THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKPERMANENT NPS STORY ARCHIVE
Organized by publication date and destination. Each story retains its permanent State & Nation address and official NPS source.
The National Park Service (NPS) signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and associated Wetlands/Floodplains Statement of Findings (SOF) to reconstruct the North Entrance Road between Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, and Gardiner, Montana, in Yellowstone National Park.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 856,467 recreation visits in August 2026, down 3% from August 2025 (881,936 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
The Department of the Interior today announced that Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cameron “Cam” Sholly will conclude nearly three decades of federal service and almost eight years leading America’s first national park.
Official NPS source
Effective Friday, Sept. 4, the remaining fishing restrictions on the Firehole, Madison and Gibbon (downstream of Norris Campground) rivers and all associated tributaries will be lifted due to cooling weather and water temperatures. Anglers will be able to fish these rivers, in addition to most other park rivers, streams and lakes, daily from sunrise to sunset as specified in the 2026 Fishing Regulations booklet.
Official NPS source
Beginning Aug. 31, Yellowstone National Park will temporarily close Buffalo Creek, a tributary of Slough Creek in the northern part of the park, for treatment to remove invasive fish as part of ongoing conservation efforts to preserve native species. It will reopen to the public on Sept. 7.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 958,706 recreation visits in July 2026, down 2% from July 2025 (975,109 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
Beginning Saturday, Aug. 1, people may apply to the 2026-2027 winter lottery for permits to snowmobile in Yellowstone National Park without a commercial guide.
Official NPS source
The parkwide fire danger level for Yellowstone is now HIGH.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 903,025 recreation visits in June 2026, down 3% from June 2025 (928,250 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
Yellowstone has lifted the remaining temporary trail, backcountry campsite and fishing closures near Old Faithful that were put in place after a May 4 bear incident in which two hikers were injured by an adult female grizzly bear with cubs.
Official NPS source
A 12-year-old visitor was injured by a bison in Yellowstone National Park on June 26 at approximately 9:15 a.m.
Official NPS source
If you plan to visit Yellowstone National Park this Fourth of July, plan ahead to protect yourself and this wild and awe-inspiring place. Summer is the busiest time in the park, so please pack your patience. Expect crowds at popular areas and lines at entrance stations, construction areas, and roadside wildlife sightings.
Official NPS source
On the morning of June 8, occupants of a vessel on Yellowstone Lake discovered the body of a 41-year-old male, Brandon Rhea of Denver, Colorado, floating in the water near Rock Point on the northwest shore of the lake near Bridge Bay.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 570,272 recreation visits in May 2026, up 1% from May 2025 (566,363 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
The Beartooth Highway (US-212) from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Montana, is now open for the season.
Official NPS source
This summer, visitors to Yellowstone National Park are being urged to plan ahead – both to stay safe and to help protect one of America’s most iconic wild landscapes.
Official NPS source
As part of ongoing monitoring efforts to document recovery of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with Yellowstone National Park, is working to inform the public that pre-baiting and scientific capture operations are once again about to begin within Yellowstone National Park. Agency biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will begin the field captures May 1 and continue through Oct. 15.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone entrances and roads scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Friday, April 17 will instead open at noon due to a significant winter storm with heavy snow, low temperatures and strong winds.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park reminds boaters and anglers to clean, drain and dry all boats, trailers and equipment prior to arriving in the park to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) into park waters. In 2026, boating season begins May 23 and extends through Oct. 31.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park welcomed 4,762,988 recreation visits in 2025.
Official NPS source
On March 9, Yellowstone biologists working in the northern part of the park reported seeing the first grizzly bear of the spring season. The bear was observed in the backcountry scavenging on a bull bison carcass.
Official NPS source
Starting this year, Yellowstone National Park will extend the fishing season on three rivers in the park.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is seeking public input on an environmental assessment (EA) for the reconstruction of the new permanent North Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park. Goals for the new road alignment include continuing to provide year-round access between Gardiner and Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana, improving the road’s safety, and ensuring long-term visitor access while protecting natural and cultural resources.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park’s winter season begins Monday, Dec. 15.
Official NPS sourceThe parkwide fire danger level for Yellowstone is now HIGH and Stage 1 fire restrictions that went into effect August 12 have been lifted.
Official NPS source
On the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 16, a male, age 29, sustained injuries from a bear while hiking on the Turbid Lake Trail, located northeast of Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake.
Official NPS source
Effective immediately, select rivers and streams that were partially closed to fishing due to warm water temperatures and low flows are now open without restrictions. There are currently no temperature-related restrictions in place parkwide.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 881,936 recreation visits in August 2025, up 2% from August 2024 (868,259 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
As part of ongoing monitoring efforts to document recovery of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with Yellowstone National Park, is working to inform the public that pre-baiting and scientific capture operations are once again about to begin within Yellowstone National Park. Agency biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will begin the field captures Sept. 1 and continue through Oct. 15.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 975,109 recreation visits in July 2025, down 2% from July 2024 (992,352 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
Stage 1 fire restrictions will go into effect Aug. 12 in Yellowstone National Park due to the VERY HIGH fire danger level.
Official NPS source
On the afternoon of July 30, Yellowstone helitack crews detected the Ash Fire in the Bechler area located in the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park.
Official NPS source
On Monday morning, July 28, a 17-year-old male suffered significant thermal burns to his foot and ankle area in the vicinity of Lone Star Geyser near Old Faithful.
Official NPS source
Beginning Friday, Aug. 1, people may apply to the 2025-2026 winter lottery for permits to snowmobile in Yellowstone National Park without a commercial guide. Authorized in 2013, the Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program allows permit holders to enter the park for up to three days with a group of up to five snowmobilers.
Official NPS source
At approximately 5 p.m. July 11, Yellowstone National Park staff lethally removed an adult female black bear following a series of concerning incidents at a backcountry campsite located in the Blacktail Deer Creek drainage in the northern part of the park.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 928,250 recreation visits in June 2025, up 1% from June 2024 (914,612 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
Leave fireworks at home – it's wildfire season! If you will visit Yellowstone National Park this Fourth of July, plan ahead to protect yourself and this wild and awe-inspiring place. Summer is the busiest time in the park, so please pack your patience. Expect crowds at popular areas and lines at entrance stations, construction areas, and roadside wildlife sightings. Follow our tips enjoy your visit and protect the park for generations to come.
Official NPS source
Effective Thursday, June 19, 2025, select Yellowstone National Park rivers and streams will close to fishing daily from 2 p.m. to sunrise the following day due to warm water temperatures and low river flows.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park hosted 566,363 recreation visits in May 2025, up 8% from May 2024 (522,450 recreation visits).
Official NPS source
On June 10, a 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, was injured by a bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Official NPS source
On Monday May 26, the first confirmed wildland fire of the season in Yellowstone National Park was detected by hikers on the Bighorn Pass Trail.
Official NPS source
If you plan to travel to Yellowstone National Park this summer, plan ahead to protect yourself and this wild and awe-inspiring place.
Official NPS source
Yellowstone National Park staff trapped and killed an 11-year-old male grizzly bear on May 14 after the bear repeatedly sought out human food sources in developed areas of the park.
Official NPS source