June 1, 2022

I have no idea why I decided to write this today, but I saw something in the news that just struck me.

It has begun – the summer lunacy of fools visiting Yellowstone Park.  It’s a bit early in the season but Monday morning, a 25-year-old woman from Ohio was gored and thrown into the air by a bison in the park when she approached within 10 feet of the beast!!  Ten feet!!  Park regulations require people to stay at least 25 yards away from large animals such as bison and 100 yards away from grizzlies and wolves.  [Breaking – it was just announced on the news that this young lady has died from her injuries!]

This happens multiple times every year and in spite of all of the warnings, not to mention using a little common sense, idiots continue to approach animals to closely in the park and get injured.  The fact is, more people are injured by bison every year in Yellowstone than any other animal in the park.  This is just the first for this year.  It is a one hundred percent probability that it will not be the last.

A few fun facts.  A mature bull bison can reach a height of 5.5 to 6.5 feet at its hump and can be 9 to 12.5 feet long.  Females are a bit smaller but, in general, a bison can weigh between 1,800 and 2,400 pounds, i.e., one ton more or less.  Even at that size, bison can run three times faster than humans, so anyone who is foolish enough to approach these animals is doomed to injury or death if they decide to charge – as the woman from Ohio found out.

In 2021, Yellowstone Park hosted 4,860,537 visitors.   The combined populations of Montana and Wyoming are about 1.5 million people.  Do the math.  More than three times the combined populations of Montana and Wyoming visited Yellowstone last year.   Given this, it’s easy to understand why during the summer tourist season, there are long traffic jams throughout most of the park.  Personally, even though it’s only about 90 miles from my house to the West Yellowstone entrance to Yellowstone Park, I do not frequent the park in the summer. 

It would not surprise me if some time in the future, they start requiring reservations to visit the park the same way they now require reservations to drive the Going To The Sun Highway in Glacier National Park.  That would be unfortunate but one has to wonder at what point the park infrastructure will just be overloaded.

I was fortunate this past winter to visit Yellowstone Park on a snowmobile and I found it far more enjoyable than dealing with miles long traffic jams and millions of tourists.   The number of snowmobiles and snowmobile operators are capped so there really weren’t any traffic jams.  The scenery is spectacular and you see all of the same animals.  The geysers and hot pools are really amazing to see in the winter.  I would do another snowmobile trip in Yellowstone in a heartbeat.

The trip I took started in West Yellowstone and went to Old Faithful geyser where we stopped for lunch.  It is an all-day excursion.  I think we met at the outfitters at 8 a.m. and probably left about 9 a.m.   We got back about 3 in the afternoon.  There are many stops along the way and a few places have restroom facilities. 

It is necessary to make reservations for such an excursion well in advance as they do sell out.  The outfitters not only rent snowmobiles but also rent snowmobile suits, helmets, boots, etc.  Yellowstone Park can get VERY cold in the winter but as I have heard said before, “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”  If you are prepared, the trip will be fun. 

If piloting a snowmobile seems a bit much, they also have snow coaches which are basically busses designed to travel over snow.  They are enclosed, heated and elevated so you get a good view of everything.

Yellowstone Park is a truly spectacular place and well worth a visit.  However, like I said, my preference is to go in the winter to avoid the lunacy and circus like atmosphere found in the summertime.  Whenever, you go, it is imperative to respect the wildlife, stay on the boardwalks around the hot pools and geysers, and basically just use some common sense.  Failing to do so, could cost your life as the young lady from Ohio so tragically just found out.  So sad and so needless.