June 10, 2021
Springtime in Wyoming: More Than Just Mud Season
Take a deep breath – it’s officially spring! We made it through another Wyoming winter, and are making our way to warmer weather and longer days. What better way to celebrate than getting outside to experience all our amazing state has to offer this time of year. Go step outside, and see the beauty for yourself!
Read to hit the trail? Take a peek at some of these helpful springtime tips and activities from the specialists.
Article Contributor: Scott Kosiba, Friends of Bridger-Teton
PSA to Responsible Recreators:
1. Everyone knows to carry bear spray with them when they're on the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) in the summer, but people often forget their bear spray when venturing out in the spring. The first bear was spotted this year in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) on March 9, so even though there's still snow on the ground, remember to pack your bear spray.
2. Sometimes we joke that spring is "mud season," and it is. As trails on the BTNF melt out, keep in mind that, while muddy shoes are temporary, trampling native vegetation and destroying the BTNF's trails to avoid getting mud on your shoes can cause lasting damage. If you see mud on the trail, please walk, run, or bike through it. Or turn around.
A Springtime Tip:
I think spring is a great time to pay attention to the micro-ness of the landscape. Once hiking and biking season is fully underway, we're often on trails trying to get somewhere. The spring is a time of rebirth and slow-ness — stop and notice the first grasses and flowers emerge and appreciate the miracle of the 1,000+ species of plants that live on the BTNF slowly returning to life and color after long months of being buried beneath feet of snow.
Article Contributor: Rachel Spear, Executive Director, Platte River Trails Trust
Listen for the Birds:
As spring arrives along the Platte River Trails, so do the birds! Warblers, tanagers, swallows, juncos, sparrows, chickadees, red-winged blackbirds, and a myriad of waterfowl, among others. Courtship rituals add to the cacophony - wild and wonderful sounds best heard as a dawn chorus or in the cool, quieter hours of dusk.
A Springtime Tip:
Spring cleaning isn't just reserved for the indoors. Wyoming's lengthy winters often conceal litter under layers of snowpack. With the arrival of warmer days, the snow thaws and vegetation starts to flourish, growing rapidly and often obscuring hidden trash. By bringing along a bag or two on your early spring hikes, you can help remove litter before it becomes permanently embedded in trails and pathways, ensuring our natural environment remains clean and thriving.
