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explorebigsky.com / Explore Yellowstone
ILLUSTRATION BY KELSEY DZINTARS
SEC TION: SUBHEAD
YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON ENTRANCE FEES VEHICLES $35 per vehicle to visit each individual park, good for seven days. MOTORCYCLES OR SNOWMOBILES $30 for each park, good for seven days. Snowmobile entry limited to guided tours or permit holders. INDIVIDUAL (FOOT/BICYCLE/SKI) $20 per person for each park, good for seven days. ANNUAL PASS $70 for each park. When traveling by snowmobile, this pass admits the signer(s). When traveling by snow coach or shuttle, this pass admits a signer and up to three additional persons (16 and older) for a total of four people. SENIOR PASS $80 lifetime pass, or $20 annual pass, available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or older.
ACCESS PASS Free for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. MILITARY ANNUAL PASS Free annual pass available for active-duty military personnel and their dependents. U.S. MILITARY, VETERANS AND GOLD STAR FAMILY MEMBERS New in fall of 2020, the Interagency Annual Military Pass was expanded from covering current military to include veterans and Gold Star Families. This pass is free to those who qualify. Due to COVID-19, park access and amenities may not be available at full capacity. Visit nps.gov/yell for timely updates.
EXPLORE: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK APP Unsure where to begin your visit to Yellowstone’s 2-million-plus-acre terrain? Unable to make it to the park yourself this season? No worries— you can now visit virtually via the Yellowstone National Park app. The National Park Service’s Yellowstone app features live updates on the status of lodges, campgrounds, road conditions and even predictions for when the park’s famous geysers will erupt. The app also reminds you when you’re near the places, topics or tours you marked as “interested in” once you arrive. And if you’re planning a trip to Yellowstone this winter, the app provides critical updates on road conditions and closures. Ready to share your Yellowstone photos with friends and family? The app lets you create a collage of your unique experience and plug in photos from your trip. The search bar feature allows users to browse by services or sites, finding everything you will need to know at your fingertips. Download the app and explore your Yellowstone today! – Tucker Harris
M T O U T L AW. C O M /
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EXPLORE: WILL YELLOWSTONE CALDERA ERUPT?
... not around
A Ma YelLo Explos
the corner Despite persistent rumors, the Yellowstone caldera is not a “supervolcano,” nor is it about to cause a super eruption BY AMANDA LOUDIN
The Milky Way above Grand Prismatic Spring. PHOTO BY NEAL HERBERT
If there was ever an “overused, misrepresentative and misapplied” term, according to Mike Poland, it’s “supervolcano.” Sometimes, he admits, trying to squelch the rumors surrounding Yellowstone’s volcanic activity can get downright depressing. But as the scientist-in-charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Poland is passionate about sharing the truth of the matter, and so he—and others like him— continue to educate and inform the public wherever and whenever they can. Here’s what they’re up against: Some 631,000 years ago, Yellowstone experienced a massive eruption from a
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) is a consortium of nine state and federal agencies who provide timely monitoring and hazard assessment of volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone Plateau region. INFORMATION SOURCED: USGS, GRAPHIC BY ME BROWN
caldera, the name for the basin-shaped volcanic depression with a diameter ranging from one to 30 miles across. This was a “super eruption,” but not a super volcano. In fact, according to Poland, “There’s no such thing as a supervolcano.” About 20 years ago, the term super volcano began entering scientific articles, seeping into the public’s imagination. Add to it the 2005 BritishCanadian disaster film—actually named Supervolcano—that centered on a massive eruption at Yellowstone, and the term caught fire. These days, with social media to fuel the rumor mill, folks like to chat
about Yellowstone’s “supervolcano” being overdue for a massive, civilization-ending eruption. “People’s minds like to go to disaster scenarios,” says Madison Myers, assistant professor in the department of earth sciences at Montana State University. “When I tell people what I do for a living, the first question I get is ‘When will the super eruption occur at Yellowstone?’ They’re almost disappointed when I tell them it’s not going to happen in their lifetime.” If and when the caldera actually erupts in the distant future, however, it will likely be more of a whimper than a bang. >>
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What’s really on tap One thing is for certain: the rumor mills crank up anytime there’s increased seismicity around Yellowstone, or anywhere in the West, for that matter. “We see spikes in rumors whenever there are higher than average numbers of quakes, or large quakes anywhere in the country,” Poland says. “The 2019 Ridgecrest, California, quake, for instance, or the 2020 central Idaho earthquake kicked the chatter into high gear.” On average, somewhere around 1,500 earthquakes occur annually in Yellowstone, and in some years, upwards of 3,000. But an uptick in earthquakes does not equate to an impending super eruption. A number of components need to come together, according Wyoming state geologist Erin Campbell, including the tilt of the surface near the volcano and its elevation, the release of gases like sulfur dioxide, and even the amount of water vapor the volcano is releasing. “When activity is close to the surface, there’s nothing to be concerned about,” Campbell says. “Volcanoes are not like tornadoes; they give you plenty of clues well in advance of an eruption.” The Yellowstone caldera is one of the most highly monitored volcanoes in the United States, under the close watch of multiple organizations. “At this time, we have no evidence that an eruption is taking place soon,” Myers says. “If something changed, we would know about it and be able to react to it with plenty of time.”
“When activity is close to the surface, there’s nothing to be concerned about,” Campbell says. “Volcanoes are not like tornadoes; they give you plenty of clues well in advance of an eruption.”
Scientists study eruptions in two general categories, according to Myers, the first being effusive, or a lava flow, which hugs the ground and moves slowly. “Think Hawaii,” she says, adding that an effusive eruption is considered low hazard and evacuation isn’t too difficult. It’s just not quite electrifying. “It’s like watching paint dry,” Myers says, “but there’s some level of excitement associated with that release of gases.” The second type is explosive, which is what most people think of when they picture an eruption. These involve magma higher in viscosity and with a higher gas content. Eventually, Yellowstone will experience one of these, but nothing indicates that will take place anytime soon. “The magma chamber would need to be primed for that to happen, and that would take a while, probably centuries,” Poland says. “It would be accompanied by unmistakable signs of unrest, far more extreme than anything we’ve witnessed before.”
Fighting misinformation Given all that, what’s a scientist to do about getting the correct messaging to the public? “We do our best to put out lots of good information, including monthly video updates, weekly articles, annual reports of activity and so forth,” Poland says. “And we try to fight misinformation that we see on social media.” It can be an overwhelming job, however, and experts face an uphill battle in numbers. “It’s really difficult for every scientist who has dedicated a career to this, because for every one of us, there’s 1,000 others on the internet spreading bad information,” says Wyoming’s Campbell. Another layer is a general mistrust in government in some circles, according to Poland. “I frequently have people say they don’t trust me because I work for the government,” he says. “So, I push back and encourage them to find experts not on the government payroll, like a geology department at a university.” At the end of the day, consistency in messaging is the approach the experts take and that means dispelling fear about a supervolcano in Yellowstone. “My approach is one person, one rumor at a time,” Poland says. “I trust that in the end common sense will prevail.” Amanda Loudin is a new Colorado resident and freelance writer who covers health and science, the outdoors and travel—sometimes all in one article.
Mike Poland, a research geophysicist and the scientist-in-charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, says, “There’s no such thing as a supervolcano.” PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAGLUND
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Explore Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park
ANIMAL GUIDE
Which animals can you spot in the park? Check them off as you see them!
Wolf
Between 1995 and 1997, 41 wolves from Canada and northwest Montana were released in Yellowstone. In Yellowstone, their primary winter prey is elk, while in summer months their prey consists of mainly deer and smaller mammals.
Moose
While Yellowstone moose are very large, they are the smallest of four subspecies of moose in North America. Montana has noted a statewide decline in moose populations due to forest fires and limited food and habitat availability. NPS PHOTOS
Bald EAgle
Bald eagles, the national symbol of the United States since 1782, are usually found near water where they feed on fish and waterfowl.
Bison
Yellowstone is the only place in America where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Yellowstone bison comprise the nation’s largest bison population on public land.
ELK
As Yellowstone’s most abundant large mammal, elk comprise approximately 85 percent of winter wolf kills and are an important food source for bears, mountain lions and scavengers, including bald eagles and coyotes.
Cougar
The cougar, also known as a mountain lion, is one of the largest cats in North America and a top predator native to Greater Yellowstone. They are seldom seen, but scientists can track them with strategic cameras.
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Special Advertisement
Why we yell it in bear country BY MIRA BRODY
Bears, both black and grizzly, are a part of our ecosystem. They thrive in the same places we like to hike, bike and hunt. To safely coexist with these apex bruins, it is important to practice being bear aware while recreating. HEY BEAR PHOTOS BY BAILEY MILL/BARE MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY
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Hey Bear
heybear.com
FLORA AND FAUNA: HEY BEAR
By the time snow begins to accumulate, grizzly bears have gained enough fat to see them through a long winter's sleep. PHOTO BY THOMAS D. MANGELSEN
When Nate Bender goes camping or hiking, he makes it a habit to keep his bear spray to his right side—on the right-hand pocket of his backpack or to the right of his sleeping bag at night. On July 4, 2021, that habit came in handy for the first time. It may have even saved a few lives. An avid outdoorsman and native of Hamilton, Montana, Bender grew up recreating in bear country with his family and continues to do so from his home in Missoula where he is attending the University of Montana for dual graduate degrees in research conservation and business analytics. This summer, he was camping alone, what he calls “cowboy style,” in the Mission Mountains when sounds of a bear growling woke him around 6 a.m. “I can think of better ways of being woken up,” Bender said. “It all happened very quickly. When I
opened my eyes after that sound I was looking right at the mama and her two cubs.” The sow bear, which Bender identified as a grizzly, charged within five seconds, just enough time for him to reach to his right, grab his bear spray, pull off the safety and deploy a 30-foot pepper spray cloud that deterred her and may have saved both their lives. Bear encounters are not only dangerous to humans but put bears at risk as well. Over Labor Day weekend in 2021, four grizzlies—a sow and her three cubs—were euthanized after improperly stored food habituated the bears into breaking into vehicles and residences. The sow had been a longtime resident of Glacier National Park and is said to have mothered at least 10 cubs over the years. Bender did everything right: he stored his food away from camp in a scent-proof and bear-proof bag and had bear spray on hand, within reach, and ready to deploy at
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a moment’s notice; and he had practiced with his spray. He calls the encounter a combination of preparation and luck but asserts that everyone entering bear country should do so with a visitor’s mindset—you are entering a wild habitat in which wild animals live and thrive. “Following these recommendations and being ‘bear aware’ adds layers of safety for people, but they also help keep bears wild,” said Morgan Jacobsen, Region 3 information and education program manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Bears that are habituated to gaining access to food, whether it be garbage, pet food, bird feeders or other attractants, according to Jacobsen, lose their natural drive to find food in the wild and oftentimes cannot be rehabilitated. “Keeping attractants secured not only helps keep you and your neighbors safe, it helps keep bears alive and promotes healthy bear behavior.” Yellowstone National Park visitation numbers broke all-time records in both July and August of 2021, and Gallatin Valley is the fastest growing micropolis in the country. As more people visit
and move to these wild areas, bear encounters will become more common. In addition to storing food properly, hiking in groups, and carrying and knowing how to use bear spray, it’s also key to avoid startling bears, which many people do by yelling “Hey bear!” The brand Hey Bear has harnessed the power of these words and turned it into a movement. “There’s been this massive population growth in bear habitat areas,” said Eric Ladd, the brand’s founder and owner of Outlaw Partners, publisher of Mountain Outlaw. “You see more and more interactions with people and bears … and it prompted me to try and have an impact and create a solution for these problems.” Hey Bear cobrands with a number of sustainable and ethical brands, such as Cotopaxi, selling T-shirts, hats, jackets and bear spray belts, and is subsequently creating a movement around education and recreation as well as partnering with regional bear habitat conservation efforts. Hey Bear is more than just a brand of sustainable and fashionable products—it’s a movement that advocates for those beautiful apex predators with whom we live.
A small cousin of the grizzly, the black bear is found throughout the United States in forested mountains. Unlike grizzlies, black bears are skilled at climbing trees. PHOTO BY THOMAS D. MANGELSEN
This is the ethos of Hey Bear. “If you’re going to coexist with a creature at the top of a the predator pile, like a bear, you have to treat them with a tremendous amount of care and respect, otherwise that interface is not going to turn out well,” said Ladd. “We should consider ourselves lucky to be stewards and to be living with a creature such as a bear.” And we are lucky—lucky to share a space in this beautiful ecosystem with these bruins. Lucky, even, to be awakened by them at night while camping, or to see one on a hike or from a distance in our car so long as we’ve taken the precautions required of us to be good stewards in their home. Visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/species/bear/bear-aware for information on living, working and recreating in bear country, as well as what to do in case you encounter a bear. Visit heybear.com to shop products and learn more about Hey Bear!
BEING RESPONSIBLE IN BEAR COUNTRY Hike in groups of three or more Make noise. We recommend yelling “Hey Bear!” Store food properly when hiking and camping Carry bear spray, keep it within reach, and know how to use it Visit a bear safety class with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks If you see a bear from afar, stay 100 yards away If you encounter a bear and it moves toward you, move slowly away and speak to it in low tones If a black bear charges, hold your ground and fight back If a grizzly charges, lay flat on your stomach, protecting your neck and head with your arms and do not move
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