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Yellowstone planners set public meetings on ‘complicated’ but ‘defensible’ winter-use plan

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A collared elk is wary, but appears relatively undisturbed by passing snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said Thursday that he believes the park's newly released draft winter-use plan is "complicated," but also "incredibly defensible," and that it will lead to a quieter, cleaner winter experience for visitors. If the plan survives expected court challenges — the last decade has seen constant legal wrangling over snowmobiles in the park — it will take effect in 2014, after a two-year transition period that follows current rules. Wenk and park planners will be discussing the plan later this month during public meetings in gateway communities around the park. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, planning, snow coaches, snowmobiles, winter use, yellowstone, yellowstone winter use

5 simple tips for getting the most from your Yellowstone Park geyser experience

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Geysers and other thermal features are key attractions for most Yellowstone National Park visitors. But getting to Yellowstone isn't cheap or easy. Luckily, dozens of hobbyists, enthusiasts, academics and other dedicated "geyser gazers" have already put in the hard work of creating exhaustive collections of information about Yellowstone's geysers. Why not take advantage of their efforts? Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, Science & Nature, Yellowstone, geysers, old faithful, upper geyser basn, webcams, yellowstone

Yellowstone draft winter-use plan allows 110 ‘transportation events’ daily, keeps Sylvan Pass Open

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

A notice published in the Federal Register contains some details on how the National Park Service plans to manage winter use in Yellowstone National Park, including a preference for using "transportation events" for allowing snowmobiles and snow coaches into the park and a plan to keep Sylvan Pass open. Though the Park Service has not yet released its draft supplemental environmental impact statement for the Yellowstone winter use plan, a Federal Register noticed dated June 29 lists background information on the plan as it will appear when released. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, snow coaches, snowmobiles, sylvan pass, winter use, yellowstone

Yellowstone and Grand Teton fire danger high for Fourth of July

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Fire danger in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks is high or very high going into the Fourth of July. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo - click to enlarge)

As dry, hot weather conditions persist and several wildland fires burn throughout the West, land management agencies across the greater Yellowstone area are issuing warnings of elevated fire danger. So far, only minor road and campground closures have been required as a result of fires in the area. The fire danger in Yellowstone National Park has been elevated to very high, and it is listed as high in Grand Teton National Park. Park managers advise visitors and residents to exercise extreme caution. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Gateway Towns, beartooth highway, fire, fires, grand teton, index fire, motnana, wildland fire

Old Faithful Inn: Picture-perfect memories from an unforgettable Yellowstone destination

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In too many vacation spots, people spend the evenings in their rooms, connected to one kind of box or another. But at the Old Faithful Inn, with no TVs or WiFi service, the hotel's open space invites people to fill it. The main crowds from the day are elsewhere, and pretty much just those staying here for the night remain. And so, we gather. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Photos & Videos, Yellowstone, old faithful, old faithful inn, photos, trending, yellowstone

Yellowstone visitor gored after failing to yield to approaching bison

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Visitors to Yellowstone National Park risk injury when allowing bison or other wildlife to approach within 25 yards. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate - click to enlarge)

A Massachusetts man was badly injured Saturday when he was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park after failing to retreat as the animal advanced toward him. The man, in his mid-50s, has not been identified by the National Park Service pending notification of family members. He suffered a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, several ribs and a groin injury when he was tossed nearly 10 feet in the air and pinned to the ground. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, bison, injury, safety, trending, yellowstone

Old Gardiner Road follows historic stagecoach trail out of Yellowstone Park

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old-gardiner-road-mammoth-view

Yellowstone National Park has more than 300 miles of paved (and often crowded) roads, but a lesser-known dirt road between Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. and Gardiner, Mont. offers visitors a chance to follow a historic stagecoach route out of the park. The Old Gardiner Road is a 5-mile stretch of dirt road that roughly parallels the paved road from Mammoth to Gardiner, but travels through the hills to the west of the main road, rather than along the Gardner River as it flows out of Yellowstone. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, history, old gardiner road, roads, trending, yellowstone, yellowstone history

Maud gets her revenge while camping in Yellowstone in 1913

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Louise Elliott

In 1913, Louise Elliott published a book about a young schoolteacher from Lander, Wyo., who took a job as a camp assistant for a mobile camp tour. In her preface, Elliott confesses that she used several techniques that critics now might label “new journalism.” She created composite characters by combining traits of her camp companions, and made up a “little romance” for her protagonist. We can forgive Elliott because she provided an explicit disclaimer — and an entertaining portrait of travel to Yellowstone Park in the early 20th century. While her tales must be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, we probably can take her word that “the camp episodes and jokes, the weather and scenery, and the statistics” were all accurate descriptions copied from her diary. Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, People, camping, history, Louise Elliott, yellowstone, yellowstone history

Yellowstone road closures planned during 2012 construction projects

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Contractors in 2009 resurface part of an 11-mile stretch of road in Yellowstone National Park between the Lewis River Bridge and the park's South Entrance. New construction after Labor Day 2014 will mean fall closures and detours in the park.

Yellowstone road closures are planned in connection with various 2012 construction projects running from July to October, including daytime delays of 30 minutes and nighttime closures at spots in the northern half of Yellowstone National Park. Road and parking lot construction projects in Yellowstone’s Tower Junction and Canyon Village areas are scheduled to begin the first week of July, according to a statement released Monday from the park's public affairs office. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, canyon, construction, road closures, tower, yellowstone