smoke from idaho fires settles in gallatin valley hikers adjust expectations

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 05:11:27 +0000

A haze has sat in the Gallatin Valley since Tuesday, the color of weak tea, drifting down from the Panther Creek and Wapiti fires across the border. By Wednesday the Bridgers were a suggestion rather than a range. At the Sourdough trailhead the air quality index read 147, which is technically unhealthy for sensitive groups but mostly just means your throat feels like you swallowed a wool sock.

Mara Lindquist, 34, of Belgrade, was tapping her inhaler against her palm at the kiosk. “I drove up from Three Forks for this,” she said. “The app said moderate at 6 a.m. By the time I parked it was orange. I’m going anyway. My knees need the elevation.”

Wildfire Smoke on The Bozeman Daily Bee

smoke from idaho fires settles in gallatin valley hikers adjust expectations