Yellowstone News and Information

Was there ever a Yellowstone on Mars?  By  Yellowstone Volcano Observatory   November 24, 2025 Yellowstone is not just a fantastic natural laboratory for Earth-based studies.  A better understanding of hydrothermal activity in the first National Park can also provide clues about what Mars might have looked like long ago. Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.  This week's contribution is from R. Greg Vaughan, research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and Steve Ruff,   associate research professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. Today, Mars is a cold and dry planet with a very thin, low-pressure atmosphere.  It has water, but it's all frozen, locked up in underground ice (like permafrost) and in polar ice caps.  But billions of years ago Mars had a thicker atmosphere and a warmer and wetter clima...

  Major construction project at Yellowstone National Park hits big milestone

Most Park Roads Closed to All Vehicles  Most roads are closed to prepare for commercially-guided snowcoach and snowmobile travel during the winter season, which will begin December 15 (weather depending). The road between the North and Northeast entrances is the only road open year-round to regular vehicles. The only road generally open year-round to regular vehicles is from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through the park to Cooke City, Montana (via Tower Junction).   Most park roads are closed to regular vehicles from early November to late-April, and are open to limited oversnow travel (commercially-guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches) from mid-December to mid-March. When open, roads are not gated at night and people may enter/exit the park 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yellowstone has five entrance stations, and it takes several hours to drive between them. Anticipate possible road closures, and check the road status of the entrance you intend to use...

A mission to repair one of the most interesting GPS monitoring stations in Yellowstone   By  Yellowstone Volcano Observatory   November 17, 2025 Many of the monitoring sites in Yellowstone National Park are located in remote areas.  When they go offline, a lot of preparation and effort is necessary to bring them back to functionality. Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Michael Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. The continuous GPS station at White Like, designated WLWY (GPS stations are always given 4-character codes), is one of the most interesting in all of Yellowstone National Park.  The station was installed in 1999 on the Sour Creek  resurgent  dome —one of two uplifted areas of Yellowstone caldera that formed due to  magma ...

Yellowstone National Park's new bridge near Tower opens to vehicles

  Visiting Yellowstone National Park this Winter? Here’s what to Expect

Yellowstone announces winter bison reduction plans amid complaints from Nez Perce

  Yellowstone closes roads after 30 auto accidents; Cooke City highway still open

  Hiking in Yellowstone National Park

  National parks, including Yellowstone, will remain ‘generally’ open during the shutdown

  Glacier and Yellowstone are still open during the government shutdown

 The 5 Best Montana Trout Fishing Towns in Yellowstone Country

Water Flows Beneath Yellowstone National Park, Sometimes Taking Decades to Reach a Geyser

  Yellowstone National Park trail shut down after first bear attack in 4 years

Fire danger reduced to HIGH in Yellowstone National Park Fire restrictions lifted You are viewing ARCHIVED content published online before January 20, 2025. Please note that this content is NOT UPDATED , and links may not work. For current information, visit https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm . Fire Danger sign at High NPS / Jacob W. Frank Subscribe | What is RSS News Release Date: September 18, 2025 Contact: Linda Veress The parkwide fire danger level for Yellowstone is now HIGH and Stage 1 fire restrictions that went into effect August 12  have been lifted. At this time, there are no fire restrictions in place or planned in the park. Currently, there are no uncontrolled wildland fires in the park. Campfires are only permitted within established fire rings in campgrounds and some backcountry campsites. Campfires must always be attended and cold to the touch before abandoning. Soak, stir, feel, repeat. The Greater Yellowstone area is a fire...

  Update: Hiker released from hospital following grizzly encounter in Yellowstone National Park Turbid Lake NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date: September 17, 2025 Contact: Public Affairs Office , (307) 344-2015 Additional Incident details The hiker was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital. National Park Service investigated the attack site, discovered a carcass near the trail and confirmed grizzly tracks. The Turbid Lake Trail (Lake Butte Trailhead to the intersection of Pelican Valley Trail) will remain closed until further notice. Date of Release: September 16, 2025 Solo hiker injured by bear on Sept. 16 in Yellowstone National Park Incident details On the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 16, a male, age 29, sustained injuries from a bear while hiking on the Turbid Lake Trail, located northeast of Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake. The incident occurred approximately 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead in the Pelican Valley Be...

  NEws Release Yellowstone visitation statistics for August 2025 People watch an afternoon Old Faithful eruption NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date:  September 4, 2025 Contact:   Yellowstone Public Affairs , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park hosted 881,936 recreation visits in August 2025, up 2% from August 2024 (868,259 recreation visits). This August’s visitation showed a 4% decrease from August 2021 (921,844 recreation visits). The park’s record-breaking year was 2021, with over 4.8 million recreation visits. So far in 2025, the park has hosted 3,547,967 recreation visits, up 2% from 2024 (3,494,350 recreation visits), and down 1% from 2021 (3,590,609 recreation visits). The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through August): 2025 – 3,547,967 2024 – 3,494,350 2023 – 3,308,924 2022 – 2,437,607  (The park was closed June 13 through June 21 due to the  historic flood ...

 A look at the Old Faithful Inn, a human-made treasure inside Yellowstone National Park

  Iconic national park announces game-changing update to visitor experience: 'It's a statement'

  Bison herds 'reawaken' Yellowstone's prairies

  UPDATE: Fishing partially reopens on select rivers in Yellowstone National Park Partial closures still in effect from 2 p.m. to sunrise the following day Fishing on the Madison River at sunrise. NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date:  August 29, 2025 Contact:   Public Affairs Office , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - Effective immediately, select rivers and streams that had been previously closed due to high water temperatures and low flows in Yellowstone National Park will partially reopen to  fishing  due to recent cooler temperatures and rainfall. Fishing remains closed from 2 p.m. to sunrise the following day due to continuing warm water temperatures and low river flows. Water temperatures in select rivers and streams continue to exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) in recent days, and flows are low. These conditions are lethal to trout, and the partial closure will protect the park’s native and wild trout fisheries and will remain in...

  The Worst Smelling Place In Yellowstone: Calcite Springs, Where Sulfur And Oil Come Together

  News Release Yellowstone visitation statistics for July 2025 Boardwalks along Black Pool NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date:  August 12, 2025 Contact:   Yellowstone Public Affairs , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY –   Yellowstone National Park hosted 975,109 recreation visits in July 2025, down 2% from July 2024 (992,352 recreation visits). This July’s visitation showed an 10% decrease from July 2021 (1,080,767 recreation visits). The park’s record-breaking year was 2021, with over 4.8 million recreation visits. So far in 2025, the park has hosted 2,666,031 recreation visits, up 1.5% from 2024 (2,626,091 recreation visits), and down 0.1% from 2021 (2,668,765 recreation visits). The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through July): 2025 – 2,666,031 2024 – 2,626,091 2023 – 2,462,535 2022 – 1,855,396  (The park was closed June 13 through June 21 due to the  historic flood  event. Three ...