June is here! Let the summer vacations commence!
I have a list of vacation spots I’d love to visit, and near the tippy-top is Yellowstone National Park. With over 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone boasts geographical features like geysers, canyons, waterfalls, hot springs, basins, meadows, mountains, and of course, Old Faithful. Since my surroundings are generally flat, wooded, or farm-filled, Yellowstone sounds like a magnificent adventure.
Did you know Yellowstone was designated as the first national park in 1872? It contains wildlife and lots of it. You can spot bighorn sheep, elk, deer, moose, bears, coyotes, mountain lions, wolverines, wolves, and bison, among other animals. According to the Yellowstone National Park website, there were approximately 5,400 bison as of August 2024. With the bison come traffic jams.
Here’s my summer vacation tip: Don’t hit the bison!
How comfortable are bison around moving vehicles? In “Is it Okay to Drive Next to Bison on the Road in Yellowstone,” J. Scott Donahue states, “In Yellowstone, bison are so accustomed to cars and asphalt roads that they seem to know the right-of-way. Driving slowly behind a group of bison plodding along a two-lane road, you can certainly maneuver around them whenever it’s safe. Bison, when they do travel on the Grand Loop or other roads, usually don’t stop in the middle of the road, either.”
Okay, so what happens when the bison aren’t walking with traffic on the two-lane road? When they’re walking across the road? Or blocking it altogether?
In “Exploring Wyoming: How To Navigate Through Yellowstone’s Bison Jams” by Andrew Rossi at Cowboy State Daily, wildlife photographer, Max Waugh, shares his tips to avoid a traffic jam caused by bison. He cautions that while the park is their home, human concerns need to be considered when the roads are blocked. Locals might be trying to navigate the roads through the park or emergency vehicles might need to get through.
Here are some of Max Waugh’s tips when driving through Yellowstone.
- Wait to see if bison will cross
- Ease your way through a slow-moving herd that’s occupying the entire road
- Avoid gaps between you and the vehicle in front of you to discourage bison from filling in the gap and slowing traffic
- Pass bison if they aren’t moving or are on the other side of the road
- Don’t block traffic to get a picture
Pretty straightforward if you ask me.
One of the most important tips about bison I’ve picked up? Never get physically near one if you can help it. They’re fast, and they’re aggressive. They can toss you in the air like a ragdoll and gore you with their horns. No thanks!
Keeping all the above in mind, I’m still eagerly anticipating the day when I can drive through Yellowstone National Park and see the bison for myself. Until then? I’ll continue dreaming about it.
Have you been to Yellowstone National Park? Did you see bison? Have you been around bison somewhere else?
I’d love to hear about it!
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Yes, my husband and I went to Yellowstone and didn’t know we were going on opening day. A local news station saw our North Carolina license plates and interviewed us. We saw plenty of bison but none that close to the road.
That’s too funny! I can’t believe you got interviewed by the local news!
There are bison and elk herds within the Land Between The Lakes acreage down bt Fort Campbell, KY in the southwest part of Kentucky.
And there’s a bison farm nearby Blooington, Indiana
Oh, wow! That wouldn’t be too bad of a drive for me!
I’ve never been to Yellowstone but have seen bison at Columbus Ohio Zoo. With my poor eyesight they looked like HUGE rocks in the field. lol They’ve never been standing when we are there so I’ve not gotten a good look at them… yet.
Haha! I hear you on the eyesight! That’s funny about them looking like rocks!
Hi Jill, nice to see you in another venue. I’ve never been to Yellowstone, but I live in New Hampshire and the big thing to watch out for here is moose. I also lived for a while in Minong, Wisconsin, home of the Jack Link meat empire. They would let the public look at the live buffalo. Truly an amazing animal.
Hi Kathy! I didn’t realize New Hampshire had moose! How cool is that?
I live in Wyoming. My first trip to Yellowstone was when bears still roamed the campsites headed to the then open garbage dumps. Over the years I’ve been to the park numerous times. I have seen tourists do stupid, mind boggling things around bison. One incident that still stands out was the time a non-English speaking person walked up to a bison with his young child to get a picture. He attempted to have the child sit on the critter. Fortunately, for both, this bison wasn’t in an agitated state like so many are. As you enter the park you are handed brochures about not just the park’s features but protocol for staying away from the animals. Signs are everywhere regarding minimum distances to stay away from them. Unfortunately, it’s not just the animals who suffer from the stupidity of the visitors but natural features, i.e., thermal basins, as well. For some reason there are those who think it’s OK to get off the boardwalks to walk on the basin itself. That they will be severely injured or killed from the scalding water when the crust gives way doesn’t cross their mind.
Here’s hoping you will make the trip soon. Yellowstone is a great place to visit. Late summer, early fall is my favorite time as the seasons are beginning to change.
Ooh, I love that you live in Wyoming! I can’t believe anyone would try to put their child on an actual bison! That could have turned out terrible.
Yes, people can be selfish and dumb when it comes to nature. 🙁
I’m definitely keeping a visit in mind for late summer or early fall. Thanks for the tip!
great post. thanks for sharing your thoughts. yes I have been several times. last time, both of our children were approx. 8 and 10. my husband and I were thinking of going there again this summer.
Aww, that’s great you could take your kids to Yellowstone! I hope you and your hubby get there this summer.
A couple years ago we made it to South Dakota, and one of the places we visited was Custer State Park. Such beautiful country! And we found a roaming her of bison crossing the road. I managed to get a short video. One of the highlights for me! They are so majestic and such a symbol of the untamed west. I’m thankful there are places working to preserve this species after near eradication.
What a fun memory–and video! I love that you were able to see them in person. I’m so with you on preservation!
Yes – I have been to Yellowstone, twice. the last trip we had a sighting of two bison just as we entered. They were within 10 feet of our car, just leisurely munching on grass. They were quite ratty which is usual in the wild where they live. Such a spectacular sight.
Two within 10 feet? I would have loved to seen that! Nice!
I have been to Yellowstone Park. It is amazing. The bison are hard to miss and there were some traffic jams. Sadly I heard about a man who thought putting his child on the back on one was the thing to do to get a lovely picture. Sadly both were injured.
I wish people wouldn’t assume bison were tame! It’s so scary thinking about the damage they can do.
My husband and I enjoy road trips and our last one included driving through Yellowstone. We entered from the north (Montana) and drove through exiting in Wyoming near Cody. We did have a small traffic jam when a bison was walking down the middle of the road stopping traffic both ways. I did get a video, but I didn’t see anyone dumb enough to get out of their car to get closer. We also drove near a herd of bison watering at a stream. I did roll down my window (but kept my hands inside), and could hear a big bull making noises that sounded like he was grumbling. Probably about all the cars driving through his area. We saw several when we drove through Theodore Roosevelt National Park too. They are amazing animals.
Aww, you landed in a bison traffic jam! I’m sure it wasn’t ideal, but it is kind of cool! I didn’t realize they made grumbling noises! How fun!
I have never been around a Bison
I haven’t either!
I have never been to Yellowstone but it is on my bucket list.
Mine too!
I haven’t been to Yellowstone.
When I was a kid, there was a bison ranch near Harrisonburg,VA, along I-81–the bison were sold many years ago. We’d pass it multiple times a year on our way to Tennessee. My dad took photos of them.
What a fun memory!
I haven’t been to Yellowstone, but I’ve always wanted to go! It’s on my bucket list!
Same here!!
No, I’ve never been there and have never see a bison.
I haven’t either–yet!
I have never been to Yellowstone national park,but I have seen some bison, because there used be be a farm near me that raised them.
That must have been fun to see!
I have been to Yellowstone three times and was lucky enough to see Old Faithful each time without having to wait a long time. It’s been almost 20 years since I last went and I’m sure some things have changed especially where the geological activity has made it necessary to move walkways and close some areas. The third time my daughters and I stayed in one of the cabins near Mammoth at the North entrance. Because it was before Memorial Day it was less expensive and less crowded. Fortunately for us that spring had been warm with no late snow. We have seen Bison and crazy people walking towards them to take pictures. I have also seen bison on farms and ranches here in Washington State.
Ooh, I’d love to see Old Faithful! What a fun memory of being with your daughters!
I agree with the comments Carol M made. I live in Cheyenne, Wyoming and have been to Yellowstone. It is truly a beautiful park. I hope you get there this year. We have seen bison on the roadway in the park, probably around 5-7 of them. Most people pull to the side of the road to take photos. Some people do get out of their cars and don’t seem to realize that the bison are a wild animal. They can also rammed your vehicle so it pays to be cautious. Going off of boardwalks are another huge no that people do. I don’t mean to be gruesome but the hot pools can melt your body and they can’t retrieve you or they recover some of you but of course you are deceased. It is a conundrum that people can’t seem follow or understand the safety rules. Old Faithful is awesome and the Old Faithful Inn is worth checking out. We saw the largest Bull Elk that I have ever seen with a huge rack of horns in the circle of grass in front of the hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs and Hotel. The elk was bugling. It was exciting to listen to. We looked for bear but could never spot one. When you go I hope you get to see much of the wildlife and enjoy yourself.
Ahh, another Wyoming local! Ramming the vehicle? Yikes! You’re so right about those hot pools. I don’t know why people can’t be more careful. I’m glad you mentioned Old Faithful Inn, too! Thank you!
We have been to Yellowstone twice. The first time it was just my husband and I. The second was with our grandson who was about 14. We stayed in one of the little cabins , basically plywood cubicles, both times, but in different parts of the park. One night I heard large animals running around, past the cabin for quite a while. Not sure what they were – bison or elk. When you leave the cabin, You always do so slowly, making sure there are no large animals near your vehicle or around the corner of the cabin (we had to do this also in Alaska). There are a few more sections I would like to explore. We had many encounters with bison herds crossing the road, walking down the road, or just standing there. It is such a fascinating and diverse park. The geyser and open plain area have mostly bison. When you get to Mammoth Hot Springs area it is very different. The hot water flows over terraces on hill of travertine . The town there started out as a military base. The town is overrun with elk.They cover the medians, lawns, and parks. Unless you approach or harass them there usually isnt a problem. I am not sure that would be the case during the fall rut. When we had our grandson with us, we took a wagon. They stopped in a large field that was set up with a “field kitchen” of sorts. A gentleman told us tales of the area and sang cowboy songs. We had a chuckwagon dinner. On a similar trip a few days earlier, they had an issue with a grizzly coming down out of the woods to join them. The Old Faithful Lodge is an historic landmark and worth a walk through. They had a cancelation on our first trip, but by the time we decided to pay the extra and stay there for one night it was booked. We need to explore the Eastern part of the park more.
South of Rapid City is Custer State Park in South Dakota, has one of the largest bison herds in the US and has an annual round-up. Beware the friendly burros. They will push their heads into the car looking for treats. That is another good trip. You have Mount Rushmore National Park on the way south to Custer, Wind Cave National Park south of Custer, and Jewel Cave National Monument to the West of the park. A bit further south, don’t miss the Mammoth site in Hot Springs. It is a large, indoor fossil excavation and museum. Worth the stop. There is just so much nto see out West.
Sorry I must have hit post too soon. I hope you have a wonderful trip and get to make it soon.
I have been blessed to have been to Yellowstone several times. Sometimes we have not seen much wildlife and other times have seen several different species. But, almost always have seen the bison. Yellowstone is a special place.