Posts
Yellowstone Notebook
Yellowstone National Park 2023 road improvement projects: $216 million invested to improve safety, access and experience on park roads - NPS
Yellowstone National Park 2023 road improvement projects $216 million invested to improve safety, access and experience on park roads Lewis River Bridge NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date: March 27, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – There will be four major road improvement projects in Yellowstone National Park in 2023. All four projects will cause delays (Lewis River Bridge, Old Faithful to West Thumb, Yellowstone River Bridge and Northeast Entrance Road). It’s important that visitors plan accordingly for these delays located along the park’s southern and northern road corridors. The ...
Yellowstone National Park receives funding from Great American Outdoors Act for $118 million replacement of Yellowstone River Bridge - NPS
Yellowstone National Park receives funding from Great American Outdoors Act for $118 million replacement of Yellowstone River Bridge Yellowstone River Bridge closeup NPS/Doug Madsen News Release Date: March 23, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park recently awarded an approximately $118 million construction contract to replace the structurally deficient Yellowstone River Bridge on the Northeast Entrance Road near Tower Junction. Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), this project will preserve year-round public access to and from the park’s Northeast Entrance and communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana. "As a vital piece of the only road corridor in the park that is plowed for winter use, the Yellowstone River Bridge provides visitors and communities with all-season opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the world's first n...
Yellowstone National Park announces selection of park concessioner to provide automotive and retail services - NPS
Yellowstone National Park announces selection of park concessioner to provide automotive and retail services YPSS Fishing Bridge NPS/Davey Wyatt News Release Date: March 13, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park announced today the selection of Yellowstone Park Service Stations, Inc. (YPSS) as the concessioner for the new contract (CC-YELL004-23) to provide automotive and retail services in the park. This contract will be effective for 10 years from Nov. 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2033. YPSS is the incumbent operator and has provided automotive and retail services in the park since the 1980s. The public is not expected to experience any changes or interruptions in service. Solicitation of concession business opportunities within national park sites and the selection of best proposals are routine processes for in the National Park Service, dictated by the 1998 Conces...
Biologist spots Yellowstone National Park’s first grizzly bear of 2023 - NPS
Biologist spots Yellowstone National Park’s first grizzly bear of 2023 Grizzly bear on Swan Lake Flat NPS / Jim Peaco News Release Date: March 7, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – On Tuesday, March 7, a Yellowstone National Park wildlife biologist on a radio telemetry flight observed the first grizzly bear of 2023 to emerge from hibernation. The adult bear, estimated at 300-350 pounds, was seen near the remains of a bison carcass in Pelican Valley, in the central-eastern part of the park. The first bear sighting of 2022 also occurred on March 7. Male grizzlies come out of hibernation in early March. Females with cubs emerge in April and early May. When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Sometimes, bears will react aggressively to encounters with people when feeding ...
Yellowstone National Park’s winter season wraps up, most roads and entrances close to public - NPS
Yellowstone National Park’s winter season wraps up, most roads and entrances close to public Plowing operations NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date: March 2, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - Yellowstone National Park’s winter season starts to wrap up March 5 as roads begin to close to the public. By March 15 at 9 p.m., most park roads will close including the South, West and East entrances. Annually most of the park closes to the public to plow roads for a spring opening. Upcoming Closures Park road and entrance closure dates (gates close at 9 p.m.) March 5: Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris March 7: Norris to Madison, Norris to Canyon Village March 12: Canyon Village to Fishing Bridge Junction March 15: South, West and East entrances and all remaining roads Visitor services closure dates At Mammoth Hot Springs, the hotel’s Gift Shop, Ski Shop and Map Room Bar...
Yellowstone National Park releases 2023 State of the Park report - NPS
Yellowstone National Park releases 2023 State of the Park report Y ellowstone Revealed: North Entrance teepees at sunset NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date: March 1, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park is pleased to release its 2023 State of the Park report . This report provides updates in each of the park’s strategic priorities and spotlights the immense progress made by the park’s teams and partners over the past two years. “More than ever, we recognize the outstanding value of the team here in Yellowstone, the support we’ve received from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and other partners who have helped us achieve success in so many areas,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “Despite the tremendous number of challenges we have faced over the past several years, we continue to make substantial progress in many areas important to the future of Yellowstone.” The ...
Yellowstone visitation summary for 2022 - NPS
Yellowstone visitation summary for 2022 Northeast Entrance Road Improvement Reopening day October 15, 2022: first visitors through the Northeast Entrance NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date: February 28, 2023 Contact: Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – 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 evacuated over the next 24 hours. On June 22, the East, South and West entrances opened on a limited entry basis. On July 2, entry restrictions on the East, South and West entrances were removed. The North (Gardiner, Montana) and Northeast (Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana) entrances remained closed to visitor vehicle traffic through September. The Northeast Entrance opened to regular visitor traffic on Oct. 15 an...
Acknowledging Annie: How research and monitoring get done in Yellowstone - Caldera Chronicles
Acknowledging Annie: How research and monitoring get done in Yellowstone 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. Better knowledge of Yellowstone’s past volcanism and current behavior is key for understanding the potential for future hazardous activity, like volcanic eruptions, strong earthquakes and hydrothermal explosions . Data collection, however, must be balanced against the impact on Yellowstone National Park, much of which is managed as a wilderness . Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Annie Carlson, Research Permitting Coordinator for Yellowstone National Park during 2017–2023. National Park Service photo by Jake Frank, May 2022. Scientists can’t simply install a seismometer or collect a rock sample wherever the...