NPS / Jacob W. Frank The National Park Service mission is a dual mandate: to preserve Yellowstone’s natural and cultural resources and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. This means we must offer opportunities for people to experience Yellowstone without allowing that enjoyment to damage or diminish the very things they come to see. Since Yellowstone’s establishment in 1872 as the world’s first national park, visitation has steadily increased. However, since the early 2000s, that increase has accelerated. While increased visitation creates more opportunities to educate and inspire future stewards, it also puts greater strain on staffing, infrastructure, and funding—operational resources essential to protecting the park’s natural and cultural heritage. Our GoalsWe protect park resources from visitation impacts. Summer Visitor Use ManagementSummer is the busiest season in Yellowstone with nearly sixty percent of annual visitation occurring solely during the months of June, July, and August. To better understand and respond to impacts from increasing visitation, we developed a summer visitor use management strategy in 2019 that focuses on visitor impacts to four main areas: (1) park resources; (2) staffing, operations, and infrastructure; (3) visitor experience; and (4) gateway communities. This strategy will guide our actions into the future.
NPS / Jacob W. Frank Impacts to Park ResourcesThe condition of Yellowstone’s natural and cultural resources is shaped largely by external forces beyond our control—such as wildlife disease, winter severity, and state wildlife management policies. Air quality is similarly influenced by regional factors like wildfires and nitrogen deposition. While we actively monitor and manage what we can, many of these pressures originate outside park boundaries.We also recognize that increased summer visitation can impact specific areas within the park. We monitor these effects in both the frontcountry (roads, parking lots, trails) and backcountry (wilderness areas, campsites). Our data shows that infrastructure improvements—such as restrooms, boardwalks, and a visible staff presence—help reduce negative impacts. By focusing use in durable areas, we limit resource degradation and continue addressing ongoing challenges such as social trails (undesignated paths created by repeated use) and human waste. Continued monitoring plays a critical role in guiding our management strategies.Frontcountry AreasYellowstone spans 2.2 million acres, but most visitation occurs in frontcountry areas—roads, parking lots, boardwalks, and developed sites—concentrating millions of people in less than 1% of the park. Since 2017, we’ve systematically monitored these high-use areas to assess the effects of increasing visitation. Our data includes visitor numbers and density, use patterns, and resource impacts. This information informs decisions on where and how to improve infrastructure and staffing to better protect park resources.Backcountry AreasWe have monitored backcountry conditions since 2014 (and some locations since 2007). Each year, we assess 50–60 campsites, map invasive plants and social trails, inventory signs, deploy trail counters, and update GIS data. To date, increased visitation has not significantly affected backcountry ecosystems. Impacts tend to diminish with distance from roads, and most campsites maintain “moderate” impact levels and “good” facility ratings, based on indicators such as vegetation loss and the presence of social trails. Overall, backcountry impacts remain limited. Concentrating use on designated trails and campsites continues to help protect the broader landscape.
NPS / Jacob W. Frank Impacts to Staffing, Operations, & InfrastructureIncreasing visitation to Yellowstone can present significant challenges, placing growing pressure on park staffing, daily operations, and aging infrastructure. These impacts strain the very systems designed to protect the park's natural and cultural resources. To ensure Yellowstone remains resilient and protected for future generations, we must explore and implement creative, forward-thinking strategies that can adapt to rising demand while preserving the park.StaffingStaffing in Yellowstone is directly limited by the availability of in-park housing and the lack of affordable housing in surrounding communities. These constraints reduce overall staffing capacity and increase demands on existing employees as visitation continues to grow. The result is higher stress, burnout, mental health challenges, and staff turnover. When employees leave, valuable institutional knowledge is lost, and new staff must be recruited and trained—further straining limited resources. Implementing new systems to manage visitation, such as reservations or shuttle services, would require even more staff and housing capacity.Since 2019, we’ve invested more than $166 million in employee housing, including a $50 million philanthropic gift to expand housing availability. Learn more about our efforts to address Yellowstone's employee housing needs. OperationsAs visitation increases, demands grow across all park divisions, requiring frequent staff reallocations to manage workloads. During peak periods, routine operations like trash collection and restroom cleaning must be adjusted to account for traffic congestion. Entrance stations require additional staff to manage long lines and ensure smooth entry. Park dispatch has also seen a rise in call volume—intensifying pressure on existing personnel.InfrastructureIncreased visitation puts significant strain on park infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and utilities. More vehicles—particularly RVs, vans, and buses—contribute to traffic congestion and accelerate road deterioration. Higher visitor volumes also stress aging water and wastewater systems, many of which were not designed for current use levels. Since 2020, more than $645 million has been invested in park infrastructure, with an additional $896 million in funded projects currently underway.
NPS / Jacob W. Frank Impacts to Visitor ExperienceOne of our strategic priorities is to provide a world-class experience for the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year. To support this goal, we conducted comprehensive summer visitor use studies in 2016, 2018, and 2024 to better understand visitor demographics, trip planning behavior, desired experiences, transportation perceptions, and satisfaction with park services. The 2024 study focused on Yellowstone’s two most congested areas: North Rim Drive (Canyon Village) and Midway Geyser Basin.2024 Study Key Findings
Visitor Use Pilot Programs To date, we’ve tested several localized strategies in these areas and will continue exploring targeted solutions to improve the visitor experience while protecting park resources.
Nine days after the 2022 flood event, Yellowstone reopened and introduced the Alternating License Plate System (ALPS) to prevent overcrowding in the south loop while the north loop remained closed for repairs. Suggested by gateway communities, ALPS effectively managed visitation within the target range of 50–60% of normal levels, while allowing visitors to keep existing reservations. The system was suspended on July 2, 2022, when 93% of park roads had reopened.
In summer 2021, Yellowstone, in collaboration with the NPS Alternative Transportation Program and the Federal Highway Administration Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, piloted a low-speed, automated shuttle at Canyon Village to test this technology in a national park setting. The Electric Driverless Demonstration in Yellowstone (TEDDY) served over 10,000 riders, who overwhelmingly reported positive experiences and expressed interest in seeing more automated shuttles in national parks.
The main parking lots at Midway Geyser Basin were built in the 1980s-1990s, when annual visitation was below 2 million. In 2017, Yellowstone installed a temporary parking lot at Fairy Falls Trailhead to increase capacity and reduce roadside parking issues. However, following its installation, staff observed nearly 1,000 incidents of litter, human waste, and increased social trails. To address these issues, we are now considering site alternatives, which include removing the temporary lot, developing a new site, and implementing a timed-access entry system. These proposals will be shared with the public for comment before implementation.
In 2022, all NPS-managed campgrounds in the park transitioned to a reservation system during the summer. The system was well-received, with nearly all sites booked for the season. To allow for more spontaneous visits, 20% of NPS campsites are held until two weeks before the date of use.
From Aug. 3-Sept. 7, 2022, Yellowstone tested a timed-entry reservation system for travel between Tower Junction and Slough Creek on the Northeast Entrance Road. This system effectively preserved parking availability and protected resources while most of the road remained closed for emergency repairs after the 2022 flood event.
Localized forms of alternative transportation, such as shuttle systems in key park corridors, have been identified by park visitors, employees, and the public as potential solutions to address park challenges. In December 2022, Yellowstone completed a Transit Feasibility Study to analyze the opportunities, risks, and constraints of implementing transit in the Old Faithful to Madison corridor and the Canyon Village area. 
NPS / Jacob W. Frank Impacts to Gateway CommunitiesTourism at Yellowstone supports thousands of jobs and provides significant economic benefits to surrounding communities. However, rising visitation also places pressure on gateway community infrastructure, with peak-season congestion especially pronounced in West Yellowstone, MT, and Jackson, WY. Each community faces unique challenges shaped by its location and visitor volume. We collaborate closely with local governments, businesses, and organizations to develop tailored strategies that help manage these impacts effectively.Winter Visitor Use ManagementSnowmobiles are generally prohibited in national parks unless specifically authorized. For years, Yellowstone managed winter use under interim plans amid legal challenges. The 2013 Final Rule ended over 15 years of litigation and planning, established a long-term winter use plan, and addressed public concerns.In partnership with gateway communities and the public, we developed an adaptive winter use management program. This program monitors oversnow vehicle impacts, compares snowmobile and snowcoach use, and evaluates ecological and social effects—enabling us to adapt to changing conditions. Questions & AnswersSummer Visitor Use ManagementWinter Visitor Use Management Recent studies on winter use indicate park resources are in very good condition. Research shows that snowmobiles and snowcoaches contribute similarly to the impacts of winter use. The perception that snowmobiles contribute to most observed effects, and that those effects would greatly diminish by limiting travel to snowcoaches only, is not supported. When managed, both modes of transportation provide opportunities for visitors to enjoy the park. Each can offer different experiences for visitors, just as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and walking offer different opportunities for visitors to enjoy the park in the winter.
Wildlife The impact of oversnow vehicles (OSV), like snowmobiles and snowcoaches, on wildlife is a key issue in winter use policies. OSVs are required to stay on groomed roads, but the roads are often situated where wildlife may concentrate in winter. Research indicates that disturbance by winter visitors is not a primary influence on the distribution, movements, or population size and composition of bison, trumpeter swans, elk, coyotes, and bald eagles.Monitoring OSV use in Yellowstone shows that nearly all OSV users remain on groomed roads and behave appropriately toward wildlife, rarely approaching unless animals are on or adjacent to the road. In most of 7,603 encounters observed between people on OSVs and wildlife, the animals either had no apparent response or looked and then resumed what they were previously doing.Road grooming does not increase bison migration out of the park. Data on bison road use and off-road travel collected from 1997 to 2005 found bison on the road less often from December to April when the roads were groomed than during the rest of the year, and no evidence that bison preferentially used groomed roads during winter.Compared to similar studies done in other places, the relatively low intensity of wildlife responses in Yellowstone suggests that because the encounters near roads are predictable and apparently not harmful to the animals, some habituation to OSVs and associated human activities may be occurring.Requiring all visitors to use a guide has nearly eliminated wildlife harassment. Guides enforce proper touring behaviors, such as passing wildlife on or near roads without harassment and ensuring that wildlife do not obtain human food. Monitoring indicates that snowcoaches have a slightly higher probability of disturbing wildlife than do snowmobiles. Air quality Winter air quality in Yellowstone depends primarily on proximity to roads, parking areas, employee housing, and visitor lodging. Although visitation is far lower in the winter than in the summer, oversnow vehicles produce more emissions. Prolonged exposure to air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), fine particulate matter (PM <2.5 micrometers), and hydrocarbons can pose health risks.Levels of carbon monoxide and particulates fell dramatically after 2002 with conversion to BAT snowmobiles and reduced OSV numbers. Hydrocarbon and air toxic concentrations are also no longer a concern, except for formaldehyde and benzene levels, which are being closely monitored. Carbon monoxide and particulate matter are monitored at the West Entrance and Old Faithful, where OSVs are most concentrated. BAT snowmobiles and snowcoaches produce a similar amount of air pollution on a per passenger basis. Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977, Yellowstone is one of 156 national parks and wilderness areas that are designated Class I airsheds, requiring the most stringent protection. Soundscapes Noise levels have also fallen somewhat with the conversion to BAT snowmobiles, mandatory commercial guiding, and limited numbers of snowmobiles. Although snowmobiles and snowcoaches are commonly heard during certain periods of the day, their noise is absent during other times— even in developed areas like Old Faithful and along busy corridors like the West Entrance Road.Oversnow vehicles are audible 61% of the day at Old Faithful and 51% of the day at Madison Junction, per the 2010–2011 monitoring report, down from 67% and 54%, respectively. (National Park Service vehicles account for approximately one-fourth of this noise.) The BAT requirements for snowcoaches, implemented in 2016, reduced noise even more. Snowcoaches account for 94% of the loud OSVs. Guided snowmobile groups and snowcoaches contribute nearly equally to the percentage of time OSVs are heard. Incidents With the conversion to mandatory guiding has come a 50% reduction in law enforcement incidents, even when accounting for the drop in visitation. Arrests have virtually disappeared. Calls for medical assistance are the only statistic that has increased. More Information
Visitor Use Management News |
Last updated: May 16, 2025