Memorial Day Openings In Yellowstone

In Yellowstone National Park Memorial Day weekend marks a few different milemarks for the year. Yesterday marked the opening of two favorite drives in the Greater Yellowstone. Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway are now accessible to area visitors. These roads open so late in the season due to unpredictability of weather and the fact that most years there is a ton of snow late into the Spring and even Summer. They are both subject to closures at anytime due to these factors.

 

Starting on Monday, Memorial Day the backcountry permits for the park will have a required fee that will run through September 10th.

The fees will be $3 per night, per person with a maximum $15 fee per party. 

If you plan to stay over 8 nights in the backcountry there is a frequent user card available for $25.

Stock (horse) parties will pay a fee of $5 per person per night with no breaks. 

This is the first year the Yellowstone has enacted backcountry fees.

All the proceeds from fee collection will go directly into the backcountry program.

There are no fees to dayhike just to camp overnight.

Hiking the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River. 2007.

Today marks the opening of the 2015 fishing season in Yellowstone National Park.

 There are 3 day passes available for $18, the 7 day pass is $25 and season is $40.

Be sure to check out the regulations because they are different depending on where you would like to fish.

 

Follow this link to the regulations.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/15FishReg_revisionTW.pdf

 

Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish and Arctic Grayling are all native species and are native species and are catch and release only. The saying relating to Cutthroat Trout is, "if it has a red slash, put it back". 

 

Below are photos of three native species of Yellowstone National Park, catch and release only.

Cutthroat Trout. Source www.tripadvisor.com

Mountain Whitefish. https://wgfd.wyo.gov/fishexam/species/frmMoutainWhitefish.aspx

Arctic Grayling. www.fws.gov



Non-native species in the park include Rainbow, Brown, Brook and Lake Trout.

The regulations are different per watershed in the park.

 Make sure that you know the regulations for the specific waterbody you are fishing!

Always have your permit when fishing in the park. You can get them at any of the backcountry offices.

 

Summer is just ramping up here in the northern Rocky Mountains! Come and play, be safe and know the rules of engagement. This place is wild and amazing! I'm glad it has been preserved for generations to come! Keep up the good work America!!!  Oh and NO the Boiling River is not open yet.  

Yellowstone National Park Camping Rates and Dates 2015

So I have decided to take the time to address some of the common question that people want answers to when heading to Yellowstone National Park (YNP).

 

 It your are interested in when the roads are opening in the park please refer to my previous blog at: http://greateryellowstoneguru.blogspot.com/2015/04/yellowstone-national-park-road-openings.html

 

I would like to address is camping this time. As of today Mammoth and Madison are open and they fill up fast, especially on weekends. During the Summer months all of the campgrounds will fill up daily so get them early.
 

Here is a list of opening and closing dates as well as rates:

Mammoth Year Round $20 per night 

Madison 5/1-10/18 $21.50 per night

Fishing Bridge 5/8-9/20 (hard sided units only) $46.75 per night

Norris 5/15-9/28 $20 per night

Tower/Roosevelt 5/22-9/28 $15 per night

Bridge Bay 5/22-9/7 $21.50 per night

Canyon 5/29-9/13 $26 per night

Indian Creek 6/12-9/14 $15 per night

Pebble Creek 6/15-9/28 $15 per night

Slough Creek 6/15-10/7 $15 per night

Lewis Lake 6/15-11/1 $15 per night

Grant Village 6/21-9/10 $26 per night

 

 Yellowstone is home to many wild animals who go where they please. photo from: tripadvisor.com

In the past backcountry camping permits have been free, that will change this year on Memorial Weekend. The fee will be $3 per person per night or $15 maximum for a group. You will also be able to purchase an Annual Backcountry Pass for $25 good for the season from Memorial Day to September 10th. Permits will be free the remaining parts of the year.  

If you don't get a camping site in the park there are plenty of places outside the boundaries of the park available with rates that are usually cheaper. I know, you're not in Yellowstone but hey at least you have a place to crash! Cheers and we'll see you on the trail!!!

 

 Mammoth, Madison, Fishing Bridge and Norris NOW OPEN! 5/15/15

 

Yellowstone National Park's Boiling River Closed Until Further Notice

Sometimes things happen that we don't like, this is the time of the year that coeds from Montana State University in Bozeman take that 75 mile drive just to be dissapointed. The Boiling River in the northern part of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is CLOSED until further notice. The reason being a simple one or course, spring runoff from the mountains. It swells the rivers and makes them more dangerous and cold, it is in fact melting snow.  If you do decide to go around the AREA CLOSED sign you will most likely receive a citation...

Here are a few pics of the Boiling River so you can see what people will be missing for a while.



This is where the Boiling River comes out of the ground.

Watch your step, sandals are your friend.

This is what it's all about.

 

Best time at the Boiling River, Winter! Small crowds and warm water.

So you can't go soak in the Boiling River, there are always the pools at Chico and White Sulphur Springs, the later being my favorite because it's less crowded.

 

Well guess what, there is more to to YNP than the Boiling River! Yellowstone is the first national park on the planet Earth, and for many good reasons.

 

1.There is a Super Volcano which is set to go off, well no one actually knows and please don't believe the internet hype that it's going to explode. If it did I'd be the first to know.

2. YNP is home to more geysers than anywhere on the planet. They are like inverted waterfalls caused by superheated water and pressure build up. Most of the big geysers are located in the Upper, Middle and Lower geyser basins near and around Old Faithful.

3. There are grizzly and black bears, bison, elk, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, lynx, wolverines and many more animals that you might see if you are lucky.

4. There are over 1,100 miles of hiking trails in YNP!!! Yeah 1,100!!!

5. It's YELLOWSTONE!!!

 

So all of you Boiling River enthusiasts from Bozeman keep on coming down to YNP and hit the trails or go for a drive and get beyond the two mile mark!