Yellowstone National Park Rules and Regulations

Rules and Regulations

Yellowstone is a wilderness filled with natural wonders that are also potential hazards at times. There is no guarantee of your safety. Regulations are strictly enforced to protect you and the park's wonders. This page is designed to provide the basic rules at a glance. It is not comprehensive and should be used merely to obtain a simple familiarity with some of the more important rules. If you need a more detailed description of the official rules and regulations, please stop by a visitor center or a park ranger station.

Avoid These Situations

Your visit my be marred by tragedy if you violate park rules. Law enforcement rangers strictly enforce park regulations to protect you and the park. Please help keep our contacts with you pleasant by paying special attention to park regulations and avoiding these problems:

Speeding (radar enforced)
Driving while intoxicated (open container law enforced)
Off-road travel by vehicle or bicycle
Improper storage of food
Camping violations
Pets off leash
Littering
Swimming in thermal pools
Removal or possession of natural (flowers, antlers, rocks, etc) or cultural features (artifacts)
Feeding or approaching wildlife
Spotlighting (viewing animals with artificial light)
Boating and fishing violations
Failure to remove detachable side mirrors when not pulling trailers

Scalding Water Can Ruin Your Trip

Yellowstone's thermal features, rare among the earth's wonders, are extremely fragile. Boardwalks and trails protect you and preserve delicate formations. You must stay on boardwalks and designated trails. Scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust. Pools may be near or above the boiling temperature and can cause severe, possibly even fatal, burns.

Pets are prohibited in thermal areas.

Swimming or bathing in thermal pools or streams, where water flows entirely from a thermal spring or pool, is prohibited. Where swimming is allowed, swim at your own risk. Thermal waters may contain organisms know to cause infections and/or amoebic meningitis, which can quickly be fatal. Obtain more information at any ranger station or visitor center.

Unpredictable Wildlife - Keep Your Distance!

Never Approach Closer than 100 Yards to Bears and 25 Yards to Other Wildlife

You will see more of an animals natural behavior and activity if you are sensitive to its need for space. Do not approach any wildlife, especially those with young. View them from the safety of your vehicle. If an animal reacts to your presence, you are too close.

Each year a number of park visitors are injured by wildlife when they approach animals too closely. You must stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, wolves, and coyotes.

BISON may appear tame and slow but they are unpredictable and dangerous. They weigh up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) and sprint at 30 miles per hour (48 kph), three time faster than you can run! Every year visitors are gored and some have been killed.

COYOTES quickly learn bad habits like roadside begging. This may lead to aggressive behavior toward humans. Never approach or feed a begging coyote.

BEARS - Be alert for tracks and sign. The best way to avoid a bear is to take all necessary precautions to avoid surprise encounters. Review both our backpacking page and our bear encounters page for important information on this subject.

If precautionary measures fail and you are charged by a bear, you can still usually defuse the situation. Pepper spray is a good last line of defense and it is effective in more than 90% of the reported cases where it has been used. Become familiar with your pepper spray, real all instructions, and know its limitations. Pepper spray must be instantly available, not in your pack. Remember, carrying pepper spray is not a substitute for vigilance and good safety precautions.

If you are injured by a bear (regardless of how minor), or if you observe bear or bear sign, report it to a park ranger as soon as possible. Someone's safety may depend on it.

Attention Anglers and Boaters

Yellowstone National Park's fishing season opens the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and closes the first Sunday in November. Yellowstone Lake opens for fishing on June 15. Permits are required for the use of boats or float tubes.

Backcountry Permits

Permits are required for overnight backcountry use and may be obtained in person up to 48 hours in advance from any ranger station. Rangers will provide information on weather, trails, and other conditions. See our Backcountry Tips Page for details.

Bicycling

Bicycling is permitted on established public roads, parking areas, and designated routes. There are no bicycle paths along roadways. Bicycles are prohibited on backcountry trails and boardwalks.

We strongly recommend that safety gear, including helmet and high visibility clothing, be worn by all bicyclists. Park roads are narrow and winding; most do not have a shoulder or shoulders are covered by gravel. During April, May, and June, high snowbanks make travel more dangerous. Road elevations range from 5300 to 8,860 feet (1,615 - 2,700 m). Relatively long distances exist between services and facilities.

Motorists frequently do not see bicyclists or fail to give them sufficient space on the road. Drivers sometimes pass on hill crests, blind curves, or in oncoming traffic. Vehicles, especially motor homes or those towing trailers, may have wide mirrors posing an additional hazard.

Fallen Trees

Following the fires of 1988, thousands of dead trees, known as snags, were left standing in Yellowstone. These snags may fall with very little warning. Be cautious and alert for falling snags along trails and roadways, and in campsites and picnic areas. Avoid areas with large numbers of dead trees. Again, there is no guarantee of your safety.

Weapons

No firearms or weapons, including state-permitted concealed weapons, are allowed in Yellowstone. However, unloaded firearms may be transported in a vehicle when the weapon is cased, broken down, or rendered inoperable, and kept out of sight. Ammunition must be placed in a separate compartment of the vehicle.

Pets

Pets must be leashed. They are prohibited on any trails, in the backcountry, and in thermal basins. Pets are not allowed more than 100 feet from a road or parking area. Leaving a pet unattended and/or tied to an object is prohibited.

Traffic

Yellowstone has more than 350 miles (564 km) of roads. Most are narrow, rough, and busy. Some sections are steep with sharp drop-offs. Drive cautiously and courteously. Slow moving vehicles must use pullouts to observe wildlife or scenery and to allow safe passing by other vehicles. Watch for animals on the road, especially at night.

Bicycles and motorcycles present special hazards. Drive defensively and wear seat belts. Yellowstone has a mandatory seat belt requirement for all passengers. Be especially cautious of ice and road damage. Cool temperatures may occur at any time of the year. The maximum speed limit is 45 mph (73 km per hour) unless posted otherwise.

High Altitude

Visitors with a cardiac or respiratory medical history should be aware that most park roads roads range between 5,300 and 8,860 feet in elevation. We recommend contacting a physician prior to your visit. Be aware of your physical limitations and drink plenty of fluids to forestall the dehydrating effects of the parks dry climate. Stop and rest frequently.

Picnic Areas

Overnight camping is not allowed in any of the park's picnic areas. Fires may be built only in fire grates available in picnic areas at Snake River, Grant Village, Bridge Bay, Cascade, Norris Meadows, Yellowstone River, Spring Creek, Nez Perce, and the east parking lot of Old Faithful.