Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association

Dec 2024

Stayed at YBRA three times. Once as a student, twice as a returning alum. The views are great, the food is good (homestyle for breakfast and dinner, and packable lunch spread), and the people are friendly. Alums can join the YBRA and stay for a few days in the summer if they are passing through. It's a great base for instruction and for research.

May 2020

I stayed here for a few weeks as part of my 6-week geology field course/camp through Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (Go Salukis!) in June and July 2015. After arriving in Montana (some came by road and some came by air including myself) we drove here for our first night of field camp. The road (Howell Gulch Road) is inclined and a little rough with good rock exposures along the side. I spent an evening wailing away with some friends on some granite/granodiorite with our rock hammers trying to get some good mica samples. The Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) facilities are amazing and the staff was gracious during our stay. There are cabins/bunkhouses, a mess/dining hall, lesson halls, and restrooms. There is a kitchen in the same building as the mess hall and that was YBRA staff only. A sandwich bar was set-up before we went out for the day on the balcony overlooking the gulch/mountains across from YBRA and we would pack our lunches for the day. We got breakfast in the morning before going in the field and we would have dinner once back from the field. I enjoyed the food. The bunkhouses had space for our camp (around 60 people) and our stuff. And we were not the only geology field course staying there during portions of our course. The walkways/roads between the buildings and parking lots are dirt. Something to keep in mind if you need to run on them, balance is key to not slipping or sliding. Buildings were routinely cleaned, which was nice after a long day in the field. After a few weeks here we went on the road and camped/stayed at various places around Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. We returned towards the end of the field camp and even spent our last night here. YBRA was the perfect place to start and end our 6-week geology adventure. Something to always remember.

Mar 2019

Friendly people if you follow the rules, such as removing hats when in dinning hall (Make sure you do it if you stay there!). The old man that works there is condescending so avoid him as much as you can. The food has a lot of room for improvement. The facility does provide some AMAZING scenery!