Should I bring a gun to Yellowstone?

Hunting is strictly forbidden in Yellowstone, as is target practice. And visitors should not use guns as self-defense against large wildlife, but rather carry bear spray and take other safety precautions. Firearms are also prohibited in facilities like visitor centers and government offices.



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Sorry, but if you're attacked by a grizzly in Yellowstone, it is against the law for you to shoot it. Reaching for bear spray could be your best legal option as you can't even point a firearm at wildlife there.

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Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk. Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. Keep your children close and don't let them run.

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Let's take a look at a few things NOT to do in Yellowstone National Park: Never approach (or pet) wildlife. Never go into the hot springs. Never leave the bear spray in the car.

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If you do any hiking or camping in Yellowstone, you SHOULD bring bear spray. Generally, you don't need bear spray when visiting the popular and crowded geyser areas and villages, such as Old Faithful and Canyon Village.

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Yellowstone's greatest geological threat isn't a supervolcano. It's a magnitude-7 earthquake. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – While concerns about a potential eruption of the supervolcano beneath this iconic park may garner the most alarming headlines, a more likely hazard in the coming decades is a large earthquake.

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Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk. Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. Keep your children close and don't let them run.

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Take the Encounter Seriously Bear encounters, however, are still relatively dangerous, as both grizzly and black bears, the two species of bear found in Yellowstone, can act aggressively if they feel threatened.

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Presently, the estimated grizzly bear count in the greater Yellowstone area exceeds 1,000, with 150 to 200 of these bears residing partially within the park's boundaries. These bears occupy a range spanning around 22,500 square miles.

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Wolves in Yellowstone sit at the core of a larger population connected throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In general, wolf numbers have fluctuated between 83 and 123 wolves since 2009.

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Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than encounters with wildlife. Boardwalks and trails are there to protect visitors, and off-boardwalk hiking is very dangerous - scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.

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