During a recent six-day visit to Yellowstone, I experienced some inconveniences and downright dangers of Yellowstone.
In 2021, my business partner and best buddy, Circe Denyer, and I went to Yellowstone. We wanted to see if, indeed, it was a photographer’s paradise. We found it to be just that. The variety of natural wonders at this National park were breathtaking. Magical. If visiting Yellowstone for the first time or returning…here are some precautions you may want to keep in mind. Inconveniences and dangers of Yellowstone. Specifically, they are:
Inconveniences:
- No Cell Service
- Crowds
- Wildlife
These inconveniences are part of the dangers of Yellowstone:
- No Cell Service
- Crowds
- Wildlife
- Being Stupidly Curious
No Cell Service
The inconvenience of no cell service is that you don’t have a GPS to guide you through the massive park. I mean, Yellowstone is HUGE. It swallows Yosemite! FOrtunately, Circe had downloaded an interactive map that was a helpful alternative to having no GPS.
Then there is hiking! While hiking, what happens if you get lost? Unless you’ve got a paper map or a phone app with a map, you’re, well, lost. I recommend either taking a compass with you or leaving breadcrumbs (goodness, not food breadcrumbs) so you can find your way back. After all, you cannot CALL anyone for help.
The danger of no cell service and being lost is nighttime when predators hunt for food. While we were visiting, we heard about a guy who went hiking and got mauled by two bears. He lived and was able to walk out. What if he couldn’t walk. He can’t call anyone. I guess he could scream for help if he’s got the energy. Even if he was with others, they have to go back to get help, and, in the meantime, the bears might come back and finish him off. In my opinion, hiking in Yellowstone is taking your life into your hands, especially if you hike alone, which falls into the stupid category.
Crowds
With all of its thermal features and stunning natural beauty, Yellowstone attracts visitors from all over the world. Four million people annually! Yellowstone is most crowded, of course, during the summer months. The inconvenience of crowds is twofold. First, they are often in the way of getting the perfect view or photograph you want to take. Worst, they stop their cars to rubberneck any wildlife that is visible from the road. Twice we were stuck in a l-o-n-g line of vehicles for a l-o-n-g time waiting for people to move on from viewing whatever wildlife was in view. This is inconvenient if you are in a hurry, or worst, your bladder is full.
The danger of crowds is within the thermal areas. The hot springs are HOT. Close to, if not boiling. The mud pots are 275 degrees. In areas where the railing is low or not present, who’s to say you cannot get accidentally bumped into one of these death traps or that you bump someone else? As staggeringly unbelievably awesome as it is, the Grand Pragmatic has only a walkway for a good portion of it. It is one of the most popular sites in Yellowstone. Thus, crowds. For me, it spells danger. You can see this in my slideshow below.
Wildlife
Yellowstone is a mecca of wildlife. Especially Bison. They are EVERYWHERE! The inconvenience of wildlife is, as mentioned earlier, getting stuck in the long line of cars with rubbernecking passengers. But the danger? Getting too close to wildlife.
The Bison, while they look like fluffy cows, are in no way like cows. They may appear docile, but they are unpredictable. It is advised to say 30 feet away from Bison. That isn’t easy when they are crossing the street where you are standing. Or, they are so close you cannot resist
This is what we did with a HUGE bison grazing along the side of the road. No one else was around. WHAT LUCK. We pulled over and backed up as to be about 12 feet away from the beast. I rolled down my window and took some pictures. When done, I said, “Hi Honey…”. The Bison stopped, looked up at me, and turned to walk casually towards my side of the car. When it was about two feet away, and its headway too big to fit inside any car window, I rolled it up while saying, “Sorry honey, but I’m afraid of you!” I have to say, though, it sure had a cute looking face! Anyhow, once I rolled up my window, the beast backed up a step and proceeded to cross in front of our car and wander across the street. I shudder to think what COULD have happened. We were, well, stupid. But the biggest STUPID of all is tampering with those hot springs and mud pots!
Being stupidly curious (especially around the Yellowstone Thermal Features)
There is a book available on Amazon called “Deaths in Yellowstone.”
To date, 27 people have died due to some sort of interaction with park thermal areas since the late 1800s compared to Eight killed by bears.
Quoting from Country Living article that lists the ten deadliest National parks:
“There are a lot of different ways to get killed in this park. It’s an unforgiving environment,” wrote Lee Whittlesey in his book Death in Yellowstone, according to Discover magazine. From towering canyons to acidic hot springs, the famous Wyoming park is ripe with opportunities for freak accidents or fatal decision-making, such as with one 23-year-old Oregon man who was trying to “hot pot” or take an illegal dip in the Norris Geyser Basin. His body was never recovered, likely because the acidic water dissolved his remains, CNN reported.
Another gruesome story is about the man who dived into a hot spring to save a dog. The dog didn’t make it, but the man got out only to die 24 hours later.
In Conclusion:
Yellowstone is ranked #4 of the ten deadliest national parks. Keep these things in mind, and you’ll be able to experience magical Yellowstone safely.
- Get a map or download a map app to your phone. Maps are offered at the kiosks. Accept them!
- Be careful hiking – there is no cell service to call for help.
- Stay a distance away from the wildlife.
- Watch the Crowds – especially around thermal areas
- Stay on the boardwalks (thermal features)
By being aware and cautious, you can safely experience all the wonder of magical Yellowstone.
