Yellowstone Gate

Yellowstone closing to over-snow travel for season

By: Yellowstone Gate | March 3, 2021

Two people share a snowmobile during a January 2012 trip into Yellowstone National Park.

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - Roads in Yellowstone National Park will begin to close to oversnow travel March 7. Spring plowing will start as road segments close. All oversnow travel will end for the season March 15 at 9 p.m. Weather-permitting, some park roads will reopen to automobile travel April 16 at 8 a.m.

Road closure dates (gates close at 9 p.m.)

March 7, Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris
March 9, Norris to Madison, Norris to Canyon Village
March 14, Canyon Village to Fishing Bridge
March 15, all remaining groomed roads

Visitor services closure dates

At Mammoth Hot Springs, the hotel and cabins, Gift Shop, Ski Shop, and food services will close March 1. The Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone General Store, Post Office, Medical Clinic, and self-serve fuel pumps stay open all year. At Old Faithful, the Bear Den Gift Shop and Geyser Grill will close March 15. Warming hut closure dates range between March 1 and March 15. Continue Reading →

Yellowstone recruiting for 2021 Youth Conservation Corps program

By: Yellowstone Gate | March 3, 2021

Participants in the Grand Teton National Park Youth Conservation Program move a log during a trail project.

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – Yellowstone is currently recruiting for the 2021 Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), a residential work-based education program for young men and women between the ages of 15 and 18. Visit the YCC program to apply. Completed application materials must be postmarked by March 10, 2021. A five-week session will be offered June 28-July 30. Twelve youth will be randomly selected from across the country to participate in the program, according to a statement released by the park’s public affairs office. Continue Reading →

Yellowstone switches 3 campgrounds to reservation system

By: Yellowstone Gate | March 3, 2021

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – Beginning March 24, 2021, visitors will be able to make advance reservations at three additional campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park. Campgrounds that will change from first-come, first-served to the advance reservation system are Mammoth, Slough Creek and a portion of Pebble Creek. Reservations will go live on Recreation.gov starting March 24 at 8 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Visitors will be able to book campsites up to six months in advance. Continue Reading →

Grand Teton Hosts 3.3 Million Visits in Pandemic Year

By: Yellowstone Gate | March 3, 2021

MOOSE, Wyo.- Grand Teton National Park hosted 3,289,639 recreation visits in 2020, the fourth highest number of recreation visits for one year in the park’s history. During 2020 the park was closed for almost two months, March 24-May 18, due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to 2019, total recreation visits decreased by only 3.4%, despite the pandemic, according to figures released by the park’s public affairs office.
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said, “National parks and public lands were extremely important to everyone this past year, providing fresh air, open space and respite from the pandemic. We anticipate that we will see continued high interest in visiting Grand Teton National Park.” Continue Reading →

Yellowstone to open Montana entrances June 1

By: Yellowstone Gate | May 28, 2020

All roads through Yellowstone National Park will be open June 1, except for a segment from Tower to Canyon, which is under construciton.

Yellowstone National Park will open its Montana entrances on Monday, June 1 at 10 a.m. The Montana entrances include West Entrance (near West Yellowstone), North Entrance (near Gardiner), and Northeast Entrance (near Cooke City). The opening of Montana’s entrances coincides with Montana’s lifting of out-of-state travel restrictions, and will provide visitor access to all five entrances of Yellowstone National Park (the Wyoming entrances opened on May 18). The entire Grand Loop Road will be accessible for day use, the National Park Service said Thursday in a statement released by Yellowstone’s public affairs office, excluding the segment between Canyon and Tower, which is closed for road construction. On June 1, in line with the park’s three-phased reopening plan, visitors will be able to access Phase 1 services/facilities (including restrooms, self-service gas stations, trails/boardwalks, limited stores, entrance stations, medical clinics, approved tours) and a few services/facilities as outlined in Phase 2 (including takeout food service, boating, and fishing). The park will remain day-use only. Continue Reading →

Woman injured by bison in Yellowstone

By: Yellowstone Gate | May 20, 2020

A woman in Yellowstone National Park was injured by a bison Wednesday afternoon, but declined to be taken for additional medical care. Park officials did not release full details of the incident, but said the woman approached too close to the bison, within 25 yards, somewhere in the Upper Geyser Basin, which is home to Old Faithful. The incident remains under investigation, and is the first bison-related injury of the year. Yellowstone opened Monday for the season, offering only restrooms and self-service gasoline, with no overnight accommodations. Park emergency medical providers responded to the incident immediately, according to a statement released by the park’s public affairs office. Continue Reading →

Yellowstone ‘geyser virus’ eyed in ‘wildlife zombies’

By: Yellowstone Gate | April 1, 2019

A rare thermophilic virus found in the hot waters of Yellowstone National Park may be behind strange animal behavior in the region.

Local and regional public health officials are working with researchers in Yellowstone National Park to learn more about the origins and life cycle of a strange virus that could be causing highly aggressive behavior in small wildlife in the park and surrounding areas. While little is known about the newly encountered, so-called “geyser virus,” park officials stress that it doesn’t appear to pose an immediate threat to human health. But they are advising park visitors to take extra precautions around any small animal that doesn’t appear to display typical signs of fear, or that shows outright aggression. Concern about the geyser virus first arose after a series of bizarre wildlife encounters involving backcountry skiers and hikers in and around Yellowstone over the winter. Visitors reported uncharacteristically aggressive behavior from a variety of small mammals, ranging from otters to beavers to pikas. Continue Reading →

Winter travel winds down in Yellowstone

By: Yellowstone Gate | March 6, 2019

Roads in Yellowstone National Park are closing to snowmobile and snow coach travel as the winter season winds down. Spring plowing will start as road segments close. All snowmobile and snow coach travel will end for the season Friday, March 15, at 9 p.m. As weather and plowing operations allow, some park roads will reopen to automobile travel Friday, April 19, at 8 a.m.

Road Closure Dates (gates close at 9 p.m.)

Friday, March 1, East Entrance to Lake Butte Overlook (Sylvan Pass)
Sunday, March 3, Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris
Tuesday, March 5, Norris to Madison, Norris to Canyon Village
Friday, March 15, all remaining groomed roads

At Mammoth Hot Springs, the Gift Shop, Ski Shop, and food services will close Sunday, March 3. The Mammoth Hot Springs Campground, Yellowstone General Store, Post Office, Medical Clinic, the Albright Visitor Center, and self-serve fuel pumps remain open all year. At Old Faithful, Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins close Sunday, March 3. The Bear Den Gift Shop, the Geyser Grill, and the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center will close Friday, March 15. Continue Reading →

Yellowstone microbes key to major investment in new food venture

By: Yellowstone Gate | March 5, 2019

A visitor to Yellowstone National Park crashed a drone into Grand Prismatic Spring in August.

Microbes found in the extreme environments of Yellowstone National Park thermal features are key to a major financial investment in a new form of protein that could find its way into commercial foods within a few years. Sustainable Bioproducts, a biotechnology company developing a new way to grow edible protein, announced last month that investors have pledged $33 million toward commercializing a process that has its roots in a Montana microbiologist’s research into tiny organisms that thrive in the hot, acidic waters of Yellowstone. A Silicon Valley-based venture fund, 1955 Capital, was among the major investors in Chicago-based Sustainable Bioproducts, which also has offices in Bozeman, Mont. Another backer is Breakthrough Energy Ventures—whose investors include Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Sustainable Bioproducts is developing a fermentation process that aims to produce a protein with high nutritional value, while having minimal environmental impact, according to a statement released by the company. Continue Reading →

Yellowstone among 17 popular parks raising entry fees

By: Yellowstone Gate | April 17, 2018

Yellowstone National Park will be one of 17 popular parks raising entry fees by $5 starting June 1 to $35 per vehicle. The move by Interior Department follows an earlier proposal that would have more than doubled entry fees to pay $70 per vehicle for visitors at Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and other major parks. That plan by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to steeply hike visitor fees was widely criticized by lawmakers and governors of both parties. The $5 fee hike, also taking effect in Grand Teton National Park, will also be imposed in other western parks, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, Mount Rainier, and Rocky Mountain parks, among others. National Park Service officials said the increased entrance fees remains would help ensure a quality experience for all visitors. Continue Reading →