Yellowstone Gate (https://www.yellowstonegate.com/)
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WYO. – Record floods that closed two of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park cut annual visitation in 2002 by nearly one-third to the prior year, according to figures released Tuesday by the National Park Service.
The park hosted 3,290,242 recreation visits in 2022, down 32% from 2021, which was the busiest year on record.
Historic floods in June 2022 closed public access to Yellowstone National Park. On June 13, all park entrances closed, and visitors were moved out of the park during the following 24 hours.
One of the earliest and most destructive foundational myths about Yellowstone National Park was that just a small number of Indigenous people had long ago made only a limited seasonal use of the area. Or that Natives avoided the park altogether out of a “fear of evil spirits” connected to geysers and other thermal features.
Roads in Yellowstone National Park will begin opening to auto traffic for the 2024 season beginning this month and continuing through May. According to a statement from the park's public affairs office, select roads will open, weather permitting, at 8 a.m. Friday, April 19. Roads begin to open annually this time of year for the summer season. Continue Reading →
Wildlife watching is a major factor in regional tourism, and accounts for much of the industry’s economic benefit across northwestern Wyoming. But as people stop and gather to watch an elk herd graze or a wolf pack chase down prey, the animals are often observing the humans as well. Can the mere presence of humans affect the predator-prey relationship between wolves and elk? Continue Reading →
Yellowstone National Park has closed for the summer season, and an early round of winter weather has passed through the region, leaving October snowfall to linger in the higher elevations. But debate continues over whether to plow an eight-mile section of U.S. Highway 212 that has traditionally been left snow-covered to be used by sledders for access to backcountry trails. Continue Reading →
As Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly marks his fifth anniversary at the park, he is garnering praise from some leaders in gateway communities for his ability to manage under difficult circumstances—from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to the devastating floods in 2023. Continue Reading →
Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly began his tenure in the park in October 2018. In the five years since, he has dealt with historic closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, devastating floods in 2022 and record visitation of 4.8 million people in 2021. The scope, size and diversity of issues at play in Yellowstone mean a wide range of individuals and groups have varying opinions on how the park is managed. But in Cody and other gateway communities, many are giving Sholly high marks for managing in difficult circumstances. Continue Reading →
When Bob Richard worked as a mounted ranger in Yellowstone National Park in the 1950s, he lived in a two-room cabin with no electricity and no running water. He used an outhouse and had a wood stove for heating and cooking. Continue Reading →
A historic roadside stop in Yellowstone National Park reopened this year to little fanfare after an extended closure for renovations. But longtime fans of the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center who might be worried about drastic changes can rest assured that it’s still for the birds. Continue Reading →
Wyoming doesn’t exactly spring to mind when someone mentions memorable French fine dining experiences, especially beyond a handful of venues in Jackson and Cheyenne. But the dining room in a 132-year-old hotel where guests once arrived by steamboat has more than a few diners this summer wishing each other “bon appétit!” Continue Reading →
Diners at venues across Yellowstone National Park probably aren’t thinking much about farm jobs in Wyoming or Montana as they peruse their menus. But the sustainability practices and immense purchasing power of the park’s primary restaurant operator means there is a direct connection between ordering a salad or cheese plate and supporting local farms and other small businesses around the region. Continue Reading →
The popular maxim that “an army marches on its stomach” was first attributed to Frederick the Great, the 18th Century King of Prussia, and later to Napoleon Bonaparte. While that adage encapsulates the challenges of feeding and equipping a military force, it could just as easily apply to feeding the summer hordes visiting Yellowstone National Park. Especially after a mid-day eruption of Old Faithful Geyser in July. Continue Reading →