GALLERY: Bison Still Run Yellowstone Park's Hayden Valley In WY

I recently returned from a trip to Yellowstone National Park. It had been about six years since I'd visited, and one things for sure, the bison are still running the show out there.

I spent the weekend of July 17 in Island Park, which is 30 miles outside the west entrance to the park, on the Idaho side of the border. My wife and I celebrated a wedding anniversary and booked a cabin for Friday and Saturday night.

Yellowstone Park made international headlines the week prior after an elderly man was chased, and bucked by a bison, and survived a nasty 10-foot fall onto his side resulting in multiple broken bones.

We drove through the entrance to the park at noon on Saturday (July 18). Our plan was to make it to at least Hayden Valley before turning around and heading back to the cabin. We made it to the valley by 5P.M., after stopping at Grand Prismatic, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, and the visitor center for our son and his friend to get junior ranger badges.

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Bison Roamed Freely Throughout The Hayden Valley In Yellowstone National Park On Saturday (July 18, 2026) And Cause A Massive Traffic Jam

Yellowstone National Park bison causes traffic jam on July 18, 2026 Credit: Greg Jannetta

I knew immediately as soon as I saw the brake lights coming around the corner into Hayden Valley that the bison were still up to their old tricks. Visitors must remember two things when heading to this area of the park, and those are that the bison don't care about our schedules, and they are more than happy to wander in and out of traffic with their calves.

I managed to get a few pictures of the playful bison wandering Hayden Valley while spending some time at the location, roughly 40 miles into the park from the west entrance.