With all the boiling hot geysers, mud pots, bison, grizzly bears, wolves, geothermal activity, and wildlife in Yellowstone, it makes you really wonder as a parent, Is Yellowstone Safe For Toddlers? Having lived close to Yellowstone all of my life, I have been lucky enough to go visit during every season of the year. As a father of four I can relate with you on wondering whether or not this wild place is safe for toddlers.
Yellowstone National Park is safe for toddlers. There are over 4 million visitors to Yellowstone National Park every year. The park is 2.2 million acres (thats larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined), and was established in 1872. From the establishment of the park there have only been 93 deaths in Yellowstone. On average there .65 deaths per year in Yellowstone. Yes, Yellowstone National Park is safe for toddlers.
With that being said, there are definitely precautions you as a parent should be aware of before visiting the park. You need to have respect for the area you are entering. If you are careless or complacent then your trip could potentially end with a serious injury or even worse. Luckily, there are easy steps and measures that you can take to ensure your Yellowstone trip is a fun and unforgettable experience.
Geothermal
“Geothermal attractions are one of the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone, but I don’t sense that awareness in either visitors or employees.”
Hank Heasler Yellowstones Principle Geologist
Yellowstone safeguards over 10,000 geysers, mud pots, steam vents, and even hot springs. Inside of the park there are more than 15 miles of boardwalk system that will get you safely up close and personal to these natural wonders.
When you are traveling in this beautiful place with a toddler, one of the best things to have is a baby carrier backpack. This way you can safely have your little one right with you as you walk into the feature.
If you don’t have a baby carrier backpack, then you should most definitely have a stroller. While going on the boardwalks, a simple umbrella stroller will work just fine. If you ever let your toddler out of there stroller or baby carrier while you’re on a board walk, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them.
There are many features where the ground has just a thin layer of crust, and beneath it is boiling water. Every year there are a few guest that either intentionally go off the boardwalk to try and get a better look, or that slip and fall off of the board walk and get badly burned.
The park rangers have really done a great job designing the board walks and you are able to get up close and personal with these amazing natural wonders. There is no need to risk leaving the board walk to try and get a closer view, or to try and feel the temperature of the water. Just be smart and safe, and stick to the board walk.
With over 4 million visitors a year in Yellowstone, the boardwalks to the most frequented attractions like the Grand Prismatic Spring can get real crowded. If your toddler is walking on there own someone my unknowingly bump them off the boardwalk.
Yellowstone is awesome and you’re going to be wanting to look around and take it all in. Just remember to keep an eye on your toddler and to not get distracted. This is why it is best to keep them in a child backpack carrier or a stroller most of the time.
Wildlife
Inside of Yellowstone, there are 67 species of mammals, 285 species of birds, 16 species of fish, 5 species of amphibians, and 6 species of reptiles. To sum that all up, there are a lot of opportunities to see some incredible wildlife inside of Yellowstone. I go to Yellowstone multiple times every year and my favorite part of the park is getting to see the wildlife.
If you get in the Lamar Valley at sunrise, early in the spring, you will get to hear and see wolves howling all around you, and the coyotes yipping off in the distance. The grizzly bears are still low in the early spring so chances are you will even get to see a grizzly bear or two as well.
Last spring my family took a trip into Yellowstone and it was amazing. We saw grizzly bears, black bear, wolves, coyotes, big horn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorn, mule deer, elk, and bison.
My kids loved being able to see and hear all the wildlife around us. They got to see more bears and wolves in the wild that day than I had ever witnessed in my entire life. It was an unforgettable experience for us.
That being said, on that trip, I witnessed many instances where visitors at the park were not treating the wildlife as well…. WILDlife. These animals are around people all the time and so they can seem pretty docile when you get close to them.
However, they are still very wild. Every year there are people that get attacked by the wildlife in Yellowstone. The vast majority of the time is because they got too close. Here is a short news clip about a 9 year old girl that got attacked by a bison on her families’ trip to Yellowstone.
During your trip to Yellowstone you will most likely see a lot of bison and elk. The most common thing that I witness on my trips too Yellowstone is people getting way to close to them to take pictures.
Whatever you do, if you see some wildlife off the side of the road stay in your car and take pictures from there. Do not get out of the car with your toddler to snap a few quick selfies with the animal. You may get lucky, but why put yourself and your family at risk. This place is not a zoo and these animals are very much wild.
On my last trip to Yellowstone we were watching some wolves and a grizzly bear through spotting scopes about 1/4 mile away. With the spotting scopes we could easily see all of the action from our location. From that distance the animals were unaware of our presence. The grizzly was sitting next to a river eating on a carcass.
Before we knew it there was a guy walking down the road towards the grizzly. He got right across the river from the bear, about 30 yards away. Getting close to a bear is never a good idea. Getting close to a bear that’s eating or a sow with her cubs is a terrible idea. This bear looked up at the man and stood up.
I was horrified, I thought we were going to witness a mauling. Luckily, the guy was able to back away from the bear, and the bear went back to eating. Yellowstone is the real deal, and the wildlife is one of the most amazing things to see in the park. Just be smart and give the animals respect. Stay at least 25 yards away from elk and bison. With bears and wolves you need to stay at least 100 yards away.
Hiking
There are 92 trailheads inside of Yellowstone Park, with about 1,000 miles of backcountry hiking trails. There’s are lots of breath taking waterfalls that you can hike too. You can safely take you toddler on these hikes with some preparations.
First, you will definitely want a backpack child carrier to safely carry your toddler on your hike. If you think that your toddler is old enough to walk then you will want to keep a close eye on them. There are a lot of cliffs and ledges that they could fall off of.
Your chances of encountering a bear greatly increases while on a backcountry hike. This shouldn’t discourage you from going on the hike. You just need to be aware of the type of area you are entering. Park Rangers will close areas for bear management. If you come across a closure then respect the sign and stay out of that area.
When a bears attacks, most of the time, it is because they are surprised, or startled. Be alert as you are hiking in bear country. Look for signs of fresh bear scat, torn up logs, signs of digging, ant hills that are disturbed, and rocks that are rolled out of place. All of these are signs that a bear is in the area.
If you come across an area like this make a lot of noise. While your hiking periodically yell “Hey Bear!” To make your presence known to the bear. You need to make more noise when you are traveling upwind.
Bears have an amazing sense of smell, but if the wind is blowing in your face then you could walk up on a bear without them ever smelling you. If you are in an area that has dense vegetation, or a noisy stream then you’re going to want to make more noise as well.
Grizzly bears are most active at dawn and at dusk. If you avoid hiking durning these times then your chances of running into a bear will go down. Stay on designated trails. Research in Yellowstone has shown that visitors that hike off maintained trails are more likely to get attacked by a bear.
Your last line of defense should be to carry bear spray and know how to use it. Bear spray is very effective for deterring an attacking bear. However, you need to know how to properly use bear spray in the rare chance that you do get charged by a bear. Below is a short video demonstrating how to deploy bear spray.
There are many ways that you can have a memorable experience with your toddler in Yellowstone. I would not hesitate to take them on this magical trip. Just take extra precautions to ensure that your trip will be safe. Enjoy all the natural beauty the park has to offer!