July 2012
24 posts
1 tag
Yellowstone geysers yield refreshing showers for...
A boy receives a “geyser kiss or “geyser blessing” from Castle Geyser in Yellowstone Park. (Janet White/GeyserWatch)
By Janet White
Many first-time Yellowstone Park visitors are surprised to learn the spray from Yellowstone geysers that reaches them on the boardwalks can be cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. But if you think about it, that superheated water (hotter than...
1 tag
Isa Lake in Yellowstone Park drains from...
Isa Lake atop Craig Pass on the continental divide in Yellowstone National Park drains to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. (NPS photo - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
Yellowstone National Park planners are seeking input on a plan to rebuild a historic bridge that takes visitors over a portion of Isa Lake — a pond that straddles the continental divide and drains to both the Atlantic and...
1 tag
Take a leisurely stroll along Slough Creek in...
Slough Creek meanders through First Meadow with Cutoff Mountain rising in the background. (©Sandy Sisti - click to enlarge)
Parked for a Day is a user-submitted feature that lets readers share favorite activities in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Parked for a Day activities require parking the car, and can be done in a single day. Share your favorite Parked for a Day activity and...
2 tags
Climber dies after falling 1,000 feet in descent...
Rangers recovered the body Monday of a climber in Grand Teton National Park who fell 1,000 feet to his death. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo)
From Staff Reports
CODY, WYO. — A mountain climber in Grand Teton National Park fell 1,000 feet to his death Sunday while descending from the summit of the Middle Teton.
Justin Harold Beldin, 27 of Benicia, Calif., and two climbing partners...
1 tag
Yellowstone winter-use plan scores well with...
Two people ride a snowmobile east of Fishing Bridge during a January trip in Yellowstone National Park. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — Gateway communities around Yellowstone National Park have been weighing in this week on the latest draft winter-use plan for managing snowmobiles and snow coaches in the park, with generally favorable reactions from snowmobile...
2 tags
Artists create original works in Grand Teton to...
Artists Don Dernovich participates in a “quick draw” art show and sale during the first Plein Air for the Park event in Grand Teton National Park. (NPS photo - click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
The rugged and majestic beauty of Grand Teton National Park attracts thousands of professional and amateur photographers each year who work to capture that perfect image worthy of the park’s...
1 tag
A backcountry bike ride to Yellowstone Park’s Lone...
Lone Star geyser erupts from a 10-foot cone of minerals built up over many years. (GeyserWatch.com/Janet White - click to enlarge)
Parked for a Day is a user-submitted feature that lets readers share favorite activities in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Parked for a Day activities require parking the car, and can be done in a single day. Share your favorite Parked for a Day...
1 tag
Yellowstone Park lifts fire restrictions after...
From Staff Reports
Yellowstone National Park managers have lifted fire restrictions after a round of recent rainfall over most of the park.
The increased precipitation also helped wildland firefighting crews suppress the Blacktail Fire near the park’s northern boundary. The fire, which began July 12 and reached 29 acres, is approximately 95 percent contained, with full containment expected by...
1 tag
Yellowstone’s Kite Hill Cemetery at Mammoth is...
Only a single headstone remains in the Kite Hill Cemetery at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. (Mike Wheeler - click to enlarge)
By Mike Wheeler
I first heard about the “old Mammoth cemetery on the hill” and its mysterious graves while reading Yellowstone National Park historian Lee Whittlesey’s book, Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park.
...
1 tag
Emma Cowan captured by Indians in Yellowstone in...
Emma Cowan and her husband return in 1905 to the spot in Yellowstone National Park where they were captured by Nez Perce Indians. (Bozeman Pioneer Museum)
By M. Mark Miller
Emma Cowan and her family visited Yellowstone National Park in 1877 — the year the U.S. Army pursued the Nez Perce Indians there. The Nez Perce generally had amicable relations with whites, but in what has become a familiar...
1 tag
A video trip to the summit of Grand Teton
Rangers and search and rescue workers in Grand Teton National Park have been busy this past week, using a helicopter to pluck one climber from a rock face where he had boxed himself in and retrieving the body of another climber who apprently fell to his death.
There is a long and rich history of mountaineering in Grand Teton National Park, but for visitors who may not be familiar with the Tetons,...
1 tag
Missing climber found dead in Grand Teton National...
Rangers recovered the body Friday of a climber in Grand Teton National Park who had gone missing Thursday. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo)
From Staff Reports
The body of a climber in Grand Teton National Park who had apparently fallen to his death Thursday was found on Friday by park rangers after a daylong ground and air search of the central Teton peaks.
Eric Tietze, 31, of Salt...
1 tag
Crews scramble to contain fires in Yellowstone and...
Fire crews continue to monitor and work to contain the Index Fire, northeast of Yellowstone National Park. (InciWeb photo - click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
CODY, WYO. — Fire crews in and around Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks mobilized Thursday to contain a series of small fires sparked by lightning from mid-week thunderstorms, as well as one blaze that may have started from a...
1 tag
Atlas of Yellowstone editors discuss creation of...
The newly released Atlas of Yellowstone includes more than 800 maps, along with charts, illustrations and graphs offering a comprehensive view of the Yellowstone region. (University of California Press - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — The editors of a comprehensive and authoritative new reference book about the greater Yellowstone area are visiting gateway communities this month...
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Wyoming photographer draws fans with compelling...
Two wolves from the Canyon Pack squabble over an elk carcass near Alum Creek in Yellowstone National Park. (©Sandy Sisti - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — A Wyoming photographer whose work captures both the majesty and the savagery of wildlife in Yellowstone National Park says she is drawn by the irresistible lure of the park’s animals, and though she loves photographing bears...
1 tag
Grand Teton Park rangers rescue stranded climber...
A helicopter heads toward Garnet Canyon in April 2011 during a search for two lost skiers in Grand Teton National Park. (National Park Service file photo by Jackie Skaggs - click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
MOOSE, WYO. — Grand Teton National Park rangers on Tuesday rescued a stranded climber on Middle Teton, using a helicopter to help remove him from a sheer rock face where he had become...
1 tag
Glacial lakes of Grand Teton is final installment...
Glacial Lakes in Grand Teton is the final installment in a four-part series of short videos aimed at raising awareness of the park. (image by New Thought Media)
From Staff Reports
JACKSON, WYO. — The last in a series of four short videos highlighting the natural wonders of Grand Teton National Park has been released, focusing on the life-giving waters of the park.
In collaboration with Grand...
1 tag
Grand Teton Indian Arts Museum upgraded in Colter...
New interpretive displays for the David T. Vernon Collection are part of a renovation of the Colter Bay Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park. (Yellowstone Gate/Ruffin Prevost - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
COLTER BAY, WYO. — About three dozen items from the most extensive and significant collection of Native American artifacts in the National Park Service are on display in a newly...
2 tags
Yellowstone Park logs more than 1 million visitors...
Yellowstone National Park visitation is up 6 percent so far over 2011. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo)
From Staff Reports
Visitation to Yellowstone National Park for June and for the first six months of 2012 is up compared to the same period last year, with the world’s first national park already logging 1 million visitors this year.
The park recorded 674,498 recreational visitors...
1 tag
Midway Bluff in Yellowstone Park offers sweeping...
A hike up Midway Bluff in Yellowstone Park yields unforgettable views of the Midway Geyser Basin. (Dennis and Lisa Schappell - click to enlarge)
Parked for a Day is a user-submitted feature that lets readers share favorite activities in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Parked for a Day activities require parking the car, and can be done in a single day. Share your favorite Parked for a...
1 tag
Yellowstone planners set public meetings on...
A collared elk is wary, but appears relatively undisturbed by passing snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said Thursday that he believes the park’s newly released draft winter-use plan is “complicated,” but also “incredibly defensible,” and that it...
2 tags
Cody, Wyoming celebrates Fourth of July with...
Buffalo Bill Cody waves to the crowd in the town named for him during the 2012 Stampede Parade in Cody, Wyo. (Yellowstone Gate/Ruffin Prevost - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — Fourth of July parades are standard fare in towns across America, and many small towns pull out all the stops to put on a show for America’s birthday. But the Stampede Parade in Cody, Wyo. is a patriotic...
1 tag
Shooting Jake Smith’s hat: A tale from Langford’s...
Jacob Ward Smith (Yellowstone digital slide file)
By M. Mark Miller
One of the members of the famous Washburn Expedition that explored the upper Yellowstone in 1870, a jocular man named Jake Smith, was always ready to gamble. Unfortunately, he lost all his money in a card game the night before the trip started. But Jake came up with a way to replenish his stake. N.P. Langford tells the story in...
1 tag
5 simple tips for getting the most from your...
A little planning and research about geysers can help you get the most from your visit to Yellowstone National Park. (Janet White/Geyser Watch - click to enlarge)
By Janet White
Geysers and other thermal features are key attractions for most Yellowstone National Park visitors. But getting to Yellowstone isn’t cheap or easy, so it’s important to keep in mind that a great vacation doesn’t start the...
June 2012
29 posts
2 tags
Yellowstone draft winter-use plan allows 110...
Two people ride a snowmobile east of Fishing Bridge during a January trip in Yellowstone National Park. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — Under a just-released draft supplemental environmental impact statement, the National Park Service plans manager winter travel in Yellowstone using “transportation events” for allowing snowmobiles and snow coaches into the park,...
1 tag
Yellowstone and Grand Teton fire danger high for...
Fire danger in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks is high or very high going into the Fourth of July. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — As dry, hot weather conditions persist and several wildland fires burn throughout the West, land management agencies across the greater Yellowstone area are issuing warnings of elevated fire...
1 tag
Gardiner entrepreneur builds business showcasing...
Bill Berg speaks during the Gardiner Gateway Project launch in Gardiner, Mont., sharing the stage with Daniel Bierschwale, president of the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce and Clara Conner, division engineer for Western Federal Lands Highway Division. (Yellowstone Gate/Ruffin Prevost - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
GARDINER, MONT. — Bill Berg first came to Yellowstone National Park in 1972 to...
1 tag
Section of Beartooth Highway closed due to fire
From Staff Reports
A fire was reported Tuesday night near the Fox Creek Campground on US Highway 212 south of the Wyoming/Montana state line. The fire was caused by a downed power line and was reported yesterday at 5:40 pm local time. Fire crews responded and have been working through the night on the fire, which is now at approximately 25 acres in size.
Due to the current fire...
1 tag
Old Faithful Inn: Picture-perfect memories from an...
The entrance to the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park emits a warm glow in the early evening. (Janet White/Geyser Watch - click to enlarge)
By Janet White
Staying at the Old Faithful Inn, even if just for a night, can yield memories that last a lifetime. While each of the lodging choices offered inside Yellowstone National Park have their advantages, there’s something magical about...
1 tag
Kayak trip to remote shores of Yellowstone Lake
If you have visited Yellowstone National Park several times, you’re probably pretty familiar with the most popular sights and attractions along the paved roads. If you’ve taken hikes or overnight trips into the backcountry, you’ve seen a part of the park that only a small fraction of visitors ever get to witness.
But odds are, you’ve never taken a kayak along the remote shores of Yellowstone...
1 tag
Yellowstone visitor gored after failing to yield...
Visitors to Yellowstone National Park risk injury when allowing bison or other wildlife to approach within 25 yards. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — A Massachusetts man was badly injured Saturday when he was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park after failing to retreat as the animal advanced toward him.
The man, in his...
1 tag
Several dormant Yellowstone geysers are entering...
Morning Geyser in Eruption in 1959 - NPS Photo by Park Geologist, George Marler
By Janet White
Geyser enthusiasts are reporting that a handful of Yellowstone National Park geysers appear to be activating again after periods of dormancy, including one geyser that last erupted almost two decades ago.
Morning Geyser, quiet for 18 years, is now active, and there’s news that the electronic monitor on...
1 tag
Speed not a factor in Grand Teton vehicle wreck...
Grizzly bears can often be found along roads in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate )
By Ruffin Prevost
Authorities have released new details from their investigation into an incident yesterday that left a driver in Grand Teton National Park injured and a young male grizzly bear dead, finding that excessive speed was not a factor.
Officers...
1 tag
Young male grizzly bear killed in Grand Teton...
On average, at least one black bear or grizzly bear is killed by a vehicle each year in Grand Teton National Park. (Yellowstone Gate/Ruffin Prevost)
By Ruffin Prevost
MOOSE, WYO. — Grand Teton National Park rangers are investigating the circumstances surrounding a single-vehicle incident this morning that left the driver injured and killed a young male grizzly bear.
Few details were immediately...
1 tag
Old Gardiner Road follows historic stagecoach...
Departing Yellowstone National Park along the Old Gardiner Road offers a seldom-scene view of Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
Yellowstone National Park has more than 300 miles of paved (and often crowded) roads, but a lesser-known dirt road between Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. and Gardiner, Mont. offers visitors a chance to follow a...
1 tag
Maud gets her revenge while camping in Yellowstone...
A century ago, “hotel snobs” sometimes scoffed at ladies who camped in Yellowstone National Park. (Bozeman Pioneer Museum)
By M. Mark Miller
In 1913, Louise Elliott publish a book about a young schoolteacher from Lander, Wyo., who took a job as a camp assistant for a mobile camp tour. In her preface, Elliott confesses that she used several techniques that critics now might label “new...
1 tag
Yellowstone road closures planned during 2012...
Contractors in 2009 resurface part of an 11-mile stretch of road in Yellowstone National Park between the Lewis River Bridge and the park’s South Entrance. Yellowstone road closures are planned as part of summer 2012 construction projects around the Tower and Canyon areas. (NPS photo by Jim Peaco)
From Staff Reports
Yellowstone road closures are planned in connection with various 2012...
1 tag
Breakfast time for baby animals in Yellowstone...
If you’re browsing the Internet over breakfast (or even if you’re not), here’s a fun video by photographer Max Waugh highlighting morning feeding behaviors from a wide range of animals in Yellowstone National Park. The focus is on the youngsters, including a black bear cub, some fuzzy goslings, an elk calf and a fox kit.
Though it was shot in May 2010, it’s one you may not have seen before, and...
Knight News Challenge Round 2: Grizzly Watch:... →
newschallenge:
1. What do you propose to do? [20 words]
Grizzly Watch uses the structured data reporting platform of Homicide Watch to create a free, open database of all grizzly bear relocations, attacks and significant incidents in the greater Yellowstone area.
2. How will your project make…
1 tag
Gardiner Gateway launches Yellowstone North Gate...
Bill Berg, president of the Greater Gardiner Community Council, speaks in front of the Roosevelt Arch during the Gardiner Gateway Project kickoff event Thursday. Joining him on stage were, from left, Daniel Bierschwale, President, Gardiner Chamber of Commerce; Clara Conner, Division Engineer, Western Federal Lands Highway Division; Marty Malone, Commissioner, Park County, Mont.; Brian Schweitzer,...
1 tag
Yellowstone volcano risk may hinder Wyoming data...
Mount St. Helens remains active despite a massive eruption in 1980. Concerns about a major eruption of the Yellowstone volcano may hinder plans to locate data centers in northern Wyoming. (2004 USGS file photo/John Pallister - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
CODY, WYO. — Gateway communities around Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks benefit greatly from the parks’ millions of annual...
1 tag
How I got that shot: Drats! — Yellowstone’s Lamar...
Members of Lamar Canyon wolf pack in Yellowstone National Park watch as a coyote successfully flees from them near a crowd of human spectators. (photo © Meg Sommers)
By Meg Sommers
This shot came from being in the right place at the right time, understanding the dynamic of the situation and anticipating the possibilities.
There is a very good chance of seeing wolves in the Lamar Valley of...
1 tag
Groups to announce joint plan for improving...
An archival photo from around 1890 shows the Pratt and Hall general store on Park Street, along the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
By Ruffin Prevost
GARDINER, MONT. — In what some in this unincorporated gateway community of about 875 people are calling a once-in-a-generation opportunity, a diverse array of players is set to announce an agreement that will guide a cooperative...
1 tag
Yellowstone concession employee dies after fall in...
Park officials advise hikers to stay on posted trails in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and throughout Yellowstone National Park. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate - click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
Authorities have not yet released the name of an 18-year-old woman who died Thursday in an accidental fall near Inspiration Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
The woman, a Yellowstone...
1 tag
High-tech tools give researchers new view of...
A thermal imaging map shows Old Faithful geyser and Geyser Hill in Yellowstone National Park. The image was made using heat-sensing cameras and laser rangefinder mapping. Researchers are studying Yellowstone geysers and larger hydrothermal systems using the new technique. (NPS image - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
Yellowstone geysers have captured the imagination of visitors for centuries....
1 tag
Grand Teton rangers use helicopter to rescue...
A helicopter heads toward Garnet Canyon in April 2011 during a search for two lost skiers in Grand Teton National Park. (National Park Service file photo by Jackie Skaggs - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
An injured hiker climbing Albright Peak in Grand Teton National Park was flown out by a helicopter Wednesday after she received medical assistance from park rangers.
Danielle Mendicino, 21,...
2 tags
Grand Teton Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott...
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott speaks last month during an annual briefing for local elected officials. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate - click to enlarge)
By Ruffin Prevost
MOOSE, WYO. — Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott had a construction hard hat sitting on the table next to her during a presentation last month for local elected officials....
1 tag
Yellowstone Park seeks comments on proposed...
Hikers walk along a trail in Yellowstone National Park. (Jim Peaco - click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
Yellowstone National Park planners are soliciting comments for proposed trail work on a portion of the Buffalo Plateau Trail. The routine project will focus on a section of the trail between the Slough Creek Junction and the northern boundary of the park.
The project will restore surface...
1 tag
Foundation funds Yellowstone projects from bat...
The Yellowstone Park Foundation has announced $200,000 in funding for a variety of projects, including $60,000 for preservation of a unique and historic wall covering in the Old Faithful Lower Hamilton Store. (Wikimedia/Acroterion)
From Staff Reports
BOZEMAN, MONT. — A host of diverse projects in Yellowstone National Park — including bat research, geyser data sharing and even preserving a unique...
2 tags
Yellowstone and Grand Teton offer free admission...
Admission to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and all of America’s 397 national parks is free on Saturday, June 9.
From Staff Reports
Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, along with all national parks across the country, will offer free admission to visitors Saturday, June 9 in observance of National Get Outdoors Day.
Grand Teton will host a series of special family-oriented activities that...
