Yellowstone visitor injured by bison encounter

A 12-year-old visitor was injured by a bison in Yellowstone National Park on June 26 at approximately 9:15 a.m.

The incident occurred near Mud Volcano, just north of Fishing Bridge. The visitor sustained injuries, and emergency medical personnel transported them to a nearby hospital. The incident remains under investigation.

Wildlife in Yellowstone are wild and can be dangerous

Wild animals can be aggressive when people do not respect their space. Visitors are responsible for staying at least 25 yards away from all large animals, including bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, and at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves and cougars.

If wildlife approach you, move away to maintain the required distance. Never approach, touch, feed or crowd wildlife, even if an animal appears calm.

Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans and will defend their space when threatened.

Learn more about safety while visiting Yellowstone, including how to behave around wildlife. The safety of visitors and wildlife depends on everyone using good judgment and following park regulations.



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• Ramble On: A History of Hiking

Forest Service announces proposed pilot projects to enhance recreation monitoring

The Forest Service is publishing a Federal Register notice announcing an interagency effort to monitor recreation use by implementing pilot projects across public lands. This effort is geared towards improving recreation resource management, visitor services, and planning.

The purpose of these pilot protocols is to model recreation use patterns, including low-use and dispersed recreation activities, that may not be effectively measured by existing general and opportunistic survey and monitoring protocols. The Federal Register notice is available for public inspection today and will officially publish on Monday, initiating a 30-day public comment period on the proposed pilot projects. The notice will direct the public to BLM’s e-planning website for comment collection.

“Understanding visitor recreation use patterns is important for the Forest Service to gain a better understanding of the demand so we can improve visitor experiences,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “These pilot projects will incorporate a variety of on-site techniques including activities such as manually counting visitors, summarizing trail permit data, installing mechanical counters, and providing logbooks for visitors to record their use.”

There will also be the incorporation of emerging data sources and technologies, such leveraging anonymized digital data generated by visitors to recreation sites to describe recreation-use patterns at those sites. This will include scanning social media to research photo and review sharing applications, understanding anonymized location-based services from smart phones, and incorporating remotely sensed data like aerial photography and satellite imagery to corroborate on-data pulled from recreation usage.

These pilot projects are one of the many ongoing actions identified in the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, enacted January 4, 2026, and is specifically tied to section 133.

The Forest Service is proposing pilot projects alongside the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.



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From Montana to New Mexico, the American Rockies stretch for more than a thousand miles. Within this spectacular mountain range are thousands of miles of hiking trails. With such an overwhelming number of options, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains takes all the guesswork out by focusing on some of the most amazing hikes across this range, and provides you with a handpicked list of options that will allow you to make the most of your trips in the Rockies:

Another small hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park

The USGS Volcanoes X/Twitter account posted this on Monday. The post includes a video of the explosion:

In the early morning hours of June 13, 2026, a small hydrothermal explosion occurred at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park! The activity was recorded by a camera and other monitoring equipment and resulted in major changes to the landscape. Today’s Caldera Chronicles blows open the story!

https://usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/oops-it-did-it-again-another-small-hydrothermal-explosion-biscuit-basin

▶️Explosion took place at 5:09 a.m. MDT on June 13, 2026

▶️The event was captured by a remote camera, as well as seismic and infrasound monitoring instruments installed nearby

▶️The location was the barren area just north of Black Diamond Pool (that pool was the site of a larger hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024)

▶️Three new vent areas opened, including an 18.5-meter (61-foot) fissure filled with boiling water

▶️Rocks were thrown a few meters (yards), indicating the explosive energy was much lower than that of the 2024 event

▶️High levels of water discharge from the vents entrained sediment and drained into the Firehole River, creating milky streaks in the river that persisted far downstream

▶️About 2 or 3 days later, a circular collapse featured formed in the area of the explosion and filled with near-boiling water

▶️On June 18, geyser-like spouting about 6-9 meters (20-30 feet) high was observed from the new circular pool

▶️Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientists deployed new monitoring equipment in the basin last week to track the evolving nature of the activity

Biscuit Basin remains closed to visitors.

Roughly two years ago, a more powerful explosion occurred in nearly the same spot:





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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• Ramble On: A History of Hiking

Going-to-the-Sun Road Now Open for the 2026 Season

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is now fully open for the 2026 season. Visitors will be able to drive the entire 50-mile length of the road, and access Logan Pass from both West Glacier and St. Mary Entrances.

Vehicles and vehicle combinations longer than 21 feet (including bumpers) or wider than 8 feet (including mirrors) are prohibited between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun. Vehicles over 10 feet in height may have difficulty driving west from Logan Pass to The Loop due to rock overhangs. Stock trucks and trailers can access Packers Roost on the west and Siyeh Bend on the east.

At Logan Pass, visitors will discover lingering winter snow, and should be prepared for cold temperatures, wind, and icy conditions. Standing or walking on snow along the road and nearby trails is strongly discouraged.

The Highline Trail from Logan Pass is closed due to snow conditions. Be sure to check the Trail Status Reports page often for the latest information on trail conditions.

Visitors are encouraged to be prepared at the entrance station by having their Park Pass ready and accessible.

Park only in designated parking spaces throughout the park. Parking outside of marked areas damages fragile vegetation, contributes to soil erosion, and can block access for emergency responders. To help protect park resources and ensure safe travel for all, visitors should follow posted parking guidance, avoid stopping along roadways, and remain patient during periods of high congestion.

As a reminder, do not throw food waste, including apple cores, orange peels, sunflower seeds, unwanted drinks (coffee, tea, soda) etc., out car windows. This attracts wildlife to the roadways which increases wildlife fatalities. Discard garbage in bear-proof garbage cans.

Traffic into the West Entrance of the park may be busy at times. Visitors may expect waits of up to 2 miles and 30 minutes to West Glacier at peak times.



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• Ramble On: A History of Hiking

Forest Service Proposes First National Policy for Recreational Climbing on Public Lands

The U.S. Forest Service will publish a proposed climbing directive in the Federal Register and initiate a 30-day public comment period. This proposal establishes the agency’s first national direction for managing recreational climbing opportunities on national forests and grasslands that will include guidance for the use and maintenance of fixed anchors and equipment.

The updated proposal replaces a 2023 draft that was overtaken by new requirements in the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, signed into law January 4, 2025. The EXPLORE Act directs federal land management agencies to recognize recreational climbing - including certain fixed anchors – as an appropriate use in congressionally designated wilderness areas.

“Recreational climbing continues to grow in popularity, with nearly 30 percent of all outdoor climbing occurring on National Forest System lands,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “This proposed directive provides much-needed national policy for climbing activities and gives local decision-makers the ability to work with partners, tribes, climbing organizations, and others to ensure visitors are having safe, responsible and accessible outdoor experiences.”

By law, the Forest Service must develop a climbing directive, consistent with the goals stated Executive Order 14219, “Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Deregulatory Initiative.” (PDF, 162 KB)

The outdoor recreation economy continues to grow, and the Forest Service is committed to promoting and increasing access to these special sites. Nationally, it is estimated there are nearly 10.3 million climbers in the United States, of which approximately 2.3 million participated in sport or boulder climbing and approximately 2.4 million participated in traditional ice or mountaineering climbing, according to the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2022 report on outdoor participation trends.

The proposed rule can be viewed and comments submitted through the Comment and Analysis Response Application.



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From Montana to New Mexico, the American Rockies stretch for more than a thousand miles. Within this spectacular mountain range are thousands of miles of hiking trails. With such an overwhelming number of options, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Rocky Mountains takes all the guesswork out by focusing on some of the most amazing hikes across this range, and provides you with a handpicked list of options that will allow you to make the most of your trips in the Rockies: