YELLOWSTONE VISIT

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR YELLOWSTONE VISIT

Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Experts say planning ahead makes all the difference

By Jerry Painter

Aft er working for the past eight years in Yellowstone Nati onal Park, Linda Veress says exploring some of the park’s more than 900 miles of trails remains one of her favorite things to do. “I love hiking,” said Veress, who works in the park’s public communicati ons offi ce. “Prett y much any trail, if you walk a litt le ways, you won’t see anybody, and you’ll have that wilderness experience.” Veress recommends visitors to the world’s fi rst nati onal park plan ahead to have the best experience. Planning accommodati ons, acti viti es and schedules can make a diff erence when it comes to fi ghti ng crowds and avoiding headaches.

“Planning is very important when visiti ng Yellowstone, because we had a record-breaking visitati on last year,” she said.

Last year’s park visitor numbers topped 4.8 million — most came during the summer months.

A good place to start planning is at the park’s website, by clicking on the “Plan Your Visit” butt on or going directly to www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit. Here, you’ll fi nd informati on and videos on topics such as fees, services, camping, wildlife safety and things to do.

“Yellowstone’s abundant wildlife is as famous as its geysers,” the park says in its planning informati on on viewing wildlife. “In the park, animals have over 3,000 square miles of habitat available to them, so seeing them usually involves both luck and ti ming. Check at visitor centers for informati on about recent sighti ngs.” Veress recommends visitors download the Yellowstone app at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/app.htm prior to coming to the park.

“It’s really, really handy,” she said. “You’ll want to do that in advance, as well, because cell phone coverage is spott y (in the park). You get maps of the park, geyser erupti on ti mes, all kinds of useful informati on.” Whether you want to hike, bike, horseback ride, fi sh, watch

Hikers follow a trail along the Yellowstone River with Electric Peak in the background in Yellowstone National Park. Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

geysers or just sit and toast marshmallows, the park has a handy website guide to things to do.

“Yellowstone has something for everyone,” the park’s guide says. “Whether you delight in the challenge of a strenuous hike or prefer to sit quietly and watch the sunset, the park offers a great diversity of activities for you to enjoy.”

Exploring the park online before you arrive will help you optimize your time and energy when you pass through Yellowstone’s entrance gate.

“You can plan out your trips in advance before you come, as well as learn about the park,” Veress said. “When you get here, you’ll know what you’re looking at.”

If avoiding the big crowds is important to you, the park offers a key strategy: Go to the major attractions early in the day or late in the day, when things are less busy, then hit the trails during the middle of the day. Veress said the iconic places, such as Old Faithful, Canyon, Norris Geyser Basin and Midway Geyser Basin, get very busy during the middle of the day. “For those very popular places, definitely try to get there early morning or late in the afternoon,” Veress said. Campers enjoy toasting marshmallows at the Lewis Lake Campground in Yellowstone National Park. Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park “We have long days for much of the summer, with good available light, so try to avoid those areas in the middle of the day. If I was planning a trip, I would hit those areas first and then go to a place that’s not so

busy.”

The park also recommends visitors buy their entrance passes online in advance as well to save wait times at the entrance gates.

The increase in visitor numbers has prompted a few recent changes. The park’s campgrounds have moved to a reservation-only system, and backcountry campground permits for specific sites can also be reserved in advance. Reservations can be made online at recreation.gov. Prior to the reservation system for campgrounds, visitors would often find themselves lining up early at campgrounds in hopes of finding an available site. “That would cause a lot of traffic congestion with lines backing up out into the roadways,” Veress said. “A lot of times, they wouldn’t get a campsite, and they would end up driving around and around looking for a campsite. As you know, Yellowstone is a big place to get from one campground to another. It’s a long drive, and they would get really frustrated. With the reservation program, they will at least know that they have a campsite.” Campground sites can be reserved up to six months in advance, and the park recommends checking back regularly for cancellations.

For visitors who can’t secure a park campsite, there are alternative accommodations, such as camping outside of the park in nearby national forests, private campgrounds or staying in a motel. Some of the Forest Service campgrounds can also be reserved. Here is online information for the surrounding National Forests: Custer Gallatin National Forest, www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ custergallatin Shoshone National Forest, www.fs.usda.gov/shoshone Caribou-Targhee National Forest, www.fs.usda.gov/ctnf Bridger-Teton National Forest, www.fs.usda.gov/btnf Motels can be found in the towns not far from each of the park’s five main entrances. Being connected to the park’s webpage at www.nps.gov/yell/ planyourvisit/parkroads.htm will also help you avoid some road construction waits.

“In this area, we have the winter season and the road

construction season,” Veress said jokingly. Two major road construction projects underway this year include work on the Lewis River bridge and on the Yellowstone River bridge. Some delays are expected at various times. On the upside, two major construction projects were recently completed that should benefit park visitors. One project is the park’s North Entrance, which was expanded and updated to offer multiple lanes and shorter wait times. The second project is the road going over Dunraven Pass. “Dunraven Pass is going to open this year,” Veress said. “It’s been closed for more than two years now.” With the reopening of Dunraven Pass, visitors will once again have access to the popular Mount Washburn Trail. The trail offers grand panoramic views of the park. Visitors who want to venture into the park’s backcountry can find trail and campsite descriptions at www.nps.gov/yell/ planyourvisit/backcountryhiking.htm. Backcountry campsites in Yellowstone can also be reserved at recreation. gov. The park will continue to offer some backcountry campsites on a first-come, first-served basis up to two days in advance. “I would highly recommend doing research about the different areas of the park’s (backcountry),” Veress said. “It varies quite a bit on where you would like to go.” Useful information to have Grand Prismatic Spring. Photo by Jim Peaco, courtesy of National Park Service ahead of time can include trail distances, elevation, water sources, what type of food security you’ll have and what weather to expect. “It’s nice to know those things in advance,” Veress said. “Always know the way to secure food out in the backcountry. That’s really important. Some campsites will have a bear pole, and some won’t. Know how you are going to secure the food.” For those hoping to visit the park when it’s less crowded, Yellowstone recommends the “shoulder season” during spring and fall. Besides fewer visitors, this time of year can be particularly appealing to people who live within a few hours’ drive. “If you’re able to swing that, it’s recommended,” Veress said, “but be prepared for changing weather. A lot of the locals come here during spring and the fall. They look at the weather and head over.”

2022