine to a foot of snow... Biggest recommendations; use a closed cell foam pad (the cheap $10-20 variety) not an inflatable mattress, I like to use a cot to get off the ground with the pad on top for insulation. Wear a ski type hat when you sleep (before you get cold). As for the bears... I don%26#39;t worry about the bears. (The only people in Yellowstone who have issues with bears seem to be people solo hiking in the backcountry.) But since paranoia can kill your enjoyment of the trip. if you are bear-phobic I would recommend camping at a less bear active area than Bridge Bay. Bridge Bay does not even open until early June because it is a bear area. The bears won%26#39;t bother you, but you are highly likely to see them at some point. In contrast Madison is not a big bear area. (When I was there last August the rangers said they had not even had a bear in the campground all season.)
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