Tent advice: Yellowstone mosquitos in early July?

When I hiked the CDT, I think the worst mosquitoes of the entire summer were in Yellowstone the first week of August. I'd bring a shelter with netting.

+1 on the mosquito issue. I'll also be on the north side of the Park during July, doing a series of several hikes (Slough Creek, H*llroaring/Coyote, Lamar River, others). I expect to be wearing DEET all day long, at least through twilight. You won't be able to have any campfires in the Black Canyon, so you can't use that to help counter the bugs.

It was a low snowpack year, though. And if the nights cool down, bugs might not be too much of an issue. It's better to plan for the mossies, I think, since you'll be near the big river. Keep an eye out for the occasional rattlesnake, as the elevation is lower where you'll be hiking/fishing.

I agree with the others on mosquitoes in the Park. A problem until late August at the earliest. You might also want to bring a headset if you plan to fish. Which you should, as that's salmon fly hatch time in the Black Canyon.

as you mentioned the snowpack is very low this year so mosquito season should be over earlier then usual. They do a lot of their reproduction in the side ephemeral ponds and charged meadows, so when those dry up it's over. Maybe prepare to bring the full tent setup but talk to rangers and monitor forums in the immediate weeks prior to help make the right call

good luck with the fishing

Definitely bring the netting. The worst mosquitos I have EVER experienced were on the north side of Yellowstone in July near dusk. Absolute SWARMS– not so bad during the day.

No brainer. Lots of big a$$ deer flies. Like Mosquitos but with double the wing span, oh and they swarm. Even with a lite snow pack there can be snow/wet until July or later. I would not risk ruining my trip.

I was there last year in July and I was a little surprised by the lack of mosquitos. I only saw a few one evening. Could have been the weather as it rained mostly and was a little on the chilly side.

Thanks for all the replies! Looks like I'll bring the entire tent and perhaps invest in a headnet.

-Tom

I agree with the other folks on the need for full netting. I'd add that some of the Black Canyon sites are very close to the river, and tend to have a good breeze most of the time. Might make for a more tranquil evening. 1Y1 is an outstanding site, for instance.

+1 on the netting.

What I found even worse there was the deer flies. They are used to biting buffalo it seems and were biting us right through shirts.