And for good reason. The park, created by the U.S. Congress in 1872, teems with wildlife, from chipmunks to grizzly bears. Tourists from around the United States and the world flock there hoping to glimpse wildlife in its natural habitat.
Yellowstone also is home to half the thermal activity in the world, with 80 percent of the park’s visitors watching Old Faithful erupt, says Al Nash, chief of public affairs for Yellowstone National Park.
Tip No. 1: How to avoid the crowds
Yellowstone, located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, is open year ‘round. While only a few thousand people visit in the winter, hundreds of thousands of people flock through the park between May and September. Some 3.6 million people visited Yellowstone in 2010, but only about a hundred thousand visited during the winter months when the park is not as accessible.
More tourists visit July than in any other month, Nash says. August is the second most popular month, followed by June, September and May.
If you don’t want to stumble over people every time you take a step, don’t visit in July. The shoulder season months of May and September don’t draw as many people and the weather should be relatively decent, though not as warm as July and August.
Tip No. 2: The best time to see grizzlies
Planning your trip around wildlife habits also makes a lot of sense. If you absolutely, positively have to see grizzly bears on your trip, Nash says the best time to do this is spring or fall, when they’re at lower elevations. As the days move from spring to summer, the animals the grizzlies prey on move to higher elevations, with the grizzlies moving up at the same time. Nash says it’s important to “follow the food chain” when you want to see specific animals.
In most locations, the early morning or evening hours are usually pretty good times to see animals roaming through forests and meadows. At Yellowstone, however, many animals, like buffalo and elk, can be found at all hours of the day.
Tip 3: Don’t break the laws
Many people may not find this out until it’s too late, but Yellowstone has a full-fledged law enforcement operation set up to handle people who violate park laws. While you probably won’t see any vehicles emblazoned with the word “police” on them you will see vehicles painted with “park ranger.” Same thing. Nash says park rangers are federal law enforcement officers.
Park rangers can arrest people for getting too close to wild animals. Park regulations require people to stay 100 yards or 300 feet away from bears and wolves, and 25 yards or 75 feet away from other animals. This isn’t always possible, however, as no one told the animals, especially the buffalo or elk, that they needed to keep their distance from humans. Still, animals can charge on a moment’s notice, so it is wise to keep your distance from them.
Park rangers also cite people for speeding. The top speed limit in the park is 45 mph, but it frequently drops to 25 mph or 35 mph. Plus, rangers also investigate the hundreds of traffic accidents which occur each year in the park, says Nash.
The park service has the capability to deal with lawbreakers before they leave the park. It maintains a full-time magistrate and assistant U.S. attorney to prosecute violators. Plus, it has a jail which usually has occupants, Nash notes.
Nash says the park needs the law enforcement system as it has the same types of problems as cities of 30,000 people - that’s how many people visit Yellowstone a day during the busy summer months.
If you follow these tips, you should have a more successful trip to America's most-loved park.
Cheryl Probst - Cheryl Probst is an award-winning photojournalist who specializes in writing about motorcycles, China and the Pacific Northwest.
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