Fire Restrictions Lowered in Yellowstone National Park
By Moosetrack Megan
Recent precipitation has moderated fire danger throughout Yellowstone. Effective at noon on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, park officials will lower the current fire restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1.
Under Stage 1 restrictions, the following regulations apply:
- Charcoal or wood fires of any sort are prohibited at backcountry campsites.
- There are no fire restrictions in park campgrounds, day-use picnic areas, and employee residential areas within provided fire rings.
- Portable stoves and lanterns which use pressurized liquid, jellied petroleum, or gas fuel and fully enclosed, sheep-herder type stoves with a ¼-inch spark-arrestor screen are permitted park-wide in areas where ground cover and overhead vegetation is cleared within three feet of the device.
- Smoking is permitted only inside vehicles, on sidewalks, in gravel or paved parking areas, in developed campgrounds, immediately adjacent to backcountry fire rings, and in designated smoking areas inside buildings. Smoking is prohibited on all trails.
The following activities are never permitted in Yellowstone:
- Discharge of fireworks or firearms
- Use of explosives or pyrotechnic devices
- Abandoning or failing to attend a campfire
- Driving a vehicle off-road
- Smoking in thermal areas
- Wood fires at the Fishing Bridge RV Park, Shoshone Lake backcountry campsites, or any backcountry campsite without a provided rock or metal fire ring.
These restrictions are designed to protect people, property, and the area’s natural resources. Temporary restrictions will remain in place until further notice, and may be increased or reduced at any time due to changes in weather and fire danger.
