Yellowstone News and Information

Thar She Blows! Dormant Geyser In Yellowstone Erupts For First Time in 25 Years

  Memorable moose encounter in Yellowstone snow

The Mt. Washburn hike in Yellowstone National Park with kids 

Call of the Mild :  With regional snowpack at record lows and average temperatures well above normal, h ow are local wildlife coping with the unusual winter?  

Horsepackers ride 240 miles through Yellowstone National Park

  The Past 30 Years in Yellowstone, Part 4: Mike Finley

  The mystery of the Fountain Hotel in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone's Seismic Activity In 2023: 1,600 Earthquakes, World's Largest Geyser Slowing Down

Discovering Yellowstone National Park beyond Old Faithful 

  Beyond the beauty: Yellowstone’s emergency wastewater system chugs along

Low snow year: Yellowstone National Park temporarily closes some roads to snowmobiling

Wolf hunt ending near Yellowstone National Park

  Pierce Brosnan cited for off-trail hiking in  Yellowstone National Park

Zombie Deer Disease a 'Slow Moving Disaster' for Humans, Scientists Warn

 In Yellowstone, Santa Ditches Reindeer For Vintage Touring Bus

  A Fascinating Journey through Yellowstone National Park

  Artificial intelligence can find your location in photos, worrying privacy experts

Yellowstone's backcountry cabins, a link to park's history, still providing shelter in a storm

  NEWS RELEASE Yellowstone National Park's winter season begins Dec. 15, 2023 Top things for visitors to know about a winter visit Snowcoach along the Madison River with bison NPS / Jacob W. Frank News Release Date:  December 13, 2023 Contact:   Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park’s winter season begins Friday, Dec. 15. Annually from mid-December until mid-March, visitors can travel most of the park’s roads from the West, South, East and North entrances by approved  commercially guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches  and via the  non-commercially guided snowmobile access program . Currently, there is limited snowfall on roads in the eastern, western and northern parts of the park. This means that visitors will be able to travel in the park, however, the type of transportation used on park roads by commercially guided snowmobile or snowcoach tour companies will depend on road conditions. Throughout the winter seas...

  Wyoming History: How The Three Stooges Got Their Last Laugh At Yellowstone

  NEWS RELEASE Grand Teton National Park announces change to backcountry camping permits NPS Photo/ D. Lehle News Release Date:  November 28, 2023 Contact:  Valerie Gohlke, 307-739-3393 Contact:  C.J. Adams, 307-739-3431 MOOSE, Wyo.  – Effective January 10, 2024, Grand Teton National Park will change the backcountry camping permit fee to $20, plus a $7 per person, per night fee to camp overnight in the backcountry. Grand Teton began charging for backcountry permits in 2014 and last modified the fees in 2018.  Approximately 30% of backcountry camping permits will be available on  Recreation.gov  for advanced reservations beginning January 10, 2024, at 8 a.m. MST for the 2024 camping season which runs May 1 through October 31. Starting May 1, 2024, the remaining 70% of backcountry camping permits will be available one day before the start of the trip as “walk-up” permits and must be obtained in-person at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor C...

Wyoming History: Yellowstone’s Place In The Last Stand Of The Nez Perce Almost Lost To History

Look for these animals in the snow at Yellowstone this winter

Montana unveils first wolf management plan update in 20 years  

  NEWS RELEASE Mule deer tests positive for chronic wasting disease in Yellowstone National Park Mule deer buck NPS / Neal Herbert   |  News Release Date:  November 14, 2023 Contact:   Morgan Warthin , 307-344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) recently confirmed the presence of  chronic wasting disease  (CWD) in the carcass of an adult mule deer buck found near Yellowstone Lake in the southeastern section of the park. This is the first confirmed positive detection of the disease in Yellowstone National Park. The  mule deer  buck was originally captured by WGFD staff near Cody, Wyoming, in March 2023 as part of a population dynamics study and fitted with a GPS collar. The collar signaled the animal died mid-October 2023. In coordination with Yellowstone staff, WGFD located the carcass on the Promontory, a landmass that separates the South and Southeast arms of Yellowst...

The Past 30 Years in Yellowstone, Part 3: Suzanne Lewis

  Group sues in attempt to block Absaroka-Beartooth trout poisoning, restoration project

  Yellowstone, Montana Officials Disagree on Bison Management

  Saving an ecosystem: How conservationists are protecting Whitebark Pine trees in Yellowstone National Park

  NEWS RELEASE Yellowstone visitation statistics for October 2023 Hikers cross the Hellroaring Creek Bridge NPS / Jacob W. Frank Subscribe    |  What is RSS News Release Date:  November 9, 2023 Contact:   Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park hosted 299,127 recreation visits in October 2023. This is a 26% increase from October 2022 (236,567 recreational visits). It is also a 75% increase from October 2019* (171,339 recreational visits) when several short-term, weather-related road closures likely impacted visitation.   So far in 2023, the park has hosted 4,446,509 recreation visits, up 37% from 2022 (3,241,761 recreation visits), and up 12% from 2019 (3,979,154 recreation visits). The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through October):    2023 – 4,446,509 2022 – 3,241,761  (The park was closed June 13 through June 21. Three entrances opened on Ju...

The Past 30 Years in Yellowstone, Part 2: Dan Wenk

The Past 30 Years in Yellowstone, Part 1: Cameron Sholly

Ferdinand Hayden And The Founding Of Yellowstone National Park By  Yellowstone Volcano Observatory   October 30, 2023 Geologist Ferdinand Hayden directed the first scientific exploration of Yellowstone in 1871, leading directly to the founding of the world’s first national park in the following year. Hayden’s noteworthy achievements in science and conservation, however, are clouded by his views of indigenous people.     Yellowstone  Caldera  Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Cole Messa, Ph.D. student, and Ken Sims, Professor of Geology and Geophysics, both at the University of Wyoming. Yellowstone—the " land of the burning ground "—has been known to indigenous people for at least 11,000 years. In fact, in 1805 the  governor of Louisiana Territory described a map drawn on a bison hide by an indigenous American showing a “volcano” on the Yell...

  Most entrances and roads in Yellowstone National Park will be closed Nov. 1 Last day for visitors to enjoy most of the park will be Oct. 31 Bison breath on a cool morning NPS / Jacob W. Frank   News Release Date:  October 24, 2023 Contact:   Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – The West, South and East entrances and nearly all roads in Yellowstone National Park will be closed to regular vehicle traffic Nov. 1. The park annually closes roads at this time of year to prepare them for the  winter season  and  snowmobile and snowcoach  travel, which will begin Dec. 15. The last day for visitors to drive most park roads will be Tuesday, Oct. 31.   The only roads open year-round are between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana (via Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley). Visitors planning to  drive in the park during the fall and winter ...

  Yellowstone Grizzlies and the Controversy Over Food

  NEWS RELEASE Yellowstone visitation statistics for September 2023 Ranger Summer and visitors at Madison Information Station NPS / Jacob W. Frank   News Release Date:  October 18, 2023 Contact:   Morgan Warthin , (307) 344-2015 MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Yellowstone National Park hosted 838,458 recreation visits in September 2023. This is a 48% increase from September 2022 (567,587 recreational visits) and a 21% increase from September 2019* (693,118 recreational visits).   So far in 2023, the park has hosted 4,161,602 recreation visits, up 38% from 2022 (3,005,194 recreation visits), and up 9% from 2019 (3,807,815 recreation visits). The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through September):    2023 – 4,161,602 2022 – 3,005,194  (The park was closed June 13 through June 21. Three entrances opened on June 22.) 2021 – 4,472,687   2020 – 3,393,642  (The park was closed March 24 through May...

  In Remote Yellowstone Wilderness, There’s Still A Working Pay Phone

  'Yellowstone's Birds': Former YNP wildlife biologist Doug Smith releases book about birds in the park

Which Is more Hazardous to Tourists? Wildlife or Hot Springs? 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. Yellowstone National Park is home to an array of “charismatic megafauna”—for instance, elk, bears, bison, wolves, and other large mammals.  And as the term “wildlife” implies, these animals are, well, wild.  Yellowstone National Park requires all visitors to stay at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from all other large animals, like bison and elk. Despite these well-publicized warnings, stories of people approaching too close to animals, and sometimes being injured, appear every year. Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Early visitors at Handkerchief Pool, Black Sand...