Yellowstone National Park's Boiling River Closed Until Further Notice

This is not the actual sign, but you get the point.

Yesterday marked the time of year that college students from Bozeman loathe, the Spring closing of the Boiling River. No, the super volcano is not getting hotter. The reasoning for the closure is very easy to figure out if you have ever lived in a place that has four seasons, Spring runoff. The rivers are rising which makes them more dangerous. They are being fed by all of that snow that is melting and running down the mountains.

The thing that I find funny is that people will drive 75 miles to soak in an overcrowded place which is only 3 miles from the North Entrance to the park and not go past. A friend of mine said that she had only been to the Boiling River previous to her visit this last week. This saddens me because  Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is one of the most special places in the world in my view.

 The National Park Service does not close this because they fell like it, there are always legitimate reasons for any closure in Yellowstone. In this case it is high water, sometimes there is a animal carcass on a trail, etc. If you are caught in this area while it is closed you will most likely be fined.

YNP is home to over 10,000 thermal features including the highest concentration of geysers on planet Earth. Actually it has more than all of the other geyser fields combined. It is also home to the largest free roaming herds of elk and bison in the world, which is quite amazing. There are also pronghorn antelope, white tail and mule deer and many other small mammals. Not to mention the grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, bobcat, lynx, and many other predators.

If this is not enough for you I'll also mention that there are over 1,100 miles of hiking trails in the park and many more in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem  that surrounds the park.

So if this is not enough for you then I don't know what to say.

Yellowstone National Park is unique and beautiful as well as captivating and dangerous. This place should not be taken lightly. If you live in this region take a trip to the park, watch some wildlife, get the geyser predictions from the Old Faithful Visitors Center or get the NPS Geyser APP for you "smart phone" users.

Yellowstone National Park was set aside "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people" on March 1, 1892 because it is so unique and full of wonder and danger.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. They are pushing the Find Your Park campaign to get people out. Is this your park or are you gonna just drive 3 miles in?

The decision is yours but I beg of you, take a cruise and see what it's all about. It is in fact your heritage!

Thanks for reading and I hope that you Find Your Park! #findyourpark




The Boiling River in 1900