Yellowstone News and Information

 Rangers respond to fatality in Apocalypse Couloir 

NEWS RELEASE Rangers respond to injured skier in Grand Teton National Park on Saturday Backcountry users reminded to be aware of avalanche risk and the safety of other recreationists      Photo courtesy of Teton County Search and Rescue Subscribe    |  What is RSS MOOSE, WY—Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a call at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, January 22, about an injured skier involved in an avalanche in the Sliver Couloir on Nez Perce in Grand Teton National Park. Park rangers and Teton County Search and Rescue jointly responded. Two skiers were ascending the Sliver Couloir on Saturday when a snowboarder above them triggered a small avalanche. The slide caused one of the skiers to be washed down the couloir. During the fall the skier sustained an ankle injury. Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received the call about the injured skier via inReach and follow-up reports via cell phones from people who skied to areas with coverage. The Teton County Search and Rescue

NEWS RELEASE Working Group asks skiers to avoid Teton Range Bighorn Sheep Winter Zones Map of zones available for download and backcountry use bighorn sheep with snow covered background NPS Photo/C. Adams Release Date: January 14, 2022 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— The Teton Range Bighorn Sheep Working Group including Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, and Wyoming Game and Fish Department invite backcountry users to join in stewardship efforts to protect bighorn sheep. The Working Group released a map today of Teton Range Bighorn Sheep Winter Zones and is asking skiers to voluntarily avoid these sensitive bighorn sheep winter habitat areas during winter 2022. The georeferenced map is available for download at www.tetonsheep.org and can be displayed on smartphone mapping apps. As recreationists and outdoor enthusiasts, we all play a critical role in protecting and conserving public lands and the wildlife that call t

  National parks and Wild West towns: great day trips from Jackson Hole

  NEWS RELEASE Grand Teton sees second busiest November for visitation NPS Photo/C. Adams Subscribe    |  What is RSS News Release Date:  December 16, 2021 MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park statistics show that November 2021 was the second busiest November on record for recreation visits. The park hosted an estimated 61,674 recreation visits in November 2021. This is a 28% increase from November 2019 and an 8% increase from November 2020. The park has hosted over 3.8 million recreation visits so far this year and surpassed the busiest full year on record back in September. From January to November 2021, there was a 9% increase in recreation visits compared to the entire year of 2018, which previously hosted the park’s highest amount of visitation on record with 3,491,151 recreation visits. November recreation visits over the last several years: November 2021— 61,674 November 2020— 57,039* COVID-19 pandemic November 2019— 48,132 November 2018— 44,651 November 2017— 45,496 November 20

  News Release Winter recreation begins on park roads in Grand Teton NPS Photo News Release Date: December 14, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Teton Park Road, Moose-Wilson Road, and Signal Mountain Summit Road within Grand Teton National Park are now open to cross-country skiing, skate skiing, snowshoeing, and walking. Once snow begins to accumulate on the roadbeds, the designated portions of these roads may accommodate winter recreation, and the use of wheeled vehicles is prohibited for the season.             Bicycles, including, snow/fat/electric bikes, are not permitted on roads designated for over-snow access. Bikes are allowed on roadways open to motor vehicle use in Grand Teton National Park. The 14-mile section of the Teton Park Road between the Taggart Lake Trailhead and Signal Mountain Lodge will be groomed approximately three times a week dependent on snow and weather conditions.     Tuesdays- Four lanes groomed Tag

  News Release Top 10 Tips for a winter visit to Grand Teton Plan like a park ranger NPS Graphic News Release Date: December 8, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton looks forward to welcoming visitors this winter. Learn to plan like a park ranger by following our list of the Top 10 Tips you should know before visiting the park. Limited services and seasonal road and wildlife closures make a winter visit far different than a summer experience. Plan ahead, recreate responsibly, and help ensure this iconic landscape may be enjoyed by future generations. 1. Plan ahead, plan ahead, and did we mention…PLAN AHEAD! Many facilities, roads, and areas are closed in the winter. Yellowstone is not accessible from the south without a guide. Visit the park winter planner at go.nps.gov/grtewinter  for more information. Snowshoe hikes with a ranger require an advanced reservation, call 307-739-3399.   2. Be flexible Have a plan A, B, C

  Airport serving Grand Teton, Yellowstone national parks to close for months in spring 2022: alternatives

  News Release Additional campgrounds move to Recreation.gov for the 2022 season Additional campgrounds move to Recreation.gov for the 2022 season NPS Photo/J. Tobiason Subscribe | What is RSS News Release Date: November 24, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Visitors to Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway will now be able to reserve campsites at all park campgrounds in a “one-stop-shop” on Recreation.gov as all remaining campgrounds in the park transition to the website for the 2022 summer season. The Colter Bay RV Park and Tent Village, as well as Headwaters Campground and RV Park, which were previously reservable through Grand Teton Lodge Company, are moving to Recreation.gov . These locations, along with Colter Bay, Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Lizard Creek and Signal Mountain Campgrounds, will be available for booking on a six-month rolling basis. While a limited number of sites will be hel

  News Release Grand Teton sees second busiest October for visitation NPS Photo/J. Bonney News Release Date: November 18, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park statistics on recreation visits show that October 2021 was the second busiest on record for the month of October. The park hosted an estimated 245,834 recreation visits in October 2021. This is a 32% increase from October 2019 and a 30% decrease from October 2020. From January to October 2021, there was a 7% increase in recreation visits compared to the entire year of 2018, which previously hosted the park’s highest amount of recreation visits on record. Camping, backcountry camping, and trail use, on trails that use is counted, in the park all increased in October 2021 compared to October 2019. October recreation visits over the last several years: October 2021—245,834         October 2020—351,173* COVID-19 pandemic October 2019—186,487 October 2

  News Release Collaborative project over 10 years in the making will remove final impediment to native fish migration in Spread Creek Migratory native cutthroat trout rescued during an annual interagency fish salvage from the Spread Creek irrigation ditch system. News Release Date: November 12, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 Contact: Leslie Steen , 307-699-1022 JACKSON, Wyoming – Trout Unlimited (TU), Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF), and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) announced today that construction to complete Phase 2 of the Spread Creek Fish Passage Project has started. Many years in the making, the project is a large-scale collaborative effort that will prevent future losses of migratory cutthroat trout and other native fish by installing a fish screen on the Spread Creek irrigation system. It will also make much-needed improvements to stabilize the diversion structure and channel

  News Release Elk reduction program begins Saturday, November 6 Date: November 2, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— An elk reduction program begins Saturday, November 6, in Grand Teton National Park. The park’s enabling legislation of 1950 authorizes Grand Teton National Park to jointly administer an elk reduction program with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department when necessary for the proper management and conservation of the Jackson Elk Herd.   Respective federal and state resource managers have reviewed available data and concluded that the 2021 program is necessary. The need for the program is determined annually and is based on the status of the Jackson Elk Herd, including estimated herd size and composition and the number of elk on supplemental feed on the National Elk Refuge. A total of 400 permits are authorized for the 2021 program. The only area open to the elk reduction program is Wyoming Game and Fish Elk Hunt Area 75, l

  News Release Body of missing 26-year-old Texas man located in Grand Teton Date: October 24, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Search teams located the body of missing 26-year-old Texas man Jared Hembree today in Grand Teton National Park. His body was found near Uhl Hill in the eastern part of the park. Rangers arrived to the scene and recovered Hembree’s remains. The National Park Service and Teton County Sherriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into what occurred. A search was initiated Thursday, October 21, after park law enforcement received a call expressing concern about Hembree’s welfare after an interaction with him outside of the park’s eastern boundary. Hembree’s vehicle was located unattended at Game Warden Point parking area in the eastern part of the park. The four-day intensive search involved over eighty members. Grand Teton park staff, members of Teton County Sherriff’s Office (TCSO), members of Teton Coun

  News Release Grand Teton surpassed park’s busiest full year in September Park actively working to better understand changing visitation NPS Photo/J. Bonney News Release Date: October 20, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park hosted 3,493,937 recreation visits between January and September 2021, already surpassing the park’s busiest full year on record with three months to go in 2021. Previously, 2018 had the record for most recreation visits in a year with 3,491,151 visits. Of the past nine months, six have been record setting for visitation. Some of the largest increases in recreation visits occurred during the shoulder season, including the months of March, April, and May. Summer visitation (June, July, August) also increased with July 2021 recording the busiest month for recreation visits in Grand Teton’s history. The park has also seen increases in trail use. During the 2021 summer, trail use increase

  News Release Highly food conditioned grizzly bear euthanized Public can help save bears by properly securing attractants Date: October 19, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— For public safety, Grand Teton National Park officials, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, euthanized a highly food-conditioned, four-year-old female grizzly bear on Saturday, October 16. This action was taken after the bear received numerous food rewards from unsecured sources, causing it to exhibit increasingly bold behavior. This behavior caused the bear to pose a threat to human safety and therefore it was removed from the population. Over the course of two years, the grizzly received multiple food rewards and demonstrated escalating conflict behavior. In October of 2020, the bear accessed numerous unsecured attractants at a private residence south of the park. During the fall of 2021, the grizzly

1941 audio interview with William Henry Jackson, photographer of Yellowstone and the Old West, at age 98

  News Release Grand Teton National Park law enforcement rangers begin use of body-worn cameras Date: October 15, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park law enforcement rangers have reinstituted the use of body-worn cameras in the park as part of a National Park Service-wide initiative to meet the professional standards of modern policing. “The use of body-worn cameras by our law enforcement rangers demonstrates our commitment to responsible public service and brings our Grand Teton National Park law enforcement program in line with local law enforcement agencies who are currently using body-worn cameras,” said Chief Ranger Erika Jostad. Only commissioned law enforcement rangers will use body-worn cameras and only to gather information during law enforcement contacts to enhance accountability and transparency, collect evidence and document law enforcement actions. Cameras will not be activated during informational

  As crowds pile into parks, officials mull management options Reservations, timed-entry and other solutions being considered

  So many reasons to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

News Release Grand Teton hosts fourth busiest August NPS Photo/J. Bonney News Release Date: September 23, 2021 Contact: C.J. Adams, 307.739.3431 MOOSE, WY— Grand Teton National Park statistics show that August 2021 had the fourth highest number of recreation visits for the month of August. The park hosted an estimated 696,564 recreation visits in August 2021. This is a less than 1% decrease from August 2019 (702,022 recreation visits) and a less than 2% decrease from August 2020 (710,198 recreation visits). Camping in the park increased 13.2% in August 2021 compared to August 2019, while backcountry camping decreased 1.77%. Trail use in the park increased 20.5% in August 2021, compared to August 2019, on trails that use is counted. August recreation visits over the last several years: August 2021 696,564           August 2020 710,198(*) COVID-19 pandemic August 2019 702,022 August 2018 692,074 August 2017 716,690* Total Solar Eclipse   Augus